North County Nonprofit Makes Winston School Student's Dream Come True

Christmas came early for Nathan Wolthuis, a 16-year-old high school student at The Winston School. Nathan just learned that he gets to attend the school’s annual Life Skills and Education trip to New Orleans later this year, thanks to a gift from the Hoaloha Foundation.

Nathan is one of seven special needs kids in his blended family. He has Autism and while the school field trip is a growth opportunity for kids with learning disorders, the family just couldn’t swing the costs. That’s where the Hoaloha Foundation stepped in.

The Carlsbad-based Hoaloha Foundation, founded by Dr. Cynthia Norall, is a non -profit charity dedicated to helping teens and adults with Asperger’s Syndrome and High Functioning Autism with social and educational support services.

“Our goal is to work with major employers to help these individuals learn certain life skills that do not come naturally to them through workshops and individualized services,” said Maria Lyon Dudzik, CEO of the nonprofit foundation.

Call it determination or the power of focused intention, young Nathan attended trip meetings over the course of several months despite the economic realities. He worked closely with counselor and admissions director Amy Spitler, who will lead the trip, in preparation for the journey. He made all the preparations with no real guarantees that he would actually go on the trip.

“We are so grateful to our friends at the Hoaloha Foundation for making this possible,” said Headmaster Mike Peterson. “This annual trip is such a huge and important life experience for the kids. It builds their confidence and shows how they CAN navigate the real world.”

Find a need, fill a need is the mantra that became the inspiration for Norall to launch Hoaloha Foundation. A licensed psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist, Noral saw a real need in her counseling work for support services for children and adults with learning disorders to help them through life experiences such as college, job hunting and employment.

For more information about The Winston School see http://thewinstonschool.com/. To learn more about the Hoaloha Foundation, go to www.hoalohafoundation.org