The H.E.A.L Grant – Serving Youth & Families in Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, and Fort Lauderdale

Urban Farm: The Baldwin Academy

With the help of The Baldwin Academy, we offer a unique program where at-risk children can experience life outside of a dense urban environment without having to go far from home. With the help of generous local developers, schools and real-estate investors, we have established gardens in the heart of Greater Fort Lauderdale that have become an oasis for urban children to learn to farm and about life beyond what their limited experiences have allowed for.

Left: Yoga with Ms. ‘H’ – Soft Belly Breathing | Right: School lizard doing yoga with us.
Position: Upward facing Dog


Children are learning how to grow food, eat healthy, care for nature, and develop wholesome habits and coping skills. Children often turn to destructive behaviors when they feel trapped and hopeless – our Urban Farm Program is changing the way they view the world by showing them that there are better ways to live, and care and it’s all just around the corner from them.

Left: The Barbados cherry tree | Right: Cherries from the Barbados cherry tree
Left: Dr. Thelma Tennie and her son Carter | Right: The illustrious Mark Francis
Left and center: Growing baby tomatoes | Right: Sweet banana sapling

Music and Art Therapy

Healing Arts uses art and music therapies in conjunction with our traditional psychotherapies. Research has proven that some individuals are more guarded with expressing themselves verbally but are more receptive to open expression through art and music.

Because of this, medical clinics and hospitals have used art and music therapies in conjunction with traditional care for at least 60 years.

Art, music, and play help children better express and explore emotions that are associated with trauma, allowing them to develop better methods of coping and eventually healing.

Arts and music therapy will be used with all the previously mentioned programs.