Geraldine Kilberg is a part-time staff member at 85-years-old and loves her job. It was with some trepidation that I accepted the offer of a part-time position at age 74. I knew something of the fine work that UCP of Central Florida and its dedicated staff achieved with young special needs children and hoped that I could be a part of that in a small way. I was introduced to their newly opened East Orange facility near the University of Central Florida, close to my home, and was almost immediately welcomed by its young, educated teachers and therapists. I was trained to keep the files of our classroom... Read more
I work for a pallet company based in Orlando called CHEP. Why is that important you ask? Well, it’s where My Story really begins. I got involved with food banking a few years ago when I was asked to coordinate our company’s interaction with the national food bank organization called Feeding America. At CHEP, our pallets help transport millions of pounds of food products every day and the link to food banking was, and is, a very logical one. However, I had no idea what food banking was or how it worked. I had even less knowledge about who was getting food assistance or how prevalent... Read more
What path do you take when your 20 year career at the Orlando Sentinel ends? That was a question I recently had to answer and it was an easy decision for me. I was to become an entrepreneur, of course, a business owner, a master of my own fate, if you will. I became a Mr. Handyman franchise owner and I haven’t looked back since. A big change? Sure, but maybe not as difficult of one as you would imagine. Michael Slason stands in front of one of his Mr. Handyman trucks. Slason comes into the small business world after 20 years of working as a corporate financial officer. My first career... Read more
Proudly displaying her degree, Melissa Wondrely stands outside of Bright House Networks after graduating this past May. As a recent Elementary Education graduate of the University of Central Florida, I can tell you that it was one of the happiest days of my life. I can also tell you that there is a definite surplus of teachers in most areas due to budget cutbacks. I chose to do my junior and senior year internships in very different schools in both Orange and Seminole county, respectively, to get a broad perspective on student diversity. I prepared myself above and beyond to fill the role I was... Read more
Short sales and foreclosures seem to be the new norm when it comes to the real estate market in Orlando. Unlike a foreclosure, which is a bank owned property, a short sale is a home for sale in which the original mortgage owner is still current on his payments, but owes more than the house is worth. In an interest to prevent an eventual foreclosure and further loss on the property the bank agrees to sell the home at the market rate. A short sale can save the mortgage holder’s credit by selling the home before he defaults on payments preventing the foreclosure. With short sales, the bank... Read more
