It’s not a surprise to say the economy is still not doing great. It’s not a surprise to say that even though we’re making strides, there are still holes that need patching. But it may be a surprise to say that for our local schools, there are people in the community who are doing everything they can to alleviate some of the school’s (and its staff’s) financial shortcomings. One such organization is Fuel My School, and for them failure is not an option.
It all started with football helmets. Lisa Hilgenfeldt, co-founder of Fuel My School, is a mother of four, all of which attend Orange County Public Schools. In other words, she has spent her fair share of time working within the schools and trying to make a difference.
FuelMySchool was awarded the 2010-11 OCPS District Wide Outstanding Partner Award. From left to right: Pamela Carson, OCPS Senior Manager Community Resources, Anna Diaz, OCPS Superintendent of Exceptional Education Services, Lisa Hilgenfeldt, Co-Founder of FuelMySchool, Kathy Palmer, OCPS Chief of Staff, Daryl Flynn, OCPS School Board Vice Chair.
“About three years ago I had heard a story about a handful of freshmen that were being cut from a football team at one of the public schools,” says Hilgenfeldt. “It ended up being because they were seven or eight helmets short. And it hit me that seven or eight football helmets is all that’s needed for these kids that want to in this program to get in and to keep them engaged.”
She realized the community wasn’t aware of this issue, or similar obstacles just like it. She thought if she could just get the word out about what schools needed certain things, the community may be willing to help. Thus, the creation of Fuel My School, a website to generate funds and resources and pump them back into local schools.
Along with the company’s co-founder, her sister, they approached the Partners in Education Program in Orange County Public Schools with the idea. The group gladly embraced it. Next, they built the website, began to manage wishes from schools and then expanded to create additional programs that help fund the schools. Since the group’s inception, more than 200 school wishes have been granted through the website.
Hilgenfeldt says things as grand as picnic tables and as small as basketballs or socks or shoes have been donated to schools. In April, the school board unanimously approved an agreement with the organization to become the “Online one-stop-shop for school needs and fundraising” in Orange County. “That was a great day,” she says. “Because it was basically letting the community know that Fuel My School is the future of how we are going to make a difference.”
Today there are more than 200 Orange County schools registered with Fuel My School. “Every school in Orange County current has a micro-site on Fuel My School and today any parent or community member can look on Fuel My School and find their school and begin supporting it.”
The community has given rave feedback to Hilgenfeldt, recognizing that Fuel My School takes an innovative approach to fundraising. “Once they understand who we are, what we are, what it means, and how easy it is to support the schools that they love, I personally have not encountered one person that typically says anything short of ‘It just makes sense,’” she says.
In addition to praise from the community, Hilgenfeldt has received many letters of gratitude from the schools themselves Fuel My School has helped. “Personally I believe everyone should entitled to that intrinsic feeling that says ‘Oh my god, I’ve done something great,’” she says.
Fuel My School has the potential to help schools nation wide, but for now Central Florida will be the main beneficiary as the program continues to grow and offer more schools the chance to have their wishes granted.
To learn more or find out how you can help, visit www.FuelMySchool.com.
Article by Katelyn Dobkin
The title of “superhero” isn’t limited to comic book characters anymore. One fifth grade class at Sunrise Elementary School redefines the meaning by helping to save the world through recycling.
Tricia LaChance’s fifth grade class was a national finalist in this year’s Siemens “We can Change the World” Elementary School Challenge in the grades three to five category. Her students researched what type of trash was thrown away at their school and which of those types could be recycled. They educated parents, students and teachers on the issue through posters, videos, PowerPoint presentations and even helped answer any questions people had on the topic. Through their research they found their school threw away more Styrofoam lunchroom trays than any other type of trash. Students then found a way to recycle 44,820 trays from their school alone in a single year.
Sunrise Elementary students ready bags and cans full of lunchroom trays to be recycled.
LaChance, who has been teaching for 14 years, 11 of which at Sunrise Elementary, says her students got involved with the project during a class discussion on environmental issues. “They discovered that even at the young age of 10 and 11 they can make a difference,” she says. “They felt empowered that they had made a difference in their world.”
The trays are taken to Blue Earth Solutions, a company that is involved in developing and implementing ways of recycling polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene, where they are turned into pellets. The pellets are then sold and made into many different products. Some of the items manufactured from recycled Styrofoam include rulers, video cassette shells, toys, sun visors, building insulation, flower pots, egg cartons, push pins, landscape supplies and desktop accessories. Sarah Sosa is a student in LaChance’s class who was involved in the challenge. She says, “Now I look at things like Styrofoam and know it can be recycled. I never knew. I’m recycling more and being less careless.”
The students began contacting and giving presentations to other schools in the surrounding area to join the recycling project. In fact, they were able to get two full truckloads of trays to Blue Earth Solutions when East Lake Elementary, Castle Creek Elementary and Camelot joined in the recycling.
An estimated 100,000 trays were kept out of the landfill thanks to the research and hard work of LaChance’s class, the self-proclaimed Earth Defenders.
Because of the impact of their environmental project, the students won a free trip to SeaWorld sponsored by Keep Orlando Beautiful and SeaWorld. In addition to being a national finalist in the Siemens Change the World Challenge, the class also received an Honorable Mention Green in Action award from Green Education Foundation.
LaChance says it is important for children in this generation to learn the importance of recycling because it saves money, reduces air and water pollution, helps preserve wildlife, protects non-renewable resources and reduces the amount of trash in landfill sites. Lauren Stecker, another fifth-grade student in LaChance’s class, says, “This project has changed my point of view [on recycling] because before I didn’t know that landfills were such a big issue. Now I know that Styrofoam can be recycled and used for bigger and better things.”
Sunrise Elementary is involved in many other environmentally conscious activities as well. Every year the fifth-grade classes sponsor an Earth Day event to teach younger students about conservation and environmental issues through games, activities and presentations. Sunrise also helps the planet with two organic vegetable gardens, a Florida Native garden and a butterfly garden. In addition to Styrofoam, the school even recycles ink cartridges, cardboard, paper and many other items and is currently in an effort to go 100 percent paperless to cut back on trash in their students’ homes as well.
Article by Nikki Stephens
As many residents have taken these summer months as an opportunity for vacation, I can assure you that there was no such time off for my office or I. We marched on through the hot days to continue to serve our district the very best we that can. And now, faster than I could imagine, we are in August, with school starting at the end of the month. But before the rest of summer slowly slips away, I want to share some information about a few August events going on in our district.
Commissioner Thompson discusses opening dialogue between elected officials and faith community leaders to a packed room at the first Faith Outreach Committee Meeting for District 4 in late July.
On Tuesday, August 2 communities around District 4 including Avalon Park, Waterford Lakes, NorthLake Park and Lee Vista will celebrate the 27th Annual National Night Out event. National Night Out is known as “America’s Night Out Against Crime.” The event is designed to promote drug and crime prevention awareness while encouraging police-community partnerships. In Avalon, neighborhood leaders will be joined by members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. This will be Avalon Park’s fourth year participating in the event which will include entertainment for all ages along with valuable information about crime and drug prevention for parents and their children.
National Night Out strengthens neighborhood spirit and pride by bringing residents together for the common good and improvement of their streets. The event is an inexpensive way for prevention tips and ideas to be expressed and shared throughout the neighborhood.
Communities across the nation will participate on the same night to come together and speak out. Held every year on the first Tuesday in August since 1984, National Night Out started as traditional light vigils and front porch candles, and has quickly morphed into block parties, cookouts and parades.
Commissioner Thompson with a Pine Hills resident and frequent user of the Taft Community Center’s senior programs.
Since being elected I’ve continued to press on the importance of community involvement and safety of our neighborhoods. Our District 4 communities’ participation in this event is a great example of neighbors coming together to fight crime and actively push for a better place to call home. The high profile nature of this event shows criminals that the community is organized and has no patience for mischief. Events like these are just some of what continue to make District 4 a great place to live.
Active participation in our community by residents is what great communities are built on. That’s why I’d like to invite you to the District 4 Back to School Day on August 13. We have been hard at work to collect school supplies for children and families living in District 4. On the day of the event, which is located at the Orange County Orlando Magic Recreation Center in Meadow Woods, the District 4 Office will distribute 1,000 backpacks to our district’s kids! The goal of this event is to give parents and their children the necessary tools for a successful school year.
But that’s not all that’s going on - this is a community event, complete with free food, entertainment, a health fair, business expo and more. The event will run from 11:00am-2:00pm, with backpack distribution beginning at 12:30pm. Backpacks are on a first come first serve basis and the child must be present to receive a backpack. Families are welcome to pick up backpacks and spend the afternoon enjoying the different vendors and learning about the various Orange County Departments. The departments will have representatives on hand to answer questions and pass out information on services and opportunities available to residents.
District 4 is filled with amazing residents. I am honored to be your Commissioner and will continue to serve you to the best of my ability. Again, please know that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach me at Jennifer.Thompson@OCFL.net or call my office at (407)836-5881.
Article by Jennifer Thompson
If life you gives you lemons, make lemonade. That has always been my philosophy and it has certainly served my family and I well, no pun intended.
Being a native Long Islander, the decision to move from New York to Orlando was not a rash one, but rather one created by the sheer desire to give my family a better quality of life. As much as I enjoyed my time in New York, life on Long Island was extremely difficult for each member of my growing family. To be honest, living in the second-highest taxed county in the nation was one of the main reasons my family relocated to the sunny (save for summer afternoons, which seem dedicated to thunderstorms) Central Florida.
Christine Fox poses with her family during a race event at Daytona International Speedway. The Fox family recently moved to Lake Nona from New York and has fallen in love with the surrounding community.
As a parent, educator and craft enthusiast, I’ve always wanted the best life has to offer for my family. With that said, first and foremost, quality education was at the forefront of my mind. Moss Park Elementary was clearly the choice for our family. Call it Déjà vu, but when my husband and I first set foot inside the majestic, atrium-styled lobby we knew that this was where we wanted our children to grow, learn and become their own individuals. It just felt right. The Lake Nona area has been an incredible community to call home and we couldn’t be happier living here.
While we were diligently putting endless hours into turning our house into our home when we first moved last year, summer turned into fall and before we knew it, winter was already upon us. Our first Christmas in our Florida home was also our first Christmas away from our New York one. The feeling was bittersweet. A holiday without snow seemed so strange to us. Somehow palm trees just didn’t quite fit the bill. Fortunately for us we moved into the perfect neighborhood! An array of endless lights for as far as the eye could see and ongoing neighborly acts of kindness truly filled our hearts with joy, making it one of, if not the most, magical Christmas we could recall. Thankfully for us, that feeling of holiday cheer, or what I consider “community” has remained long after the winter season ended.
Being a mother of two elementary-aged children, I want to be there for my children every step of the way, and yet also be there for my new found community. Giving back, even in a small way, is truly what life is about for me. This summer I founded my very own company, www.aDYEnamicEVENT.com, a colorful, hands-on, tie-dye T-shirt business that has as many facets to it as the wearable artwork created by its customers. It’s fun, it’s creative and it allows me to spend time with my kids. It’s really a win-win-win. On top of that, fundraising for local events and schools is yet another dye-namic avenue that has allowed me to give back to the community.
I take great pride in partnering my business venture through the Orange County Public School District, through their Partners in Education program. Partners in Education is a vital program in helping the community and the school system work and grow together. In fact, it’s one of the best things I’ve done, both for my business and my personal life. Principal Irma Moss of Moss Park Elementary and her wonderful, professional staff together with my DYEnamic team of creative moms, students and staff members are truly the foundation to creating an unparalleled sense of community here in our new home.
I am so thankful to everyone in my adopted community for filling up my glass of lemonade. Cheers!
Article by Christine Fox
The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County hosted its Inaugural Kiwanis Family 5K for the Kids on the morning of Sunday, May 22, 2011 in the Waterford Lakes Town Center. Over 100 runners and walkers took part in the race. The event was coordinated by Kiwanis members as well as student volunteers from East Orange County’s 17 service leadership clubs. The money fundraised from the event will go directly back to the students in these clubs – K-Kids in Elementary School, Builders Clubs in Middle School, Key Clubs in High School, CKI at UCF and Aktion Clubs for disabled adults.
