Celebrating Education - Reason #196 Why I Love My Job

On Thursday, June 24, I attended my fifth event focused on education at the Gaylord Palms Resort to honor and celebrate several teachers and students for their innovation and creativity in and out of the classroom. It is always a pleasure to be a part of this event and to see in one place what programmers like C-SPAN and MTV are doing to support education.

Dick Batchelor Run with the Girls

waiting for their mommies

dragonfly, ginger, robin and

robin's friend (name escaping me)

i think this is our 4th or 5th time running this race together...love these girls!

Bill Schafer, Baby Girl, Moi and Dick Batchelor

Let the Magic Begin!

Otis and I almost 10 years later...

Kari, the Heart of the Magic's Goodness

S and I with a couple of the girls who bring the Magic

Yummmm...

Thanks for the tickets Terry!

It was deliciously good to be at this event.

Visiting the Village

Today, I went for a tour of Give Kids the World...Never heard of it? Well, this place is absolutely amazing. From the moment I walked into the House of Hearts all the way to the end where I got to sit and have ice cream in the Ice Cream Palace. This is a special place that you can learn more about at http://www.gktw.org/.

Chatting Up a Charity: Give Kids the World

This week has been all about the community since my day started at the BETA Center breakfast and a monthly luncheon I attend, a representative from Give Kids the World was there to talk to us about what the organization is all about. Pretty awesome!

About GKTW: Give Kids The World Village (GKTW) is a 70-acre, non-profit resort in Central Florida that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. GKTW provides accommodations at its whimsical resort, donated attractions tickets, meals and more for a week-long, cost-free fantasy vacation. With the help of many generous individuals, corporations and partnering wish-granting organizations, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 85,000 families from all 50 states and over 60 countries.

Learn more at their fancy website.

BETA Center

This morning I went to a breakfast where I learned more about the BETA Center.

BETA Center's mission is to give children and parents the knowledge and support needed for strong and healthy families; with a focus on teen moms and at-risk families. Parents learn about prenatal attachment, baby brain development, child development, infant mental health, school readiness and adolescence. Pregnant and parenting teens are embraced with comprehensive programs designed to meet their special needs. Youth learn coping skills and the other developmental assets needed to successfully navigate school and life. Infants thrive under developmentally stimulating care. BETA Center promotes positive parent/child interaction, and helps children and parents grow together.

I sat next to a girl named Gina who had twin baby girls in high school and went to the BETA Center for help. We actually went to the same high school. :-) She is now a college student at Rollins and is pursuing her degree in Anthropology. Her twins are in high school and she has another daughter who is in elementary school. It's always a pleasure to learn more about an organization that is doing so much and get to meet firsthand the people who they are helping.

Advisory Board

Today I went to The Salvation Army Orlando Area Command's Advisory Board meeting. I was invited as a guest of the Vice Chair who is trying to fill some openings on the board. I know the organization very well and enjoy helping when and where I can with their mission of serving others. We were invited to tour the Catherine Booth Towers. What I find amazing about programs like the CBT is that they have been around for years and are operating every day in an effort to fulfill a need for the senior population. It makes me ask the question, "What efforts are being made that are making a difference in other people's lives that you don't even know about?" I guess I feel like there is so much to complain about in the world today but then getting an opportunity to see what's happening at organizations like The Salvation Army helps me see that there is good in the world and it's available for all of us to be a part of and one way to help is to tell everyone about it.

Heart Ball with Mr. Wonderful and HH

Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast

Hunger's Hope Breakfast

I wanted to thank best brother, Kathy and Soli for making this morning's breakfast very special.

The local food bank is raising money to fight against hunger.