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Tag: Feel Good Friday

  • Ohio elementary student brings cursive back to class

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    COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s a skill many adults learned in school, but for some younger students today, it can feel almost foreign — because it isn’t as commonly taught in classrooms anymore.

    What You Need To Know

    • A fourth grader at West Mound Elementary started a cursive club to teach classmates a skill that’s become less common in schools

    • Educators say increased technology and computer-based testing have reduced time spent on handwritten skills like cursive

    • Teachers say cursive still plays an important role in everyday life, especially for tasks like signing documents

    That’s not the case for fourth grader E’lon Hamilton at West Mound Elementary School in Columbus. Cursive comes so naturally to him that he’s now teaching it to others.

    “I got it (cursive) from my parents. I used it on occasions when I needed to, like when I was writing something very important,” Hamilton said.

    Once a week during lunch at West Mound Elementary School in Columbus, Hamilton runs a cursive club he started himself. He gives tips, demonstrates letters, and watches closely as his classmates practice.

    “Because I wanted not just myself to know cursive. I want other people to know cursive as well. A lot of other people,” Hamilton said.

    For many of the kids in the club, cursive is a handwriting skill they might not have learned otherwise.

    “At the club, I think I’m a little bit good. Like, like connecting them is kind of, like, hard to not let go,” said club member Diana Oitiz.

    Educators say cursive has become less common as priorities in schools have shifted.

    “We have a lot of tests now that are on the computers that need to learn how to use the keyboards. So I can see that technology is probably taking over a lot of the handwritten things,” said Margaret Brown, principal of West Mound Elementary School.

    Still, educators say cursive can matter — not just for school, but for everyday life.

    “You have to sign a check. Right? You gotta pay your bills. You have to do this in your signature, in cursive. So at least being able to sign your name in cursive is important for us,” Brown said.

    When asked his favorite word to write in cursive, Hamilton didn’t just choose a word; he shared a message.

    “Happiness. I want everybody to be happy in this class. What I want, like, is the more we learn teamwork, the more we get along with each other, the more we make friends. Happiness is key. Teamwork is key,” Hamilton said.

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    Aliah Keller

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  • JWU Charlotte providing excess food to community partners

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    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina university is giving surplus food a second life, repurposing it into meals for students and neighbors across the Charlotte region.

    Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte offers a wide selection of majors and programs, like culinary arts and business administration, preparing students for high-demand industries.

    At the heart of that mission sits the university’s culinary storeroom, often described as the backbone for daily operations. 

    What You Need To Know

    • JWU Charlotte is well known for majors and programs that prepare students for high-demand fields 

    • The campus is also helping community partners, feeding neighbors across the Charlotte area 

    • The university runs a weekly distribution, providing excess food to partners 

    • Nonprofits share how the partnership is strengthening their reach and mission 


    Staff, culinary assistants and federal work-study students are managing daily inventory, orders and distribution needs, while keeping activities running smoothly campuswide.

    Product Manager Sierra Curtis oversees storeroom operations.  

    “We are responsible for ordering and receiving all the product once it comes into the storeroom,” Curtis said. “We store it properly and use reports to fill daily requisitions for all the labs and any events we might have on campus. I like to tease — if there was no storeroom, there would be no culinary without us.”

    Beyond the day-to-day responsibilities, the storeroom is also empowering nonprofits and neighbors across the Charlotte area, sharing excess food with community partners for people who need it most.

    JWU Charlotte operates a weekly rotation of distributing quality food items to groups and organizations, helping to feed neighbors, all while reducing waste.

    One of those partners is the Community Culinary School of Charlotte, a nonprofit providing workforce training and job placement support in the food service industry.

    Executive Director Ronald Ahlert, also known as “Chef Ron,” makes regular donation pickups from the JWU Charlotte campus.

    “They give us really nutritious [food], a lot of different unique items our students may not get a chance to work with because sometimes the cost can be tough,” Ahlert said. “I put people to work that might have a barrier to successful long-term employment. This relationship [with JWU] is paramount.”

    Ahlert said the boxes of surplus food are supporting hands-on training while stretching resources needed for its program.

    “Money can be tight. We rely on donations and grants,” Ahlert said. 

    Another partner, The Bulb, is operating a mobile farmers market, delivering fresh produce to underserved neighborhoods across the region.

    “It allows us to redistribute surplus produce that otherwise would have been thrown away and it directly contributes to our mission of putting food back into the economy, back into the environment, communities that need it the most,” said Emma Start, sustainability coordinator for The Bulb. “We’re taking it away from landfills.”

    Culinary assistants and staff at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte finish helping Emma Start (left), with the nonprofit The Bulb, pack up boxes filled with healthy food items. (Spectrum News 1/Jennifer Roberts)

    “Community partners supporting each other is invaluable. You can’t compare it to something like this,” Start said.

    The support is extending to students on campus who may need meals as well, through a commuter lab. 

    “We take food from labs that we’ve repurposed as meals for people in between classes and commuters that have busy schedules and don’t have time to go home in between classes,” student and culinary assistant Macie Braymiller said.

    “Helping out people who truly need our assistance, that’s what makes this meaningful,” said Isabella Mock, JWU student and culinary assistant. 

    Kaden Rogers is a JWU Charlotte student and culinary assistant.

    Rogers said he’s grateful to be in a learning environment that’s also giving back to neighbors.

    “It’s an amazing opportunity that we get here as students, every day, to be able to contribute to the city while we’re students,” Rogers said. “It’s a powerful thing.”

    JWU Charlotte leaders said the storeroom also serves as a training ground for students interested in careers beyond the kitchen, teaching skills like supply-and-demand operations that translate directly into today’s workforce.

    “Some come in as a work-study student, get promoted to a culinary assistant and go out and get jobs in the industry,” Curtis said.

    Curtis said it’s a great feeling to see the storeroom giving back in so many ways.

     I like that JWU is donating to these community organizations all year-round,” Curtis said. “It takes a village.”

    JWU Charlotte food donation partners also include Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, churches and soup kitchens.

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

     

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    Jennifer Roberts

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  • Parrish Grandma Club celebrating the holiday season

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    PARRISH, Fla. –– A group of high school seniors in Manatee County started a club three years ago where the requirement for membership is to invite a grandma and love on them.

    Hence the Grandma Club began.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Sandy Angilly moved to Florida after retirement and needed to meet new friends

    •  Sandy’s granddaughter Mia decided to form a school club to help other grandmas connect with friendships

    •  The Parrish High School Grandma Club has grown and is connecting a multigenerational group of women


    Sandy Angilly is excited this holiday season to be decorating with a group of multigenerational friends.

    As she was crafting an ornament, she said it is a “great experience for someone at my age looking to be taking on something this new.”

    She is referring to her new social club.

    Sandy moved to Florida from Rhode Island in 2022.

    She is a retired nurse who cared for cancer patients and is no stranger to challenging moments.

    “Everyone would say, ‘well how could you do that?” she recounted. “Well because maybe you could brighten somebody’s day who is going through a terrible time.”

    Mia Polseno is a senior at Parrish Community High School in Manatee County.

    With graduation months away, students need to complete community service and other requirements to be eligible for scholarships and other awards. But this requirement is not just a task to check off.

    If you listen closely to Mia, she takes after her grandma, Sandy.

    “It’s a lot more than just signing off the hours on paper and turning it into the office,” said Mia. “We wanted to do something that we could see make a difference because it brightens our day.”

    To create a social network for Sandy as a new Floridian, Mia and a group of her friends created the Grandma Club in 2022.

    “I hadn’t had to think about how to make friends in a long time,” said Sandy.

    From making Christmas cookies to crafting decorations, the club does more than just bring the ladies together. The ladies meet new friends and spend time with other young women once a month in different social settings.

    Other events include making floral arrangements, pottery painting, bracelet making, etc.

    “You know what, sometimes it’s good to be put outside of your comfort zone,” said Sandy.

    What Mia did not realize is how many other women in the community would appreciate a club like this, such as 92-year-old Marion Balancia.

    The high school girls often pick up Marion and give her a ride to the events, which take place once a month.

    “It’s nice seeing our acts of kindness like trickle down to areas and people reaching out help us,” said Mia.

    Mia is referring to the support the club has received from other organizations and businesses. One of them is the Parrish Fire Department which provides the community room at the fire station where meetings happen.

    For Sandy, the time spent in her new social club has translated to new friends. But most importantly, Sandy has shared more time with her granddaughter Mia.

    “It’s a wonderful experience all those generations melding together, you know,” she said. “The kids are great.”

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Local Toys for Tots youth ambassador inspiring more service

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. — As we look ahead to Thanksgiving and Black Friday this 2025, the holiday giving season really ramps up, and one Bay area teen is showing the way for others to do more community service while getting inspired by his dad’s own service. 

    Paxton Dulski, a senior at Clearwater’s Calvary Christian High School, has made it his passion project to organize Toys for Tots collection sites.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Paxton Dulski, a senior at Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, is a Toys for Tots National Ambassador

    •  He says he is inspired by his father’s service to his country as a Marine veteran and his community as a law enforcement officer

    •  Dulski has been promoting toy donations at the different sites he has set up in the Bay area


    Paxton loves to spend a lot of time on the baseball diamond at Calvary Christian as one of the team leaders.

    As with any teenager, his life is centered around activities like these.

    But his passion is in volunteering.

    “Like the opportunity to help others,” Paxton said. “So, I think I can use the Toys for Tots platform to like show the blessing that I have to others and to bless them.”

    A run through of his days takes him from school to various locations where he has placed the Toys for Tots collection boxes, at least 10 of them.

    He is in fact a National Ambassador for Toys for Tots, a nonprofit created at the behest of the Marine Corps in 1991.

    As it states on their website, the basic mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Program is to collect new unwrapped toys and distribute those toys to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas.

    And Paxton has been helping for years, starting first as a volunteer for the program.

    He has a big reason and inspiration which drives his service to the community.

    One of his deliveries is at Largo Police Department and City Hall.

    “He is motivated, he is empathetic, he’s a giver,” said his father, Lt. Ryan Dulski. “This is a passion that he had.”

    Those words of praise come from — you could say one of Paxton’s biggest inspirations — his father.

    “That’s probably the best part of it, you literally have a child helping children and he’s learning from it at the same time,” said Lt. Dulski.

    It is this year’s Toys for Tots theme — children helping children.

    Paxton has been all over Pinellas County logging hundreds of hours to set up the toy collection boxes, from bingo nights at the neighborhood clubhouse to box set-ups at mom’s work.

    All the while, dad said Paxton is maintaining a nearly 4.5 GPA, and he is also a leader for the baseball team.

    “Those are time-intensive things, both studies and being a student athlete but to tag on volunteering and hundreds of hours of volunteering,” said. Lt. Dulski.

    Paxton would say it is the service of his father, who also happens to be a Marine veteran, that he is trying to emulate.

    He wants others to find their own inspiration.

    “I just hope that they can make an impact too,” said Paxton. “Because like I said, I started out volunteering and that’s one of the biggest blessings that you can help others.”

    As they say, it is much better to give than to get.

    A motto we can all live by this holiday season.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Ukrainian Sarasota resident dancing for world championship

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    SARASOTA, Fla. — The World DanceSport Federation Championships are happening this weekend.

    Team USA is well represented by one of our new Sunshine State residents.

    Born in Ukraine, Dmytro Roshchupkin now has a home base in Sarasota where he is inspiring others by his story.

    What You Need To Know

    • Dmytro Roshchupkin is competing for the U.S. in the World DanceSport Federation Championships

    • Dmytro evacuated Ukraine when the war broke out and was taken in by the Sarasota community

    • He thanks the people who have helped him transition into his new life


    Dmytro is swinging into every dance practice with a smile.

    At 21 years old, he is also a dance instructor with inspirational advice.

    “There is no challenge that you cannot overcome,” said Dmytro. “If it is there, you are capable. And when you are able to overcome it, it just makes you a different person, and you are in a better place than you have ever been before.”

    He is not just talking about learning how to dance, though.

    The war in Ukraine forced him to leave his homeland when he was just a teenager.

    “When the war started, it kind of changed everything,” he said. “We had to leave the country. I stopped dancing for, like, probably like a year.”

    He moved from Ukraine to Germany first.

    Coincidentally, Dmytro returns to Germany for the championships this weekend. 

    His grandparents, who also evacuated the war-torn city of Kharkiv, are also there.

    Dmytro’s parents and siblings are in New York after fleeing the war.

    But Dmytro’s experience shortly after the start of the fighting was just a temporary pause from doing what he loves.

    He finally landed in Florida, where he is heating up the dance floor.

    “Dima has been there through, like, thick and thin,” said his practice partner Alexis Aker. “He has definitely shown me the groundwork and the blueprint of ballroom.”

    Aker is also a dance instructor at the Sarasota studio where Dmytro teaches.

    She affectionately calls him Dima and is now his dance disciple.

    “He has this eagerness for knowledge, and it really elevates everyone in the room,” she said.

    She is also lending her time to get him ready for his next challenge which is taking on the best from other countries in the World DanceSport Federation Championships.

    She said it is how Dmytro has managed the war experience that really stands out.

    “It’s just really inspiring how much he was focused on all the people, on all his students,” she said. “He gave himself to his students and that was like wow…I want to be like that one day.”

    For Dmytro, he would not have it any other way.

    It is the people who welcomed him to his new home that inspire him.

    “It’s the people who greeted me that warmly on the first day I came here. Meeting me at airport, giving me all that love and shine,” said Dmytro. “And being so nice to me when I didn’t even speak any English at the beginning.”

    But he does speak perseverance and soon hopes to talk championships.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • A look back at The Center of Anna Maria Island’s inspiring recovery efforts

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    ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. — The Center of Anna Maria Island became the central hub for recovery in a community battered by back-to-back storms.

    The damage Helene and Milton left behind, you can still see today.

    During the time shortly after the storms passed, The Center also became a symbol of community and inspiration.

    What You Need To Know

    •  The Center of Anna Maria Island turned into the community’s recovery hub

    •  Christopher Culhane is the center’s Executive Director and said the yearlong efforts to get back to normal have been tough

    •  The Center has been providing youth sports and other activities for the community which relied on it for hurricane relief


    The Anna Maria Island community suffered major impacts twice, however, the place most residents consider a home base also became a beacon of hope.

    Holmes Beach resident Brooke Svoboda said she has lived on the island for years and The Center on Anna Maria Island became an integral part of the days after the storms.

    “And then the supplies started coming in and it was a home. You got a smile when you started coming in, warm food, supplies,” said Svoboda. “They know it’s the heartbeat of this community and they know the island would not be the same without it.”

    A year later, the community center’s children are scoring big during the center of youth soccer league games, which started back up for the fall season a couple of weeks ago.

    Ironically, that league start would put it on the same timing as the storms arriving a year ago.

    “The hurricanes damaged a little bit of everything on the island,” said The Center of Anna Maria Island Executive Director Christopher Culhane, as he started talking about his recollection of the storms. “Pretty dramatic. All of the tennis court. All of the higher fencing, all of it got blown over. The scoreboard we lost as well. “

    A newly installed scoreboard is now up. And what caused all of this is a bad memory for most residents in the Bay area.

    From fires bursting from downed power lines to rushing water over submerged streets, the moments right after the hurricanes were incredibly challenging and a chaotic scene.

    The double impact of hurricane winds and flooding devastated Anna Maria Island and anything on it.

    But Culhane also said something else happened soon after.

    “The Center stepped up with many other organizations and started a volunteer effort to put the island back together,” he said.

    Neighbors were in need, such as Svoboda, who relies on The Center for her family’s youth activities.

    A year ago, she relied on them even more.

    “We did stay on the island. We didn’t evacuate,” she said. “And after the hurricane hit, we came to The Center, we got supplies. It was like our home when everything was chaos and destroyed.”

    And more started to happen.

    The Center would then help plant almost 30,000 plants to renourish the beaches.

    They also held a relief concert last November with Lynyrd Skynyrd, raising more than $400,000 for temporarily unemployed AMI hospitality workers.

    The Center being so close to the water, like everything else on Anna Maria Island, also faced its challenges.

    It has been a yearlong effort to get back. The sod on the soccer fields had to get redone. The fencing and tennis courts are not fully restored.

    Nevertheless, they are playing on them today.

    The Center and its staff got recognition for all the arduous work they did over the year, and following their social media one can see how much.

    As well as the efforts continue even today to inspire others like Svoboda’s son, Parker.

    “We started a little business, and we thought it would be good to donate some back to the Center,” said Parker. “And we’ve done it enough to get to have our jerseys.”

    Proceeds from Parker’s printing business is going back to The Center to help in other ways.

    Because the kind of teamwork you see on the field during the youth games is also what happens on Anna Maria Island, according to Culhane.

    “This community steps up,” he said. “The Center wouldn’t be here without the community. And the community always stands strong with events like this past year.”

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Feather Sound resident spreads hope a year after Helene

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. — A year ago on Sept. 26, Tampa Bay area residents woke up to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

    Some of our neighbors are still facing challenges.

    Some still rebuilding and some trying to make it better for the community.

    What You Need To Know

    • Lisa Crawford, who lives in the Feather Sound neighborhood of Clearwater, is still working on her home rebuild after Helene a year ago

    • Crawford’s contractor started the work in May

    • Crawford is spreading positivity by handing out wristbands with messages of hope


    Lisa Crawford experienced the same uncertainty that came after the storm.

    Her contractor is still nailing down the final changes to her home.

    “Everything is coming out great,” she said. “The paint just needs some touch-ups.”

    The contractor, Alex Erazo, worked on the crown molding finishes of the project earlier this September.

    Crawford had to wait until May to get started on her rebuild.

    She retold her experience from that night in late September of last year.

    “When’s it going to stop? Like we didn’t know if it was going to be three inches or three feet,” she said. “We truly did not know that, and we sat on the stairway and watched as the water started to rise.”

    She lives in the Feather Sound community of Clearwater, on the edge of Old Tampa Bay.

    What she saw out her window that night was what was supposed to be a golf course.

    But it had become something different.

    “We watched furniture, little furniture floating by and we sort of giggled about it because we didn’t know what else to do,” she said.

    She confessed it was no laughing matter.

    At daybreak, she had about a foot of water inside her home. The entrance to her neighborhood was underwater.

    She said her story is like other recollections from that morning.

    The wooden floors of her home had to be ripped out. Some of the rooms and walls on the lower level of the house had to be gutted.

    Crews tossed out the furniture to the curb, while piles of debris soon covered driveways.

    Today, the recovery work is ongoing.

    Erazo, who is working on Crawford’s home with the rebuild part of the project, said he started the cleanup phase a week after Helene passed through at other homes in the area.

    One year after Crawford’s kitchen got wrecked, it is just now starting to measure up to her expectations.

    Meantime, Crawford is also building up her community. She started an effort to share positivity.

    “Just to spread the message,” Crawford said. “Let’s stay strong, we’ve got each other’s back. We’re here, all you have to do is ask.”

    She created hundreds of wristbands with messages of hope and is handing them out.

    “As devastating as it feels, you do get to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

    She wants other communities to spread the message too and is accepting requests from people who contact her through the Nextdoor app.

    She admits it does take a long time to recover, and others have had it worse. She said though to stay positive through the process.

    And Helene is only half of her story.

    She evacuated before Hurricane Milton which impacted the Bay area a couple of weeks after Helene. She came back to find more damage to her home such as a hole in her bathroom.

    Like the Trop in downtown St. Pete which had its roof torn apart, Crawford’s pool cage got ripped apart too.

    But even on a cloudy day, she still believes there is a rainbow after every storm.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Seminole High volleyball player with prosthetic inspires self confidence

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    SEMINOLE, Fla. —  Seminole High School JV volleyball player Shaleigh Hirtzel is working on her dream of playing at the collegiate level. 

    She is also an inspiration not only for her moves on the court, but also for the drive and determination it took for her to get there.

    Shaleigh gets a lot of attention when playing.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Shaleigh Hirtzel, who plays with a prosthetic, made the Seminole High School JV volleyball squad

    •  Shaleigh hopes her story inspires other student athletes to overcome their obstacles

    •  Teammates and coaches say her positive attitude is great


    For one thing, she is quite vocal, pushing her teammates to do their best in every play.

    In turn, her teammates love her.

    But really, it is the way she plays and that is with a prosthetic.

    “Obviously, every time you try something new, it’s going to be hard,” Shaleigh said. “And I’ve never had a forearm before, and this is basically acting like that.”

    As Shaleigh explained, she was born with a limb difference.

    How she is similar to other young athletes is in the desire to be the best.

    Her coach at Seminole High said it is her attitude on and off the court that has resulted in great improvements in her game.

    “I love her determination to get better,” said coach Chad Mowrey. “She wants to improve every aspect of her game regardless of if it’s a difficult task or an easy task.”

    More specifically, it is her positivity.

    Shaleigh is a 10th-grader, and she has only been playing for about three years.

    “And I think that shows everybody else, if she can do it, so can others,” said coach Mowrey.

    She is serving up a lesson in confidence to kids facing adversities.

    “Kids that are like me, I want to be able to inspire them,” Shaleigh said. “And show them, even though you’re different, you can still do it.”

    She also has a message for others.

    “Then, also help the kids out who don’t have a limb difference understand it better,” she said.

    No matter the challenge, she is overcoming it and having fun while doing it.

    Shaleigh has big plans and aspirations.

    She would like to get the attention of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Seminole High volleyball player with prosthetic inspires self confidence

    [ad_1]

    SEMINOLE, Fla. —  Seminole High School JV volleyball player Shaleigh Hirtzel is working on her dream of playing at the collegiate level. 

    She is also an inspiration not only for her moves on the court, but also for the drive and determination it took for her to get there.

    Shaleigh gets a lot of attention when playing.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Shaleigh Hirtzel, who plays with a prosthetic, made the Seminole High School JV volleyball squad

    •  Shaleigh hopes her story inspires other student athletes to overcome their obstacles

    •  Teammates and coaches say her positive attitude is great


    For one thing, she is quite vocal, pushing her teammates to do their best in every play.

    In turn, her teammates love her.

    But really, it is the way she plays and that is with a prosthetic.

    “Obviously, every time you try something new, it’s going to be hard,” Shaleigh said. “And I’ve never had a forearm before, and this is basically acting like that.”

    As Shaleigh explained, she was born with a limb difference.

    How she is similar to other young athletes is in the desire to be the best.

    Her coach at Seminole High said it is her attitude on and off the court that has resulted in great improvements in her game.

    “I love her determination to get better,” said coach Chad Mowrey. “She wants to improve every aspect of her game regardless of if it’s a difficult task or an easy task.”

    More specifically, it is her positivity.

    Shaleigh is a 10th-grader, and she has only been playing for about three years.

    “And I think that shows everybody else, if she can do it, so can others,” said coach Mowrey.

    She is serving up a lesson in confidence to kids facing adversities.

    “Kids that are like me, I want to be able to inspire them,” Shaleigh said. “And show them, even though you’re different, you can still do it.”

    She also has a message for others.

    “Then, also help the kids out who don’t have a limb difference understand it better,” she said.

    No matter the challenge, she is overcoming it and having fun while doing it.

    Shaleigh has big plans and aspirations.

    She would like to get the attention of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Broadway is back in North Carolina

    Broadway is back in North Carolina

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    DURHAM, N.C. —  Broadway is officially back in North Carolina. From Wilmington to Durham and Greensboro to Charlotte, some of Broadway’s finest productions are set to grace stages across the Tar Heel state.

     

    Following a record-breaking 15th anniversary season at the Durham Performing Arts Center, thousands of people are making their way to the Bull City this week for the kick off to a brand new Broadway season. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Broadway is officially back in North Carolina 

    •  Major Broadway productions are coming to Wilmington, Greensboro, Durham and Charlotte this fall

    • These Broadway series are huge economic drivers for the city, generating millions of dollars for the local economy

    • Single and season tickets are still available 


    “We opened in 2008 and we’re proud to say that we have contributed over a billion dollars to the local economy since then. Just last year we had over 600,000 guests in our door, which was a new record. So we keep growing bigger and better every year,” said Josette Roten, director of marketing and sales for the Durham Performing Arts Center.  

    On the menu for the season opener this week is Clue, a side splitting comedy based on the cult classic film and wildly popular board game. It will continue its run at the DPAC through September 8. 

    “This is the first comedy Broadway play that we’re bringing to DPAC, so that makes it really special. But if you love the classic board game, the movie, this is the show for you,” Roten added.  

    And joining the murder mystery this season are other new popular shows like & Juliet, Neil Diamond the Musical and Back to the Future.  

    “There’s nothing like seeing a show live on stage. The energy of the audience and the cast connecting, it’s just magical. You can get an experience from a movie or television show, but nothing will compare to a live event,” Roten said.   

    In May, we took you behind the scenes in Durham of the groundbreaking Disney musical The Lion King. And after a month of reigning supreme over the Queen City, the show is leaving Charlotte on Sunday to make room for a new season of performances that are expected to draw people from near and far.  

    Last year, Charlotte’s Blumenthal Performing Arts Center saw 191 Broadway performances, making an estimated economic impact of more than $64 million. And this fall, the center is kicking off two different Broadway series featuring new shows like Shucked, Some Like It Hot and Kimberly Akimbo, and other classics like Six The Musical and Wicked. 

    Just down the road in Greensboro, the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts is also coming off a banner Broadway season, where thousands of guests attended shows, staying in hotels and eating in local restaurants.    

    “You add up 7 performances, we also offer specials, and all the one-night performances we host. So it’s a $100 million plus economic impact for the community,” said Scott Johnson, general manager for the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts.  

    And with big-time shows like MJ the Musical, Hamilton and Mama Mia gracing the stage in a few short weeks, the venue’s already setting a new record with more than 17,500 season seat members.    

    “The shows that we present are just as good as New York and those that come do appreciate seeing them local. And you can save a lot of money by seeing them in Greensboro, North Carolina versus New York City,” Johnson added. 

    Meanwhile the Wilson Center in Wilmington is welcoming a slew of big shows starting next month with Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, and then in March of next year, The Addams Family:  A Musical Comedy.  

    Exciting seasons that are officially getting underway across the state, proving you don’t have to go all the way to New York to experience the best of Broadway!  

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    Caroline Blair

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  • Laser brain surgery helps nurse live normal life

    Laser brain surgery helps nurse live normal life

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    COLUMBUS, Ohio — Seizures have been a part of Callie Carter’s life since she reached the age of 12.  

    What You Need To Know

    • Callie Carter had been suffering from seizures from over twenty years

    • OhioHealth performed a laser ablation surgery on her in 2021 and now Callie has been seizure free for three years 

    • Callie is back to being a nurse living her normal life

    But for nearly a quarter century, she didn’t know that’s what they were.

    “I actually started having what I thought were episodes of anxiety. I had been misdiagnosed since I was 12 years old and I had had these episodes every month. Here I was actually having small seizures and didn’t know,” said Carter, a nurse and brain surgery survivor. 

    While the seizures made life difficult, Carter powered through, even becoming a nurse in her mid 20s. But as she moved into her mid-30s, the problem started getting worse. She began suffering multiple seizures a day, and eventually one bigger than she ever had before.

    “When I was about to have my baby, I then had this big seizure. I was about to leave for work. And all I remember is saying, ‘I don’t feel very good.’ Then I woke up in the hospital,” said Carter. 

    At that point in 2019, Carter was diagnosed with epilepsy and her role in the hospital had changed.

    “The hardest part was learning how to be the patient and not the nurse anymore. I think giving up that was probably the hardest that I that I had to deal with,” said Carter. 

    After being diagnosed, Carter turned to a team of doctors at OhioHealth. They determined her seizures were coming from an uncommon spot in her brain and recommended a type of brain surgery called laser ablation.

    “This allows us to offer a minimally invasive procedure that has relatively equivalent results in terms of people achieving seizure freedom without subjecting them to all the morbidity associated with like a huge operation on their brain,” said Dr. Girish Hiremath, an OhioHealth neurosurgeon.

    The surgery uses a laser to heat and destroy brain tissue that cause seizures. Callie’s surgeon doctor, Girish Hiremath, says this surgery was the least risky way to help her, especially because they had to do it twice. 

    “The first surgery, you know, was partially successful, but there was still a second sort of part of the seizure network that was still active and was giving her seizures,” said Hiremath. 

    Her doctor, Jason Bisping, is an adult neurologist and epileptologist. He worked with Carter throughout her journey and still checks on her to this day. 

    “I would say from the word go, Callie was extremely dedicated. She was laser focused on where we were going with this. And was ready to do whatever it was that we asked her,” said Bisping.

     In the wake of the surgery, Carter left her nursing job to focus on her health. But three years later, she says she’s seizure free, living a normal life, and now is a memory care nurse for Alzheimer’s patients in Zanesville. 

    “Yeah, so it’s a whole new life when people say that they have a second chance at life. This is what they mean,” said Carter. 

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    Kennedy Chase

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  • Eckerd College students feeling good by feeling safe

    Eckerd College students feeling good by feeling safe

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Through September, Weapon Brand, a small business in St. Pete, is offering free self-defense classes to a select group.

    The company’s classes mix fitness with practical skills for personal empowerment.

    Weapon Brand offers other courses in personal safety as well.

    What You Need To Know

    • Weapon Brand self defense is holding free courses for Eckerd College incoming freshmen  

    • Weapon Brand’s classes mix fitness with practical skills for personal empowerment
    • 22 Eckerd College students new to campus life are taking the class


    A group of students from Eckerd College recently took the high-speed combatives self-defense workshop and is feeling good by feeling safe.

    Madison Prois is jumping into something new.

    “I at least jump off the Pier once a week and I can’t wait to keep getting in the water,” Prois said.

    She is new to the area and is getting into self-defense as she starts her in her first year at Eckerd College.

    “I do carry around pepper spray so that’s also helpful but that could always go wrong,” she said. “It’s not always going to work.”

    Prois plays for Eckerd’s beach volleyball team.

    Her teammate, Ella Kloepper, who is also a new at Eckerd, took the class as well.

    The class instructor, Brian Anderson Needham, explained what the students get out of high-speed combatives.

    He said it is “basic instruction on how to avoid danger if they can avoid it.”

    It is also about how to fight out of an attack while also getting in a good workout.

    Needham is the co-owner of Weapon Brand.

    The retired Marine gave the free class to 22 Eckerd students new to campus life.

    The program is part of their orientation in more ways than one.

    “This maybe a new time for them to be in a community and an environment that it’s a little bit different,” Needham said.

    What is not different, said Needham, are the skills needed to feel safe. 

    Prois and Kloepper are feeling empowered.

    “I feel like I’m leaving with confidence,” said Kloepper. “If I was put in a situation, I have many ways that I can get out of it and a way to feel safe around campus and out.”

    Prois said it is “definitely worth it and I could definitely use it in the future.”

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Lotz of Blessings packs snacks for food insecure students

    Lotz of Blessings packs snacks for food insecure students

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Lotz of Blessings nonprofit in Clearwater has a pretty simple mission, which is to organize events throughout the year to help the less fortunate.

    They provide snack bags for children who are food insecure.

    They provide blankets and sleeping assistance to the homeless.

    They provide school supplies for kids who went back to school recently.

    What is most impressive is that the organizers of this group are other children.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Lotz of Blessings nonprofit in Pinellas helps out with their volunteer programs

    •  Their Pack a Snack program fills bags of snacks for students who are food insecure

    • The nonprofit is partly ran and organized by student volunteers 


    Their most recent program is helping make tummies feel full and kids feel good ahead of the long Labor Day Holiday weekend.

    In that event, about 55 volunteers with 30 children among them lined up to pack snack bags while they got a lesson in kindness.

    Reese Gatchell is a third grader who is participating in the Lotz of Blessings pack a snack program.

    “I feel like it’s a kind way to open up to people and help people,” said Reese.

    Lotz of Blessings’ Advisory Board Member Rowan Cowley explained how the pack a snack program works.

    “Well, they’re volunteering and packing bags for kids who are food insecure,” Rowan said.

    Rowan is a seventh-grader in Pinellas County and is helping other students.

    He partly runs the show at the Lotz of Blessings.

    “We organize all of the projects that we do like this,” he said. “We do this monthly.”

    Most recently, they did a back-to-school bash.

    “Got donations of a bunch of school supplies and gave it to kids who need supplies for the school year,” said Carter Lotz.

    Carter’s parents came up with the idea for Lotz of Blessings.

    Carter, who is also in seventh grade, is also an advisory member as well and he has been doing this nonprofit work for about seven years.

    “At first I felt confused because I was young,” Carter said.

    But then, it made Lotz of sense.

    “I feel good cause I get to help,” he said.

    And little Reese is well on her way to possibly becoming a student advisor at Lotz of Blessings because of what they do for the community.

    “It can go around,” Reese said. “You can pass it to other people. You can say, ‘Hey do you want to help at this place,’ you know…it’s kind of contagious.”

    It is a good feeling everyone should experience.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Mt. Vernon Elementary sends new teachers on shopping spree

    Mt. Vernon Elementary sends new teachers on shopping spree

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Mt. Vernon Elementary Principal Nikishia Dixon said it is through community partnerships with private companies such as Office Depot that the Pinellas County school can supplement the student experience and help teachers with adequate resources.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Mt. Vernon Elementary gifted their new teachers with $100 gift certificates

    •  Teachers used the money to buy supplies ahead of Back to School Day on August 12

    •  Principal Nikishia Dixon says community partners help supplement school resources


    For the past couple of weeks, teachers and administrators have been getting ready for the big Back to School Day on Monday.

    Mt. Vernon Elementary welcomed their new teachers with a special surprise.

    With donations from the local Office Depot store, Mt. Vernon surprised their newly hired educators with a $100 shopping spree.

    From crayons to planning calendars and label makers, the teachers from Mt. Vernon shopped for their supplies ahead of the big day.

    Madison Cossairt, a new first-grade teacher, got a nod of approval from Dixon when she looked at the items in the shopping cart.

    Akela Harris, who is also a new teacher, described what it is like leading up to the first day.

    “So, this is my favorite time of the year,” Harris said. “Back to school, it just brings me like to a Christmas feeling.”

    And if it is like Christmas, Dixon is the one delivering presents.

    Dixon handed out the gift certificates to about a dozen new teachers at her school.

    She said it is to reassure the new hires.

    “So, I want them to know that they made the right choice,” Dixon said. “I know I made the right choice, but they made the right choice by picking Mt. Vernon Elementary.”

    Harris said it goes beyond helping the teachers.

    “Some people look at it as the teachers are getting these supplies,” Harris said. “But really, it’s for the kids.”

    After they finished shopping, the new teachers took a tour of their campus and unloaded their supplies to get their classrooms ready.

    Atiana Mason, who is starting a third-grade class at Mt. Vernon, showed off her new supplies.

    Cossairt got excited to make her new classroom cozy for her students.

    They are good feelings, that Dixon said are simply priceless.

    “The smiles and the faces of the kids, there’s no paycheck that can give me the feeling that that gives me,” Dixon said.

    Dixon added the opportunities like the one her new teachers experienced make it all worth it.

    Dixon said the community partners help Mt. Vernon every quarter with donations.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Girls Rock St. Pete summer camp Rocks Jannus Live

    Girls Rock St. Pete summer camp Rocks Jannus Live

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Girls Rock St. Pete is having their fifth summer camp rock concert this weekend at Jannus Live.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Girls Rock St. Pete having performances this weekend at Jannus Live

    •  Girls and gender-expansive youth gathered for a week to learn instruments and band together for the show

    •  The program inspires resiliency, confidence, and support among youth


    The rock show performances begin at 6 p.m. and you can find tickets on this link.

    About 50 young summer campers ages eight to 17 took a week to learn instruments and banded together to perform in front of the expected large crowd on Saturday

    Spectrum News went to the summer camp jam session where the campers learned to rock out and to transform.

    Mazzy Tateishi is 12 years old and attended her second year of Girls Rock St. Pete.

    “Coming into this, I’m super nervous,” Mazzy said. “And coming out, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it’s like the best experience in my life.’”

    This week, she learned the drums.

    Jesse Miller is the executive director of the Girls Rock St. Pete.

    She told Spectrum News the participants are picking up more than how to play the instruments.

    “To figure out how to write a song in five days on an instrument you’ve never played before with people you’ve never met,” Miller said. “So, it sounds impossible, but what the campers realize is that they can do this.”

    The empowerment Miller describes is transformative.

    She said what they learn in camp can crossover to other parts of their lives.

    “Fill up a toolbox that helps their self-confidence and then after camp take that into the world,” Miller said.

    The camp counselors are professional musicians who volunteer their services.

    They told us every minute of the camp is to help give the young students who range in age of eight to 17 a voice and inspire confidence.

    Charlena Howard, a rising senior, has been doing GRSP since she was nine years old when she lived in California.

    “I feel like this place is a great place to find your people and fit in,” Charlena said.

    The camp is a place where “hitting the wrong note” is welcomed.

    “If you are encouraged to make mistakes, and you keep on making mistakes and keep getting better, what you teach yourself is how resilient you can be,” said the director of the program.

    Mazzy said that is what this camp is all about.

    “It just makes you feel so supported because you come in and it’s like one big family,” said Mazzy. “Everyone is there for you, and you always have a smile on your face. It’s just awesome.”

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Beach Responsibly Project founders wants to clean up Treasure Island

    Beach Responsibly Project founders wants to clean up Treasure Island

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    TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — All the visitors to Tampa Bay area beaches could lead to a big beach cleanup effort after Fourth of July festivities as a small business in St. Petersburg is having a cleanup event on Saturday morning in Treasure Island to try and help in those efforts.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Beach Responsibly Project beach cleanup event is Saturday, July 6 at 8 a.m. 

    •  The nonprofit started as an offshoot from Chris McCormick’s beach lifestyle business, The Sandbar Clothing Co.

    •  The group hopes to expand to more beach cleanup efforts in the area


    The Beach Responsibly Project non-profit organization started as an off shoot of Chris McCormick’s beach lifestyle business — The Sandbar Clothing Company.

    The headquarters are in downtown St. Pete.

    However, this weekend McCormick and his girlfriend Shannon Estes-Larkin, who also helps run The Beach Responsibly Project, will be at the beach where more volunteers are needed to participate in the beach cleanup event.

    The couple can be found picking up trash at Treasure Island Beach. On one particular morning, they grabbed their gear of trash picker devices and bags to put what they collect in the sand.

    McCormick and Estes-Larkin started their day in Treasure Island as usual. They live right on the beach and make it their mission to keep it clean.

    They hope others join them this Saturday.

    “Two days after the Fourth of July, it’s usually a pretty trashy day,” said McCormick.

    The Beach Responsibly Project cleanup effort will get underway at about 8 a.m. The meeting spot is at the Treasure Island public parking on 104th Avenue and Gulf Boulevard.

    “I don’t think it’s anything that people do on purpose, but things get left behind,” said McCormick.

    From towels to typical trash, they couple even picked up beach toys left behind.

    However, not everything that gets collected ends up in a dumpster.

    “We separate anything that needs to be separated,” McCormick said.

    “Recyclables from stuff that can actually be disposed of and then kind of go from there,” Estes-Larkin added.

    The event hopes to get more people involved in future beach cleanups.

    “I know it’s like a very popular spot for not only visitors but for our own communities too,” said Estes-Larkin. “So, it’s really important to keep our beaches clean and to just make sure that we’re doing our part to be a part of that.”

    McCormick said if the event is a success, they would like to expand into other locations to do beach cleanups.

    As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

    For McCormick and Estes-Larkin, they just like keeping Treasure Island clean.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • The Visual Bucket List sends Polk County family to Australia

    The Visual Bucket List sends Polk County family to Australia

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    WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — If you could pick anywhere in the world to visit, where would you go?

    What You Need To Know

    • Lily Light and her family are visiting Australia thanks to The Visual Bucket List Foundation    

    • The foundation started in 2016 after the co-founders received a gift for their daughter with a visual impairment

    • Lily will get to scratch off items on her bucket list such as snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and visiting zoos

    It is a “bucket list” question for us all, and a Polk County family got great news. They are scratching a trip of a lifetime off their list.

    The Visual Bucket List Foundation picked the Light family in Winter Haven and are gifting 12-year-old Lily with a trip to Australia.

    Lily has a condition which severely and permanently debilitates her eyesight.

    ABOVE: Lily’s dad talks about the trip

    The Visual Bucket List Foundation grants wishes to children like Lily.

    This week, the nonprofit’s co-founder, Christine Myers, also handed Lily a new camera she can take on the trip.

    Lily is planning to put it to good use in documenting this voyage. She loves animals and has always wanted to visit the Great Down Under.

    ABOVE: Lily talks about her upcoming trip to Australia

    “Kangaroo has been my favorite animal since I was very little, and I have absolutely loved all the animals in Australia. I’m really excited,” Lily said. “I’m going to get to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. I’m going to get to go to two different zoos.”

    The story behind the foundation is also amazing.

    “The Visual Bucket List Foundation is a pay it forward,” explained Christine Myers. “So, for us this is our way of giving back the gift we received for our daughter back in 2016.”

    ABOVE: Christine Myers talks about The Visual Bucket List

    Lily’s family is leaving later this summer to Australia, which will be that country’s winter season.

    They are all overly excited and feeling good.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Pinellas Park’s Patti Johnson Farm’s contests help with outreach

    Pinellas Park’s Patti Johnson Farm’s contests help with outreach

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    PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — The City of Pinellas Park wants you to know about one of their relatively new offerings from Parks and Rec.

    In one of the most densely populated parts of the Sunshine State, animals roam in the fully functioning Patti Johnson Farm.

    What You Need To Know

    • Pinellas Park’s Patti Johnson Farm was established in 2022 and is open to the public 

    • They’ve recently held contests featuring some of their farm animals to show the public about their education programs

    • You can plan a visit by going to their website

    They are having feel-good contests to get more awareness of what is happening there.

    Spectrum Bay News 9 went there for a visit recently, as they were finishing an online competition with the community for the prettiest pig. 

    The Patti Johnson Farm has their own pig. Penelope is the resident piggy at the farm.

    It was established just two years ago, and the farm is now open for business.

    “You can just show up, which we have an entrance gate,” said Tammy Peterson who is one of the farm managers. “We have a large cowbell; you ring the cowbell, and we can hear it all over the farm.”

    You will also hear the animals of course.

    From a piggy to a turkey’s gobble, you will also find goats, a donkey, a horse, a steer, and several other Old MacDonald favorites.

    Tammy Peterson is one of the farm managers at Patti Johnson.

    She told Spectrum News their business is to educate the public with this living classroom.

    Last month, in a video taken by city workers and posted on the city’s Facebook page, they handed out prizes to the best in show.

    “We started out with a rabbit and chicken show competition,” said Tammy. “That’s where it started. And then we were like what other animals can we do?”

    Penelope is part of the inspiration for Pinellas Park’s prettiest pig contest.

    Patti Reed, who is a member of the city council, produced the online contest.

    Her late mother Patti Johnson, who was also a council member in Pinellas Park, spearheaded the idea to obtain and develop the farm, according to farm manager Tammy’s retelling.

    For the contest, participants sent in their pet pig pictures online.

    Two piggies are receiving the honor.

    Tammy said the competitions and other farm events will continue as they bring awareness to the farm.

    They hope to be a common classroom destination for schools in Pinellas County and the rest of Tampa Bay.

    “Kids can go in the garden, pick items for a pizza and hopefully we will have like an outdoor kitchen where we can make pizza,” Tammy said. “And they can add their ingredients from the garden in the pizza. Cook the pizza and then they could eat it, so it’s really farm to table.”

    So, it is not only the animals on this farm that will get some attention.

    The farm is producing their own fruits and vegetables to feed the animals.

    The produce will be used for the school presentations and other activities.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Polk County grads teach chess to kids from migrant families

    Polk County grads teach chess to kids from migrant families

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    POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A pair of Polk County High School standouts will walk the stage of the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on Monday, May 20 at their graduations as role models to the migrant community.

    What You Need To Know

    • Christian Cortes and Freddy Bautista coached their RCMA team of young chess players to a top three finish in Polk County competition

    • It’s the first time the team participated in the competition for a game they have recently started learning

    • Christian is headed to Stanford University after graduating as valedictorian; Freddy is headed to Cornell University

    • More Good News headlines

    Christian Cortes graduates as valedictorian from Mulberry High School and is headed to Stanford University. Freddy Bautista graduates from Bartow High and is headed to the Ivy League’s Cornell University.

    The two friends, who spoke with Spectrum News in a recent story about Hispanic graduation rates, have overcome tall odds and become first in their class with top honors.

    Before the culmination of the school year and their high school careers, they shared a bit of theory on their chess game to a younger generation.

    Cortes capped off a successful year by coaching his chess team to third in the county, top 10 in the entire district.

    The team, however, only started learning the game at the beginning of 2024.

    Freddy is the co-coach and will be the first in his family to graduate high school.

    “I just thought it would be great to have the same opportunity for the kids that don’t have the same opportunity,” said Freddy about coaching the children at the RCMA-Mulberry Community Academy.

    The team is made up of children who come from migrant families at the RCMA-Mulberry Community Academy.

    Both coaches know their chess players’ situations well.

    “We went through the same things, we went through the same stories,” said Christian. “Now, how can we connect with each other and enjoy each other and enjoy each other’s times.”

    Christian and Freddy have shared experience with the young RCMA students of having the challenges as a migrant family.

    Now, they are sharing chess game theory and other tips for school success, in whichever language is best. 

    “Sometimes it comes out better in a different language and I think that’s a beautiful thing about chess, it doesn’t matter what language,” said Freddy about his coaching which he did in Spanish at times.

    What they are communicating is having success in the game of life.

    “I don’t have these challenges, I don’t have to spend 12 hours in the sun picking strawberries day after day after day,” Christian said. “I get to be here; I get to teach these students and get the opportunity to go to school.”

    Both are knowing and showing their students they can overcome the challenges their parents faced to make a better move forward.

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    Roy De Jesus

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  • Citrus teen collects shoes for others to earn Eagle Scout rank

    Citrus teen collects shoes for others to earn Eagle Scout rank

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    INVERNESS, Fla. — The Diner in Inverness is holding a fundraiser Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. on behalf of Chase Herndon who is chasing down the top rank of Eagle Scout.

    People who come to support Chase can also enjoy a classic car showcase happening during the event.

    What You Need To Know

    • Chase Herndon is completing his Eagle Scout project by collecting 100 shoes to give to less fortunate kids

    • The Diner in Inverness is holding a fundraising event to help Chase in his quest

    • Citrus County Schools also teamed up with Chase to help distribute the shoes

    The Citrus County teenager is raising funds and collecting 100 shoes in the next week to complete his Eagle Scout project.

    Spectrum Bay News 9 caught up with the 17-year-old earlier this week as he strategized on how to reach his Eagle Scout rank. It’s the highest in the Boy Scouts of America.

    Chase is trying to solve a problem for the Citrus County School District. There is a need for shoes for teenagers who cannot afford them.

    “I felt we should do something about that,” he said.

    His mission is to obtain the highest honor in scouting, which fits in well with a career in scouting dedicated to service.

    “I started as a Cub Scout when I was about six. I was in kindergarten,” he said. “And then from there, I built my way up to Boy Scout, and now I’m going for Eagle.”

    Through scouting, Chase learned CPR and tinkered with trade jobs such as welding and carpentry at a very early age.

    He has progressed on this scouting path, reaching new heights while accomplishing ropes courses, archery and other outdoor tasks.

    “Whatever Chase wants to put his mind to, he does it,” said Assistant Scoutmaster Charles Beetow, who has known Chase for nearly a decade.

    Beetow said Chase never hesitates to help others.

    That is why for his Eagle Scout project, Chase is collecting shoes sizes nine to 13 for the Citrus County Education Foundation by next Friday.

    He is accomplishing goals in Boy Scouts and helping the community.

    “Chase has grown exponentially,” said Mr. Beetow. “I mean it’s amazing what he’s accomplished.”

    Chase said he hopes the fundraiser could go beyond the goal of helping less fortunate kids.

    “So, all the money I get, any left after I get these 100 shoes or even more if I bypass my goal…all the money goes to the Citrus County School District,” he said. “And they have the money to do whatever they want with.”

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    Roy De Jesus

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