January 2010 Vol. 9, Issue 1
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
January Success Story
Foundation in the News!
Note from the President
Excellence in Education Awards
A Mentor's Perspective
A Mentee's Perspective
Role of a Mentor
Thanks December Supporters
Get Involved!  

 
 
 
   

 
Upcoming Events 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Play FORE Education Charity Golf Classic
March 15, 2010
12:30pm
Avila Golf & Country Club
 
Take a swing for our schools!  The Play FORE Education Charity Golf Classic, presented by Batson-Cook Company, will be held March 15, 2010 at the Avila Golf and Country Club at 12:30pm.  All proceeds will benefit our programs and services.  Sponsors will enjoy recognition in front of prominent members of the community and the school district.  For more information contact Cheryl Hedrick at (813) 231-1937 by February 19, 2010.
 
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Hooked on Education Fishing Tournament
April 29-30, 2010
Westshore Yacht Club
 
This popular "catch and release" fishing tournament is hosted by WILDERARCHITECTURE and Allstate Construction, with proceeds benefiting the Foundation.  The event begins with a Captain's Dinner on the night of Thursday, April 29.  The tournament begins early Friday morning, and features a goodie bag for all fishermen, and food and refreshments throughout the day.  The festivities conclude with a catered awards ceremony.  Contact Cheryl Hedrick at (813) 231-1937 for event sponsorship information, or visit us online.
 
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Hillsborough Regional Science & Engineering Fair
February 24-25, 2010
USF Sun Dome

The Hillsborough Regional Science and Engineering Fair (HRSEF) is the largest academic competition in Hillsborough County. Approximately 1,000 student projects are selected to compete at the regional level on February 24-25, 2010 at the USF Sun Dome.  Sponsorship opportunities are available.  For more information contact Cris Vatalaro at (813) 231-1953.
January Success Story  
 
 
Megan Allen
Hillsborough County and Florida Teacher of the Year
 
Finalist, National Teacher of the Year 
 

My job description this year varies from day to day, but each moment shares a golden thread: education and our students. I've been to Tallahassee and am working with the Florida Department of Education on several initiatives, and I've visited universities to speak with our future teachers. I've walked the hallways at amazing schools, watching students tag monarchs or discuss how Yertle the Turtle relates to the Revolutionary War. I've presented at a State Board of Education meeting, a symposium on differentiated compensation, and vocalized my thoughts and questions on education to state legislators in Florida and in Washington, D.C. I have spoken at the FEA convention, the Florida PTA convention, and met national education leaders at Jeb Bush's Excellence in Action conference.  But the best part is being able to take my past students with me on many of my adventures, seeing the world through their eyes.

 
Click here to read more about Megan's amazing experiences.
Learn More 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hillsborough Education Foundation in the News!
 
Join our mailing list!
Note from the President
 

We're very pleased to turn another page in the Foundation's history!!  Earlier this month the City of Tampa authorized a 10-year lease (at $1/yr) for the Foundation to occupy Centro EspaƱol de West Tampa.  Centro is on the National Historic Registry and is centrally located on Howard Ave. in West Tampa.  This will be a tremendous opportunity to have all of our programs under one roof.  Our thanks for the many, many supporters old and new who made this possible.  The groundswell of support helped make this a unanimous vote by the City Council. 

 

We have not officially taken over the building as the City is finalizing arrangements with the Museum of Art which was using it as a temporary location.  We have some work to do inside and anticipate moving in sometime around the end of the school year.  Stay tuned and we'll let you know our progress.

Unveiling the Excellence in Education Awards 

 

On Thursday, January 28 more than 2,500 of the county's faculty, staff, and guests gathered at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts for an exciting evening at the inaugural Excellence in Education Awards.  A highlight of the evening was not only showcasing the talent of the educators and employees in attendance, but also the students.  Sickles and Wharton Culinary Arts students impressed guests at the reception with their culinary talents.  Throughout the night everyone was entertained by the Chamberlain High School Drum Line, Orange Grove Middle School Pride Dancers, Gaither High School Showcase, and the Blake High School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble. 

 

The excitement grew as the program reached the grand finale, announcing the winners of this year's coveted awards. 

 

Congratulations to this year's winners!

 

Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year

Karen Willis-Barrett

Greco Middle School

 

Instructional Support Employee of the Year

Kelly Jean Zelaya

Stewart Middle Magnet School

 

Teacher of the Year

Emily Marrero

Philip Shore Elementary School

 

Log on to the St. Petersburg Times website to view photos of all the nominees and the event!

 

The Foundation would like to thank Hillsborough County Public Schools and the sponsors of this year's awards program for your support and contributions to this memorable evening:

 

Amscot Financial

Presenting Sponsor, Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year Award

 

Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union's Suncoast for Kids Foundation

Presenting Sponsor, Instructional Support Employee and Teacher of the Year Awards

 

Caspers Company McDonald's Restaurants

Founding Sponsor, Teacher of the Year Award

 

Premiere Sponsors

Everest University

Helios Education Foundation

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated

 

Celebrity Sponsors

Herff Jones

Nova Southeastern University's Fischler School of Education and Human Services

VALIC

 

Spotlight Sponsors

All American Containers, Inc.

The Beck Group

Ford & Associates, Inc.

St. Petersburg Times - Newspaper in Education

Voltair Consulting Engineers, LLC

Walden University

 

Patron Sponsors

Argosy University, Tampa Campus

Bayshore Technologies

Beef 'O' Brady's

The Hirsch Group of Robert W. Baird & Co.

L. Ortega & Associates of Tampa Bay

Pruida-Guida & Company, P.A.

USF College of Education

 

 

(L-R): Bill Hoffman, Hillsborough Education Foundation President; Emily Marrero, Teacher of the Year; Kelly Jean Zelaya, Instructional Support Employee of the Year; Gayle Sierens, WFLA News Channel 8; Karen Willis-Barrett, Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year at the Excellence in Education Awards.

A Mentor's Perspective 
 
Andrew Marsh
Foundation mentor since 2002
 

I met Jason when he was in elementary school.  It was obvious at our first meeting that Jason had a very supportive family, with limited resources.  He was always neatly dressed, one of three children, the only boy in an intact family of five.  He was very bright and articulate for his age.  His academic achievements were above average, ranging from A's and B's, with the occasional C.  His interests seemed to be in technology and design.  He has a great interest in computers and technology.  During his "tween" years he lost focus for a short period of time, which, gratefully, he outgrew.  Puberty and peer pressures are hard obstacles to overcome in his environment.

 

Jason has a good understanding that education is the key to success.  Being a mentor to Jason has enriched my life considerably.  It is gratifying to see that despite limited financial resources, he is able to strive for his goals, confident that they are achievable.

 

Click here to read more about Andrew's experience as a mentor.

Thoughts of a mentee 
 
Jason
 Freedom High School
 
Foundation Florida Prepaid Scholarship recipient
 

It is surprising that Mr. Marsh and I have known each other for so many years.  Mr. Marsh has been my mentor since, I believe, the third grade and he has helped me and listened to my problems.  I don't really talk too much to people about my problems but he is someone that I can talk to because he won't judge me.  Mr. Marsh has become more than just a mentor to me but also a friend and a part of my family.  I think if there were more mentors out there, children would have less stress and become better people because they know that someone is there for them.

 

Seeing as I have a scholarship, I have to be thinking about where I want to go to college and what I want my profession to be.  I have no idea what college I want to go to but I do know that I want my profession to be something related to technology because I love working with computers and other electronics and seeing how they work.  Also, technology is a growing subject so I should always have some employment, which is great seeing as how the economy is now.

 
Read more about Jason's experience here.
The importance of being a mentor 
 

The Foundation's mentoring program aims to connect at-risk youth with positive adult role models engaged in providing them with support and guidance, exposure to a broader spectrum of experiences, and assistance with academics and career exploration. The students involved in this program are recipients of a Foundation Florida Prepaid Scholarship.  Currently the Foundation has 207 volunteer mentors actively meeting with an assigned mentee one hour per week.

 

Research reveals mentoring contributes to the wellbeing of youth in the following ways:

  • Increases social connectedness to peers
  • Increases self-esteem and social skills
  • Creates a stronger attachment to schools and their families
  • Decreases levels of truancy
  • Decreases levels of substance abuse

 

Click here for more information on how you can help change a student's path by becoming a mentor.
 
"Having a mentor gave me the sight to see and appreciate the different opportunities I have in my life to become successful.  My mentor keep me on the right tracks and shows me the right way of doing things by his experience."
Thank you to our December supporters! 
Allstate Construction, Inc.
Amscot Financial
Anston-Greenlees, Inc.
Bank of America
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Inc.
Leslie Barnett
BIC Graphics, USA
BOMA Greater Tampa Bay
Louis E. and RoseAnne G. Bowers
Bright House Networks, LLC
Richard and Kalyn Brandewie
Ralph and Rosemarie Buscarello
Bush Ross, PA
Stacy Carlson
Betty Castor
Children's Board Of Hillsborough County
Competitive Performance Systems, Inc.
Anthony and Linda D'Aquila
John David
Jean A. Davis
Dick's Sporting Goods
Tom Dorety
Donald Penn Foundation
Fern Garden Club
Sol J. Fleischman, Jr.
Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors Inc.
For the Staples Dist. Center please put:
James Fortson
Fowler White Boggs P.A.
GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman's Club
Gordon Gillette
Gregory A. Glock
Kimberly Gratz 
Sue Harbridge
Cheryl A. Hedrick
Debra Heffner
Dennis and Shirley Heinrichs
Helios Education Foundation
Hill Ward Henderson
Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association
Hillsborough County Department of Children Services
Holmes Hepner & Associates Architects, Inc.
Sue House
IBM
International Academy of Design & Technology
Benjamin James 
G. Randy James, Attorney At Law
James H. and  Amy G. Shimberg Foundation
Gordon Johnston
John Lynch Foundation
Just Wear It
Brian Keenan
Melissa A. Kelley
Kathleen Koch
Larson Allen LLP
Lazydays Partners Foundation
William M. Lefor
Linda Lewis
Lifetouch National School Studios Inc.
Little Red Wagon Foundation, Inc.
Lockheed Martin
Christopher and Claudia Long
Mayra M. Lopez-Cepero
L V Thompson Family Foundation
Gov. Bob Martinez
Wade T. Mitchell
Monroe E. & Suzette M. Berkman Foundation, Inc.
Harold and Anne Mullis
Office Product Solutions, LLC
Darrell Painter
Michaele Rao
Regions Bank
Robert and Leann Rowe
Fred M. and Mary Sue Rothenberg
Charles and Lisa Sanders
Jeffrey and Jennifer Seavey
George Seegers
Shriner's Children's Hospital
Dana L. Shires, III
Christine C. Smith
Dana and Connie Snyder
Spurlino Foundation
St. Petersburg Times
Staples Dist. Center
Staples, Inc. through Kids in Need Foundation
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
Take Stock in Children
Tampa Bay History Center
Tampa Convention Center
Tampa Cruis-A-Cade Club
Tampa Palms Women's Club, Inc.
Target Community Relations
TBE Group Inc.
The Hirsch Group
The Melting Pot
The Rogers Group PLLC
The Tampa Bay Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services
The Tampa Tribune - News In Education
Tradewinds On St.Petersburg Beach
University Alliance/University of Scranton
University of Tampa-Graduate Students
Joel and Kathleen Van Sickler
Susan Vega
Voltair Consulting Engineers, LLC
Walker Brands
Walter Energy
Alton Ward
Wilder Architecture, Inc.
William A. Gregory Jr. Foundation, Inc.
Woodroffe Corporation Architects
 

You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit. - Harry S. Truman

Sincerely,
 
 
 
Bill Hoffman
President
Hillsborough Education Foundation