Avalon Park Sun Orlando December 2022

25 Years: A Reflection and Future Vision

An Interview with Avalon Park Founder and Developer Beat Kahli

Precisely 25 years ago this December, marked the beginning of something special for Avalon Park Group. The official groundbreaking of the entrance bridge to Avalon Park Orlando kicked off an adventure of building a town where the mission was established to create a place where everyone can find a place to belong in a community where they could live, learn, work and play. Over the past 25 years, we have seen buildings built, families creating traditions, friendships being forged, and neighbors meeting neighbors and becoming so much more than just neighbors. I had the opportunity to speak with my mentor, the Founder and Developer of Avalon Park, Beat Kahli. Here is what he told me about the past 25 years in our flagship development, Avalon Park Orlando, and what Avalon Park Group can expect in the next 25 years and beyond.

Stephanie Lerret:

It has now been exactly 25 years since the construction of Avalon Park started in the last quarter of 1997. Can you tell our readers more?

Beat Kahli:

In 1989, we purchased 9,400 acres of land in East Orlando, called the Altman Ranch. For generations the land, which stretched all the way from presentday Wedgefield, was used for farming and hunting. The entire 9,400 acres (10 times the size of the Orlando downtown area) was zoned for development and had plans that called for a town of almost 100,000 residents, millions of square feet of retail and office space, 3 golf courses and more, and was considered one of the largest planned developments in America on the drawing board at the time.

However, listening to the community, we realized that building such a project would have been a tremendous challenge for the environment and public infrastructure. So, through a series of land sales to the St. Johns Water Management District by our development partnership, an agreement was made to create the Hal Scott Preserve Park in lieu of commercial real estate development on 8,900 acres of the original acreage zoned to be Avalon Park. Maybe in another generation when most of the land between Tampa and Daytona Beach will be developed, people may be proud of our own “Central Park” (the Hall Scott Preserve Park), 10 times larger than its Flagship in New York City.

The agreement left Avalon Park as an 1,860-acre development, which includes, 240 acres of wetlands, 400 acres of upland preserve, 250 acres of man-made lakes, walking/biking trails. Approximately 1% of the plans included 3,400 single-family units, 1,431 multifamily units and approximately half a million square feet of commercial space, remains to be developed today.

Stephanie:

I have often heard you tell the story of a bridge loan to build “The Bridge” from Alafaya Trail into Avalon Park. Can you elaborate on that monumental event which provided the official start to Avalon Park Orlando?

Beat:

We had a dream to build a town where all people, generations, races, and social economics could live, learn, work, and play. And because being a pioneer is rarely easy, it was hard to find money for the development of Avalon Park at first. So while the Traditional Neighborhood Design “TND” design principals that were planned made sense in pre-war development, urban sprawl had become the new norm of development and none of the national homebuilders wanted to participate and none of the banks wanted to take the risk of lending us money.

I was on “my knees” going around to the banks in Orlando. Finally, I found a bank, who at the time had just expanded from Alabama to Orlando. The bank was willing to lend money for a bridge. The bridge would cross a small tributary of the Econlockhatchee River and be at the beginning of Avalon Park Boulevard. In banking terms, a bridge loan, means a short-term loan, to bridge a financial gap. For Avalon Park it meant the money to build a true bridge, and construction of it started exactly 25 years ago, just before the holidays in 1997. For the loan, the bank got a mortgage on all the land, the full personal guarantees of my wife, Jill and I, and more as collateral. That loan has long since been paid back. Often, when I drive over that bridge, I think about what would have happened if I would not have gotten that “bridge loan.”

Cont...

Stephanie:

Avalon Park was the most successful master planned community in Central Florida several years in a row (2003/04/05/06). The land was at the end of a 2-lane road, next to a power plant and landfill. Not quite the location one would think to build a town. Why do you think Avalon Park has been so successful?

Beat:

I agree! No question the location was not the classical great location. However, the dream was strong enough, timing was excellent and most important the team who shared my dream, with key people like yourself, with tremendous hard work, passion and dedication made the journey successful for all stakeholders.

A component of a great community is high property values for all. With APG as the largest owner of real estate in Avalon Park and many other business interests in the community, the alignment is evident. Cutting corners hurts APG economically more than anybody else.

Stephanie:

When you talk to Avalon Park Families, and ask them what made them move to Avalon Park, I hear many reasons, the small-town feeling, the events, the architecture and more, however the great schools seem to be for many the most important reason they moved to Avalon Park? Avalon Park has the best public schools in Central Florida, can you explain the background of our schools?

Beat:

Before we broke ground, more than 25 years ago, I did not have any kids of my own. In order to find out what would make realtors support Avalon Park, I asked them during a focus group to tell us what we could do to make Avalon Park their community of choice for home buyers. The overwhelming response was: SCHOOLS, GREAT SCHOOLS, NEW SCHOOLS, SCHOOLS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. I was more prepared to get requests, such as a large water park, a golf course (which was approved for Avalon Park, but we decided to build a downtown instead), etc. But great schools were what all the realtors told us would make their clients move to Avalon Park.

From 100 cows to thousands of neighbors...

The marching order was clear, however the first meeting with the Orange County School Board was rather “sobering.” We were told that maybe in about 10 years could we build schools in Avalon Park. However, a dialogue started quickly, and we found out that when the government and the private sector truly work together, amazing results can be achieved. The 7 schools in and around Avalon Park were all built as Public Private Partnerships and always with the goal to have the best schools in Central Florida. Out of the 7, four were built and financed by APG. In the others, APG either donated the land or built infrastructure, such the Timber Creek High School football stadium and the band’s marching field and more. The plan worked! Our community consistently boasts all A schools! And on top of that 2 have achieved Blue Ribbon status, meaning among the top 300 best schools in America. To this day, I consider that this is maybe the single most important reason for the success of Avalon Park.

Stephanie:

Having grown up in Kansas and loving the small-town concept from the beginning, it always fills me with a sense of pride when I see how people go through life starting with pre-K, going through the great public A schools, starting a family, and living all stages of their life in Avalon Park. I often get asked, what is the secret behind the success of Avalon Park? Why was it, from a classical real estate point of view an inferior location at the edge of town, by far the fastest selling community at the time of building?

Beat:

It needs a team; it needs passionate people like you Stephanie. You can have all the money in the world, a world-class planner, top engineers and more, but in the end you have to create a PLACE. A PLACE where people feel a strong sense of BELONGING and SAFETY. You need to be connected with the residents, at events, the schools, restaurants. You need to live, learn work and play with your constituents, and you need to align with them, and with the community at large.

APG owns the majority of Downtown Avalon Park. The typical developer buys land, pursues entitlement, plans, engineers and builds infrastructure, such as roads, sewer/water lines, drainage systems, amenities and more. After that, the land gets sold in parcels piece by piece to home builders, commercial builders, residential builders, and others. And then the developer is gone, often with a handsome profit in good times and sometimes broke in a recession. However, for the classical developer the investment is at its largest in the early phases of development, where they are buying land and building infrastructure. After that, the classical developer sells off their investments, makes a profit and is out of the picture. APG on the other hand has a different business concept. Today APG has its highest investment in the community since starting construction 25 years ago. APG and affiliates own buildings and land in Avalon Park valued in the 3-digit millions.

Having an investment of this size aligns with all stakeholders. APG has the same interest as a parent, a homeowner, or a retailer: a great community with outstanding schools, well-kept common areas and amenities, good traffic solutions and more.

Do you remember your first homeowner association meeting?

Beat:

I do, and funny enough, more than 50% of all households were present. (Meaning about 30, when around 50 homes were built). Today, we are lucky if out of the more than 4,000 households 4 people show up to our monthly HOA meetings.

Challenges were quite different a quarter century ago. Concerns included things like controlling the wild boar population, deer eating the flowers in the yards of residents, and nails from construction of homes were causing flat tires.

We were able to dialogue one-on-one with each homeowner and one of them asked me to explain what live, learn, work, and play meant. Well, I explained that probably the best way to describe it is if you do not want to leave Avalon Park, you do not have to. You can satisfy all of your daily needs of you and your family without having to leave the community. At the time of the first meeting there were only a few homes and the downtown had not started yet, so my explanation included the future development. I explained that there would be schools for all ages, jobs, stores for all needs, restaurants, doctor offices, events and more. It was hard to believe with 50 homes in the middle of nowhere at the time (1999). Sometimes today a resident tells me “I have not left Avalon Park at all for 3 months...” In other words: Mission Accomplished! Homes, town homes and apartments for all ages and price ranges, a grocery store, drug store, 28 restaurants, schools with 10,000 student stations, awesome events and on, and on and on. In short, a complete town, where you can live, learn work and play.

Stephanie:

Stephanie:

If you could go back 25 years, what would you do differently?

Beat:

Good question, but not much. We would likely allocate more land for the downtown, (and we are doing this in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel and Avalon Park Daytona). As well we would engage the government more, at last the largest economical benefactor of us building the town of Avalon Park is Orange County. Today the economic value of Avalon Park for Orange County exceeds $1 Billion. From just a parcel of land used for hunting and farming, to now millions in property taxes going to the County every year, jobs created, and sales tax on top of it. And because Avalon Park residents can satisfy their daily needs “internally” as a traffic engineer would say, the burden on roads, the environment et all is reduced, compared to a “standard” community, with only homes, and the need to get in the car for everything else.

The team and I feel really privileged to have learned a lot and we are now able to use our experiences in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, Daytona, Tavares and in our entrepreneurial undertakings around the globe.

Stephanie:

As a member of the APG senior management team, I am aware of the many lines of business of APG and the global footprint that we have with on every continent of the world. I’m often asked who is on the Board of Avalon Park Group. We know you that you are the Founder and CEO, along with a team of senior managers, but who are the Board of Directors?

Beat:

APG does not have the classical Board of Directors. You know that it

is you, Ross, Marybel, Mari, Cynthia, JJ, Trey, and Eric supported by Nicole, Patty, Alba, Zoralis, Jan, Eric, Michelle, Kenzie, Marielle, Alex, Nery, Matt and the maintenance team, Yelinska, Jessica, Carlos and Kim. Of course, we have procedures, rules and regulations to follow. However, I believe what we do as a development company and the building of the town of Avalon Park, could not have been done by a “classical” company. I am very thankful for the awesome team. From Founders Hall to the Clock Tower building, to the 3680 Avalon Blvd Building and now on the 4th floor of the Avalon Innovation Center, we have moved 4 times. All of those moves were within 100 yards of each other over a quarter century, but most important we stuck together in great and challenging times. And when asked about the secret of success it is just that! As you know, our mission is to change the way the world lives, learns, works and plays, and I believe that starts with the passion and drive our team shows every day in building towns.

Stephanie:

With just 1% left to go in the development, I would say that you have successfully built a town over the last 25 years. What can we expect in Avalon Park over the next 25 years?

Beat:

While there is just 1% of vacant land left in Avalon Park Orlando left to build on, you will see a significant amount of important development on that remaining piece. In line with the original master plan that has been in place for the past 25 years, you will see us breaking ground very soon on additional senior living housing, a boutique hotel, large pool and additional commercial uses. Once complete it may be time to start some redevelopment on some of the first buildings, as well as continue to support the management of commercial property and programming in the Downtown. We will also focus on replicating the successes of this community across our other central Florida developments in Wesley Chapel, Tavares and Daytona Beach.

It Started with a “Bridge Loan” that Actually Financed the Construction of a Bridge

Submitted By: Shannon Marks

A little over 25 years ago I recall gathering for a loan committee meeting of a local bank and one of the loans presented for approval that day struck me as being “out of the norm”. The request was for $1,250,000 to finance the construction of a bridge at the entrance to an 1,860-acre tract of land that would eventually be called “Avalon Park”. My colleague, Joe Lambert, who was presenting the loan request faced a barrage of challenging concerns and questions:

“This property is way out on Alafaya Trail, almost to the power plant!” and “Why would anyone want to live that far out?”

“So you’re telling us the developer of this project, Beat Kahli, is from Switzerland and he has no experience in developing real estate in Orlando, let alone a project of this size?”

Joe patiently answered the questions and what started to become clear was that he believed in Mr. Kahli and that Beat had a vision for this project, together with a well-thought-out plan to bring his vision to fruition. So, with a leap of faith and an admonition to Joe, “this better work out!” we approved the bridge loan that actually financed the construction of a bridge.

Approximately a year and a half later, Joe chose another employment opportunity, and I was assigned to the Avalon lending relationship. By this time, the first phase of the Avalon Park development was well underway and as we bounced through the roughly graded terrain in Beat’s non-four-wheel drive sedan I quickly realized the size and scope of the project was most impressive. As the first homes were built and the feel of the Traditional Neighborhood Development emerged with Founder’s Square, I saw Beat’s vision being realized and knew Avalon Park was truly going to be a unique and special community.

One of my first impressions of Beat was his ability to think outside of the box to solve problems. I recall an example shortly after I met him as he thought of a creative solution to provide the roadway needed to access the new Timber Creek High School that was under construction. While the school construction was progressing as planned, the connecting road to the school had not been started and

would delay the opening of the school. Recognizing the positives of having a new high school open to serve the future residents of Avalon Park, Beat came up with a “win-win” solution to construct the extension of Avalon Park Blvd. to the school, providing access to the residents in the area.

Little did I know nearly 25 years ago this would be the beginning of an incredible relationship and friendship with Beat; one in which I and the banks I worked for would have the privilege of partnering with him and his Avalon Park team to finance a variety of projects, including a ready mix concrete plant, the initial phase of development in a large master-planned community north of Tampa that is known today as Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, and most recently, the construction of an apartment complex on one of the last remaining parcels in Avalon Park Orlando as this community nears completion. It has truly been a pleasure to see Beat’s vision of Avalon Park come to fruition and to play a small part in the 25year journey from an entrance bridge to a vibrant community that several thousand residents have chosen as their home.

Town

Avalon

Stone

2009-2012

Keith A. Ewing Medical Office Built, Avalon Church Opened, Live/ Work Units Built & Creative World Opened

2008

Trustco Building Built, Fairwinds Built, Town Park Built, Avalon Church Built, Shoppes and Offices at Avalon Park Built & Avalon Office Ventures Built

2014

Encore at Avalon Park Built, Alafaya Trail Widening & Town Center III Built

Avalon Innovation Center Opened & Phase 2 Live/Work Units Built

Flagpole Lot Future Development - 2023 and Beyond

Town Center III Built 2013

2015-2020

Pinecrest Avalon Elementary Opened, Avalon Park Pavilion Built, Innovation Way Connection Built & Kids R Kids Opened

2022

Town Center IV Built & Avalon Arts and Culture Center Opened

Back to the Beginning: My Story

By: John Alexandrou, Avalon Re alty Group

From That to This!! As I think back over my 20 years as a realtor or bro ker, working with clients and the real estate business has changed so much. I’ve enjoyed some of the changes and others, not so much. When I opened Avalon Realty Group in 2003 the most important piece of high-flying technology was a good fax machine. Remem ber faxes? Now you can’t even give them away!

signed in person then faxed to the listing agent who in turn would print them and hand delivered to sellers for their signatures. Count er offers initialed, faxed back and forth until negotiations where com pleted. Sometimes our contracts would be almost unreadable. Of ten it would take 3-4 days to final ize a sale. There was so much more face to face interaction. I think it’s been 4-5 years since I’ve handwrit ten an offer. The documentation required in a real estate transaction is significantly easier with the ad vent of Digital signatures. In the past I would drive my clients to view neighborhoods but now, the street view on Google maps is used to check out communities. Pro spective clients rarely interview me now, they just check out my online reviews.

builder’s model home, we would stand in line hoping our name would be called. The joy people’s faces were palatable when their name was called. Like so many others, we suffered tremendous loss during the financial crisis and its eventual collapse. My own home, bought in 2007, returned to its original purchase price in 2021. So many of us experienced the ex traordinary increase in home pric es during Covid driven by a severe local and national housing short age, and ultra-low interest rates.

Back then, each morning the MLS would fax us all new listings. I would look through them for my clients, go view each home, then call my clients, describe the home, and if necessary, schedule an ap pointment for us to see the home. There were little or no online re sources for Buyers. Everything was printed, either in Weekend Pa per or Homes for sale magazines. As a listing agent, we would host “Broker’s Opens,” encouraging lo cal area agent to view the home for themselves and for their clients. Not anymore! As internet bandwidth and speed increased, everything we need is online such as quality photos, videos, and instant access to mountains for information.

When my client wanted to submit an offer, we would meet in per son. Offers were all handwritten,

During the 19 years I’ve owned Avalon Realty Group I’ve experi enced the highs and lowest of the Real Estate market. I’ve watch Ava lon grow from a small community “tucked away at the end of Alafaya Trail” a thriving community were “Live, Learn, Work, and Play” has become a reality. This is a photo of the sign was used to promote our New Year celebration, held in Founder’s Square.

In closing, I’m beyond grateful to have been a real estate broker in Avalon Park for 19 years, the sec ond longest operating business in here. The journey from then to now has been enjoyable, difficult, fun, challenging, and yet the best part of all are the friends we’ve made and the clients we’ve served over the years. Thank You!!

Experiencing the crazy housing boom of 2004-2006 where, in the

3rd Generation of Living in Avalon Park

We are 3rd generation deep living here now, and 2nd generation deep of growing up here…

The things we love the most about living, learn ing, working & playing in Avalon (since 2002) are: The hundreds of acres of nature, parks, creeks & green space within the community in addition to the thousands of acres of preserve it abuts, the true “small-town feel” we get when we visit any part of the town center by day or night-it’s always nice to see familiar faces, the public and private school choices- all being the best in their category for many miles, the fact that the developer and team are still here devel oping- not only finishing up the town center, but cultural development with the new Arts Center & continuously adding new unique community events for all to participate in, while developing further and deeper relationships with commu nity members and partners which, in turn, will take the home, business & building values to record new heights, yet again…to name a few…

Here’s to 25 years of the “original” Avalon Park, and to 25 more being even better than the last!

Philip & Gisele Kolbrich, Alex & Isabel

A Strong Sense of Gemütlichkeit

Submitted By: Brenda Kolbrich

My family and I have had the true pleasure of living in Avalon Park for twenty-one years. Avalon really lives up to it’s motto of live, learn, work and play. The well designed and very functional layout of Avalon Park lends itself to a true community, The numerous festivals and resident gatherings gives Avalon Park a strong sense of gemütlichkeit!

My son Philip has his business Top Florida Homes Realty located in downtown Avalon. He, his wife Gisele and their two children all live, learn and work in Avalon. My daughter Julianna has attended all the schools here from Primrose, Avalon Middle up to Timbercreek High School. The music and drama programs at Timber Creek have helped shape her as

an individual and guided her into the career in music she has today.

As a residential and commercial realtor for over twenty years I could write a book! I have helped hundreds of families with their real estate needs here. And I have brought several businesses into Avalon and have enjoyed watching them grow and contribute to the thriving downtown of Avalon. My long-time involvement with the HOA, Rotary, the YMCA and churches have kept me happily busy and contributing to our great community. Now I am blessed with seeing my grandchildren grow up in Avalon Park.

I look forward to hopefully having an active seniors component to Avalon Park so I can continue to live here.

From the Desk of Commissioner

Maribel Gomez Cordero

I am happy to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Avalon Park! Since the founding of this community, Avalon has grown considerably. Encompassing nearly 12,000 residents according to the 2020 census, Avalon Park has advanced to become a local destination for dining, family activities and even the arts. It is hard to imagine that just 25 years ago, Avalon was just an idea.

Now, this community has become an example of diversity and inclusion for all of Central Florida. With easy to access to schools, services and jobs, it has truly become one of the best places to live in in Orange County.

I am proud and blessed to continue representing it on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, my door is always open. If you would like to receive my newsletter or contact my office, you can email me at district4@ocfl.net or call at 407-836-5881.

Happy Holidays to you and your families!

Blessings, Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero

Make a Senior Smile This Holiday Season

With the holidays almost upon us, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of work, shopping and family obligations. But if you find yourself with some spare time on your hands this season, consider taking some time to brighten the holidays for some one else – especially someone who could use a little extra help this year. To make it easier, we’ve created a list of places where you can give back to seniors and/or other people in need this holiday season by delivering items that will bring them joy and make their lives just a little bit easier!The holiday season is a time for giving, and this year we’re asking you to help us make sure our seniors have a special holi day. Encore is launching its Holiday Wish campaign this December, and we need your help to make it a success!

From Dec. 1st - Dec. 19th, stop by Encore to pick up a special ornament that reveals the wish of a senior from Encore or one of our community partners. All you have to do is return the wrapped item with the ornament back to Encore by Dec. 20th. It’s that easy!

Your gift will help brighten the holidays for a senior this season, and make their holiday wishes come true. Not only will your gift bring joy to a senior

in need, but you’ll also be contributing to our col lective effort to ensure everyone has access to the things they need to stay healthy and happy during the holidays. Your gift doesn’t have to be expen sive—just something that will put a smile on the face of a deserving senior this holiday season. Your gift might be something that they need or something that makes them feel special, like a scarf, gloves, or a treat like a favorite candy bar.

By fulfilling these wishes, we can show these seniors that we care about them and that they are not alone during the holiday season. It’s a simple but mean ingful gesture that can make a big impact. So please consider stopping by and helping to bring joy to someone who may otherwise be feeling forgotten.

So please, join us in spreading some holiday cheer to those who may not otherwise have it. Pick up an ornament at Encore today and help make a senior’s holiday wish come true!

For more information on Encore at Avalon Park give us a call at 407-270-7500 and schedule a tour today.

Timber Creek High School JROTC Food Drive

Timber Creek High School had 54 JROTC students participate from Oct 17 to Nov 15. We collected dona tions at two local markets and assembled 73 food baskets for distribution within our community ($8,220).

Happy Anniversary Avalon Park! I Will Always Consider You My Home.

Submitted By: Pastor Dale Brooks

In 2004, my wife and I purchased a home in Avalon Park so that we could more effectively build and grow a house of worship in this wonderful community. We will always have a deep sense of gratitude to Beat Kahli and the Avalon Park Group for recognizing that in addition to schools, restaurants, parks, homes and businesses, Avalon Park would also need a place for its residenc es to worship. In 2005, we began working together to

see this dream become a reality and after many obstacles and delays, in 2008, the community held its first wor ship service in a brand-new facility. Located next door to Avalon Elementary, and across the street from Tanja King Park, this building and the people who gather there have been a beacon of light and a source of spiritual con nection for over 14 years. Thank you, Avalon Park, for your support and partnership! There is no other place on the planet I’d rather Live, Learn, Work, and Play (and worship) than Avalon Park!

Watching Someone’s Dream and Vision Come True

When I first came to Avalon in 2000 to plan and then open Avalon Elementary School I met with Beat Kahli. We both exchanged our visions for our new endeavors. I explained my philosophy for a school of excellence. He talked about building a town where people could live, work and play. Both of us where very animated and excited about our projects.

As I pulled out of Avalon I saw a few model homes, a small deli where you could get breakfast or lunch and also buy a newspaper, milk and bread. There was some hous ing construction and dirt roads to the school construction site. I could see my tasks as very doable. Buy furniture and books for the building. Hire a staff. Write curricu lum and set the expectations for helping every students become successful.

But how could my new friend build an entire city. He was eager and appeared to have the energy of ten men.

Over the years I had the great privilege of watching my friends dream and vision come true. I watched roads be ing paved. More and more houses were built and a few store fronts opened. Then Avalon Park Blvd was built and extended all the way to Colonial (highway 50). As Avalon Park continued to grow the Avalon Park Blvd cor ridor began to develop. The cow pastures changed and

became new subdivisions. Avalon Park proper continued to grow. With in a few years of opening our elementary school went from 400 students to 1,500 students. Two new schools were opened to relieve our over crowding. So many people wanted to move to Avalon that at one point there were lotteries held to buy a house. People didn’t care which model; they just wanted to live in Avalon.

As I drive into Avalon today I fondly remember the joy I had watching this town grow from it’s very humble be ginnings. It still amazes me that one man with a vision built everything I see for miles in every direction in twen ty five years. How did the beautiful parks, homes, apart ments, condominiums, store, churches, restaurants and recreational facilities, and events just spring to life? How could one person lead a team to accomplish a wonderful environment that thousands enjoy everyday as they live, work and play in Avalon.

l treasure the friendship Beat Kahli and I started the first day we met and still continue today . I am so proud of my friend and proud of this beautiful community so many now call home. Twenty Five years later Beat is still here in Avalon today. He has surrounded himself with a large highly developed staff who make life for everyone here better.

Sunshine Ankle & Foot Experts December Health Fact

Your feet are a good indicator of your general health! Such conditions as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet. Foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems. Seek medical attention if you are experiencing symptoms that are not usual.

Sunshine Ankle & Foot Experts can help you! Dr. Kiana Karbasi and Dr. Timothy Miller are currently seeing patients in Suite 225 of the Keith Ewing Medical Building.

Please call 407-863-3655 or visit us at www. sunshineankleandfoot.com to schedule an appointment! We love being a part of the Avalon Park Community and look forward to keeping it’s members SAFE and keeping them going!

Next Generation in America: A Brighter Way of Doing Business

and over again that I would be the first Hispanic President of the Unit ed States. We all have dreams and it comes down to finding the right op portunities. However, if you aren’t able to speak the language, it’s a real challenge for those brave enough to make the jump.”

689-204-2100. Visit them Dec. 3 from 3 – 9 p.m. at the “Avalon-A-Glow” event in Downtown Avalon Park. More than 100 vendors, food trucks and kid activities will be on hand. It all kicks off with a Christmas Parade and wraps up with a Holiday Fire works Show at 9 p.m.

Every year, nearly one million peo ple from around the world set out on a journey for a better life and find it here in the United States. Thanks to the life-changing decisions made by the families of George Haddad and Ruth Hart years ago, a new en deavor will launch Monday helping those who have taken similar ad ventures and now find themselves in the Sunshine State.

These two Central Florida insurance professionals are opening Bright way, The Haddad Agency in Ava lon Park Monday. “This is exactly what our families had in mind when it came to having a great opportuni ty for their kids one day,” Haddad said. Haddad’s family traveled from Syria before he was born, while Hart’s family came to the USA from Puerto Rico when she was only five years old. “We first moved to New York City, then to Florida when I was nine. My dad brought us here for work in the tech industry,” Hart said. “Being a first-generation American has its challenges. But mostly, it has provided opportuni ties that have made our new busi ness possible.”

Hart first got into the insurance industry at 21. Being bilingual al lowed her to be able to help trans late Spanish into English, as well as insurance code into information a customer can understand. “Imag ine coming to a strange new world and not even being able to speak the language,” Hart commented. “So many families, ours included, came here with hope for a better life. As a young girl, I remember writing over

Haddad’s family moved from Da mascus, Syria to Detroit, Michigan. “Dad worked in the auto industry there until I was in high school. He never wanted me to work in the automotive industry. I did help him swap a transmission once, but that was enough for me,” Haddad said. “Working in insurance these past few years has been something where I can really help others. Speaking Arabic is a great tool to have. However, regardless of infor mation lost in translation, insurance can be tough to explain. Know ing how much it helps customers, though, I love getting to work in this industry. It’s the right fit.”

Working in insurance for more than six years, Hart met Haddad while working for another coverage pro vider and knew he was special. “We learned each other’s story and quickly learned just how much we were capable of,” Hart said of her former employee. “He was my best producer and I knew right away that he could make a difference if given the right opportunity.” A resident of Avalon Park for more than 15 years, Haddad is a former student-athlete who graduated from Timber Creek High School. Hart is completing her last year of her bach elor’s degree in business adminis tration from Eastern Florida State College.

Haddad and Hart are co-owners of Brightway, The Haddad Agency offering customized Home, Flood, Auto, Boat, Condo, Renters, Person al Articles, RV, Motorcycle, Umbrel la, and Life insurance policies from numerous insurance companies. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST) and Saturday/Sunday by appointment. Visit them at their office at 3801 Avalon Park East Bou levard, Suite 221, in Orlando, online at BrightwayHaddad.com or call

Brightway’s corporate office staff provides expertise and support in areas including customer service, technology, accounting, marketing, distribution and business analytics. In addition, Brightway handles car rier relations and appointments, as well as support with personnel hir ing, licensing, onboarding, training and retention. The company’s signa ture after-the-sale service empow ers Agency Owners, like Ruth and George, to focus on new business sales and provide customers the personalized service they deserve.

About Brightway Insurance

Established in 2008, Brightway grew to become one of the largest private ly-owned property/casualty insurance distribution companies in the U.S. with more than 300 franchises in 30 states and over $900 million in annual premi ums. Recently, Brightway’s success led to a private equity investment that has infused the company with financial and human capital, and data and analytics access, to accelerate growth and deliver new and exciting market opportunities.

Brightway produces winning outcomes for franchisees and their customers by offering access to customized cover age solutions from a range of insurers paired with full back office and mar keting support. This winning model allows agents and producers to focus on addressing the needs of their customers to become trusted advisors and grow their businesses.

Haddad, Hart Launch Brightway in Avalon Park

A Letter from Julie at JK Creative

Dear Beat and the Avalon Park Group,

As I sit and reflect on things I’m Thankful for this year, I felt compelled to send a little note your way...

In 2019, my husband and I decided to leave Maryland and re locate to the Orlando area when a job opportunity popped up. We didn’t know anyone here or honestly much about Orlando (other than the fact we loved Disney World). When we took a trip to explore areas to consider moving to, we instantly fell in love with Avalon Park. We noticed people out walking and biking, kids playing, neighbors talking to each other. (That just didn’t seem to be the norm where we lived before.) We noticed the nice amenities and cute downtown area filled with small businesses. While initially we thought we wanted to be as close to the theme parks as possible, we decided the whole point of leaving the North East was for a better pace of life. So, we decided to purchase a home in South Village and made the move to start our new chapter.

While my husband had a new job to start, I being an entrepre neur, balanced getting our personal life settled and figuring out moving my company to a new state. I had planned on real ly hitting the ground running in the beginning of 2020, getting out, and networking in this new city. But we all know what happened at the beginning of 2020. The Pandemic caused many businesses to struggle and mine unfortunately was one of them. The emails started flooding in with messages of can celled projects and contracts until my project schedule halt ed to zero jobs coming in. While surviving on pandemic re sources from the government that were quickly running out, I questioned if I could even turn things around and thought this might be the end of my company. But then there was a small glimmer of hope: The Avalon Innovation Awards. I applied and presented JK Creative though a few rounds of pitches to eventually find out that I had received one of the top prizes in cluding cash, services, and an office in a new coworking space. It was at this moment life truly turned around. I went from thinking about having to shut down my business to starting on an amazing path of growth.

I moved into my office at the 5th Floor, and started connect ing with amazing people in this little town. A connection here would lead to another one there, and soon I was meeting and working with many other businesses across East Orlando, and many connections even quickly turned into friends. The grant helped support growth for JK Creative such as bringing on a new employee, getting new tech and processes in place, pur chasing new equipment, and paying for organization mem berships and education. This has led to a snowball effect of gaining new business and achieving milestones like winning awards, being published, and even recently competing on a reality TV show for entrepreneurs. I truly think moving here ended up saving my business, because if I had still been up North I would have faced the same issues and without the award I’m not sure I could have turned things around.

As the last couple years have gone by I have settled into an amazing life here. I wake up in a house I love surrounded by great neighbors and friends. Many days I take a walk around the neighborhood enjoying the outdoors before I make my quick commute to downtown Avalon. I work in a beautiful of fice surrounded by plenty of opportunities to grab great meal or run a quick errand. It’s usually a guarantee I will run into many friendly faces throughout my day as well. There are so many events throughout the year where my husband and I can walk downtown to shop local vendors, soak up entertain ment, and even see fireworks. We really are living, working, and playing in this community and we feel so lucky that we found this place. It is the perfect balance of a relaxed small town but is still so accessible to opportunities in the rest of Orlando and beyond.

So, I just wanted to say thank you for creating this place that we now call home. And thank you for giving back with the Avalon Innovation Awards during a tough time for many. I hope you truly realize what you did for me and many others. You didn’t just help my business survive during the pandem ic, but now I can say we are truly thriving. I can’t wait to see where the next few years will lead!

Julie Kostic Avalon Park Resident 5th Floor Member Founder of JK Creative, Ever Ella, and theorlandodinks.com

Avalon Park Cleaners

Avalon Park Cleaners was the first commercial tenant to open in Downtown Avalon Park in 2001. They are still operating today. Their first location was located in the Clock Tower Building and they are now located in the Publix shopping center. It is owned by Jayesh and Meenah Khatri.

A Letter from Jeff Fuqua, Amick Construction and Long Time Chairman of the Orlando International Airport

Dear Beat,

Congratulations on the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of your outstanding Avalon Park Orlando community! I am pleased and honored to have been invited early on by you to play a role in its creation, so thank you for that. I am also happy to offer a few words about participating in the project along the way.

Uniquely among private developers, you started the project beginning with raw, undeveloped land and have managed the development of the project through to its essential completion. Throughout, you have been involved in the community, have developed and maintained an interest in the Avalon Park downtown and overseen the completion of the master plan, creating along the way a remarkable community.

I recently had the privilege of touring a group of City officials, from a city in which Avalon Park Group was contemplating a development, through Avalon Park Orlando. One senior official remarked “I would like to have a home in the Avalon Park development in our community,” quite a compliment, I would say.

In the beginning what was to become Avalon Park Orlando was quite different. The future Avalon Park was somewhat remote from downtown Orlando and was part of an 8,000-acre parcel on both sides of the Econlockhatchee River, of rather low elevation and tending to be rather wet during the summer rains.

As to remoteness, on my first visit to the property it felt like I was heading to Cocoa Beach. Fortunately for me as a site contractor the project was much closer than that and your vision was much stronger than mine. I was selected to start in unit 2 of the project and thankfully stayed on as

site contractor until the completion of all the infrastructure for the project.

You were, in those days, a curious and hands-on developer so you would frequently visit the areas of the project under construction. As mentioned, at times the site was quite wet, and the areas recently filled with dirt quite loosely compacted resulting in you becoming mired in the mud in your automobile. Fortunately, help was usually readily available as there were numerous pieces of heavy equipment available to drag the automobile to safety.

Early in the project special care was needed to keep the construction equipment from becoming stuck as well. At one point it was necessary to build a path using quite a large quantity of hay bales to navigate the equipment to a particular job site in Avalon. Something we had failed to price into the job!

On another occasion, very early in development, workers were quite excited about sighting several tiny baby alligators on a portion of the site. They were less excited when someone remarked that “mom” could not be far away!

Riding through Avalon Park Orlando today, it is difficult to envision the description of the early days during when it was under construction. It is today, a vibrant mixed-use community which has been created with respect and care for its unique location alongside its environmentally sensitive neighbors, the Econlockhatchee River and the Hall Scott Preserve. That is indeed quite an accomplishment!

Best wishes, Jeffry B Fuqua President, Amick Construction, Inc.

A Dream Fulfilled with a Brain and Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Facility in Avalon Park

Submitted By: Donna Marini

When I look back over the years, I remember Christmas of 2003 as being one of the best Christmases I’ve ever had. I was invited out to a Christmas event in Avalon Park, Avalon Aglow, and that is when I fell in love with this community. While I was there looking around, I was so impressed. I had been looking for a place this beautiful that would help me open a transitional living facility for people with spinal cord injuries, like myself. The facility I went through when I got hurt was forced to close, and so people had nowhere to go to learn how to care for themselves and live independently. I had been struggling to find a place for a long time, and Avalon Park seemed like the perfect place for it. I came back out the next

day to meet with Beat. He was the nicest man and understood my vision to bring a place where those with brain and spinal injuries could rehabilitate in an environment that would not only give them independence but thrive. I couldn’t believe that he agreed to help me fulfill my dream by making this a reality in Avalon Park. I was so excited because I had been looking for years to get this done but had not found the right partners. But Beat and his then CFO, Keith Ewing, were able to help make my dream come true. I can now proudly say we now have the best facility you could ask for, right here in beautiful Avalon Park. And I am so happy that many others with brain and spinal cord injuries will have the opportunity to rehabilitate in a community where they can also live, learn, work

‘Tis the Season

It is the season to be Jolly and Deck the Halls as many of us are getting ready for the Holiday season. Pur chasing and wrapping gifts, decorating the home, planning for meals, preparing for family and friend gatherings, attending parties, and/or getting ready to travel, some or all of these are on the to-do lists. The East Orlando Chamber of Commerce is no different. We are collecting donations for our featured chari ties from the Local Charities Luncheon, Avalon Park Foundation, First Robotics, For the Love of a Veteran, Identity Ministries, Lighthouse Resource Center and East Orlando Chamber Foundation. The office is be ing decorated with holiday cheer and Chamber staff and members will be out ringing the bell for the Sal vation Army. In between all the scheduled the Cham ber events, we are finalizing the 2023 event calendar for the upcoming year.

Being an active Chamber, we have incorporated nu merous events to assist our members in connecting with the contacts they seek. In 2023, we will continue to host our quarterly luncheons and monthly Coffee Clubs, Great Lunch Adventures, Testimonial Tues day’s, Brain Trust, Member Academy and more. Our industry specific meetings help our members get con nected with contacts who are specialized in their re spective fields. These targeted industry groups and networking opportunities include Advocacy/Gov

12/1 - 8:30 AM: Coffee Club East - Bonefish Grill Lake Underhill

12/1 - 5 PM: International Diamond Holiday Celebration

12/2 - 8:30 AM: EOCC New Member Orientation Breakfast hosted by Launch Entertainment Park

12/2 - 9:30 AM: Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening: American Freight

12/8 - 8:30 AM: NEW! Coffee Club Uptown/Downtown Kickoff Introduction

12/9: Happy National Llama Day! Open House at Signarama

12/9 - 9 AM: OPTIC - Orlando: “The Importance of Information Security Training and Awareness”

12/9 - 9:45 AM - EOCC Advocacy Advisory Council

12/9 - 11 AM: Grow with Google: Reach Customers Online with Google in the New Year Webinar

12/12 - 8 AM: Merchant Monday presented by Trustco Bank & East Orlando Chamber

12/13 - 9 AM: Testimonial Tuesday Facebook Live

12/13 - 12 PM: EOCC Great Lunch Adventures - Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza

12/14 - 8:30 AM: THE Member Academy: Roadmap to Member Success

12/14 - 11:30 AM: EOCC Nonprofit Roundtable Planning Meeting & Holiday Lunch

12/15 - 8:30 AM: Coffee Club Nona - Sam’s Club Lake Nona

12/15 - 3:30 PM: EOCC Trustee Meeting & Farewell to 2022

12/15 - 4:30 PM: Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening: SaludVIP

12/16 - 3:30 PM: Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening: Vanguard SMP

12/25-1/2: EOCC Office CLOSED for Christmas Holiday

1/5 - 8:30 AM: Coffee Club East - Bonefish Grill Waterford Lakes

ernment Affairs, Healthcare, Hospitality (Guardian Knights), Non-Profits, Real Estate/Property Profes sionals, Technology (OPTIC), Women Leadership (WISE) and more. Members can attend any of the events if they are trying to reach a specific target au dience. We have evaluated and reformatted all our events to ensure they are relevant and beneficial for our member base. To ensure we offer the best pro graming, we have had to change some dates and meeting times to make sure can get maximum partic ipation to create a quality experience for the member.

We have listened to our members and will be intro ducing a third Coffee Club, Downtown, which will be held the second Thursday of the month. More specific details to come, so stay tuned. Make sure to check out the Chamber Event Calendar to stay up to date with all the changes for 2023. If you would like to audit an event or lean more about the East Orlando Chamber Commerce benefits, contact us for additional infor mation at 407-277-5951.

For over 75 years, the East Orlando Chamber of Com merce has been a leader in Advocacy, Community Engagement and Regional Connections. Visit www. EOCC.org or call 407-277-5951 to learn how more about benefits and more business development op portunities.

Growing Up with the Community Spirit of Avalon Park

By: Ashley Neumeister

Spring 2020. As I biked around Avalon Park, the streets seemed only too quiet. When I think back now at memories of pedaling down those roads, bags of fabric masks we’d sewn for donation tucked into my bike basket, I think about how much Avalon Park has come together before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and even more now.

Avalon Park has never failed to make us feel like part of a community. In winter 2003, the Avalon Park Sun, known at that time as the East Orange Sun, posted an article about the second annual Gingerbread House Party we threw at our old house. Following Hurricane Katrina, I remember how the neighborhood hosted our own Mardi Gras to raise money for disaster recovery efforts. In 2014, my family received the Merry-N-Bright award for Best Use of

Lights, and we felt touched that we made our neighbors’ day with our Christmas decorations. Those combined with the We [heart] Avalon with the elementary school students of my class, the neighborhood events that bring everyone together like Spooktacular, Oktoberfest, Avalon Aglow, and the Easter Egg Hunt (which gave me the opportunity to volunteer as the Easter Bunny one year), we’ve never felt isolated, like a house merely surrounded by other houses.

That said, the irony is not lost on me that we never felt isolated when simultaneously, we spent much of the last two years doing just that—isolating ourselves from each other, even if it’s for the health and safety of our friends and family. Even with all that, though, as I biked down the empty streets with mask donations in tow, it felt like we were only closer to each other. The volunteering spirit—the ability to do good as a community, for our community— has run strong through our memories of Avalon Park, and I can only hope we can continue with that spirit going forward.

How Our Family Lives, Learns, Works & Plays in Avalon

Submitted By: Melissa Mercer Novotny and the Novotny Family

When it comes to Orlando, our family is about as local as they come. My husband and I were both born and raised here, and my siblings and I were born at the hospital just 10 miles from where we live now. We, like our parents, grew up here when there was nothing but cow fields and orange groves and yes, those stories are true. As our city developed, our family con tinued to inch further and further East.

LIVE

We moved to the Avalon Park area just shy of 13 years ago. Since then, we have raised two amazing children, and recent ly welcomed our first grandson who also lives in the area. My mother-in-law has called Encore at Avalon Park Assisted Living and Memory Care Community her home for the past five years, and my parents live just a few miles away. With five generations centered around my grandparents, and all of us living within a 20-mile radius, family events can get a lit tle crowded. We have had holiday parties, a baby shower, a 50th anniversary, and first birthday at the Avalon Community Room and celebrated my cousins wedding in the Ballroom at The Pavilion at Avalon Park.

LEARN

Education and top-notch schools are one of the biggest draws to the Avalon Park area. Our children and grandchild have locally attended and graduated from nursery, preschool, el ementary, middle and high school. As a family we have at tended seminars at Encore regarding dementia and senior care, as well as a number of charitable and educational events on The 5th Floor. Our family has enjoyed learning and spend ing time together in our community through volunteering and doing acts of service. Avalon offers limitless opportunities for citizens and families to volunteer. Service is encouraged and nurtured from a young age with organizations like K-Kids, Honors Society and Scouts and carried over into adulthood with civic organizations like Rotary Club and Kiwanis. Some of our best memories with our children have been watching them discover the value of volunteering and learning the joy of giving by helping others.

WORK

I opened my company Evolution Medical Technologies (EVOMED) in 2011. We are a small woman owned business, that provides biomedical implants to hospitals and surgeons throughout the United States and overseas. In early 2020 at the height of the pandemic, the Avalon Park group announced it had created the Entrepreneur Fund to support and empower local entrepreneurs and business owners in the rapidly chang ing business climate. EVO-MED was fortunate enough to be chosen as one of the top five 2020 Innovator Award Recipients, which included a generous personalized award package and office space at The 5th Floor in the brand-new Avalon Park Innovation Center, located in the heart of downtown Avalon. This award offered my company the chance to reset, refresh, and reengage at a time of great uncertainty not only in my in dustry, but across the world. In early 2021 I opened a local of fice at The 5th Floor, a stunning and modern pro-working en vironment comprised of various sized offices, meeting rooms and versatile coworking spaces. This space was thoughtfully designed to foster community, collaboration, and growth in entrepreneurship. Not to mention, WOW what a view! Since winning the award I have had time to focus on things

like mission, branding and growth. EVO-MED has expanded our presence in the US and opened markets in 3 new countries, with entry into two others slated for 2023. We have partnered with the Avalon Park Group, Our Legacy, and Donate Life Florida to raise community awareness about organ, eye and tissue donation. We’ve worked together on multiple events including Absolutely Avalon’s first annual Avalon Park Do nate Life Pinwheel Garden, honoring the 230 Central Florida donor heroes that gave the ultimate Gift of Life in 2021. I have made contacts, learned invaluable lessons, and created lasting friendships with other Entrepreneur Fund Award winners, business owners, and Members of the 5th floor.

PLAY

Like many of you, we have spent long hours on the fields at Tanja King Park and at the stadium, theater, and gym at Tim ber Creek. Our kids have done karate at Championship Mar tial Arts and played countless seasons of school and YMCA sports. Our daughter cheered over a decade for the Pop War ner Avalon Wolves and Timber Creek High School cheer team (GO WOLVES!!!) They won several Regional and State titles and even a National Championship. Our son is completing his 8th year of scouting, advancing from Tiger Scout in first grade to crossing over to BSA Troop 173 where he’s earned the ranks of Scout, Tenderfoot, Second and First Class. He is cur rently working on his Star rank and looks forward to follow ing in his troop’s rich tradition of achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. We play at the many community festivals and events and eat, drink, and watch live music and sports at restaurants like Eastside Bistro, The Marketplace, and Bowigens Beer Company.

It is with the deepest of gratitude that our family would like to thank Beat Kahli and the entire hard-working team at the Ava lon Park Group, for their dedication, investment, and commit ment to our community in both good and bad economic times. We would also like to wish the people of Avalon Park and its surrounding area’s a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Hol idays! Let’s all give thanks and celebrate our blessings this season by donating and volunteering to help others.

Coming together to create a healthy community

Stretching Your Holiday Food Budget

We’re all trying to save money these days and during the holiday season, this could be something that many of us might find difficult. It’s not just shopping for holiday gifts, but our food budgets can get stretched thin as well. All those favorite hol iday treats that we only indulge on once a year oftentimes force us to do a juggling act to serve our families healthy and nutritious meals mixed in.

So, how do you stretch your holiday food budget? Here are a few tips.

Serve Meals on Smaller Plates

By serving meals on smaller plates, it creates the illusion of more food and will help to match actual serving sizes of meals. This will help you get the most for your money and may even help you to better manage your fat, sugar, salt, and caloric intake as well as your waistline. This will also aid in avoiding food waste.

Cook Larger Amounts

Freeze any leftovers you may have and place them in containers that are perfect one- or two-meal servings. This makes it easy to re heat a healthy meal if you had a busy day.

Plan Ahead of Time

Creating a meal plan for the week may sound like an overwhelming task, but it will help you to buy only what you need for the week. Also, try to think of different ways that you can use leftovers or the same ingredient twice. Grilled chicken, for example, can be used a second time in a pasta bake or a salad for lunch the next day. This idea can help you reduce your food waste as well and thus save you some money.

Make Soup

This may not sound like a filling meal, but homemade soups are a healthy and nutri tious way to use fruits and vegetables. Espe cially those that you might be ready to toss out. Add in some beans or lentils to amp up

the protein or potatoes for something a bit more filling. You can even use that leftover grilled chicken. Freeze soup in single-serve containers, which is great for lunch on a cool afternoon. I also encourage you to check out some of our savory soup recipes! You can find them by choosing “Soup” as a category on our Recipes webpage.

Add in Fruits and Vegetables

In-season and local fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables are a great and affordable addi tion to a healthy diet. Make sure you store your fruits and vegetables properly when you get home so they’ll last longer.

Stretching your family food budget doesn’t have to take away flavor or variety. With a little bit of thought and planning, you can avoid wasting food and still provide your family with healthy and nutritious meals throughout the holiday season (and all year long). If you’re looking for more creative ideas, I encourage you to check out our Healthy Living Recipes.

COMMUNITY CORNER

Teachers of the Month:

Avalon Elementary

Booneville Elementary

Camelot Elementary

Castle Creek Elementary

East River High School

Stone Lakes Elementary

Timber Lakes Elementary

Avalon Middle School

Timber Creek High School

Moss Park North Lake LNHS

Danielle Mehrman

Kaitlyn Christian

Melissa Batter

Michelle Vaughn

Jada Reyes

Maryann Ficarola

Dominique Hewilt

Tatiana Julien

Michelle Moran

Adrienne Bell

Sarah Routt

Angela Bonilla

Avalon Middle School Pickleball

“In a big night for Avalon Park Middle School Pickleball, Avalon Park Middle School student Elliana Harvey and retired Avalon Park Middle School Coach Linda Kroog won the 20th Avalon Park Pickleball Tournament 6-1! Their only loss was to the duo of Elliana’s grandmother Sheila Harvey and Linda’s husband Ken Kroog, who are celebrating their 75th birthdays this month. Sheila made a ‘75’ decoration out of wine corks for the occasion. Sheila and Ken, our oldest players, posed with our youngest players, Elliana and 9-year-old Zev Salamon, before the games. A large crowd of spectators enjoyed a free festive evening of great pickleball, pizza, and a 20th Tournament cake from Publix topped with a pickleball.

Grounds pass, and then the Hertz tournament again. Sunday is the best day to go to watch all the pro finals and when Debbie and Ed play. You’ll also be able to watch the tournament on the PPA Tour YouTube and Facebook pages, and the Tennis Channel all 4 days. You will see many people from Avalon Park Pickleball in the stands.

Pickleball is exploding in popularity. A recent video on the CNBC YouTube site described how pickleball is “Taking Over America”. A Celebrity Pickleball match called ‘Pickled’ with Will Ferrel, Emma Watson, Sugar Ray Leonard and others aired on CBS Thursday, November 17. Billionaire Mark Cuban just bought a Vibe pro pickleball team.

Come watch Avalon Park residents Debbie Schandel and Ed Lynt compete in the Hertz Orlando Pickleball Championship with over 1,000 other amateurs and pros at USTA Lake Nona Dec.1-4. Grounds pass tickets are $25 and available at pickleballtournaments.com Search ‘Orlando’ in the top right corner where it says Search Future Tours, find the Hertz tournament, click on View Details, and then

Here in Avalon Park, you can bring a chair and a beverage and come to the courts at 4033 Cleary Way in South Village and watch our free tournaments the 1st Friday of every month at 7pm. Support local pickleball.”

Over 17 Years of Ongoing Commitment

Rotary Arrives in East Orlando

In 2003 a vision began with several key stakeholders, and amaz ing support from other local Rotarians to form what is now called the Rotary Club of Avalon Park (RCoAP). “We proposed the idea to have our own Rotary club around the year of 2004,” stat ed Dom Caprani, founding member and past president. “There were about four of us who collectively rolled up our sleeves and created a new club.” And so it began….

In February of 2006, the Rotary Club of Avalon Park was official ly founded and consisted of six members. “I look back in awe of what we did,” said Tom Beanland, founding member and past president. “We pressed hard, hosted community events and grew by word-of-mouth. Here we are 17 years later talking about the history and standing at around 40 members – truly impressive.”

Community Involvement

The RCoAP’s earmark in our community is hands-down their commitment to service. To date, the club has planned and exe cuted more than 500 service projects including Free Little Librar ies, painting schools, enhancing neighborhoods, replacing storm drain plaques, backpack drives for children, cleaning ponds, aid ing supplies during inclement weather situations, maintaining the Veteran’s Memorial Garden and much more. “We have our ears to the ground and our hearts in-tune with the needs of oth ers,” stated current president, Jean Zambrano. “There is a lot of strategic planning going on behind the scenes that no one else can see. It is truly inspiring to conceptualize a need and watch it come to life.”

For the past two years, each week, the RCoAP has delivered do nated Publix baked goods to the Samaritan Resource Center and to Word on The Street (WOTS) “Imagine feeding 80 people each week for 52 weeks,” said past president, Greg Meunier “Which is an overwhelming number 8,320 people being served (in the two year time period).”

Community Awareness

In addition to service, Rotary supports education and informa tion. At its weekly meetings, the club presents speakers and programs on important issues of the day. Speakers have includ ed former Orange County Commissioner Jennifer Thompson, TCHS Principal Kelly Paduano, Tim McKinney (United Global Outreach), Pastor Skip Fegnfish (WOTS), and well-respected business and civic leaders.

“Throughout the pandemic, we had to make a lot of changes to keep our club going,” said Bill Umansky, president (2019-20). “We prospered because of the level of commitment in the club and also our desire to serve others.” One especially memorable moment took place in the spring of 2020 when the club decided to cook for and serve essential workers at hospitals, fire houses, police stations and other areas where professions were unable to shelter in place. Another unique concept Umansky rolled out was video blogging their milestones. “We shot one video, shared it and just like that, the concept took off and we were recognized by other Rotary clubs.” The videos provided storytelling and much needed entertainment while people sheltered at home. The “vlogging” ignited more interest in the club, drove members and helped elevate general awareness for the Rotary brand.

RCoAp was instrumental in founding the Interact Club at Tim ber Creek High School and the Rotaract Club at the University of Central Florida. Also worth mentioning is the support the club has provided to many great organizations over the years includ ing United Cerebral Palsy (UCF chapter), The Mustard Seed, YMCA of Avalon Park, Alzheimer’s Association, Yellow Brick Road, Ronald McDonald House, Miracle League of Central Flor ida, 2nd Harvest Food Bank, Relay For Life, Toys For Tots, and countless others along the way.

Signature Events

RCoAP is also known for its signature events. These events help raise money for local charities and provide scholarships to stu dents. A few events you may recognize: Craft Beer Festivals, Holiday and Spring Wine Walks, Poker Tournaments, Commu nity Campouts, and Pancake Breakfasts for Seniors and Veter ans. “Our signature events not only generate awareness, but they help boost funding for programs in need,” said Jim McQueeney, past president. “We are excited to bring all of these in-person events to Avalon Park and encourage community participation.” Past events include a Classic Car Show, the Little Miss Avalon Pageant and Award Show, and Dunk Tanks at various commu nity events.

International Involvement

RCoAP also supports international projects. In 2021, the club raised funds in support of a water well project for a school in Haiti. The funds raised helped purchase new solar panels for street lights, water distribution and to empower the tutoring and mentoring program. “The electrical upgrade also helped ensure that the children are not reading in the dark,” stated Zambrano, “Which aligned with the literacy pillar for Rotary International.” Past projects provided support to Bolivia (cleft palate surgeries), Colombia (mosquito netting to help prevent transmissible dis eases), and India (water wells) plus several educational projects focusing on literacy.

A Welcoming Atmosphere

The culture of RCoAP is very unpretentious and welcoming to everyone. “At Rotary, we understand that cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is essential to realizing our vision where people unite and take action to create lasting change,” said Zambrano. “We value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, and we strive to create an inclusive culture where each person knows they are valued and belong.

But, is it fun? Several years ago the club added this line to the end of the Rotary “Four Way Test”. Umansky added, “I encour age everyone to enjoy the moment, take everything in, laugh, I am pleased that we say this and that our club adheres to it.”

For a club who began nearly two decades ago, their efforts have been boundless and impressive. The strong Rotary brand, backed by well-respected leaders and executed by a committed member base has set the bar for success for years to come.

Interested in getting involved with Rotary? They meet every Wednesday at 7:30 am at the Avalon Park Community Center (POA Building), 13401 Tanja King Blvd. To keep up to date with RCoAP activities, follow us on Facebook.

Rotary Club of Avalon Park Year In Review

At your service, the Rotary Club of Avalon Park (RCoAP) is winding down a banner year of giv ing and serving. This feature proudly announces a projected record-breaking number of service proj ects in support of our community and in partner ship with other clubs and organizations, under the direction or two presidents: Jim McQueeney and Jean Zambrano.

RCoAP is proud to share the following message: “We have really been stretching our post-pandem ic muscles by hosting in-person events and encour aging our members to be as hands-on as possible at meetings, service projects and events,” stated current president, Jean Zambrano “The recap you are looking at below is very impressive and we are proud to share it with you.

Rotary Club of Avalon Park 2022 Service Projects

Highlights:

• Neighborhood Clean Ups (throughout the year)

• Fly a Flag (all patriotic holidays)

• Book Sharing via Three Little Free Libraries

• Post hurricane shelter donations provided to TCHS

• The Miracle League day of service

• 9/11 Event and Book Drive

• Word on the Street (WOTS) Thanksgiving Meals

• Second Harvest Food Bank packing events

• Second Harvest Food Bank donation

• Word on the Street and Orange County Acade my Service Projects

• Riverdale Elementary School fundraiser

• Supporting local businesses and restaurants (al ways)

• Ronald McDonald House meals and donations

• International support in Haiti

• Scholarship fundraising via Holiday Wine Walk

In addition to the above list, RCoAP delivers a food donation benfting two organizations each week: Samaritan’s Resource Center (Wednesdays) and Word on the Street (Sundays) sponsored by Publix.

“A heartfelt thank you goes to everyone in our club and in our community who step up to help those in need and support our events,” stated Zambra no.

In closing, the club asks, “What can we do for you?” Please send them ideas and ways they can serve next year: http://www.rotaryclubofavalonpark. org. Or simply come by and check them out! They meet every Wednesday at 7:30 am at the Avalon Park Community Center, 13401 Tanja King Blvd.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Two Milestone Events for the Organ Donation and Transplant Industry

This year has ushered in two milestone events for the organ donation and transplant industry. One mile stone is that in September, the one millionth organ transplant was performed in the U.S. according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation (OPTN).

“It has been made possible through the generosity of organ donors, as well as the dedication and skill of hundreds of thousands of people who have worked together over many years to save lives through organ donation and transplantation,” said Jerry McCauley, M.D., M.P.H., president of the OPTN Board of Direc tors.

Another milestone reached recently is that more than 12 million Floridians have said, “yes” to save lives by registering as an organ donor on the state’s Joshua Abbott Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.

Both milestones come at time when many people are still waiting for a lifesaving transplant.

Nationally, there are more than 100,000 men, wom en and children on the transplant waiting list and in Florida, there are more than 5,000 waiting. Unfortu nately, about 17 people a day die while waiting for a transplant.

This is why local organ procurement organization (OPO), OurLegacy, a Donate Life Florida affiliate,

partners with other organizations like Avalon Park’s Evolution Medical Technologies to raise awareness about organ donation and share the lifesaving impact it has had on a transplant recipient.

Another organization that OurLegacy/Donate Life Florida partners with is Orange County Public Schools (OCPS). The organizations partner to provide high school students with donation information through its third annual Zora Neale Hurston Poster Art Com petition. This competition tasks high school students to create art based on organ donation and a quote by Zora Neale Hurston. The winner’s art will be turned into a commemorative poster to be given away at the annual Zora Festival in Eatonville, FL, January 27 - 29, 2023 and the winner will receive a $250 cash prize.

Over the summer, all the 2021 -2022 submissions were on display at the Avalon Park Arts and Cultural Cen ter. Do you know a high schooler that would like to participate in the competition - it could be their art on display in the arts and cultural center this year? If so, visit ourlegacyfl.org for more information about how to participate, or email sauntel.richardson@ourlega cyfl.org.

If you are interested in registering as a lifesaving or gan, eye and tissue donor you can do so when renew ing your driver license or online at DonateLifeFlorida. org.