Church of Our Saviour Adopts Everglades Elementary By Jolene Taracatac
B
ack to school looks different in many ways this year due to COVID-19. Not only has the pandemic affected the way classes are conducted for teachers and students, but it has also impacted outreach efforts for some diocesan churches. However, that didn’t stop Church of Our Saviour in Okeechobee. Instead, the church got creative in rethinking its outreach to schools.
BENEFITING CHILDREN Who Learn Differently
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Fruitland Park is holding its Clergy and parishioners of Church of Our Saviour pose with Everglades Elementary School project banner.
sixth annual golf tournament to benefit its school for children who learn differently. Blackston Financial Advisory Group will be the tournament’s title sponsor for the third year in a row. The fundraiser is being held at
Harbor Hills Country Club 6538 Lake Griffin Road, Lady Lake, FL
Everglades Elementary students participate in the school’s agricultural program. Members of the clergy and vestry make their first delivery of donated water to Everglades Elementary. (L-R: Jim Lucas, senior warden; The Rev. Kay Mueller, deacon; Melanie Stinnett, COOS parishioner and Everglades Elementary guidance counselor; Jenni Ellis, Everglades Elementary principal; Linda Myers, COOS Vestry; The Rev. Jim Shevlin, rector; Debby Duncan and Peggy Harlow, COOS Vestry.)
For years, Church of Our Saviour hosted a luncheon at the beginning of each school year to welcome new teachers and administrators of the Okeechobee County School District. The church served a lovely plated lunch and provided teachers with school supplies for their classrooms. Unfortunately, this year’s restrictions on gatherings challenged the church to come up with a new idea.
After some brainstorming, the vestry decided to adopt a school on which the church could have the most impact. Everglades Elementary made a great candidate since 94-98% of its students live at the poverty level in a total enrollment of 492. The vestry made a commitment to adopt the school for the entire 2020-2021 academic year. Everglades Elementary is also unique since it was the first school in South Florida to implement an agricultural program at the elementary education level. Not only do the students learn academic subjects, but they also learn responsibility and sustainability. Since the school’s agricultural program began, other Florida schools have used it as a model. After the decision to adopt the school was made, the vestry spoke with Melanie Stinnett, guidance counselor at Everglades Elementary and longtime parishioner of Church of Our Saviour, about the adoption. She will act as liaison, communicating the school’s needs to the church. “When we shared the news with her,
www.cfdiocese.org
PEOPLE & EVENTS
she was overwhelmed with gratitude,” The Rev. Kay Mueller, deacon for Church of Our Saviour, recalls. Church of Our Saviour has appointed three members of the vestry to oversee this project. Peggy Harlow, who was part of Okeechobee’s education system for 42 years, including several years as a teacher and 20 as an administrator, heads the project. The three vestry members will continually assess the school’s needs throughout the year. Right now, they are collecting small individual packages of tissues, pencils, dry-erase markers, plastic or paper cups, and small bottles of water since the use of water fountains is not permitted. In addition, they are accepting clothing donations so younger students can have access to a change of clothes during school days. “The list of ways the vestry is planning to help Everglades Elementary is continually growing,” said Mueller. “For instance, we plan to assist the school’s families during holidays with things like preparing Thanksgiving baskets. Our goal is to do everything we can to help Everglades Elementary have a successful, safe and blessed school year despite COVID-19.”
Oct. 30 - 31, 2020
Tournament’s website: www.HTECgolf.com
Holy Trinity Episcopal School is a ministry of the church in
Fruitland Park, near The Villages. It offers faith-based education programs for students in grades 6 through 12, with various degrees of learning challenges. The school offers specialized curriculums aligned with individual needs and with a low student-to-teacher ratio. Many of the students come from economically challenged families, so the school relies on community support to help with tuition. This year, due to the spread of COVID-19, the format of the tournament has been modified. In compliance with CDC guidelines on large gatherings, there will be individual tee times, one golf cart per player, and the tournament will be played over two days. Presently, Harbor Hills does not offer a buffet lunch, but instead, a box lunch.
REGISTER NOW to play with NO payment due until Sept. 30, 2020. Or sponsor a hole with your name on a sponsorship sign on one of the holes.
Or make a donation of $35, $50, $75 or whatever you are comfortable with. Your generosity will go a long way to helping students with scholarships.
Checks should be payable to Holy Trinity Golf Tournament,
c/o Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 2201 Spring Lake Rd., Fruitland Park, FL 34731. If you’re not playing, we hope you will find it in your heart to send in a donation. Without your support, many of our students would not have had the opportunities to experience the productive lives they now have.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sidney Yee, 703-966-2615, sidney1949yee@gmail.com or Gay Hensley, 501-256-7858, gay.hensley1@gmail.com
Central Florida EPISCOPALIAN
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Sept / Oct 2020
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