South Florida State College selects state. Rep. Fred Hawkins as finalish for president position

State Rep. Fred Hawkins has announced that he plans to take over as the next President of South Florida State College, which would cause him to leave his District 35 seat with the Florida House and his role as President with the Education Foundation of Osceola County.

Hawkins who is a resident of St. Cloud, the current President of the Education Foundation of Osceola County, and a former Osceola Commissioner, announced his career change on Twitter.

“Pages turn and new chapters begin. I am looking forward to becoming the next President of South Florida State College,” he said. “My time as an elected official has been a highlight of my life, especially serving in the Florida House.”

READ MORE, CLICK HERE: https://bit.ly/42s8dkq

For more Positively Osceola, visit our Social Media & Website! PositivelyOsceola.com

Orlando Health reunites patients to celebrate 5 years of performing life-changing surgery

Orlando Health is celebrating its 5-year milestone of successful in-utero surgery to repair Spina bifida, a spinal defect developed by the fetus during the early stages of pregnancy. To date, the hospital system has performed 36 cases on mothers and their unborn babies from across the state of Florida, as well as some from Puerto Rico, Alabama and Hawaii.

This week, more than 80 people joined together to commemorate the program, including 21 fetal surgery families. The fetal surgery program at Orlando Health began with the recruitment of Samer Elbabaa, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon who has performed more than 100 of these procedures in his career.

READ MORE, CLICK HERE: https://bit.ly/3Blolbx

74 million visitors came to the Orlando area in 2022, ranking as no. 1 U.S. travel destination

Visit Orlando, The Official Tourism Association for the Orlando area, announced 74 million annual visitors came in 2022. With a 25% increase in visitors over 2021, Orlando maintains its leadership position as America’s most-visited destination. By reaching 74 million visitors in 2022, Orlando achieved 98% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels.

“This past year proved to be a key recovery timeframe for Orlando’s tourism industry, with a lot of pent-up demand from our top U.S. and international markets,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO for Visit Orlando. “Our new international brand launch and strong commitment to strategic sales and marketing initiatives, combined with our destination’s continuous evolution of new unbelievably real experiences, helped Orlando maintain its leadership position and achieve strong visitation numbers.”

READ MORE, CLICK HERE: https://bit.ly/3I6w15x

For more Positively Osceola, visit our Social Media & Website! PositivelyOsceola.com

Caps off to success: Osceola County High School Graduation dates for Class of 2023

The Osceola County School District will hold its 2023 high school graduations from Monday, May 22nd to Friday, May 26th at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee and at the Osceola County School for the Arts.

This is a special time to celebrate with friends and family so make sure to have your camera ready to capture these lifelong memories. All graduation ceremonies will be live streamed on the School District’s YouTube channel to ensure that family and friends can celebrate the great accomplishments of these graduates, even if unable to attend in person.

READ MORE, CLICK HERE: https://bit.ly/3puybW0

time to walk on the Shingle Creek Trail for ‘Walk Away May’ with Osceola History

Osceola History’s “Walk Away May” begins Monday May 1 as members of the community “walk on the Shingle Creek trail” to experience the beauty and history of Osceola County, while staying healthy, and possibly win some great prizes! The event’s feature sponsor is Kissimmee Utility Authority!

Osceola History’s “Walk Away May” encourages the community to live a healthy lifestyle while building awareness of Osceola History’s two museums, Pioneer Village, located at 2491 Babb Road, and the Welcome Center & History Museum, located at 4155 West Vine Street, in Kissimmee.

During “Walk Away May” participants check in at Pioneer Village or the Welcome Center & History Museum to get their “Walk Away May” passport stamped, then begin their walk between museums. At the end of the month, prizes will be awarded for the most stamps or for being part of the experience.

The American Health Association was the first to introduce National Walking Day in 2007 to promote a healthy lifestyle. The Association organizes events to encourage people to walk for at least half an hour. The National Walking Day and National Walking Month were both introduced to raise awareness about the importance of physical activities and to have a healthy lifestyle.

READ MORE, CLICK HERE: https://bit.ly/3W30x68

For more Positively Osceola, visit our Social Media & Website! PositivelyOsceola.com