WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015
3A
development by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
FOSTER CARE by Amy Quesinberry Rhode | Community Editor
Ocoee commission discusses possible charter school Commissioners raised concerns with finances and proximity to other schools.
Amy Quesinberry Rhode
Twins Lucas and Aiden arrived at the Stimmell home in March.
OPEN-DOOR POLICY OAKLAND — When David and Melanie Stimmell returned from their honeymoon in 1990, they jumped right into the responsibilities of parenthood when they became guardians of their 5-year-old niece. That one act was the catalyst for living a life of service to the state’s youngest residents who don’t have a voice of their own. The newlyweds took care of the young relative for a few years before she was reunited with her mother. But the experience left a lasting impression on the Stimmells, and they knew — even before having any children of their own — that they wanted to one day become foster parents. “At that time, we realized there wasn’t a follow-up system in place, say, six months down the road, to make sure the mom was doing what she’s supposed to,” Melanie Stimmell said. Thus, the Oakland couple’s personal journey to help make positive changes to the fostering program started. After their third child was born, they began filling out the necessary paperwork to open their home to foster children. They also learned they were expecting their fourth child, so they put the plan on hold. Once their son was born, the Stimmells resumed their plan and started taking classes. Within a day of getting their license, they were given their first foster child. “That’s the norm,” Stimmell said. Two foster children, 1-year-old twins who arrived in March, have temporarily joined the family. The other 10 children belong to the Stimmells. There are four biological kids: Caleb, 22, and Jacob, 20, both college students; Elyssa, 17; and Elijah, 14; five brothers — Gage, 10; Logan, 9; T.J., 7; Michael, 4; and Josiah, 3 — all who started as fosters and were eventually adopted by the Stimmells. And there’s Lily Grace, who is 1 and in the process of being adopted, as well. The six youngest children have the same biological mother.
MORE HOMES NEEDED
According to the Children’s Bureau, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 18,000 children were in foster care in 2013. There aren’t nearly enough foster homes to care for these minors. “We are begging people to step outside their comfort zone and open up their home,” Stimmell said. May is Foster Awareness Month. According to the Children’s Bureau, May is set aside “to acknowledge foster parents, family members, volunteers, mentors, policymakers, child-welfare professionals and other members
The Stimmells have fostered nearly 50 children in about 14 years. They currently run a household with 12 children.
Courtesy photo
David and Melanie Stimmell have children ranging from ages 1 to 22. They fostered and later adopted the five youngest boys — all biological siblings — and are in the process of adopting the baby girl, who is the boys’ biological sister.
MAKING CHANGES
David Stimmell, 53, and Melanie Stimmell, 51, both served on the board of the Quality Parent Initiative, which was created to make statewide changes in foster parenting. Today, this initiative is changing all levels of fostering, she said. Instead of multiple people working independently, case managers are now working as a team. Melanie Stimmell also volunteers on the state’s Foster Association board and travels to various foster parent associations. During Florida Children’s Week, she attends the Rally in Tally event in Tallahassee. of the community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections.” Social workers try to keep children in the same county as their parents to make visitation easier, but sometimes that’s not possible. The 1-year-old twins recently put in the Stimmells’ care are from Marion County. The couple has fostered close to 50 children in about 14 years, one for just a few hours while placement workers with the Florida Department of Children and Families searched for a family member, and another for one-and-one-half years. Except for one adopted by another family, all were returned to their parents or another relative eventually. “The goal is always to work with the parents and get them back in the home, but it’s not always possible,” Stimmell said. “The goal is also for foster parents to mentor the parents — not just to take care of the kids, but to teach the parents how to be parents.” A foster family is notified after the state’s abuse hotline receives a call from someone concerned that a child might not be in a safe situation. A private investigator goes into the reported home, checks
on the children and gives the visit a rating. If the investigator determines the children are unsafe, a foster family is called. “I want people to understand what we do,” Stimmell said. “Parenting is the easiest part, essentially. It’s being a voice for these kids — as an advocate at school, an advocate in court, in all their environments.”
HOME LIFE
The large family recently moved to a 4,300-square-foot house in Oakland with a view of Lake Apopka. It has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a lot of bunk beds, Melanie Stimmell said. “What I’m really good at is organization,” she said. “Everybody has a place for everything.” All the school-age Stimmell children attend Foundation Academy, a private Christian school in Winter Garden. Scholarships and the kindness of the Foundation community have made it possible for them to afford tuition. “The people that we have surrounded ourselves with, our friends and our church, we couldn’t have done it without them,” Melanie Stimmell said. “The Foundation family is strong.” Families drop off clothing
at the Stimmell home, and just last week, a Foundation mother offered Melanie some uniforms her children had outgrown. “They support us; they believe in what we do,” she said. “Our kids, in turn, are supported by strong Christian men and women.” Another financial benefit is that David Stimmell drives the school bus. He also works in commercial and residential real estate. “The biggest gifts that David and I have — that we would have never imagined what a gift it would be — is how compassionate they are, how aware they are of other environments,” she said of her biological children. She said Caleb, the oldest, is consumed with the effects the fostering system has on children. “Having to go to strangers, strange schools; these things stay with them,” she said. David and Melanie talked to their children before they started the process of becoming foster parents, and they discuss it with them every year before renewing their license. “We want to make sure everyone is on board to continue fostering,” she said. They always are. It was also a unanimous vote to adopt the five boys. “They were very excited,” she said. “The adopted kids were getting a forever family, and the other kids were excited about getting more brothers and sisters.” Melanie Stimmell is available to talk to anyone who has questions about fostering at (407) 230-5640. Contact Amy Quesinberry Rhode at aqrhode@wotimes. com.
OCOEE — During its May 19 meeting, the Ocoee City Commission examined a possible sale of 9.5 acres of a 12-acre parcel of city property for construction of a charter school. Charter Schools Development Corp. submitted an offer of $1.6 million, less than 46% of the city’s $3.5 million purchase price for about 79% of the land. This property is by railroad right-of-way to the south near A.D. Mims Road, by Clarke Road to the west and by the Prairie Lake Reserve Subdivision to the north and east. Ocoee bought the land from Silvestri Investment Group of Florida in 2006 with the intention of constructing a new police headquarters on the lot, which remains vacant after a decision to locate that headquarters elsewhere. Hardly a mile south on Clarke Road at its intersection with Silver Star Road is Lake Olympia Square, where a Kids Community College charter school already has commission approval for construction. This proximity to the property — along with several other schools — and the poor financial outcome for Ocoee were among reasons District 4 Commissioner Joel Keller said he was not in favor of the Charter Schools Development Corp. offer. “I don’t think our (Ocoee) kids will get in (to the school),” Keller said. “It’ll be a drive school. I’d rather put an elementary school on Ingram Road that would be a walk school.” Commissioners Rosemary Wilsen and John Grogan agreed the finances did not make sense to proceed with the offer as it stood. Both requested city staff to look into procuring an appraisal for the property before even considering moving forward in negotiations. The commission approved that request, 4-0.
DEVELOPMENT HEARINGS
Two public hearings on community development are scheduled to occur at the next commission meeting, June 2. The first pertains to an ordinance for Arden Park Com-
IN OTHER NEWS • Mayor S. Scott Vandergrift proclaimed May Older Americans Month. • Detective Leo Gomez received the Officer of the First Quarter award from Citizens Advisory Council for Ocoee Police Department board members. Gomez helped track and apprehend a felon accused of cross-county robberies and convict a defendant on several life sentences for child molestation. • Robert Cadle, Bob Colburn and Edward Wrobel received renewed three-year terms to the Board of Adjustment. • The commission approved these purchases: a $24,472 installation of a new heating, ventilat-
munity Development District, for which a first reading occurred at the May 19 meeting. The petitioner for the district, Standard Pacific of Florida, received consent from the owner of 100% of the property to be included in the district. The second regards the site plan for Arbours at Crown Point Planned Urban Development, which was moved from the May 19 meeting per developers’ request. Developers propose a multi-family development with 240 apartments of one to three bedrooms; a community building; a pool; a barbecue area; a vehicle wash area; and an exercise trail. On the north end, 25 feet would be dedicated to connect the West Orange Trail to Ocoee-Apopka Road and provide direct trail connection as an amenity. District 3 Commissioner Rusty Johnson was absent from the meeting.
2014 FISCAL YEAR
CPA Elden McDirmit delivered the fiscal year 2014 audit presentation for the city. According to his presentation, the Ocoee General Fund lessened by about $1 million to roughly $10.2 million — 32% of expenditures and down from $12.9 million in 2010. The Unassigned General Fund was at $7.7 million, around 24% of expenditures. McDirmit said city officials had accounted for these decreases in funds in their budget and that increased revenue is not always the case. This included accounting for improvements for which the city had to pay, McDirmit said. In contrast, the Water and Wastewater Management Fund increased by $3.3 million, according to the report. The general employees pension plan was 93% funded, and the police and fire department pension plans were 78% funded, which McDirmit said were excellent rates. McDirmit said the city had put money into public safety more than any other area and showed that Ocoee Community Redevelopment Agency funding dropped from around $850,000 in 2010 to near $200,000. Contact Zak Kerr at zkerr@ wotimes.com. ing and air-conditioning unit to replace the failed unit at Fire Station No. 26 on Clarke Road; a $20,634.01 utility cart for Parks and Recreation maintenance; and a fouryear lease-purchase agreement with Branch Banking and Trust Company worth $1,297,042 at an interest rate of 1.34% for two garbage trucks, a wildland fire apparatus, an ambulance, a fire pumper and 30 airpacks. • Vandergrift reported the Winn-Dixie at Lake Olympia Square is scheduled to close in June. He said he would like the store to stay there because it is the store he shops at and no other Winn-Dixie is in the area. City staff officials said they would look into the matter.
Zak Kerr
Detective Leo Gomez proudly held his certificate recognizing him as Citizens Advisory Council for Ocoee Police Department’s Officer of the First Quarter.