The bedrooms at the Central Florida Children’s Home look like any other for a child – toys strewn on the floor and posters of the Avengers or Disney princesses on the walls. But the two sets of bunk beds on either wall set it apart, as does the enormous dining table for house dinners and the gigantic backyard that features a playground. The kids are all at school, Eastland … [Read more...]

In the music room of Eagle Creek Elementary School, 16 kindergarteners in a semicircle try their best to sing and dance along to the Jackson 5 classic “ABC.” The school’s teacher of the year, Darlene Grande, is at the piano as she guides them through the lyrics. As any student of American music would know, the lyrics to “ABC” aren’t complicated – and the kids seem to have a … [Read more...]

For Steven Negedly, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. His father was a volunteer firefighter and, which can often be expected from sons, Negedly wanted to do what dad did. “[My father] owned a lawn business and was a volunteer, so I helped with the business,” Negedly said. “When a call would go out, he would go out, I'd just hang around the fire station and get on the … [Read more...]