Annalyse

Annalyse also came to Firewall in the 6th grade, but we have known her since she was in 4th grade when she would come to the Center every day to pick up her brother, Angelo. Janeth Fernandez remembers how “quiet and shy she was, but was always so interested in learning every chance she could. Annalyse was always smart about surrounding herself with good people that encouraged her to work harder.

I can’t even picture Annalyse’s face without a big smile or a giggle. We knew she was a natural servant leader when she was always the first to run up and volunteer at all of our Firewall events. Annalyse has a way of standing out in a crowd and it’s definitely not because she is that shy little girl anymore. In fact, we all know when Annalyse enters the Firewall Center as she shouts her arrival. However, it’s because there is always joy when she is around.  Her great work ethic paired with a wonderful attitude makes her stand out in all she does.”

Annalyse wants to be an elementary school teacher and would make the best one, as she is very loving and caring. When she was in her junior year of high school, we gave her an opportunity to intern with Firewall’s middle school students. She did a great job and with her smiles and caring personality, she made sure the students did their homework every day. In her senior year, we also hired her as a part-time mentor to our middle school students. Annalyse just graduated from Western High School with a 3.54 GPA. She too maintained excellent grades, completed over 300 community service hours, and even dual enrolled at Broward College, taking five college classes as a senior. We are confident that Annalyse will eternally impact all of the kids who are blessed enough to have her as a teacher in the future!

 

 

 

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June 2014 Newsletter

Firewall Celebrates Another Successful Year!

 2013/14 Awards Ceremony

DSC00808Wow, what a year! It was incredible to see all of our students, parents, staff, supporters, and volunteers gathered together to celebrate at Firewall’s annual award’s ceremony. At the event, beach balls were tossed around the crowd, certificates of participation were handed to students, pictures were taken, and individual students from across Firewall’s six Centers were recognized for their achievements as was the graduating senior class.

At Firewall, our vision is to transform students into servant leaders and every day, we tell each student that walks through our doors that they have the potential to be great and reach their dreams. With that being said, we were proud to introduce the creation of Firewall’s new annual Servant Leader Scholarship for graduating high school seniors. This year’s award went to Annalyse DeFrank and Kathia Carranza. These special young ladies are true servant leaders who have gone the extra mile to prove that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible! Stay tuned for their stories in next month’s newsletter.

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Thank you everyone for such an awesome year and congratulations
to all of our students who worked so hard each and every day!


 

 

Wells Fargo Community Partnership

80805072014_IMG_4673wellsfargov2Wells Fargo recognized Firewall Centers as an official community partner, and presented us with a check for $1,000.00 to support our work with students.

As part of our partnership with the bank, Steven Basar from the Wells Fargo Coconut Creek branch came to our Center at Pompano Beach Middle School to teach students the importance of money management and saving for their future. We greatly value these relationships and the long-term impact that they have on our students.

 


 

Good News:    We’re in the “Good News!”
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We are proud to be recognized for the amazing things that have been accomplished this year at Firewall Centers because of the hard work of our students, staff, and volunteers together with the faithfulness of our sponsors, friends, and supporters!

Check out this newly released article that tells you a little bit more about what has been happening at Firewall:
http://goodnewsfl.org/firewall-centers-mentor-risk-students/


 

We’re Hiring

IMG_8636 - Version 3With all of our growth and success we have lots of positions to fill!

Mentor
Part-time: 10-12 hours per week
(3-6 p.m., Monday – Thursday)

Area Director
Full-time: 40 hours per week

Community Relations Director
Full-time: 40 hours per week

LOCATIONS:
Davie, Sunrise, Plantation, Pompano Beach

APPLY HERE!

 

Happy, happy happy!

There’s a lot of talk about HAPPINESS these days… How to find happiness, the benefits of happiness, and what does it really mean to be HAPPY?
I think we can all agree that even though TV commercials and movies tell us that success = happiness, it just isn’t the truth. No matter what lies we want to tell ourselves:
• Once I finish school, I’ll be happy
• When I get “that” job, I’ll be happy
• Once I get married, I’ll be happy
• When I am successful, I’ll be happy
The TRUTH is that SUCCESS DOES NOT EQUAL HAPPINESS.You can stand in line at the grocery store and read any celebrity magazine to prove that being beautiful, successful, or rich does not make you happy.
So how do I find HAPPINESS?
Step #1. Admit that your not going to find it in something you buy, do, or achieve.
These things may make you feel good for a little while but soon there is something else your going to be wanting. True happiness is found in the journey!
Step #2. Make HAPPINESS a habit. Being happy is not some magical mystery, you have to train your brain to be happy. Experts say it takes 21 days to build a habit, start your habit today, choose something to help you focus on being happy and set a goal to do it for 21 days.
Harvard studies proved this significantly can change your mindset to run on HAPPY.
• Do something creative. Write. Paint. Compose the next song about being happy. Just do something fun and artistic.
• Be thankful. Every day. And just don’t think it. Share with someone why you’re grateful.
• High five someone. Tell them how awesome they are and let them know they are important, this can be through email, social media, or in person. By making someone else’s day it will make you happy!
• Journal. Write down 3 things you are thankful for.
• Surround yourself with happy people. It’s infectious.
And so is this song: