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April 2017 Newsletter

Our annual Serve-A-Thon is just 2 weeks away, and we wanted to share some success stories from our Blanche Ely high school center and update you on how our students will be serving Broward.

Berenice and Maylika are seniors at Blanche Ely High School. Recently, Maylika pulled her mentor Tera aside and started crying.

She said, “I just want to thank you for what you guys in Firewall are doing for me. You are really helping me.” Then she presented Tera with a graduation ticket and said Berenice had one for one for their other mentor Emily. When she asked if they would be able to attend, Tera and Emily tearfully responded with a BIG yes!

Students get a limited number of tickets for graduation,
so Tera and Emily were extremely touched that Maylika and Berenice thought of them. They consider each other as family.

 

Mentors impact does not end with their seniors

Kenny is an 11th grader who has been in Firewall since 6th grade. He was recently inducted into the National Honor Society and was also recognized as Servant Leader of the Quarter. He attributes his success and serving mentality to the amazing example his mentors Emily and Tera set for him every day. Their willingness to assist him with his work and even stay really late to make sure he succeeds is the reason Kenny stays with Firewall year after year.

Across all eight of our centers, our AmeriCorps Firewall Mentors are making a huge impact on their students every day, just like Emily and Tera. We are so proud to have such a strong team.

 

 

We Have a Matching Challenge!

To our students, Firewall is a safe-haven, a home, and a family. Now we have the chance to reach students at Dillard 6-12 next school year and give them the same opportunities as Kenny, Maylika, and Berenice.

Thanks to a private foundation, every dollar you give until April 29th will be doubled up to $50,000. So far, we raised 28% of our goal! Please consider giving today; your gift will make a difference. You can give online at www.firewallcenters.org/serve-a-thon/

 

Broward County, prepare to get served on April 29th

Firewall’s 4th Annual Serve-A-Thon, presented by SunTrust, is on 4/29! On that day, our 400+ students, their mentors, and volunteers will be impacting the Broward County community by:

+ Feeding the homeless at Hope South Florida
+ Organizing and cleaning at Gilda’s Club South Florida
+ Recycling electronics with ARC Tech
+ Packaging meals for hungry families at Feeding South Florida
+ Planting native sea oats to help with dune restoration at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea with Youth Environmental Alliance
+ Landscaping, painting and cleaning up Snyder Park with the City of Fort Lauderdale

Serve-A-Thon is a great opportunity to teach our students that even though they don’t have much, they can still give back in large ways and make a difference. It is going to be an awesome day!

Enjoy your week, and as always, thanks for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Firewall Centers