STAFF Archives - Firewall Centers

Serve-a-Thon 2021 was a SUCCESS!

On Saturday, April 24th, over 40 Firewall staff, AmeriCorps members, and high school students gathered at the Davie mobile home park where Firewall Centers’ Headquarters is located. Blue shirts could be seen all around the community completing different service projects like delivering groceries, painting a family’s mobile home, cleaning shoes, and painting the Orange Park community center.

This all started with a packing day in partnership with Harvest Drive of South Florida. With their support, we were able to pack 144 bags of groceries, which totaled to 3000 pounds of food all to be distributed to families in the mobile home community.

For Serve-A-Thon, we partnered with In Jacob’s Shoes to get new/refurbished, name-brand shoes. We deep-cleaned over 100 pairs of these shoes so that we could send them back to the In Jacob’s Shoes distribution center to be delivered to needy youth all across Broward County.

Inside the Orange Park Community Center, we had members begin renovating our students’ learning space in preparation for the 2021-22 school year. We expect the full renovation including the addition of new computers, furniture, flooring, etc. to be completed by fall 2021 so that our students have safe and beautiful place to study and learn.

Our favorite and most rewarding project was in the hands of our Home Painting Team! Firewall was able to accomplish a full-service paint job for one of our Flamingo Elementary students and his family. They even got to pick their own color! They were so happy with the finished product and were so grateful that Firewall made such an impact in their day-to-day lives.

At the end of it all, Vertical Church supplied the team with lunch from Chil-Fil-A as a thank you for continually changing lives all around Broward County. It was a well-deserved gift as you can see from the smiles on our staff and AmeriCorps members’ faces.

This all couldn’t have been accomplished without the support of our Serve-a-Thon sponsors: Guy Brickman from State Farm and Lime in Plantation.

A New Frontier

More and more kids are signing online with us every afternoon. One of the many ways we are trying to make learning and tutoring fun is through a new YouTube video series called ‘Firewall Explores‘. With this series we are able to visually teach the kids, and they’re excited to log on every week.

But, this isn’t just fun for them, it’s also fun for us! Not only is a small group of our staff now fully involved with the production of this series, but it’s a group effort. The many hats that each of these people wear helps the vision of Firewall permeate through our video series. We have Eileen our Chief Marketing Officer, working the camera and contacting venues to find places where we can film. Also we have Woodny, a mentor for our Orange Park Center, who co-stars with Diego, our Communications Manager.

Firewall staff members work with our students everyday and know how they will react and connect with Firewall Explores. So, we know that this series can be a great gift to the students in their year as they spend their school days at home. Click down below to watch our most recent episode of Firewall Explores.

Make an Impact with Us

Operations at Firewall are steamrolling straight into the summer. We are on an expedition looking for new Mentors to join us in making an impact in our community of Broward County. We are accepting applications on www.firewallcenters.org/apply now until the school year begins in August. Phone and Zoom interviews are being conducted now. Once one is hired they are placed at a center and training is given. As applications come in we get excited to meet and work with the hearts written on these resumes. Even if you know someone who would be a great fit look down below for more info on positions!

The benefits to becoming an AmeriCorps Firewall mentor are:

1. receiving a college scholarship

2. bi-weekly pay

3. building one’s resume

4. leadership development.

Mentors commit to serve from August 2020-June 2021, weekday afternoons at a public school in Broward County. These mentors build relationships with students, model positive behaviors, and tutor and help with homework.

The pay and college scholarship amount depends on what position one is hired for. Each position works a set amount of hours for the school year. Once the hours are met, the scholarship is given to the mentor.

Requirements for this position are a high school diploma, U.S. citizenship or the ability to work in the U.S., and commitment. We look for people who are committed to staying throughout the entire school year.

January AmeriCorps Training

The AmeriCorps Firewall mentors who serve at our centers are so important and play a huge role in the lives of the students that they invest in daily. We are happy that so many college and post college students want to be a part of what we’re doing to help transform students into servant leaders. With that being said, we want our AmeriCorps mentors to be prepared to enter the schools that they will be serving.

In January, we had an AmeriCorps training with a special guest from the United Way of Broward, Aisha McDonald. She spoke on mental health and the importance of truly understanding what that means. Due to the fact that our mentors spend every day in schools working with students, it is necessary to be aware of mental health. The mentors were given tips on how to handle situations that may arise while at the schools. This training was a great opportunity for mentors to be educated on a topic that is so prevalent in today’s society.

During this training, we also acknowledged the Firewall centers that are doing an extra awesome job working as a team. The three centers that were recognized for their performance were Lauderhill 6-12, Flamingo Elementary, and Crystal Lake Middle.

We can’t wait for our next training!

Firewall is looking for an Elementary Program Director to join their team!

Elementary Program Director Job Description

Job Mission: The Firewall Program Director ensures that their assigned Firewall Center(s) operate effectively and that all student and program outcomes are being met.

Summary of Key Responsibilities:

Ability to write curriculum, oversee implementation of the curriculum, and train staff to teach the curriculum.
Develop a familiarization with the public school system and assigned schools and faculty to advocate effectively on behalf of Firewall, its students, and parents.
Evaluate the individual needs of the students at each assigned Firewall Center so that all general attendance, academic and/or behavior concerns are addressed and all necessary interventions carried out.
Ensure that assigned Center(s) are running effectively and efficiently – thus solving problems, mediating conflicts, and providing maximum accountability to everyone connected with the Center(s).

Required Skills and Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree preferred in Education or a related field.
1-2 years of experience with elementary students, teaching, and writing curriculum.
Ability to manage and modify student and staff behavior
Strong communication skills and the ability to work well with students, staff, parents, teachers, and school administrators.
Ability to work independently and in a team setting.
Self-starter with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
Knowledgeable in Microsoft Suite & Google Drive.
Highly organized with good time-management skills.

List of Duties:

Oversee Center operations and supervise staff, so that the Center is functioning efficiently.
Attend all necessary Firewall and school-related events.
Establish relationships with school administrators and teachers to ensure that students are being advocated for and that attendance, behavior, and academic outcomes are being met.
Review student applications and orient new students and their parents, prior to enrollment, to communicate program requirements and expectations.
Monitor student progress to improve student outcomes.
Conduct specific on-site and quarterly training sessions, to equip center staff to carry out academic and behavior plans of action for students.
Communicate with parents, teachers and school administrators as necessary to keep everyone informed and to address any special concerns.
Attend parent/teacher conferences including 504 and IEP meetings as necessary.
Observe and coach staff, developing their teaching and behavior management skills.
Ensure all centers are running smoothly, staff are completing their tasks, and students are meeting the program requirements.

Interested applicants can email employment@firewallcenters.org with their resume and cover letter.

Student-To-Leader Luncheon 2014

Our Annual Luncheon took place on Thursday, November 6^th at the Signature Grand. We have witnessed first-hand our student’s grades, relationships, and outlook on life improve during their time at Firewall. This event was an opportunity for our staff to Spread the Fire to others and get more positive people involved in the lives of these children.

Attendees interacted with both familiar and new faces before they heard exactly how much Firewall Centers is impacting the lives of its students. Guest speaker Betsy Roberts, a Western High School Social Worker, described the “family approach” of Firewall, as the staff unconditionally gives back to ensure each student receives the academic and social support they need to succeed in school and in life.

Vikki Colucci of Regent Bank also spoke on Firewall’s behalf. Vikki took part in our first Serve-A-Thon community service event in May alongside of our Firewall students. In her speech, she quoted Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Attendees got to taste this change that happens daily at Firewall when they heard from its graduates and current students. The audience was all smiles as three students from Pompano Beach Middle school shared their thankfulness for Firewall and even their dreams for the future.

Towards the end of the luncheon, attendees fell quiet as they watched the lives of two graduated Firewall students, Kenneth and Kathia, be completely transformed by this program. Kenneth’s mother said in the video, tears forming in her eyes, that “Firewall is a family. A family that got together to help him, but not only to help Kenneth, but all of their students. At Firewall, there is no distinction. Everyone gets treated the same … These people are angels in the path of each one of these kids. ”

Various members of the community also attended and supported Firewall’s Student-to-Leader Luncheon including Broward College, representatives from the United Way of Broward County, Regent Bank, PNC Bank, the Sun-Sentinel Children’s Fund, the Festus and Helen Stacy Foundation, our school partners, as well as a Broward County School Board member, Laurie Rich Levinson, and a group from Leadership Broward’s Class XXXIII.