Dear Partners and Friends, 

I hope you and your families are doing well. Over the past few months, the team at Volunteer Florida has continued “getting things done” for Florida.The year 2024 marks 30 years of serving the Sunshine State, and our partnerships are the driving force behind the many accomplishments and positive impacts we have achieved, enabling us to promote disaster resiliency, increase national service, and foster volunteerism to advocate for our mission. To commemorate this milestone, I will embark on a statewide tour, including service projects and volunteering, as well as presenting Volunteer Florida’s Excellence in Volunteerism Award every month beginning in January.I encourage nonprofits, government agencies, educational, and businesses to nominate an individual or group for an Excellence in Volunteerism Award who demonstrates notable efforts and contributions in the realm of volunteer service and passion to serve their community. Detailed information about how to nominate can be found here.

Hurricane Idalia 

On Wednesday, August 30th, Hurricane Idalia made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend, causing significant damage. In the days following Hurricane Idalia’s impact, our partner organizations coordinated with key stakeholders and have continued collaborating to provide resources for long-term recovery and rebuilding. In my visit to all the affected communities, I expressed my gratitude to our partner organizations and volunteers working on the ground to assist with the recovery efforts.

    

2023 Hispanic Heritage Month Contests and Awards

Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis announced this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month student and educator contest winners. Contest winners were invited to the Florida Governor’s Mansion, where they received prizes and were recognized for their art, essays, and educational contributions. This year, students wrote essays and created art that reflected the theme “Celebrating Florida’s Hispanic Heroes and Their Contributions to Freedom.” Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized and celebrated in the United States from September 15 to October 15. We are extremely grateful to the sponsors and partners for the contests: Florida Prepaid College Foundation, Florida Lottery, Lawson Huck Gonzalez, PLLC, Florida Department of State, and the Florida Department of Education.

Bring AmeriCorps to Your Community: Request for Proposals

We recently announced the funding availability for the 2024-2025 AmeriCorps request for proposals. Over 1,600 people pledged to improve Florida’s communities this past year through AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps members serve in many capacities, including educational support, veterans’ services, public land conservation, disaster response, and more. Over the last 30 years, AmeriCorps has empowered over 1.25 million individuals nationwide to dedicate a year of service, driving solutions to our communities’ most pressing issues. In return, members gain leadership skills, on-the-job training, and a living stipend and educational award equivalent to the Pell Grant to pay for post-secondary educational costs or repay student loans.

Outstanding Partnership of the Year Award
Volunteer Florida was this year’s honoree as Outstanding Partner of the Year at the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations’ ConnectED annual statewide conference in Orlando! VF Chairman John Davis and CEO Tamayo were honored to attend and accept the award. Florida’s local education foundations foster deep public/private-sector partnerships to innovate learning and power student potential in nearly every county wide school district throughout the state.
  
While the Consortium has facilitated relief and recovery funding from various partners for many years when disasters impact multiple school districts, the Volunteer Florida Disaster Fund grants allowed education foundations to provide unprecedented support for those affected in school communities from hurricanes Ian and Idalia. Through the Florida Disaster Fund, Volunteer Florida awarded Florida’s local education foundations with $5.7 million through 13 Consortium member local education foundations to provide substantive relief and recovery support for teachers, school staff, and students impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Idalia in the past year.

Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay Ribbon Cutting

I was invited to participate in a ribbon-cutting event with Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay and ToolBank Disaster Services for their expansive 5,000-square-foot Hurricane Response Distribution Center in Tampa, FL equipped with essential supplies for post-hurricane relief. The event took place on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian.

  

CEO’S LEADERSHIP TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

PHOTO: CEO Tamayo celebrated the graduation of the inaugural class of Tampa’s AmeriCorps Green TeamPHOTO: CEO Tamayo and Vice Chair Wheelock attended the HOPE Solution symposiumPHOTO: CEO Tamayo presented an Excellence in Volunteerism Award to Captain Mike Baize, a Citrus County Education Foundation volunteerPHOTO: CEO Tamayo presented the AmeriCorps “Member of the Year” Award to Keith Smith, with Seniors in Service PHOTO: CEO Tamayo volunteered with the Special Olympics for a fun day of bowling in Tallahassee!

Thank you for your continued support of Volunteer Florida and our mission to #ServeFL. If there is anything we can do for you, or your organization, please reach out to me or my team.

Yours in Service,

Josefina Tamayo Chief Executive OfficerVolunteer Florida