Nona Community Partners, a local nonprofit organized by Ryan Thomas, raised and donated $1,000 for the Orlando VA Medical Center at Lake Nona. With the support of the Nona Community Partner members, the total of donated items from their drive was $8,057.24 for the VA. “Our first community service project, we teamed up with the Lake Nona VA hospital for a clothing drive,” … [Read more...]
Accessibility Is a Right, Not a Privilege
On a normal Saturday in January, Fred and Sharon Adams were headed to volunteer for their local service dog training foundation, Pawsitive Action, where they had gotten their service dogs Beckette and Ollie. Fred, a former Air Force photographer and Korea veteran who’s legally blind, mentioned to his wife that he wasn’t able to teach his usual tracking and scent class because … [Read more...]
For UCF Resident, Citizenship Equals Service
Dr. George Yazigi raised his right hand, took his oath of American citizenship, and then sped off to care for immigrant farmworkers in one of Central Florida’s poorest communities. The UCF resident physician says his volunteerism after “the biggest honor of my life” was his way of “giving back to the community where I live.” The timing of his citizenship ceremony – on … [Read more...]
NonaVentures: Nona Adventure Park
Life is all about moments … from the small instances that we don’t think twice about or the larger occurrences where we are thrown outside of our norm. Experiences that test us and push us over the edge. That edge is our comfort zone, and sometimes all we need is a little push. Swallow your fear, gather your courage (it’s already there), and take that leap of faith. Ready or … [Read more...]
Military Residency Match Combines Medical Training, Service to Veterans
One Memorial Day, Arron Smith and his wife Melissa – both UCF medical students – stood before a monument at the Orlando VA Medical Center that bears the name of fallen soldiers. “Our job will be keeping names off of this wall,” Arron said. Now, he is closer to his goal of healing those who serve. He and four other UCF College of Medicine students recently matched … [Read more...]