01/12/2023
Happy Belated New Year from !
We look forward to a busy year in 2023, as we gear up for new projects and new partnerships. Even though we were not as active as we would have like to have been in 2022, we are moving forward with new ideas and goals, as we build momentum at Future Leaders Moving Forward.
In the near term, for our first project of 2023, we will continue our food drive work, which went very well in 2021, and served The Knights Pantry at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. The Knights Pantry provides basic needs for college students, including food, clothing and personal hygiene items, fostering continued academic success to increase retention for any students that find themselves in need. Future Leaders is pushing for food drives in the months of February, May, August and November.
We will announce on this page when and where you can drop off needed items or, we may be able to pick them up, depending on the location. We ask that you donate non-perishable foods (either canned or in boxes), hygiene items (like toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.) or business clothes that may be useful for job interview (for instance, button-down shirts/blouses, gently used suits, ties, etc.) …. but we will take anything that may be of help to a struggling college student.
We are also partnering with a like-minded non-profit organization from Colombia, called Transilvania Club ONG (and we know you’re thinking it, but they have nothing to do with Count Dracula. ‘Transilvania’ means “behind the mountains,” and refers to the cultural preservation of the indigenous people in the Tequendama mountains outside Bogota). This club has been around for over 25 years and they serve a wide range of children from that area, ranging from elementary through high school.
These kids live in marginalized communities and are very motivated to better themselves. Some live in areas without stable electricity but, they study for school under the light of donated gas lamps and strive toward a better future. We hope to sponsor 16 middle and high school students so they can visit Florida in 2023 and expose them to more opportunities in the world. We want them to know they have options for their future if they work toward a goal, and we will be posting later about help we will need with sponsors, housing and how best to show all that the Sunshine State has to offer. Their trip here could happen as early as this summer, or later in the year closer to December.
We want to thank everyone for their past support and donations, and for your continued support and donations we hope to see in 2023. For this year, we ask everyone for any financial donation you are able to give, or to create a Facebook fundraising project on Future Leaders Moving Forward’s behalf. Just look for us in the “non-profit organization” category and start fundraising. Every dollar makes a difference!
And Happy New Year in 2023, from our family to yours!!