Current Events
Once a month we hold an event for a family/person in need. We also conduct other exciting projects. Here is where you can find information about how you can get involved and upcoming events.
Miami Dolphin Michael Thomas Named Week 7 NFLPA Community MVP
The NFL safety leads “The First Step” initiative mentoring youth in underserved Florida neighborhoods Editor’s Note: The NFLPA Community MVP recognizes players who are making a positive impact in their local communities. Each week, the NFLPA will celebrate one player who recently demonstrated his commitment to giving back and will make a donation to the player’s foundation or cause in support. This week’s #CommunityMVP is Miami Dolphin Michael Thomas who is demonstrating leadership by speaking to at-risk youth of underprivileged communities. October 20, 2015 has a new meaning for Michael Thomas of the Miami Dolphins. The Mayor of Fort Pierce, Florida proclaimed the Tuesday to be Michael Thomas Day and presented the 26-year-old safety with an honorary Key to the City. The pomp and circumstance celebrated something Thomas is innately passionate about – mentorship. Though he has no previous ties to the Fort Pierce community, he drove for more than two hours to be a key figure in a new program that is focused on providing positive role models to local youth. “My favorite part of receiving the key was that the commissioners had the kids present to me. This really helped show the children that they are a part of this,” Thomas said. The day included two-touch football, pizza and, most importantly for Thomas, a lot of time to connect directly with the young attendees. “The most memorable part was answering their questions. Their questions are so raw and innocent, and it shows that what they hear as a young person actually has a major impact on painting their future,” Thomas said. Though he grew up more than 1,000 miles away in Houston, he said it was very easy to relate to the kids. “The questions they asked brought me back to my own childhood,” he said. “Playing ball with them in the park was just like playing one of the backyard games that I did in my youth.” The First Step, founded by community philanthropist Scott Van Duzer and the Van Duzer Foundation, focuses on making genuine, lasting connections with kids who are faced with the disadvantages of growing up in neighborhoods characterized by “anger, violence and bad influences.” It hopes to achieve this by challenging community leaders to get together with youth in a Fort Pierce park for one hour each Tuesday. “When Scott Van Duzer and the Van Duzer Foundation reached out to me, I was all for it,” Thomas said. “We want these youth to leave the First Step program with bigger dreams and to accomplish something great!” Thomas graduated from Stanford University with honors and a degree in sociology. He is quick to acknowledge that he was able to succeed at such a high academic and athletic level because of mentorship that he benefited from during his upbringing in Texas. “It’s important to me to try to inspire kids and offer resources and experiences that they wouldn’t otherwise have,” Thomas said. “Many of us in the NFL have had moments as a child where someone – a coach, teacher or mentor – took time to believe in us. My desire is that, by getting involved, I am helping change a kid’s life.” Making Strides with Selfless Service While this was Thomas’ first time with the initiative in St. Lucie County, when he isn’t...
read moreBreaking Down Barriers, One Commissioner at a Time
Antonio Avriett (left), a member of the Boys & Girls Club, gets a high-five from St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky while playing touch football Tuesday afternoon during The First Step in Fort Pierce. Members of the commission, Fort Pierce City Commission and Police Department, as well last the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, were on hand during a visit by Miami Dolphins safety Michael Thomas. (SAM WOLFE/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) The look on Sheriff Ken Mascara’s face said it all. Beaming from ear to ear, the sheriff was gang-tackled by a gaggle of four small kids, each grabbing at his legs, during an impromptu game of touch football Wednesday in northwest Fort Pierce. Credits: Article from...
read moreKerri On…
Winning is something that St.Lucie County School teacher Kerri Walukiewicz does really well. In 2005, she was named Teacher of the Year for the entire state of Florida. So when Kerri was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, she chose to do what she does best – Kerri On and teach others the importance of becoming a bone marrow donor. On October 28th, please come out and register as a bone marrow donor, share a hug and a slice of pizza with Kerri and her family, friends, and students. As always 100 percent of the proceeds will go to Kerri and her family, and who knows, you may be the matching donor who could help save Kerri’s life. 772 – 528 –...
read moreThe First Step
St. Lucie County Leaders Take ‘The First Step’ with Local Youth By: Zach Dean Oct 6, 2015 Credit: www.tcpalm.com FORT PIERCE — Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson, County Commissioner Kim Johnson and Sheriff Ken Mascara were among many local leaders who participated in a touch football game Tuesday in Fort Pierce. “The First Step” is a project put together by Scott Van Duzer, Johnson, and State Representative Larry Lee Jr., and is intended to bring community leaders together with nearly 30 local children of all ages, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., every Tuesday for football (or any other activity), pizza, and, most importantly, the chance to get to know each other. “I just want them to know that this whole city cares about them; that they’re not lost up here or forgotten,” Hudson said. “Maybe someone in their life has told them that nobody on that side of town cares about them, but, in my experience, people very much care about them. “I want this to be one Fort Pierce, and it’s going to take things like this to make that happen.” This was the first of a weekly event that will take place at the park, at 33rd street and Avenue G in Fort Pierce, Van Duzer said. The plan is to play for 20 minutes, talk for 20 minutes, and then spend the final 20 minutes eating. “When kids see leaders, a lot of the time they don’t know who we are,” Commissioner Johnson said. “We just want them to understand that it’s not about us being adults, or telling them what to do, or us knowing more than them. It’s about us connecting with them on a personal level so they can know, and understand, how we became who we are on a professional level.” St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara was among the leaders who played, and spoke, with the children. And like Johnson, Mascara believes that positive interaction with children is critical. “In my opinion, any time law enforcement in general can get a chance to interact with youth in a positive matter, it’s a great outcome,” he said. “A lot of people in this community care about them, and we want them to be successful. These people here will do anything to facilitate their success.” According to Van Duzer, the Indian River State College baseball team is scheduled to come out next Tuesday to play Wiffle ball with the kids. The following week, Miami Dolphins safety Michael Thomas will come to the park and speak. “I thought it was a great idea,” said Shametra Wright, whose son participated in the event. “I’m coming again, and I’ll be bringing more kids next week.” While the inaugural The First Step project was a success, Van Duzer said the only way real change will happen is if others follow course. “We wanted to be a force and show kids that there are people out there that care about them,” Van Duzer said, “and we want to inspire other people to do the same thing. “That’s the where the first step came from. There are people out there that want to do things and we want them to come take the first step and do something, too.” Read Article on...
read moreHonor Flight Benefit
*Click image to enlarge Uncle Sam Wants YOU! They are known as the Greatest Generation because they are quiet heroes, men and women who sacrificed their lives to defend our freedom in a foreign land during what was called the war to end all wars – World War II. Over 16 million men and women served during World War II, and today, an estimated 855,000 are still alive, but they’re getting old and fragile. The median age of WWII veterans is 95, and an average of 500 WWII veterans die every day. Sadly, the memorial to honor their service was not completed and dedicated until 2004, and many WWII have never seen the memorial to their service. On Thursday, August 6th, from 4-10 p.m. at Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce, volunteers from Southeast Florida Honor Flight, the Van Duzer Foundation, the City of Port St. Lucie, the Board of St. Lucie County Commissioners and the City of Fort Pierce are working together to make sure all St. Lucie County WWII veterans have an opportunity to make that trip of a lifetime. Southeast Florida Honor Flight provides a free flight with all the trappings for WWII veterans, along with a volunteer guardian (who pays for his or her own trip), meals, medical professionals, and a guided VIP tour to the WWII Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, August 6th, from 4 – 10 p.m., the counters at Big Apple will be staffed by local celebrities and volunteers who will take your order, make, and serve your pizza, with one hundred percent of the cost of your food and drinks going to help Southeast Florida Honor Flight collect funds for the October 2015 mission, which is currently in jeopardy because of the loss of funding. In addition to one hundred percent of your order and tip helping fund this special Honor Flight, your donation up to $10,000 will be matched by local dermatologist and philanthropist, Dr. Shamsher Singh. On hand that evening will be Port St. Lucie Mayor Greg Oravec, Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson, several members of the St. Lucie County Commission, and a host of local luminaries and celebrities, so you never know who might serve your pizza that night. Or, you may choose to request a specific server in exchange for a substantial ‘gratuity’ to benefit Southeast Florida Honor Flight and the mission. There will be WWII veterans on hand to meet and chat with you, and it’s a perfect opportunity to thank these men and women for their heroic service and patriotism. In short, you can than them for your freedom. Eight years after deciding to create a small, grassroots non-profit foundation to help individuals and families in St. Lucie County who were experiencing difficulties due to unforeseen tragedy or illness, the Van Duzer Foundation is still about helping one family or one individual with creativity, style, and caring. And while the Foundation may have taken a few side trips along the way, like starting Boy Scout Troop 772 to help give young men in the community a positive place to spend time, learn, and grow into positive and contributing members of the community, the Foundation has always been, at heart, a small, community organization which wants to...
read moreThe Van Duzer Search
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