COMMUNITY CORNER
Avalon Park Pickleball
15 year old Timber Creek High School Sophomore and South Village resident Steven Hamley won bronze in the Orange Open Pickleball Tournament Friday against the best Junior players in Orange County. Avalon Park residents the Hamley family and Sheila Harvey, Pam Geronimos, and Ed Lynt were on hand at the Orlando Racket Sports center to cheer him on. Steven trains on the South Village courts and is one of several young players Avalon Park is developing as public schools do not offer
pickleball. Cudos to all our great Avalon Park pickleball players that are competing in tournaments this year! Coming up for our players: The Hertz Professional Pickleball Assocation Orlando Cup Dec.1-4 at the United States Tennis Association National Campus in Lake Nona. Player registration and tickets available at pickleballtournaments.com. If you volunteer for 4 hours you will receive a free grounds pass for the day you volunteer.
Back to School Shopping Inflation Due to decades-high inflation, parents are facing much higher prices than years past. According to Deloitte’s 2022 back-to-school survey, parents plan to spend $661 per child, on average, for back-to-school shopping this year, up 8% from 2021 and 27% from 2019. With back-to-school shopping being the second largest spending event for parents, behind holiday expenditures, the survey also found that nearly three in five parents are concerned about the inflated BTS costs. As many families continue to grapple with the financial effects of the pandemic and face increased costs of other living expenses, Goodwill is offering parents some relief. With more than 30 retail stores across our six-county area, the nonprofit serves as an affordable BTS shopping option. While items are not guaranteed to be in stock, Goodwill is an excellent starting point for
clothes, shoes, backpacks, supplies and more – all priced at an average of 30% below big box retailers. The Deloitte study also showed that BTS shoppers are looking to shop more sustainably this year – a trend that Goodwill is well ahead of. Sustainability is one of Goodwill’s founding principles, as the nonprofit promotes thrifting, reusing, donating and upcycling to reduce one’s environmental impact. In 2021, local Goodwills diverted nearly 19 billion pounds of usable goods from landfills. And if you have clothes, shoes or other potential items that could be used for backto-school, you can drop those off at Goodwill. There are 30 retail stores that accept donations as well as 20 Donation Xpress sites across Orange, Osceola, Lake, Brevard, Volusia and Seminole counties. To find the nearest Goodwill to you, visit www.GoodwillCFL.org.
