LOOKING BACK Environmental Education
Thank you VOLUNTEERS We are changing the world!
GREAT YEAR OF POSITIVE IMPACT 2014 was a great year of Environmental outreach and community engagement. Total Volunteers 313 Hours served: 78
Project Leader: Maria M Hernandez Total Hours: 55
HandsOn Broward www.handsonbroward.org
ORGANIZATIONS JOINED: ARC Broward Miramar Community Garden Youth Environmental Alliance Center for Green Schools Broward County Parks City of Lauderdale by the Sea
As a project leader for HandsOn Broward, I want to highlight in this magazine the projects, and some pictures of the volunteers that help to create a positive impact in our communities; from beach restoration to the creation of a Butterfly Garden, thank you to everyone for your collaboration and your positive impact. You are changing the world! Thank you to HandsOn Broward for giving me the opportunity through your organization to be the helping hand that brings change and hope for people and planet.
Now that we are beginning 2015, there is no better time to aspire to become better humans, inspired by the phrase: it is better to give than receive, more blessed to serve than be served. See you on 2015!
January:
MLK Day of Service
January 20th, we celebrated The MLK Day of Service; it is the moment to start the year off right by giving to others and by working together providing solutions and impacting our communities
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?� Every year, this question is being answer by Americans across the Nation honoring Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy of volunteering. Serving is one way to build the "beloved community" that Dr. King spoke of in his historic remarks.
Beautifying Everglade Holiday Park, Making a difference in Broward County!
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS
“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are\ small compared to the We making a difference in Broward! WE are ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN BROWARD1 wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Everybody can be great...
because anybody can serve.”
….
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
FEBRUARY: Dune Restoration Lauderdale by the Sea 9 Volunteers
Coastal Dune Ecosystem Restoration Restoring vegetation on coastal dunes is important because vegetation helps stabilize dunes and provides essential habitat and food for many species of wildlife on the island including endangered species. HandsOn Broward, the City of Lauderdale By The Sea, in partnership with Youth Environmental Alliance (YEA), participated in a Dune Restoration Project and Sea Oat Planting to help protect and restore our beaches and create a nesting area for sea turtles!
APRIL: EARTH DAY CELEBRATION Broward County ARC Broward 28 Volunteers
E -CYCLING To be part of this global movement, I got together with volunteers of HandsOn Broward and ARC Broward in a special project to reduce the negative impact of E-WASTE in Broward County.
Each year, the United States produces up to: 50 million tons of E - WASTE E-waste
The 3R’s:
reduce,reuse, recycle Great way to commemorate
Earth Day!
AUGUST:
Miramar Community Garden 14 Volunteers
Community gardens: Add beauty to the community and heighten people's awareness and appreciation for living things. Filter rainwater, helping to keep lakes, rivers, and groundwater clean Restore oxygen to the air and help to reduce air pollution. Recycle huge volumes of tree trimmings, leaves, grass clippings, and other organic wastes back into the soil.
Miramar Community Garden, is the first demonstration “micro farming system� in Broward County; an environmentally and economically sustainable system that creates a network of healthy food sources of naturally grown vegetables and fruits.
SEPTEMBER: Apple Day of Service
16 Volunteers
To engage and cultivate the principle of Sustainability, there is not a better place to start than in our community and school gardens. Involving our kids in hands-on exploration of the natural world is essential to create a generation who are able to carry out the important mission of re- establishing a resilient life in our planet.
MarĂa M HernĂĄndez
Thank you Volunteers!
photo ŠAlbert Mollinea
NOVEMBER: Thanksgiving Holiday Orphan Meal (THOM) Lauderdale By the Sea 313
We enjoy Thanksgiving Day with people from the Lauderdale by the Sea community whose families are distant and unable to spend the holiday together ("holiday orphans")
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Thank you!
Volunteers 78 Volunteers
313 Volunteers Hours
55 Hours as Project Leader
THURSDAY, October 16, 2014
Maria M. Hernandez
HandsOn Broward
MIAMI HERALD
10 Reasons to Volunteer: 1. Volunteering provides physical and mental rewards. It:  Reduces stress  Makes you healthier 2. Volunteering provides valuable community services so more money can be spent on local improvements.  The estimated value of a volunteer's time is $15.39 per hour. 3. Volunteers gain professional experience. 4. It brings people together. 5. It promotes personal growth and self-esteem. 6. Volunteering strengthens your community. 7. You learn a lot. 8. You get a chance to give back. 9. Volunteering encourages civic responsibility. 10. You make a difference:
Every person counts! www.handsonbroward.org
MY CONTRIBUTION:
As a project Leader, I have enjoyed every single moment that I have shared with people from my community and surrounding areas, kids, teenagers and adults. Some of them volunteer from their heart and others for community hours, but we all have found a common motivation:
The Environment. I strongly believe that Hands On Environmental programs is the best way to empower our kids and teenagers to dream for a better world, learning how our actions contribute to the protection of our natural resources and as consequence: our communities, our planet! Also, they learned about the importance of volunteering to give back to their communities’ strengthening their civic responsibility and growing their self-esteem and their love for the Environment. Thank you to all the volunteers for their outstanding job during 2014 and to all the organizations that are behind this effort. ! I can’t wait to see you next time in 2015 when together we continue in our endeavor of building a better world
When we leave our comfort zones To embrace People and Planet We bring Hope to the World Maria M Hernandez HandsOn Broward Environment Project Leader
www.HandsOnBroward.org
Looking Forward to…
…LOVE THE PLANET AND SERVE! This magazine has been produced by: Maria M Hernandez LEED AP