where are they now

THEN

HARLEY THE FAMILY

Lailoni Harley, of Cape Coral, first appeared on the cover of SW FL Parent & Child magazine at age 5 in November 2007 with Julian Pueblas, 4. They were the winners of our summer cover contest. Then, in June 2009, Lailoni and younger brother Frederick Harley Jr. were featured on the cover with their dad, Fred Harley, for a special Father’s Day edition.

Where are they now? The Harleys live in Cape Coral. Ages: Lailoni is 17; Freddy is 14 School: Lailoni is a Dual Enrollment student at Florida SouthWestern State College

Tell us about yourself. What do you enjoy doing now?

Lailoni: I play varsity basketball for the Lady Seahawks of Cape Coral High School coached by Brian Cruz. The 2019-2020 season left my team and I undefeated in our district and District Champions. One of my biggest enjoyments is working with children and watching and helping them grow, so over the summer I work as a camp counselor for my local recreation center where I’m able to interact with children grades K-8 all summer long. I recently started creating and posting YouTube videos for my channel Loni Harley and hope that in the near future I can grow my channel and later become a brand ambassador for companies all across the globe. Freddy: My name is Frederick Harley Jr., but everyone calls me Freddy. I enjoy playing soccer and have been playing for many years. I played for my middle school team and also the Cape Coral Cyclones U15.

NOW

What do you love about growing up in Southwest Florida?

Lailoni: I love the amazing weather we get year-round here, it makes it possible for every day to be a beach day. People from all across the world travel to visit Florida, which is great, because then I get to meet so many different people with different backgrounds and different stories to tell, but I’d have to say the thing I love most about living and growing up in Southwest Florida would have to be the fact that I met my best friend, Sheila Mae Nermal, in the first grade here and that we’ve continued to be best friends throughout the year and still to this day.

Freddy: What I love about growing up in Southwest Florida is that it’s always sunny and warm. Fred: Raising our kids in Southwest Florida is one of the best decisions my wife and I made. The diversity, the history and the overwhelming support from our community is Amazing!! From the covers till now, Lailoni has grown into a beautiful and busy young lady, from becoming a national champion for cheerleading, district champions in basketball, working, YouTubing and going to college. As for Freddy he’s grown into a handsome young man who is caring and always thinking of others. He won the Lee County Do the Right Thing Award. Freddy is one of the elite soccer players in our area. It’s amazing to watch him play. Everybody knows Freddy... He’s an outstanding person on and off the field.

What’s one piece of advice that’s been really helpful?

Lailoni: From my teachers to my coaches to my parents, they all told me, “You can do whatever you put your mind to,” and I am grateful for every last one of them for reminding me every single day. They are the reasons I am who I am today. Freddy: The one piece of advice an adult has told me was don’t stop trying to be better because someone in this world is trying twice as hard as you.