Down to donate

A Seminole Chronicle Article

Chad Vickery prepares a bag of canned food from the food pantry at The Forgotten Ones, Inc. in Oviedo.

Photo by: Ed Ruping

By Steven Ryzewski | November 13, 2013

Halloween is in the rear-view, the temperature is dropping - well, sort of - and, yes, there have even been a few Santa sightings.

It's mid-November in Central Florida and with Thanksgiving just around the corner and Christmas on the horizon, it is a time when many consider ways to give back and help out in the spirit of the holiday season.

There are several local organizations that need donations and volunteers in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and beyond.

Here is an overview of some of the local organizations that are welcoming donations and volunteers and how you can get involved:

The Forgotten Ones

The Forgotten Ones in Oviedo, an organization that, among other things, helps to provide identification, access to benefits, cellphones, an emergency food pantry, vision services and referral services, has events coming up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, there will be a free lunch, groceries and live music at the First Baptist Church in Oviedo. Volunteers and donations are needed. There will be a similar event on Dec. 21. Cindy Shadron, executive director of The Forgotten Ones, encourages people to donate to help fill the pantry for these events. Information can be found online at theforgottenonesinc.org.

Donation drop-off location: 98 West Broadway St., Oviedo

The Sharing Center

The Sharing Center in Longwood is in need of donations for its upcoming programs and events in November and December. The organization will have food drives for both Thanksgiving and Christmas with the goal of providing complete meal ingredients to thousands in Central Florida. The Sharing Center is encouraging food donations to help families prepare their own meals and is also providing ready-to-eat packages for homeless individuals. More information about what types of ingredients and foods are needed can be found online atthesharingcenter.org.

With regard to volunteer opportunities, The Sharing Center has a thrift store and warehouse that utilizes volunteers to sort, organize and prepare donations. These are opportunities for which people can serve one time or on an ongoing basis. Regular, ongoing opportunities are available in the organization's food pantries at the Sanford and Longwood locations.

The Sharing Center also has programs to provide shoes to children in need, with a program that gives $20 gift cards to Payless or somewhere comparable so that parents and children can go pick out a new pair of shoes. Patricia Shields, the coordinator of volunteer opportunities for the organization, said being able to pick out their own shoes gives the children a heightened sense of self-esteem.

"Years ago, we made a decision to focus on providing new shoes to children since there were already so many others working to collect toys," Shields said. "Shoes are a common Christmas list item for most kids we see ... our shoe program has been hugely successful providing over 1,500 pairs of shoes to local children annually."

More information about the shoe program can be found online, or by contacting Shields at Patricia.Shields@thesharingcenter.org.

Donation drop-off location: 600 N. Highway 17-92, Longwood

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army's Greater Orlando location is in need of donations, both physical and monetary, for its upcoming events and programs in November and December. For general questions about donations, call 407-423-8581, ext. 252, or email Kyle_McNeil@uss.salvationarmy.org or Jaylen_Christie@uss.salvationarmy.org.

Donation drop-off location: 416 West Colonial Drive, Orlando

Second Harvest Food Bank

The Second Harvest Food Bank is in need of volunteers to help sort donations and to staff the organization's Share Your Christmas event on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13. Mindy Ortiz, the volunteer services and food drive manager for Second Harvest, encourages those interested to check out the organization's calendar online which lists the many opportunities to sign up and get involved. Information can be found online here or by contacting Ortiz at 407-295-8844.

Donation drop-off location: 411 Mercy Drive, Orlando

The Forgotten Ones Finds Jobs

Photo by Sarah Wilson

The Forgotten Ones founder Cindy Shadron, with the help of volunteers such as Pephanie Aurelus (right), helps locals in need find jobs and get back on their feet.

A Seminole Voice Article

By Brittni Larson August 7, 2013 8:43 p.m.

The gap separating Robert Green from his family was already hundreds of miles wide when his life took a turn for the much worse. He moved to Florida to be with his mother while she was sick. But when the sickness took his mother, all that was left was him. His family felt distant and he had no friends to lean on. He needed to start his life over, to get a job, and to lift himself out of the sadness.

But Green didn’t know where to start — he’d been on disability and not working for four years because of hip replacements. An Internet search brought him to The Forgotten Ones (TFO), a charitable organization located at The Vine Thrift Store in Oviedo that offers, among many other services, an emergency food pantry, guidance about getting food stamps and identification, and job search help.

He thought he’d stop by one of their monthly events where they serve lunch and give free haircuts; maybe they could help him. He didn’t know how much of an impact Cindy Shadron, executive director for the nonprofit, would have on his life.

“It was like God had showed up,” he said.

The Vine Thrift Store is located at 98 W. Broadway St. in Oviedo. To learn how you can get help from Cindy Shadron and her team, or if you’re interested in volunteering, visit the store, call 407-971-8135 or go totheforgottenonesi.... The Forgotten Ones will be having a fashion show and auction to raise funds for The Shiloh Ranch on Friday, Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m. at the Oviedo Women’s Club, 414 King St. in Oviedo.

It’s been a month since he met Shadron and her team, and he’s already got a job as a shuttle driver. They also helped him get glasses — vital for a job as a driver — a uniform for his new gig, and most importantly, a lighter heart.

“That just changed my whole outlook,” Green said. “That gave me the energy, the strength, the confidence that I’m not alone.”

Shadron opened the thrift shop as a way to start a nonprofit, and to eventually get an idea called the Shiloh Ranch off the ground. The ranch, which she hopes to open next year, would aim to help former foster children aged 18 to 25 aging out of the foster care system, or who are runaways or homeless. The ranch would give the young adults a place to live, with people to encourage, support and teach them life skills, while they enrich their lives by helping rescue animals.

The nonprofit has expanded its services each time someone has asked for something new, be it assistance with submitting food stamp forms to getting a hearing aid. They do whatever it takes, Shadron said.

“The Forgotten Ones goes the extra mile for people,” said Brooke Payne, outlook director for TFO. “We do what others won’t; we’re here.”

When people started asking for job help, Shadron used her community connections to find job openings. While the economy and unemployment rate still suffer, she’s only seen job placement by TFO raise, because those who reach out to her looking for new employees know what she does to help people get back on their feet. They trust her.

But she’s also discerning in who she’ll recommend for jobs, and those people many times get her cell phone number to call when they need her, too. She can sense a real need and a drive underneath to succeed.

Payne was one of those cases. She’d come to volunteer and get some help while her mom was there doing community service. She wasn’t in a stable home situation, and had been looking for work for a while. And then her volunteering turned into a paying job as the outlook director at TFO, with her graphic design degree working to create the new Web site for the organization. Before, Payne said she’d nearly lost all hope. But Shadron has watched her go from gazing away with a broken spirit, to being completely confident in her position.

That’s what she sees in many people who have found their path in life again through TFO’s help.

“The light in their eyes changes,” Shadron said. “I hope that everybody leaves with more of a purpose in their life.”

They also make it a priority to not only be there to offer encouragement and guidance about job interviews, but also to follow-up and make sure their client gave it their all. Many tell them that it was the push from people at TFO that made them actually fill out the application or go to the interview with a positive attitude.

“They get alone again and they can’t get themselves to do the first step,” Shadron said. “We help them stay on it.”

That was what Green said got him the job — the motivation from Shadron. Grieving for the loss of his mother took a lot of his own zest for life away, but the team at TFO instilled a faith in him that everything would be alright, and that he’d get a job. And now that he has one, he hopes to get his own place and make some time to volunteer at the nonprofit when he’s not working.

Shadron said TFO employees’ personal interest in those who come in for help is the key to everyone’s success. They lift people up.

“They need a person that believes in them, that can get them to believe in themselves again.”

"A Walk to Remember"

A Seminole Chronicle Article

Man walks from Casselberry to Oviedo, finds solace at The Vine

By Bel Huston | July 24, 2013

Eric Akins

Each day, hundreds of cars traverse Broadway Street in Oviedo, as people make their way to work and school and back home again. And each day, they may pass The Vine thrift store, off of Broadway, completely unaware of the store or what it offers to the community.

At first glance, it looks like any other thrift store, one where you might find that extra chair for your living room or a new treasure to bring home for the kids. For countless people however, The Vine is where they have found something they might have lost otherwise: hope.

This was the case for Eric Akins, who walked from Casselberry to Oviedo one day, unsure of exactly where The Vine was located, but assured that once he got there, he would find the help he needed.

The Vine is run by The Forgotten Ones Inc., a nonprofit organization that was founded by Cindy Shadron initially to help kids who had "aged out" of foster care. Today, it also serves as a resource center, offering programs that help people with everything from obtaining birth certificates, driver's licenses and IDs, to eyeglasses, transitional housing and job referrals.

Akins, 50, had battled a drug addiction off and on in his life before spending the past four and a half years at Faith Farm Ministries in Boynton Beach, a faith-based addiction recovery program.

"That was Oct. 15, 2008, and I left out of there May 15, 2013. And in that time that I was there, I got a closer, stronger relationship with the Lord," he said.

Akins had been having a hard time finding work and didn't have much time before he needed to find a job. He was at his wit?s end when he decided to walk to Oviedo one Tuesday morning. Akins laughed as he recalled his thoughts during his trek to The Vine, remembering his conversation with God on the way to his destination.

"I got up to about Oviedo Mall on Red Bug [Lake] Road, and I was like, OK, I'm going to pull the Moses card. Free me from bondage; now you're going to kill me in the desert?" Akins said.

All in all, it took him about two hours to walk from Casselberry to Oviedo. He continued up Broadway Street and found himself in front of First Baptist Oviedo. Something, Akins said, urged him to turn his head, and there it was: The Vine.

He didn't have an appointment, so he stayed and did some volunteer work until Shadron was available. She then spent some time with him to chat about his situation and helped him get the paperwork started that he needed to obtain an ID.

"I said, 'Don't worry,' and I sat down and talked to him and said, 'You had faith to walk here, so something great must be going to happen to you,'" Shadron said.

Just the day prior, Shadron had received a phone call from a woman who said she knew of a gentleman who was looking to hire someone. The man owned a home repair business, she said, and he needed someone to help him out. Akins, as it turns out, was a construction worker at one point and had all kinds of experience under his belt for such a job. Shadron decided to give the man a call, right then and there.

"I'm going to give the guy a call; we're going to pray and thank the Lord now that you already have the job," Shadron said to Akins.

Akins and the potential employer chatted. Shadron gave Akins bus tickets to get home and back the next day to The Vine, where his now new employer picked him up for his first day of work.

Two of the people involved in the story - the employer and the woman who made the call to Shadron at The Vine - are Good Samaritans who chose to remain anonymous. But their actions, helped Akins in his journey to make a new start in life.

Akins said he hopes his story can help others.

"My mindset is, with man it's impossible; with God, all things are possible. And if I can share my testimony of my life with anybody and that's going to bring them to the Lord, I'll do it. I have no problem with it," Akins said. "And whatever I can do to help somebody out, I'm there for them. There was help for me, and I can do no less."

And if getting a new lease on life isn't inspiring enough, Akins' story also includes a romance. He and his high school sweetheart, Tammy Trzcinski, got in touch with the help of Facebook two years ago, and the two have rekindled their high school romance.

"The instant I saw her I looked into her eyes again; I was so in love, I never fell out of love with her," Akins said. "I chased different dreams and avenues to fill what I was missing with her, but it was never the same."

Trzcinski said she is beyond proud of Akins' journey so far.

"Where he lived, he was [at Faith Farm] for five years, and that was pretty much his life. So getting back to the real world, I guess you can say, has just been a leap of faith for him, and he didn't give up," Trzcinski said.

This is just one such tale, Shadron said, of a man who received the help he needed. She added that she sees things like this every day at The Vine.

"There's good stories still," Shadron said. "There's miracles happening."

Anyone with a desire to help can be a part of these stories as well. Shadron said there are a number of ways one can lend a hand at The Vine. It can be as simple as a financial donation or serving as a sponsor to help mentor young people.

"Sometimes that's all it takes for somebody at a crossroads, for them to pick which way they're going to go," Shadron said. "And that might make all the difference in the world."

Celery Stalks

A Seminole Voice Article

Celery Stalks

By Janet Foley March 28, 2013 6:29 pm.

Did you all happen to read the article in the Orlando Sentinel last Saturday by Beth Kassab on where our chickens will fit in our new down town? We are not finding many of our feathered friends around town now, but people are saying they are beginning to show up – so now we are to worry about them fitting in around Oviedo on the Park. That will take time. Meanwhile, let’s worry about their bravery navigating around town when the buildings are being moved. I can just hear the dinner table conversations now.

This is the last call to place historic items – “photography, writing and local artefacts” – in one of the Seminole County Public Library branches’ time capsules. The deadline is Saturday, March 30, at 5 pm. The capsules will be sealed at special ceremonies on April 14 at 2 pm., and will be opened in 2063. For more information, call the East Branch Library at 407-665-1560.

Saturday, March 30, is a very busy day for all little ones. The First United Methodist Church of Oviedo is having a Community Easter Egg Hunt at 11 am. Bring the kids and grand kids along with a couple dozen filled plastic eggs for a great fun morning.

Also, the city of Oviedo will have its Marshmallow Drop at 10 am. at the Oviedo Sports Complex, 1251 E. Broadway St. Tickets are $1 before the event, and $2 the day of the event. Children will collect marshmallows to redeem for candy. For more information, please call 407-971-5575.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life will begin on Saturday, April 6, at 2 pm. and run until 8 am. on Sunday, April 7, at Hagerty High School. If you’d like to get involved, please visit relayforlife.org/oviedofl

This year once again, the Historic Walking Tour on Saturday, April 6, will begin at the First United Methodist Church with a pancake breakfast from 8 to 10:45 am., with tours from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The cost is free but donations will be cheerfully accepted. Recommended donation for the breakfast is $5, and $2 for tours. This year’s theme is “Tall Tales,” with guided tours leaving every 15 minutes. The hike is 1.4 miles long. It is always a very nice event presented by TOPP (The Oviedo Preservation Project).

The Oviedo Garden Club presents its annual plant sale from 8:30 am. to 12:30 pm. on Saturday, April 13, at the Oviedo Cemetery on the corner of Broadway Street and Aulin Avenue with ample parking. All are welcome. The plant sale has been a tradition of the club for decades. Many of the club’s members grow many of the plants from seeds in their own greenhouses and backyards. The sale is unique in many ways, as the club’s 30 members are available to share their knowledge and experience of growing these plants. All plants are reasonably priced, and proceeds from the sale are given to local groups such as Florida Trail Association, Ed Yarborough Nature Center and other environmental related organizations, as well as the local library. For more information, please call Barbara at 407-366-5380.

The Forgotten Ones Inc. continues to cultivate hope in the hearts of others with free lunch, groceries and haircuts available on the last Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Vine Outreach Thrift Store, located at 98 West Broadway Street. in Oviedo. Volunteers are needed for cashiers and resource center help. For more information, please call 407-971-8135 or visit theforgottenonesinc.org

Happy Easter to one and all.

A thought: ”Books are more than books. They area the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason men lived and worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives. – Amy Lowell