What: 2nd Annual Community Kickball Challenge
Where: Avalon Park
When: January 29, 8am-1pm
Cost: $400 donation
Contact: 407.382.5660 OR www.CommunityKickball.com
Description:
It’s that time again – on January 29 Central Florida residents will again make history as they turn Avalon Park into the kickball capital of the southeast to benefit a local nonprofit.
Hundreds of players on 32 teams will be participating in the second annual Community Kick Ball Challenge to benefit Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (which focuses on leading-edge research in cancer in diabetes in the “Medical City” in Lake Nona). To learn more visit www.CommunityKickball.com.
The empty nest. It’s something all parents think about at some point. Sometimes in a positive light, often not. The 2006 comedy movie “Failure to Launch” made light of parents trying to get their son to move out of the house (to launch). Many parents of teenagers I know have quite the opposite problem.
Call it “Fear of Launch” - panicked about their little baby moving away and leaving the protection of the nest. My one and only offspring is a recent high school graduate and we are deep into preparation for his launch to college in the fall. While I do have some fears of the empty nest, I could not be more proud of my son’s accomplishments and I am certain he is ready to fly on his own.
A decorated Eagle Scout, the highest rank possible in the Boy Scouts, Torey has won numerous awards for his achievements both in and outside of the organization.
Torey has always been a very bright and charismatic kid. Growing up in East Orlando, he excelled in the gifted program at Deerwood Elementary and struggled through the tough adolescent years at Liberty Middle School. He chose to enroll in the Global Technology Magnet program at University High School (UHS) primarily, I believe, because he was looking to break out of his same peer group and make some new friends and find some new experiences. Less than two months into his high school career, he was faced with the fatal stabbing of a student in the bus loading area only a few dozen feet away from where he was standing. Talk about new experiences. The struggles that kids face today are far different from what I remember. It’s scary. It’s tough. It’s commendable.
Despite the struggles, he was very involved with clubs and sports, and finished high school with an honors diploma, a Disney Dreamer and Doer award and a Bright Futures scholarship.
Torey was always interested in the sea, and he is now an accomplished SCUBA diver, earning his Junior Open Water certification at age 10, Advanced Junior Open Water at age 12 and Advanced Open Water at age 16. We have vacationed as a family on a tiny Caribbean island many times, and Torey decided that he wanted to spend the summer there alone as a 15-year-old.
My wife, Wendy, and I dismissed it as impossible, but he very methodically took on and solved every challenge to make the trip possible. He found a sponsor, housing arrangements, odd jobs to do while there, and figured out all the Immigration laws. He spent six weeks the summer of 2008 living as a student intern there (with three 19-year-old Dutch female roommates).
His trip planning and time away was a mixture of pride and panic for us as parents, but certainly good training for his “launch” into full-on adulthood that he is now facing. When I look back at all he has accomplished, I’m flooded with wonderful memories and a growing sense of anticipation at the incredible things he will do in the years to come.
Torey McCleskey (left) with father Mike (right) and mother Wendy (center). In late August, Torey will be moving away from home to attend college.
Some of Torey’s best training and experiences came through his association with the Boy Scouts of America. He first joined as a Tiger Cub Scout at age five. He progressed through the ranks of Cub Scouting, earning his Arrow of Light and being the first scout in his Pack to receive the “Heavy Shoulder” award for earning all 20 Webelos Activity Pins available.
Eventually, Torey earned his way to the highest rank possible, Eagle Scout, and will have earned three additional Eagle Palms by the time he turns 18 in September. He has been elected to many leadership positions in his local Troop, including Senior Patrol Leader twice and he even directed a community service project that was selected as the most outstanding in the Southern Region, the largest region in the United States.
He was recently informed that he finished as the second most outstanding Eagle in the entire nation. Torey was also recently presented with the BSA’s Honor Medal for demonstrating “unusual heroism and skill or resourcefulness in saving or attempting to save life at considerable risk to self” for his actions to save a potential drowning victim. This award is so prestigious that only 28 were awarded nationwide last year.
Now, Torey is enrolled to begin classes at the University of North Florida in the fall, majoring in sports medicine and athletic training, a passion he developed in his senior year at UHS. He will only be two hours away from home, but I am sure the nest will feel pretty empty for Wendy and I. However, we are extremely proud and confident that he has passed his pre-flight checks and is “Ready for Launch” … well, mainly.
Article by Mike McCleskey
Do you want to know what’s really happening throughout East and South East Orlando? Would you like to be informed when something is going on in your neighborhood? Insight Magazine is taking the next step in social media integration with their Insight Street Tweet Team on popular social media Web site, Twitter. The magazine is taking to the streets to deliver local news in real time to residents who subscribe to their respective neighborhoods. Spots are still available on the Street Tweet Teams.
Twitter will allow residents who sign up to receive instant updates on their neighborhoods thanks to a new initiative by Insight Magazine.
“The idea is to make news available to residents wherever they are,” says Jennifer Thompson, co-publisher of Insight Magazine. “Residents need to be informed when there is a community meeting, upcoming event or late-breaking news in their neighborhood.” The service, debuting this month, is free to residents and will be updated by the magazine staff until enough Street Tweet Team members join to take over the service. “The Street Tweet Team is something that will constantly be evolving,” says Thompson. “After all, no one knows what’s going on in their neighborhood more than the people who live there. We will be looking for bloggers and Tweeters to help grow the service and make it a valuable tool to those who want to stay informed and connect their communities on a new level.”
Twitter was chosen for its instant update capabilities and ease of use, both for those updating and the residents who are following their neighborhood. Updates are planned to go out as needed providing relevant facts to followers. “The last thing we want with this kind of service is to ’spam’ followers,” says David Mullins, co-publisher of Insight Magazine. “We will provide them with topics of interest, observations and even occasional photos.”
Some neighborhoods planned for the initial launch include: Waterford Lakes, Vista Lakes, Lake Nona, Avalon Park and Cypress Springs. These are by no means the entire list, however. “We’re launching the service with about eight neighborhoods and will continue to add more as the desire and need from residents continues to grow,” says Thompson.
Article by Corey Gehrold
Sign Up to Receive Updates Instantly for Your Neighborhood Now:
- Andover Lakes
- Avalon Park
- Cypress Springs
- Eastwood
- Lake Nona
- Stoneybrook
- Vista Lakes
- Waterford Lakes
Join the Insight Street Tweet Team
Want to Tweet about your neighborhood? Updates, news, pictures and more. E-mail Jennifer Thompson to learn more.
