STAR Cares Recipients 2009

Nap Ford Community School
The Nap Ford Community School is a non profit, self-managed charter school located in Downtown Orlando. With a mission that believes that all students can learn and be a successful member of society, the Nap Ford Community School provides educational programs and services, which foster academic success, health and wellness. With the help of Tom Joyner and the 2009 TJ2K, STAR 94.5 helped raise money to benefit this important and community-focused institution.

Angel
Angel is an 11 year old girl who lives in Apopka, Florida. Last October upon breaking her leg at school, Angel and her family learned that she had bone cancer. Since then her leg has been amputated and now begins Angel's treatment to keep her healthy. On behalf of her new family at STAR 94.5, Monica May met with this very strong and charismatic young lady and presented her family with a check to help with her healthcare costs. STAR Cares About About Our Community.

Jackie Bernice

Through our STAR Cares fund – STAR 94.5 was able to make Thanksgiving a feast for some loyal STAR listeners. Jackie and Bernice and their families will be able to concentrate on making their dinning tables festive, now that STAR 94.5 has presented them with a Publix “full” meal, turkey, drink and dessert. To date STAR Cares has provided more than $20,000 to families and non-profits in OUR community. STAR 94.5 has also interacted with over 1000 children in our "Principal for the Day" programs throughout our city schools and several hundred members of our community through our JENA in OUR Community Town Hall Meetings.

Karen Jefferson
Karen Jefferson’s children encountered a very traumatic incident while on their way to school one morning. Because of that, they may have to testify against someone. Imagine the terror of that at their ages, which are between 5 and 10. For their safety, Ms. Jefferson has had to quit her job in order to walk her children to school daily. Luckily her job will allow her to come back to work as soon as she is able to. However, she feels it necessary to move her family and get a fresh start. Karen already has the majority of the money necessary for her move, but still needed $400. STAR 94.5 was able to give her the additional money to ensure her family’s safety thus making the Jefferson’s our STAR Cares recipients for October.



Elgin Tucker
STAR 94.5 originally met Elgin Tucker at our annual Take A Loved One to the Doctor Day event. While Mr. Tucker was retrieving the results from his health exams, he spoke with Monica May and she found out that he was a former felon. Ms. May began talkiing to him about civil rights restoration. Meanwhile, while all of this was taking place, Mr. Tucker's bike was being stolen. After the event Ms. May continued to assist Mr. Tucker finish the process of restoring his civil rights with the help of Senator Gary Siplin. Once his rights were restored, Ms. May invited him to STAR 94.5's "Meet the Candidate" Forum where he was presented with a framed certificate of his rights restoration along with a brand new bicycle. We are now asking the community to help him find employment.

The Bush Family
On August 9th, an Apopka family woke up to find their home on fire. It took firefighters more than an hour to fight the flames. In that time the Bush family lost all of their possessions; and the only home that all of the 11 family members knew. Although the home was paid for, the family didn’t have fire prevention insurance. Monica May met with Robert and Theresa Bush, and several other family members for this picture outside the burnt frame of their home…As our August STAR Cares recipient, they will use that money to begin to rebuild their family home. view more pics

During a recent Principal for the Day event at BETA, Monica met with female students who after her broadcast. One thing mentioned was that when the girls are ready to transition out of the program there was a need to have a financial cushion so the girls might attend school or start working..STAR 94.5 seeded their first MOTHER'S TRANSITION program with a check for $500.00 through STAR Cares. Pictured are: Clinical Director of Beta, and STAR's own Monica May w: Christy Blunt and Shawntae Bennett mothers that attend school and live on the campus of BETA.

STAR Cares about Lee Middle School

During National Homeless Children's Awareness month, Lee Middle School determined that 40 of their own students were indeed living in shelters and area hotels. They were coming to school wearing layers of t-shirts and sweaters, they had no coats or blankets. STAR 94.5 donated $500.00 toward "PROJECT HOUSE" that will provide food and clothing for the students and their families. STAR 94.5 also visited Doris Keeler, the teacher who began the drive to assist the homeless students at Lee Middle School. Not pictured are the he other two teachers: Jan Berry, 7th grade science and Bob Wilkinson, 7th grade Language Arts. Due to OCPS policy, the homeless children were unable to be photographed for confidentiality purpose.

Kendal Williams Family

On Sunday January 27th at 11pm, 2 "hooded" teens approached 38 year old Kendal Williams in front of his Ivy Lane home. They demanded his car and when they couldn't get the truck to switch gears, they shot Williams in the face and ran off. The 38 year old husband and father of seven died later at ORMC. STAR 94.5 contacted his wife Charmain and his brother Alton Simmonds (pictured with Monica) and through STARCares donated a check for $1,000.00 to help with arrangements for their 7 children. Simmonds told us that police have arrested one of the teens, but still need your help in capturing the second. Please keep your tips coming into CRIMELINE at 407/423-TIPS.

Nanie Saint Fleur STAR 94.5 has made Nanie Saint Fleur our March STAR Cares recipient. She is desperate to raise more than $1 million to pay for small intestine transplant surgery after she developed complications from gastric bypass weight loss surgery. STAR 94.5 has donated $1,000.00 to the Benevolent Funds for Nanie St. Fleur set up at Washington Mutual Bank and you can too ... more details

Sarah Memory

It was 12:30 AM on March 22, 2008 when 7 shots rang out in the night inside the Lake Westin Apartment complex on Forest City Road. Asleep with her back to the shooters, Sarah Memory remembers waking up with a burning sensation in her arm and blood everywhere. The 84 year old widow and mother of 6, had been shot. "Lord knows that bullet could have hit me in my head or back, but God saw fit for it to only strike my arm." The bullet is still lodged in the woman's forearm, doctors aren't sure if they'll ever remove it. Mrs. Memory has other ailments and 84 years on this side to consider before surgery to remove something that today is not really bothering her. These days Mrs. Memory cares for her 54 year old daughter who's had a stroke. The two are barely managing to make ends meet on their meager social security checks. In the midst of all this, they just got notice that their rent will be increased $34.00. STAR 94.5 has honored them as our April STAR Cares recipients and now News Director Monica May is making sure the victims compensation board does their part to help out in yet another senseless crime in our community. She also wrote a letter that the family can use to outline their financial hardship, perhaps it will cause the complex to realize that they too are victims of crime...

OFF THE COURT (picture pending)
The OTC is an annual luncheon for girls, many are at-risk for a variety of negative issues that are rampant in our communities across Central Florida. The full day of workshops address, teen pregnancy, alcohol and drug use and ends with an effort to help girls broaden their scope. There are workshops for the mothers and care givers of the young ladies that help them better cope with their daughters. Every year Attorney Veraunda Jackson gives away scholarship money to girls entering college, and this year STAR 94.5 donated $500.00 to their program.

Family of Mildred Beaubron.
(Monica pictured with recipient Margaret Francis, Family Spokesperson) After a night out a local club, a group of three young women stopped at a convenience store. As they left, they noticed a silver PT Cruiser with three or four men inside trailing them. The girls were reported to have rebuffed request for their phone numbers. Eventually, that car pulled beside them and someone opened fire near Princeton and John Young Parkway. A bullet hole in the right rear door of a Nissan Maxima, evidence of a violent crime that killed 18 year old Mildred Beaubron.

Does your organization need help?
Please contact: Monica May
Email:Monica.May@coxradio.com
Fax: 407-297-7595

2006 STAR Cares Recipients | 2007 STAR Cares Recipients