FEBRUARY
2017
KEYS TO BE THE CHANGE, INC.
NEWS BLOG
                      

HELPING KIDS HELP THEMSELVES
 

OUR PROGRAMS

 

Mentoring

Leadership

Anti-Bullying

Reading Literacy

Wellness Promotion

Drug and Alcohol Prevention


BOARD O F DIRECTORS

President

Tara Whitehead

 

Vice-President

Ebenson Michelin

 

Treasurer 

Andrea Spottswood

 

Secretary

Gabriella Sonzogni

 

  Directors

Elena Spottswood 

  Judy Ban Greenman

 

Advisor

Dennis Hopps 

 

 

CONTACT US
Executive Director
Heidi Golightly
541-974-4398
heidirgolightly@gmail.com
1208 Watson Street
Key West, FL  33040

 


OUR MOTTO

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

 

-Fredrick Douglass

 


 
 
A VERY SPECIAL
THANK YOU
TO OUR 
PARTNERS IN PARADISE:

 

Monroe County 

School Board

 

Key West High School

 

Marathon High School

 

Marathon Middle School

 

Coral Shores High School

 

Poinciana Elementary School

 

Poinciana  Elementary Parent Teacher Organization

 

Gerald Adams Elementary School

 

 HOB Middle/Elementary School

 

Montessori Children's School of Key West

 

May Sands Montessori School

 

Sugarloaf Elementary School

 

City of Key West

 

 Key West Police Department

 

Monroe County Board of County Commissioners

 

 Monroe County Human Services Advisory Board

 

Monroe County Coalition

 

Monroe County Sheriff's Office

 

Office of the

State Attorney

 

State Representative Holly Raschein

 

United States

Coast Guard

 

Clerk's Drug Abuse Trust Fund

 

Keys Open Doors Foundation

 

 City of Marathon

 

Marriott Key West Beachside Hotel

 

Pat Croce

 

Green Parrot

 

 Historic Tours 

of 

America

 

Mike Forster Islamorada City Council

 

 

 Keys to Be the Change, Inc. is a 501(c)3

non-profit charitable organization.

 


 


Dear Friends:

How many days of sunshine do you have in your world? Every day in Monroe County, Keys to Be the Change is doing something to make people feel better about themselves by bringing a little sunshine into their life.

 

We are responders: 

  • To parents who fear for their child's future due to poor choices they are making today. 
  • To school administrators who ask us to find a mentor for a lost soul who has no parent support in their daily life.
  • To a best friend who shares the story of a friends' need for guidance at school. 
  • To reluctant readers from Kindergarten through high school who need some one-on-one time to help them feel better about reading. 
  • To provide positive peer to peer messages everyday.
Individually:
  • Marathon Youth Leaders have created a Clothes Closet available for those in need every single day.
  • Key West Youth Leaders are trying to be perfect role models for their "littles" while helping with their reading skills.
  • Coral Shores Youth Leaders are meeting with and embracing English Language Learners weekly. 
  • Keys to Be the Change is working to create programs to teach sustainable and healthy living to our youth by providing Aquaponics and/or Farm to School programs in classrooms from Coral Shores to Key West!
  The facts are if youth come from low income families, have poor attendance in school, and/or have a lack of engagement by parents to perform in school, they are more likely to drop out of school. This ultimately leads to a life of substance abuse which creates a negative impact on our society. The focus of  Keys to Be the Change is to provide at-risk youth with:

PROGRAMS THAT EMPOWER THEM TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES IN THEIR LIVES AND IN THEIR COMMUNITY. BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-WORTH, and SELF-CONFIDENCE EMPOWERS YOUTH TO MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES WHICH ULTIMATELY LEADS TO A DRUG AND ALCOHOL FREE LIFESTYLE.

Thanks for believing in us and supporting our programs!
 
  KIDS WIN
with
KEYS TO BE THE CHANGE!  
 
This month we would like to
SHOUT OUT 
to
Historic Tours of America
for their generous donation!!
 
Thank you Ed Swift and Chris Belland for always supporting our youth.





 
 
 
I don't know about you, but I see a whole lotta sunshine in these pictures! Keys to Be the Change is looking forward to March 24 -27 for our annual trek to Florida State University and the Southesast PeaceJam Leadership Conference.The opportunity to meet and work side-by-side a Nobel Laureate such as Shirin Ebadi from Iran is amazing. I can't wait to share the experience with you next month! 
 
Keys to Be the Change is proud to say that we TRY to help those less fortunate than ourselves every single day of the week. 
 
OUR PARTNERS HELP US ACHIEVE OUR GOALS!
 
WE ARE AN AMAZING VILLAGE!
 
THANK YOU ALL!
 
Feeling grateful,
Heidi