- December 23, 2024
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Students, Volusia County Schools staff, Volusia County School Board members and representatives from Food Brings Hope celebrate the first year of the Lemerand Center for Excellence. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Jill Simpkins, L. Gale Lemerand and Forough Housseini celebrate the Lemerand Center for Excellence. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Volusia County Schools Superintendent Carmen Balgobin greets Food Brings Hope founder Forough Hosseini at the celebration for the Lemerand Center for Excellence. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Volusia County School Board member Ruben Colon and a student. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Volusia County School Board member Jamie Haynes walks with a student. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Volusia County School Board Chair Jessie Thompson and Food Brings Hope Vice Chair Nellie Lupoli. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Students celebrate the Lemerand Center for Excellence. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Students and their families celebrate the Lemerand Center for Excellence. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Students celebrate the Lemerand Center for Excellence. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Students make ice cream sundaes to celebrate the Lemerand Center for Excellence. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools
Community leaders, Volusia County elementary school students and their families gathered on Wednesday, Nov. 20, to celebrate the first year of the Lemerand Center of Excellence at Daytona State College's campus.
The center is an after school enrichment program for up to 70 students who attend Palm Terrace and Turie T. Small elementary schools, both designated Title 1 schools, according to a press release. It was funded through a $500,000 contribution by philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand and is a joint effort of Food Brings Hope, Daytona State College and Volusia County Schools.
Students are provided with transportation, classroom space at DSC, supplemental instruction, snacks and dinner.
“Education is the most powerful tool that you can provide to any child, and the best gift every single parent can provide to any child is the opportunity for them to obtain a world-class education,” Volusia County Schools Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin told event attendees.
Balgobin commended FBH Community Founder and Chair Forough B. Hosseini on her passion for public education and supporting students and their families and she also recognized Lemerand for his impact in the community, the press release states.
“There are some people that live for themselves, and they create a limited world, and there are other people that they live for others, and they create a limitless world,” Balgobin said of Lemerand.
The philanthropist said it’s important to support and invest in children early on.
“What the program has accomplished, what everybody involved with the program has accomplished in one year is phenomenal, and I just love the way the program is growing,” Lemerand said.
Attendees of the celebration, which was held at the Mori Hosseini Center, heard from three students participating in the program. Each said their grades have improved, and that they have a greater understanding of the subjects they are studying.
“I am now performing at a higher level in reading and other subjects, which makes me feel proud and motivated to continue pushing myself,” said Maachaiah Brown, a fourth grader at Palm Terrace Elementary.
Hosseini said the event was a wonderful night of recognizing and celebrating the center’s first students and welcoming the new ones.
“It really is the best thing that we can do to invest in them now,” Hosseini said. “Invest wisely, make sure that they get the best education in a loving, friendly, helpful environment and be able to provide all the necessities of life so that they can concentrate on learning.”
