Tag Archives: fpl volunteers

FPL Volunteers Help Restore Historic Three Chimneys Plantation in Ormond Beach

This event was just one in a series of activities conducted this week as part of FPL’s fourth annual Power to Care initiative. More than 900 volunteers, consisting of employees and their families, participated in 22 community volunteer projects throughout Florida, including the Three Chimneys project.

Juno Beach, FL (March 31, 2012) — As part of FPL’s “Power to Care Week,” today 35 FPL volunteers helped restore the trails on the beautiful Three Chimneys Sugar Mill plantation, giving visitors better access to four centuries of history in Ormond Beach.

Three Chimneys is the oldest British sugar plantation in the United States, encompassing several historical landmarks dating back to the 1700s. FPL volunteers built a pathway linking the plantation compound to Fagan Tree, a massive oak estimated to be well over a century old. Further plans for improvement of the Three Chimneys include creating a park to promote Florida’s history and multicultural heritage, which spans four centuries on this location.

“The age and wealth of the Three Chimneys Sugar Mill Plantation’s history makes the site a state treasure worthy of care and preservation, and also a natural focus for local FPL employees’ volunteerism during Power to Care Week,” said FPL External Affairs Manager for the area, Larry Volenac. “Our efforts to improve the site are an extension of an ongoing partnership with the Ormond Beach Historical Society to ensure we can all enjoy and learn from the Three Chimneys well into the future.”

This event was just one in a series of activities conducted this week as part of FPL’s fourth annual Power to Care initiative. More than 900 volunteers, consisting of employees and their families, participated in 22 community volunteer projects throughout Florida, including the Three Chimneys project. Throughout the week, volunteers across the state rolled up their sleeves to help clean beaches and restore dunes, landscape nonprofit facilities, spruce up parks, beautify gardens, and more.

“The Ormond Beach Historical Society is very honored that FPL is working with us to promote the Three Chimneys site and its associated landmarks as an educational resource for both residents of Florida and our visitors,” said Dr. Philip Shapiro, chairman of the Ormond Beach Historical Society preservation committee. “Without FPL’s assistance, the trail would not be safe or accessible to the public.”

Three Chimneys and Fagan Tree is open year-round to the public via guided tours sponsored by the Ormond Beach Historical Society. For more information about Three Chimneys visit http://www.ormondhistory.org.

About Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with approximately 10,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla. – based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit http://www.FPL.com.

Media Contact:
FPL Media Line
Florida Power & Light Company
700 Universe Blvd.
Juno Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
amelia.gomez@rbbpr.com
http://www.fpl.com
To view photos click here: http://on.fb.me/GTJshe

FPL Volunteers Team Up with at-risk Youths to give Six Riviera Beach Homes a Facelift

“YouthBuild is an ideal partner organization to work with – its goal is to impact the lives of young people while improving their communities. We’re glad to have the opportunity to partner with them,” said Ethel Williams, FPL regional manager of corporate external affairs.

Juno Beach, FL (March 28, 2012) — Six homes in Riviera Beach got a makeover on March 26, 2012, thanks to over 90 volunteers from Florida Power & Light Company and the YouthBuild organization. As part of FPL‘s Power to Care Week, volunteers worked under the direction of the young women and men of YouthBuild to repaint homes and landscape gardens.

The team – armed with paint, brushes, flowering plants, and gardening tools – revitalized the homes to bring the benefit of improved housing to the entire neighborhood, cultivating pride in the community.

This event is just one of 22 volunteer projects taking place during FPL’s Power to Care Week. Throughout the week, more than 900 volunteers, made up of employees and their families, across the state roll up their sleeves to help clean beaches and restore dunes, landscape nonprofit facilities, spruce up parks, beautify gardens, and more.

“YouthBuild is an ideal partner organization to work with – its goal is to impact the lives of young people while improving their communities. We’re glad to have the opportunity to partner with them,” said Ethel Williams, FPL regional manager of corporate external affairs. “Working hand-in-hand with at-risk young adults while helping homeowners improve their homes is a testament to how powerful FPL volunteerism can be in giving back in such a positive, sustainable way to the communities we serve.”

YouthBuild is a nonprofit that recruits unemployed and undereducated young people ages 18 to 24 to work toward passing the GED examination or receiving a high school diploma while learning work and social skills by building and enhancing affordable housing.

“We appreciate FPL’s hands-on partnership to help Riviera Beach YouthBuild give back and assist us in making a difference in our community,” said Miguel Rada, program director of Riviera Beach YouthBuild. “One of our program’s components is to take an active role in revitalizing your community, and it is great to have FPL share in the same value of community service. FPL is playing a key role in actively building up our Riviera Beach community.”

This is the second year FPL has partnered with YouthBuild for Power to Care Week. In 2011, approximately 70 employees volunteered to help with the house-painting blitz.

For more information on Riviera Beach YouthBuild, visit http://www.rbyouthbuild.org. (To view Photos, please click here: http://on.fb.me/GTJshe)

Media Contact:
FPL Media Line
Florida Power & Light Company
700 Universe Blvd.
Juno Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
amelia.gomez@rbbpr.com
http://www.fpl.com