Welcome
written by Eddy Solon, Northwest Village
East Orlando Realtor, Keller Williams
Realestate32828@gmail.com
Welcome
neighbors. Summer is right around the corner and for some this means "Aloha."
It's the time of year when Hawaiian themed parties are sprouting up like those
pesty chinch bugs. This past month the Gazette, a newsletter reaching close to
2,000+ residents, received one of the best compliments from one of our
subscribers, "Thanks for giving a voice to neighbors and the community." In
light of the many networks we have established here in Avalon Park, including
neighborhood Watch, Avalon Park Voice, and Avalon Residents group on Facebook,
it is this voice and connection that we have with one another that is key to
fostering safer neighborhoods, enriching lives through community activism, and
simply being connected. When I first came to this quaint little cul-de-sac in
East Orlando seven years ago, I realized how easy it would be to just go home,
lock the doors, and wave occasionally to neighbors. If I simply lived in a
neighborhood or a subdivision, I would have done so without much thought, but
fortunately we do not only live in a sub division or a neighborhood, instead in
Avalon Park, A LIVE AND DYNAMIC COMMUNITY. The framework that was laid out by
Beat Kahli, AP developer, has definitely been built upon by many of AP
residents. This framework has not only impacted AP residents, but East Orlando
residents and beyond who come to enjoy the many festivities and "home town"
events we have locally. This Gazette and their AWESOME contributors and
editors help enrich the lives of East Orlando residents through their
volunteerism and I am so appreciative of that!
This past month we were
asked why an event or an issue impacting our community was not included. The
simple answer is, although we strive to cover issues impacting our community,
unless someone writes an article and submits it, it cannot be included. This
newsletter is truly a newsletter developed by neighbors for neighbors and the
content responsibility is shared by the community, not only the Gazette team.
Hence, if you have an event, issue, article that you would like to covered,
please feel empowered to write the article! Please submit your article by the
third Thursday of the month, by 12 pm, to publishing@apgazette.com Each
article received will be considered for publishing. Also, we are developing an
Avalon Park Easter Egg Hunt Collage, so please feel free to send pictures of
your Easter egg hunts to be included in the next issue (please email
publishing@apgazette.com).
Lastly, we are always evaluating new series to
add and consider shelving old ones based on relevance. Next month, we will be
expanding our safety portion of this newsletter to include all of East Orlando,
hence Crime Statistics and updates on safety in East Orlando will replace the
existing contribution. Also, one of the new series we are excited about is “My
Journey." Every month, we will have the opportunity to be inspired by one of
our neighbors and peek inside their life’s journey. We will share their
challenges, disappointments, triumphs, and reflections. It will be enriching,
rewarding, and most of all, a great contribution to our monthly articles. In
this Issue, we have the opportunity to read the journey of Veronica Figueroa, an
East Orlando Business Owner-REMAX, Avalon Park Resident, and a community
organizer.
Avalon Park
Neighborhood Watch: This Past Month
written by Brian Jones, Parkside Landing
Overall Neighborhood Watch Coordinator
brianj4u2@gmail.com
Great things are
happening in our community neighborhood watch program. Participation has
increased at all levels. Since October 2012, our block captain team has grown
50%, Avalon Park Neighborhood Watch Facebook (FB) group has grown 12%, and we
have gained several key players in our overall efforts to keep a close eye on
safety and crime prevention in Avalon Park. Many residents ask me, “Why is it
so important to join the Avalon Park Neighborhood Watch FB group?” Fun
facts: “48% of young Americans said they found out about news through FB
and also log in to FB right when they wake up in the morning. 50% of all active
users log in every day. The average user connects to 80 community pages,
groups, and events. People who use FB on their mobile device are twice as
active as non-mobile users”. All these facts support the theory that FB can
help get information out to everyone quickly, and this will help all of us stay
safe and prevent crime in Avalon Park. Communication is the key to success in
every network and it can only help the effort to be a part of the FB group.
With the help of Jennifer Ingram-Houswright (business watch
coordinator) of Soho Office Avalon Park and OCSO Crime Prevention DFC Melissa
Belmont, the Downtown Avalon Park area is a Business Watch participant. (All
business owners and managers should email Brian Jones, apwatchcordinator@yahoo.com to
join the business watch network in order to stay updated on safety and crime
prevention initiatives).
This past month the incidents reported
on Avalon Park Neighborhood Watch website by
neighbors were:
March 2013 Statistics
| Number |
Incident
Reported |
Disposition by
Off duties/ Update |
| 1 |
We came home
to find our back yard had been entered without our permission and a 1/3 of the
passion vine (about 30') had been cut back off our 6 foot privacy fence. The
vine had been cut and pushed into our back yard so that the rear windows are now
visible from the road. We are concerned it was either a confused contractor, I
will not pay anyone for doing unauthorized damage to my house or a weird peeping
Tom who wants to be able to see in at night! Not your normal vandals but too
weird not to let someone know. |
OCSO off duty
deputy |
| 2 |
At 8:35pm,
noticed shadows behind house that is not well lit. Stepped out to see 3 black
males dressed in black walking east in the alley away from residence. They heard
my door open, and as I stood and watched them they confronted me asking, "What
are you looking at?" I didn't answer them, only stood still. They changed
direction, and headed south. |
OCSO off duty
deputy |
| 3 |
Middle aged
woman knocked on the door and asked for a cigarette. Wondering if she was just
looking to see if anyone was home. She wasn't any one of my neighbors. I saw her
go across the street and knock on a few other doors.
|
OCSO off duty
deputy |
| 4 |
Sometime
between the hours of 11 pm on 3/22/13 and 9:30 am on 3/23/13 a some of the cars
on Morelyn Crest Circle that were parked on the street were egged. Please feel
free to contact me with any questions.
|
OCSO off duty
deputy |
| 5 |
At 8:35 PM
tonight, a young man in an orange football jersey knocked on our door to sell
newspapers. I told him that people are not allowed to sell door to door here,
and he backed up and went away. I was just wondering if he was checking houses
to see if people were home.
|
OCSO off duty
deputy |
| 6 |
On 18 March
at approx 5:15p I was driving on Golden Raintree toward Guiana Plum. A brown
older model pick up passed me (see photo). Unknown where this vehicle came from
and once I saw him he was almost beside me. I motioned for him to slow down
since someone was ahead crossing the street walking two dogs. The vehicle turned
right on Guiana Plum and then left on Chinese Elm. At that point I assume he
turned on an alleyway behind the town homes. I was not able to get the license
plate number. I estimate the vehicle was traveling at about 45mph as he passed
me. |
OCSO off duty
deputy |
Neighborhood Watch meetings are held at the
South Village Clubhouse on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7pm. All
residents are welcome to attend
So what do
you do when you see something suspicious? First, contact the non-emergency like
at 407-836-HELP or 911, if needed. Secondly, submit an online incident report so
neighbors who live in your area can be notified. You can submit an online
incident report at http://www.avalonparkwatch.org/incident_report.htm Please only monitor and report suspicious activity.
Do not engage any criminals or suspicious individuals.
Have a
safety concern? Feel free to email our off duty deputy Sal.Saldano@ocfl.net He is very
responsive! What does off duty mean? It really does not mean they are
completely off duty. They are hired by funds set aside by our HOA dues, on
their off duty hours, to help secure the safety of our Avalon Park community.
We have four deputies, and Sal is the primary coordinator.
AP Rotary Club: Come
Join Us!
written by Heidi Cortassa, Avalon Park Neighbor
hcortassa@gmail.com
Our family moved into the active and tranquil town of Avalon Park about a
year ago. We instantly fell in love with the family environment and the sense of
community. After about three months of settling in, I began to notice my
neighbors bustling about and being very busy in their community. I started to
wonder, how can I get involved?
On a lazy Sunday morning while drinking my
first cup of coffee of the day, I picked up a local magazine that had just been
delivered to my house. As I flipped through the glossy pages, I came across an
article that forever changed how I looked at volunteer programs. It was written
by Whitney Russell and described her experience with our local Rotary Club.
I
have participated in some volunteering in the past, so this appealed to me.
After reading the article, I realized how serious and dedicated these Rotarians
were in their community and around world.
The World! Wow! Now, I knew that I
could help change a community, but, The World? How do you do that!? I wanted to
find out so I attended my first Avalon Park Rotary meeting in late September. I
was immediately greeted by warm and welcoming smiles. After learning a little
more about what Rotary does, I was ready to join.
Some of you may be asking,
“What is Rotary? And what do they do?”
Rotary's 1.2 million members believe
it starts with a commitment to Service Above Self.
In more than 34,000 clubs
worldwide, and 200 countries, you'll find members volunteering in communities,
at home and abroad, to support causes such as, education and job training, provide clean water, combat hunger,
improve health and sanitation, combat illiteracy, and eradicate polio. We do
this by holding fundraisers in our community. I choose to call them FUNraisers,
because we do have fun with them! Much of our effort is concentrated on our
local schools and community.
As a result of joining Rotary, I have
developed some great new friendships, met fantastic leaders in our community,
and have a great sense of pride in our accomplishments.
So, this is my
personal invitation to you, to come join us for one of our meetings. We meet
every Wednesday morning at 7:15am at the Avalon Park South Village Community
Center. Breakfast and coffee are complimentary, the rewards are beyond
measure.
The world truly, is a small place. You can
effect change. You can make a difference. When you reach,
outside of your busy world, and get involved, you will begin to experience the
unexpected exhilaration of helping others.
We hope to see you soon!
For
more information, please visit our website at RotaryClubOfAvalonPark.org.
Real Estate
32828
written by Eddy Solon, 32828 Realtor, AP Resident
Keller Williams Advantage Realty II
What
a dynamic market! It is a strong seller's market. Yay, for sellers, and also
yay for buyers because interest rates are still good and banks are loosening up
on lending, requiring less down. This past month by the numbers: 82 single
family homes sold in the 32828 zip code, the average price per square feet was
around $77.40 (numbers taken from http://eastorlandorealestatenews.blogspot.com).
As of 04/17, there were 110 Short
sales and 67 Bank Owned
homes for sale in all of Orlando. It is good to note that the price per square
feet can be misleading because it isn't quite reflective of the upward trend in
home prices, but a reflection of homes that sold after months of waiting, when
home prices were selling in most cases at a considerably lower price. Today,
in Avalon Park, inventory is starting at the high to mid-100ks, where less than
six months ago, home sales started in the low $100ks. It is definitely a
solid sellers’ market and a dynamic one at that. We still have several
neighbors locally that are working with their banks for modifications and some
have simply given up because of the lack of progress. Every situation is
different and I tell my buyers and sellers that regardless of what an
institution is requesting, they should do what is best for their specific
circumstance. Don’t feel pressured or don't allow fear to dictate your next
move. And remember, you do have some control over this process. A little
education and understanding of the various options available along with how to
navigate the terrain can go a long way toward resolving your unique real estate
situation. Making the best decision requires education, understanding the market
realities, and planning.
My Journey: Veronica
Figueroa
One Neighbor's Story
written by Veronica Figueroa, Avalon Park
Resident
veronica@figueroateam.com
When asked
to share my journey, I wasn't sure where to begin. The reason I was nervous was
because my story is not a fairy tale, a rags to riches story, nor a tragic
story. It started December 5th, 1995 when I gave birth to my premature son as a
single teenage mother not knowing what life would have in store for me next. I
came from a family of hard workers. My father was in the Army and my mother was
an entrepreneur who managed to open a business outside each military station my
father was sent to, whether it was in Germany, Kansas, or Georgia. She figured
something was missing and opened some sort of business everywhere she
went.
When my son was born I felt it was the beginning of a journey. A
journey I was not prepared for. And as a single parent, it was not the journey
I had imagined. I wanted to go to college; I was a driven student who now faced
a different path. Yet I still had so many goals that I wanted to accomplish. I
took total responsibility for myself and my child while weighing many options
for our future. I knew I wanted to go to college but I did not know how I would
be able to balance working full time, living on my own, and raising an infant
all at the age of seventeen. I was scared!
My parents were supportive
and encouraged me to follow my dreams. However, at this point in their lives,
they were focusing on their retirement. My father was no longer in the
military. My mother had sold her businesses after suffering multiple burns from
an oven exploding at her store. So financially, my son and I were on our own.
But my parents had taught me a strong work ethic (since the age of 12, I had
worked for them in the family businesses) and perseverance demonstrated by my
mother’s determination to succeed in business. So I knew I had the foundation to
succeed in life.
I graduated with my high school class and moved on to
college a year late. But, I still managed to catch up and graduate from college
the same year as my high school class. College life for me looked very different
than the average 18 year old. There were no sorority or tailgating parties for
me. Instead it was managing a full time job, full class schedule, and being a
full time mom. This established the building blocks for what was to
come.
By the time I graduated college I was married, had a beautiful
family and thought life was finally normal. Right after college, at the age
of twenty-one, I obtained my real estate license. A friend of mine was scared to
take the test alone and I figured extra education would not hurt. So I took the
test although I had no intention of pursuing real estate. I had bought a house,
had a good corporate job, and was content. By now my son was in school and loved
playing with his beautiful baby sister. I felt I had succeeded and beat the
odds. Little did I know, but there was a lot more in store for us.
At
this point in my life, my mother’s entrepreneur spirit started kicking in and I
wanted more from my career. About this time, my husband and I realized we wanted
different things in life and amicably divorced after six years of raising a
family together. I found myself once again at a crossroads. This is where I feel
my journey really began.
It was 2005 and I knew I had to once again
provide for my children alone. After having some part time success doing real
estate while working Human Resources, I took a leap of faith and became my own
boss. I realized I did not want to be limited and I felt real estate was the
way. I jumped in with both feet. I had no idea that the next seven years would
be such a rollercoaster ride.
It was a completely different chapter in
my life. I never looked back and my career soared. I give credit to the
experience of overcoming adversity as a single teen mother for giving me the
determination to start and succeed in this new chapter of my life. Soon I was
remarried. My amazing husband became my best friend in life and business
partner. Together we have five children. Our children have grown up in our
business, the same way I did as a child.
We moved to Avalon Park in 2007 and we fell in love
with the Live, Learn, Work and Play concept the community was built on. We knew
this was home. My husband Tony and I became involved in the community right
away. We both had a vision to be an impactful part of Avalon Park. We started
off by establishing relationships through our real estate career with community
members, through the kids' sports, and anything we could get involved with. In
2009, we established a real estate company in the heart of Avalon Park. Our
entrepreneurial spirits led us to other business ventures, which although not
always successful, have taught us valuable lessons and helped us understand our
niche. In April 2012, we were presented with the opportunity to open a RE/MAX Franchise in Avalon Park. My husband and I
were excited and nervous. We felt this was a great opportunity for our business
and family. Never did we expect to be franchise owners of such a reputable real
estate organization.
It indeed has been an amazing ride. In addition to
our business success, we consistently stay committed to our community through
volunteering. Through our business and our involvement in the community, we have
been honored to give back by hosting events. With the help of our entire office,
as well as their families, we have hosted many fundraisers to give back to the
community. Some of the events we have been able to put on have been a haunted
house, back to school bash with supplies given away, free hot air balloon
rides, and the New Year’s Eve lantern release.
Recently, I was honored
to receive 2nd place by the Orlando Regional Realtor Association for How I
Positively Impact the Community. I received $1,500 which was donated to the
Avalon Park Foundation where I sit as a founding board member. I chose
this foundation because I know it goes directly back into the community.
The community events that we sponsor would not be possible without the
support of my family and my five kids-Shyheim 17, Angelica 16, Haleigh 15,
Talisa 14, and Meghan 8. Shyheim looks like he will be following the family
tradition of business. Angelica is currently at the Olympic Training Center in
Colorado to become a USA Olympic Weightlifter and is an amazing student. Haleigh
is a natural athlete exceling in both cheerleading and softball for Timber
Creek. Talisa has the balance of being extremely talented in music, art &
writing. And little Meghan lights up the room when she walks in. Our five kids
willingly help when needed and their energy is infectious. They give us the
daily inspiration to never give up. They have been a part of giving back to
others, have amazing discipline in life, and at times, have even been an
example to my husband and I.
My family is extremely proud of being a
part of Avalon Park. We love the schools, the businesses, our neighbors, the
leaders and the sense of community. We feel that Avalon Park has helped raise
our family and will continue to be an integral part of our family’s journey.
KITE DAY, A BLAST: How
it came to be?
written by Russ Mozier, Avalon Park Resident
russmozier@yahoo.com
I have been making and flying kites most of my life. My wife Pat and I have
been making kites and banners for more than twenty years. We fly kites and do
kite workshops all over the world. Our involvement began when we joined a kite
club up north in 1992. The club was South Jersey Kite Flyers and we are still
members, I am the webmaster for their web site. Some of the kite festivals in
the United States we attend annually are the Niagara Kite Festival, Virginia
Beach Kite Festival, the Wildwood International Kite Festival in New Jersey, the
Wright Kite Festival in Kittyhawk North Carolina, the Treasure Island Kite
Festival and many more. Locally we have done kid's kite making workshops at
Primrose Academy here in Avalon Park, at the Orange County Library and Life Song
Church to name a few. We have recently spent two weeks in Mexico where we made
kites with kids in orphanages and shelters for abused children.
 
After living in Avalon Park for six years I was finally able to
convince the Avalon Park Group and Leland Management that we needed a kite event
here in Avalon Park. I got the go-ahead this year and “Kites Over Avalon” took
place on March 16th.
The weather that day turned out great; sunny, eighty
degrees and a light wind. About sixteen students from the Beta Club at Timber
Creek High School showed up to help the kids make their kites. The students
worked from ten to three o'clock and made more than three hundred kites with
the kids.
Professional kite flyers came from as far away as Tampa, New
Smyrna Beach and Melbourne. Gary Resnick from Dade City did six candy drops from
a kite, totaling over ten pounds of candy. It was like a pinata in the sky!
Walmart Neighborhood Market provided the candy and I would also like to thank
the other locals for their support and donations. Avalon Park Group for letting
me stage this event, Leland Management for providing the materials to make the
kites, Remax for the DJ, Publix and Walgreen's for the water and snacks for the
volunteers and Eastside Bistro for the coolers and ice, and especially the
volunteers from Timber Creek. All of this community involvement made this event
a huge success. I am already planning for next year.
AP Gazette
Opportunities
As a new and growing newsletter, we have many opportunities
for neighbors to contribute and volunteer their writing talents and time to help
build community. We are a group of volunteers. Below are several positions
still needing to be filled:
1. Reviewers- to review final submittal of
newsletters prior to publishing
2. Education Contributor- An article
written by an Educator in one of East Orlando schools. Topics may be anything
to do with Education and teacher, student, and parent awareness. This will be a
good place to highlight top achievers in our school (teachers and
students).
3. Sports Contributor- To discuss East Orlando Sports, anything
from little league and up
4. Political Contributors- Discuss local
politics that impact East Orlando Residents along with other Political
contributors
To be able to participate, you must be an East Orlando resident,
if writing, submit an article prior to 3rd Thursday of the Month 12:00 pm, and
send your interest and brief description of your background to
Publishing@apgazette.com Keep in mind, any neighbor can submit an
article.
5. Tell us your story- Have a personal story about a triumph or a
life transition that took place and you think it will benefit others, tell us
your story by
emailing publishing@apgazette.com
6. Have A Birthday or
Anniversary coming up, Email us and we will showcase it in the associated
issue. Email publishing@apgazette.com |
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