Family

Connecting with Kids

Summer offers families the chance to slow down and reconnect – something I know we look forward to all year long. My family heads to upstate New York every summer and it’s a long-standing tradition filled with precious memories that I know make an incredible impact on our ability to connect as a family.   Connecting through traditions Whether you are heading to North Carolina, the Northeast, or staying local and enjoying things like the beach, there is an opportunity to build tradition with our kids. For 4KIDS Foster and Adoptive Families this idea can often be challenging as we […]

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What’s the most memorable time you’ve spent One-on-One with your child?

School is out for summer, creating a prime opportunity for parents to eke out some quality time with their kids. Other than a family vacation, parenting experts agree that spending One-on-One time with your children can be beneficial. This month Good News Wants to Know… What’s the most memorable time you’ve spent One-on-One with your child – or you with your parent – not on a family trip?  Theresa and I have raised three that are now married and have their own children. I’ve had special one-on-one moments with each one over the years. However, my son, Matt and I, when he was small, […]

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Expanded School Choice: More Good News for Florida Families

The Good News provides a monthly column with important content having to do with topics from the legal community. This month features a conversation with Ed Pozzuoli, CEO of Tripp Scott, and Thomas Sternberg, an associate with Tripp Scott. For years, Florida has led in school choice, providing competition to district-run schools and giving parents more control over the quality and content of their children’s education. Now, Governor DeSantis has signed HB1, expanding choice for every K-12 child beginning July 1. Here’s some of the good news for families about expanded school choice and how to participate:   Bill Davell: […]

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Use Your Summer Wisely

Every time we head into a summer, and a school year, the reality of how short a time we have with our children hits me. We have 13 summers with them at home under our roof, and goodness it goes by so quickly. A wise parent once told me, “The days are long, but the years are short.” That is such a true statement! Because of this, it is imperative that we use our summers wisely.  We need to use them to create memories, for family time but also for training. One of the ways we can use our summertime […]

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Restoration

We all love a restoration story. We see them everywhere from the books we read to the heroes we aspire to be like, all the way down to the shows we watch on TV. My wife Michelle and I can get caught up watching shows like “Fixer Upper,” “Home Town” and “Fixer to Fabulous” as they transform a space or a home. Don’t we all love seeing those “befores” become the most spectacular “afters”? Those shows don’t just offer us entertainment; they offer us something to envision. Now we can look at houses in disrepair and imagine what they can […]

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Speak Up for Kids Congratulates Scholarship Recipients and Graduates

Did you know only half of youth in foster care graduate from high school? Less than 3% graduate from college.  “We break barriers – insufficient support, lack of appropriate guidance, and unmet financial support- facing our youth, so they can overcome negative graduation odds among their peers in foster care,” says Coleen LaCosta, Executive Director of Speak Up for Kids. “We cheer them on across the finish line and recognize them with GIFTS for GRADS and our Scholarship.” The Flourishing Futures campaign exists to rally the community in celebration of young adults who, despite involvement in the foster care system, […]

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2023 Summer Camp Guide

Fond memories are made and friendships forged during the carefree days of summer camp. It’s a wonderful way to provide educational enrichment in a fun-filled environment, can build character and independence and may lead to spiritual development. Here are a few local offerings listed geographically from south to north. Scroll Down for our Vacation Bible School Guide that follows. Chaminade-Madonna Athletic Camps 500 East Chaminade Drive, Hollywood, FL 33021 Camp Types: Soccer, Basketball, Football, Baseball, Volleyball Kids entering 4th grade – kids entering 9th grade Session dates and fees vary by sport. See website for details 954-989-5150 ext 142 cmlions.org/summer/cmcp-soccer-camp […]

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God’s Mandate to Teach Our Children

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9 God’s Mandate for Parent and Child It is difficult to imagine any […]

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What Are You Saying?

We’ve all heard and spoken the idiom “Actions Speak Louder than Words.” Its origins are traced back as early as 1200 in a sermon by St. Anthony of Padua, and it continues to be a popular sermon in the Catholic church during Pentecost. The essence of the sermon is that the person filled with the Holy Spirit speaks different languages in the way we witness for Christ. In some moments we speak with humility and patience because we reveal ourselves through the fruit of the spirits or lack thereof. The sermon goes on to say that we are cursed just […]

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