November 2021
In honor of Veterans Day 2021, Addessi Financial Partners made its annual donation to support the Fisher House Foundation. Fisher House builds homes for military and veteran families where they can stay free of charge while their loved one is in the hospital. Since 1990, more than 10 million lodging days have been offered to those in need. These homes are located at military and VA medical centers throughout the world. We continue to support those who have sacrificed so much.
For more information, please visit Fisher House at www.FisherHouse.org.
September 2021
Members of the Addessi Financial Team attended the 8th Annual Designer Purse Bingo. Proceeds from this event benefited the Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) of Hernando County, which is under the umbrella of Mid Florida Community Services, Inc. The CAC provides multidisciplinary services designed to reduce the stress a child experiences through the investigative process concerning physical and/or sexual abuse, drug endangerment, mental injury, child trafficking, domestic violence, and other circumstances that bring harm to a child. Professionals representing the different disciplines spoke of the successes of the program and the number of children assisted each year.
We were happy to be a part of this evening, raising funds and awareness for this much-needed community program.
For more information, please visit their website: www.mfcs.us.com.
August 2021
Congratulations! Camp Boggy Creek is celebrating its 25th anniversary! In 1996, Paul Newman and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf founded Camp Boggy Creek. Situated on 232 acres in the central Florida town of Eustis, Camp Boggy Creek has served more than 85,000 children ages 7 to 16 living with serious illnesses. There is no cost to the families for their children to attend Camp Boggy Creek. The only thing the camp asks is for campers to contribute a positive playful attitude. Donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, healthcare partners, and volunteers are vital for creating opportunities for these children.
Addessi Financial Partners continues to support this organization, providing a place for these children to have fun.
For more information about Camp Boggy Creek, visit www.BoggyCreek.org.
May 2021
The 8th annual Lift Your Spirits at a Lucky Derby gala was held virtually again this year but that didn’t stop the LiFT organization from hosting nearly a week of Kentucky Derby-themed celebrations including a Derby attire contest, prize drawings, live auctions, and a poker tournament. They even provided a virtual concert from Broadway star and Nashville recording artist Rachel Potter who happens to be from our very own St. Petersburg, Florida. LiFT Academy and LiFT University Transition Program, based in Pinellas County, is a non-profit school that provides a safe, inclusive environment for students with neurodiversities including autism, Down Syndrome, development delays, intellectual disabilities, and various other spectrum disorders.
Even though the Addessi Financial team was unable to attend the event in person, our tradition of supporting this worthy cause through donation continued.
For more information about the LiFT Academy, visit www.liftfl.org.
March 2021
In honor of World Down Syndrome Day, Addessi Financial Partners has decided to support a unique and worthy cause—Collettey’s Cookies. Collette Divitto, a tenacious young woman with Down syndrome, developed her passion for baking and what became her signature cookie recipe while only in high school. After completing Clemson University’s three-year LIFE program in only two years, Collette moved to Boston to pursue what she hoped would be the ability to do meaningful work while earning a living. Despite countless interviews that appeared successful, she continued to hear the same response, “You’re not a good fit for our company at this time.” Rejection wasn’t going to stop Collette from living the life she wanted to live. She turned to her love and talent for baking and opened a business. What began as sales in local grocery stores quickly turned into a greater mission. Collette decided to help other people in her shoes. After a local news story about her cause went viral, her company has sold more than 180,000 cookies and employs 13 people. Collette travels around the country to share her inspiring story and the message of focusing on what you CAN do instead of what you can’t. Our office loved the chocolate and cinnamon combination in her aptly named "Amazing Cookie." Check out her website below to try for yourself!
For more information about Collette and Collettey’s Cookies, visit www.colletteys.com
For more information about World Down Syndrome Day, visit www.worlddownsyndromeday.org
March 2021
Quantum Leap Farm’s Stirrup Hope 2021 event was held virtually and, as with everything Quantum Leap does, this event was beautifully done. Hosted by Fox 13’s Cynthia Smoot, the theme for 2021 was Lean on Me—an appropriate ode to the universal circumstances of living through a pandemic. Dr. Edie Dopking, the founder and community relations director of Quantum Leap Farm, spoke about how the farm has adapted to continue to serve our community safely. The event featured three of their clients: an Army veteran named Kim struggling with PTSD and depression; Austin, a local teenager living with Duchenne, a progressive neuromuscular disease affecting only 0.006% of people in Europe and North America; and finally, Tia, a fun-loving child with both Down syndrome and autism, lit up the screen with her joyful energy. The occasion concluded with an original song written and produced by M.S. and performed by Claudia Torres and Jenna Hernandez. Although our Addessi Financial team was not able to attend Stirrup Hope in person as we normally would, we continued our annual tradition of donating to this worthy cause.
For more information about Quantum Leap Farm, visit www.QuantumLeapFarm.org.