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| Joey Pappalardo, center, poses with his mom Kim and younger brother Dominic with the row boat he's refurbishing. Kim Pappalardo said her son would have never taken on the project if it weren't for the skills he learned during Summerfest, CCSO's annual summer youth activities program. Photo courtesy Kim Pappalardo. |
When 12-year-old Dominic Pappalardo found an old
rowboat that had been thrown away, his big brother asked if he could try his
hand at restoring the vessel.
Joey Pappalardo, 15, figured why not. He already
had experience building a boat as a participant in Summerfest, the Collier
County Sheriff’s Office’s annual summer youth activities program.
“Joey’s refurbishing it, fiberglassing it; he’s
making it like new because of what he learned,” said Kim Pappalardo, the boys’
mother.
Joey also fixed a hole in the sail of a friend’s
sailboat, thanks to the skills he learned in the Build-A-Boat program, where he
helped construct a Bevin's Skiff rowboat and earned a boaters safety
certificate, as part of last year’s Summerfest.
“He wouldn’t have done any of it without
(Summerfest),” Pappalardo said. “No way.”
Joey is just one example of how Summerfest is
making a positive difference in the lives of kids and teens across Collier
County. Thousands of students have participated in the free program since its
launch by Sheriff Kevin Rambosk in 2010, making it the most ambitious and
successful summer youth activities program in CCSO history.
The program will return for its sixth consecutive
year, starting in June. Summerfest 2015 promises to deliver an even wider range
of fun activities for all grade levels in a safe environment chaperoned by
deputies at various locations around Collier County.
New this year will be a human foosball table and
shed-building activities, along with Summerfest staples like fishing, swimming,
boat building, chair building, day camps, and sports.
CCSO depends on its community partnerships with
Collier County Parks and Recreation, the Collier County School District and
more than 200 area businesses and individuals for donations to support the
program.
Once again, CCSO Youth Relations deputies will be
assigned to the summer youth program instead of patrol duties. This
reallocation allows CCSO to expand its summer youth offerings without additional
cost to the community.
The program continues to evolve every year,
allowing more and more youth of all ages and from all ends of the county to
participate. Deputies made more than 55,000 youth contacts during Summerfest
last year and they are anticipating even greater success this summer as the
program continues to gain momentum.
Sheriff Rambosk believes that youth programs pay
off in the short term by keeping children and teens involved in fun and safe
activities, and in the long term as well, by fostering the development of
positive decision-making skills.
“The more we can help our children and teenagers
stay involved in fun activities in a safe environment, the better off we are as
a community,” Sheriff Rambosk said.
One of the
region’s biggest employers is also one of Summerfest’s greatest supporters.
“We are
proud to support the Collier County Sherriff Office’s Summerfest, as the
program aligns well with Arthrex’s overall commitment to the health and
well-being of our community,” said Lisa Gardiner, Arthrex spokeswoman and a
member of the Arthrex Charitable Committee. “Arthrex’s commitment to Making
People Better extends to our next generation and these rewarding
experiences will create lasting memories for many children who may not have
otherwise had these opportunities.”
Jordan Wolf, 19, said her experience as a
Summerfest volunteer was instrumental in her decision to major in elementary
education at Florida Southwestern University, where she will be a sophomore in
the fall.
She enjoyed working with kids while earning
volunteer hours when she was a student at Palmetto Ridge High School in Golden
Gate Estates. But it was the interaction between the deputies and the kids that
made a lasting impression and helped her decide on a future career as a
kindergarten teacher.
“I saw the impact the deputies had on the kids
and how the kids looked up to them,” said Jordan.
She enjoyed the experience so much that she came
back as a volunteer after she graduated high school and no longer need
volunteer hours.
“It’s a great investment of my time and will pay
off in the future,” said Jordan.
As a single parent, Pappalardo, who works as a
bookkeeper at Golden Gate Middle School, likes that Summerfest is free and will
keep her children busy while school is out. Joey, a ninth-grader at Barron
Collier High School, is signed up for the Build-A-Shed program this summer,
while Dominic, a seventh-grader at Pine Ridge Middle School, will be participating
in his first Summerfest in the Build-A-Boat program and fishing camp.
Summerfest, she said, is more than fun and games
for kids.
“It gives them tools for life afterward and
respect for police officers,” she said. “It does quite a bit, actually.”
Liliana Cardona said her daughter Ashley, 14,
will be returning for a second year as a Summerfest volunteer. As a parent, she
said she likes the program because it offers ample supervision and is well
organized.
“She had a blast,” Cardona said of her daughter.
“Every day was something different. To me, it’s so positive.”
Youth Relations Cpl. Damon Schloendorn is
assigned to Palmetto Ridge High during the school year and most of his time is
spent investigating criminal matters. He has been involved in Summerfest from
the beginning, mostly with Teen Academy and Deputy Club.
“This gives us a chance to experience the happier
side of law enforcement,” Cpl. Schloendorn said. “I go to work and get paid to
play with kids. It’s such a blessing.”
The program offers kids a better understanding of
what a deputy does on the job, while promoting positive interaction between
young people and law enforcement, he said.
“That interaction humanizes us,” Cpl. Schloendorn
said. “They see you as a person rather than just a badge.”
Summerfest is all about the kids, but the program
wouldn’t be possible without community sponsors.
“Our partnerships are essential to the success of
the Summerfest program,” Sheriff Rambosk said.
Leo Jr. Lawn & Irrigation has been a Summerfest
partner for the past three years. Owner Michelle Herrera said one of the
reasons her business supports Summerfest is because it helps build character
and self-esteem in kids through programs such as Build-A-Boat and
Build-A-Chair.
“I feel strongly about it; we all do,” Herrera
said.
Some community sponsors also have children in the
program.
Jim and Odalys Odom, owners of Olde Naples Self
Storage, have donated storage space to Summerfest for several years. Their son
Anden, 11, has been a Summerfest participant since he was 8.
“It’s a very worthwhile program,” Jim Odom said.
“It does a lot for kids.”
Brothers Adam and Erik Johnson own Peluso United
Inc. They’ve been picking up, storing and delivering all of the donated bottled
water for the program for the past four years.
Adam Johnson said his 9-year-old son Braden is a
three-year Summerfest veteran, attending Deputy Club each year, while his
7-year-old son Casey will be participating for the first time this summer.
He said Casey, who is signed up for Deputy Club,
is excited to experience many of the activities his older brother had like
trips to the movies and water park and demonstrations by the CCSO bomb squad
and fire department.
“It’s cool for us parents because we know they
are in good hands all day long,” said Adam Johnson.
