People

Meet a member: Adly Santiago

Adly celebrating her green coworker’s birthday at Wall Street Plaza. (📸: @latinafoodie) Each week we shine a spotlight on our members in an effort to further connect our community and support each others’ passion projects. Today, we’re introducing you to Adly Santiago, for the Orlando Magic. What neighborhood do you call home? College Park Where in […]

/ July 26, 2019

Meet a Member: Don Price

“Every person dies twice. The first time you die is when you take your last breath,” Don Price said. “The second time is when I read your story. Technically Abraham Lincoln is still alive because we still tell his stories. My goal was to tell people’s stories.“ Don Price, Orlando Has History Each week we […]

/ June 27, 2019

Meet a Member: Kelly Lamano

Photographer Kelly Lamano doing what she does best. “Photographing Lake Eola at a DSLR class with Live Wonderful Photography.” (📸: Danielle Werner of Live Wonderful Photography) Each week we shine a spotlight on our members in an effort to further connect our community and support each others’ passion projects. Today, we’re introducing you to Kelly […]

/ June 17, 2019

Neighborhood Spotlight on Parramore

Parramore is one of Orlando’s oldest, historically black neighborhoods. It’s got history, good food, community and culture. Parramore is also home to our biggest sporting venues, both Amway Arena and Orlando City Soccer Stadium and will soon house the new Creative Village and the UCF Downtown and Valencia campuses. To say it’s changing rapidly is […]

/ May 7, 2019

Where to find the best Southern food in Parramore

While Chef Nick Aiken has cooked for legends like Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali and Coretta Scott King throughout his culinary career, he says he’s most proud to be the head chef and owner of Nikki’s Place. Chef Nick was raised in Parramore and has been serving up southern staples like chitterlings, collard greens, and black-eyed peas for 20 […]

/ April 29, 2019

Orlando’s Castle Church Brewing: A holy union of beer and gospel

MEET THIS LOCAL TO KNOW: Jared Witt is a Lutheran pastor at Orlando’s only brewery that also holds church service. Castle Church Brewing Community is located near the Orlando International Airport and opened its doors back in December. It’s a brewery that holds church service on Sunday and Wednesday. Witt’s business partner Aaron Schmalzle started […]

/ April 16, 2019

When your co-worker is a 1,000 pound alligator

Just another day at the office for Andrew. (📸: @wildfloridairboats) MEET THIS LOCAL: Andrew Biddle is one of the trainers who works with the alligators at Wild Florida. His co-workers include dozens of alligators, including the largest gator in Osceola County, Crusher.     WHAT HE IS DOING: Every day at work, Biddle steps into animal […]

/ April 15, 2019

How one immigrant is helping other immigrants

Camila Pachon Silva provides legal advice regularly at the consulate of Mexico. (📸: @capellaimmigration) Orlando lawyer Camila Pachon Silva is all about paying it forward. Silva immigrated to Orlando from Bogota, Colombia with her parents and brother when she was in high school. While she says that they were lucky to have family and friends […]

/ April 8, 2019

This developer is upping Orlando’s street cred, one street at a time

MEET THIS CHANGEMAKER: Craig Ustler, president of the Ustler Development Group, is best known for transforming Thornton Park into a desirable and walkable neighborhood throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s. He’s been heavily involved in developing The City Beautiful since graduating from the University of Florida in 1991. His development philosophy has been to focus […]

/ April 2, 2019

Toolbox4Life is teaching the tools for life using actual tools

MEET THIS CHANGEMAKER: John Hursh is the co-founder of Toolbox4Life, an eight-week program that teaches adults the skills they need to work in a commercial kitchen or construction site. The project grew out of a nonprofit called 306 Foundation that Hursh and his wife, Jane, started in 2012 to connect communities through partnerships and networking. […]

/ April 1, 2019