Orlando

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer Hosted 14th Annual Neighborhood & Community Summit and Recognized Neighborhood and Community Leaders

Published

7 years ago

March 4, 2019

ORLANDO, FL—This past Saturday Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer joined close to 350 Orlando residents for the 14th Annual Neighborhood & Community Summit.

At the event, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer presented for the first time, the Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award as well as the annual Neighborhood Champion Award and Community Builder Award. These awards are presented once a year by the Mayor to volunteers and organizations who excel in building better neighborhoods and strengthening the local community.

“It is important to honor and recognize the individuals and organizations that give tirelessly of their time, talent and resources to improve the quality of life for all our residents,” said Mayor Dyer. “These men and women embody what it means to be a good neighbor and make the Orlando community a better place for all of us.”

The Diversity and Inclusion Champion award was presented to the Interfaith Council of Central Florida (image). The mission of the Interfaith Council of Central Florida is to create a better, more peaceful, more harmonious community by encouraging and facilitating greater interest in, understanding of, respect for and cooperation among the region’s many faith traditions. Through education and interaction the council seeks to dismantle all barriers and believes that every human has innate value and deserves to be treated justly and with dignity and respect.

The Neighborhood Champion award was presented Genie Tuten from the Wadeview Park Neighborhood Association (image). For more than 12 years, Genie has served as either a board member or president of her association. Through that time she has hosted events, opened her home to her neighbors and kept her community connected by writing and publishing a monthly newsletter. Genie has also been instrumental in the creation of the Randall R. Tuten Orlando Fire Museum, volunteering her time, conducting tours and making an impact on the thousands of people who have toured the museum.

The Community Builder award was given to the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County (image) for their work serving local families and ensuring the future academic success for the children of this community. Since 2000, the Early Learning Coalition has worked to ensure all Orange County children enter school ready to learn and funds more than 27,000 children annually in 750 small child care provider businesses in Orange County, reaching 32,400 children in Orange County last year.

“I look forward to this event every year and I would like to thank everyone who participated in the annual Neighborhood and Community Summit,” said Mayor Dyer. “The Summit allows us the chance to update residents on the latest best practices and equip them with the resources they need to ensure Orlando remains the best city in America to live, work and play.”

Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Published

2 years ago

October 30, 2024

Mike Brodsky

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.