Minnregs in the Community

4 TYPES OF PARTNERSHIPS BELOW

College Scholarships

The Minnreg Veterans Association Scholarship

The Minnreg Veterans Association is the employee (active and retired) organization of Honeywell’s Clearwater location. This scholarship financially assists a senior with an average GPA in obtaining a post-secondary education in a STEM related field.

Evaluation criteria:

1. Applicant must be a high school senior in Pinellas County

2. Applicant must be a US citizen or legal resident

3. Applicant must have a GPA of 3.5 or lower

4. Applicant must display financial need

5. Applicant must plan to study a STEM-related field

6. Preference will be given to applicants who participate in extracurricular activities, volunteer or work

7. Preference will be given to applicants planning to attend a Florida school

8. Preference will be given to applicants who are related to a current or former Honeywell employee

The MVA college scholarship award was instituted in 2021 in cooperation with the Pinellas Education Foundation. The intent was to make a significant difference in the life of one very worthy Pinellas high school student pursuing a career under the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) umbrella. Under the leadership of Gloria Hill, a scholarship committee was formed to create a set of criteria for determining the winner. Carol Janney has chaired the committee from the beginning and has provided the steady hand necessary to reach concensus. Over 6,000 Pinellas high school seniors applied for scholarships in 2022. Of that number, 61 seniors met the qualifiecations set forth by the MVA scholarship committee and their information was forwarded to Carol and her committee. Noteworthy is the fact that the committee decided to downplay GPA in favor of employment, extra curricular activities, volunteerism and employment – believing that those things are a better indication of a well-rounded student. Carol then divided up the list of nominees among each committee member to evaluate based on the evaluation matrix they had developed. Each committee member selected their top candidate – seven in total – for the full committee to evaluate and select the overall winner. The $10,000 scholarship is awarded over four years @ $2,500 per year. The winner must remain in school to receive the full award. Our scholarship winner this year is Destiny Gunn of Lakewood High School where she is an honor roll student and has taken five Advanced Placement courses. She is a busy girl having participated in several clubs as well as varsity track and flag football. Starting last May she has been working at Toby’s Little Italy for 40 hours/week to earn money for college. She been in STEM classes since the 4th grade and the robotics program from 6th grade until now. She’s taken 3 years of cyber security in High School. Her intent is to attend Florida Atlantic University and major in cybersecurity and forensic psychology. Her career goal is analyzing the forensic psychology behind cybercrimes.

(MVA Vice President of Community Service, Dr. Gloria Hill, Scholarship Chair, Carol Janney, Scholarship winner, Jaden King, MVA President, Thom Dupper)

This program (in partnership with the Pinellas Education Foundation) is focused on delivering funds to a worthy student who may not have other scholarship possibilities. The $10,000 grant is paid out over 4 years at $2,500 per year.

To qualify, Pinellas County high school seniors must have a solid 3.0 – 3.5 grade point average while being involved in extracurricular activities, volunteering in the community, and holding down a part-time job. The grant is intended for a well-rounded student who will attend a Florida university or college pursuing a technical degree.

The first Minnreg Veterans Association Scholarship was awarded to Jaden King, senior at Boca Ciega High School in St. Petersburg. Jaden is attending Florida A&M University, pursuing a medical degree.

MVA School Partnerships

Osceola Fundamental High School

Two 3D Printers

All Osceola engineering students who go through the engineering program and pass the test receive industry standard software certification.

The school’s challenge was being able to provide hands-on practice because the school had only a single 3D printing machine.

This older machine sometime took hours to print a single design. With as many as 20 students in one class that caused a considerable wait time for results.

The MVA purchased two new 3D printers and donated them to the school, giving students the hands-on practice needed in today’s workforce.

VIEW APPRECIATION LETTER HERE

(MVA VP of Community Service, Dr. Gloria Hill and MVA Volunteer Gerry Sturm present the 3D printers to Osceola Fundamental High School Instructor Daniel Fitzpatrick in December, 2022.)

Community Agency Grants

The Minnreg Veterans Association is constantly looking for community agencies to support. The agency must be a 501(c)3 organization operating in Pinellas County. Preference will be given to agencies not affiliated with any larger organization and do not receive funding from the local United Way. Smaller agencies with a demonstrated record of success will receive serious consideration.

Community agencies may request funding by completing and submitting the online form:

AGENCY GRANT APPLICATION

The Literary Council of St. Pete

We were proud to award the Literacy Council of St. Petersburg a check for $2,000 at the May luncheon. The Literacy Council of St. Petersburg’s vision is an educated community of lifelong learners that is well-prepared to meet the challenges of the economy and society. Without the ability to effectively use the written and digital information in the world around them, individuals are unable to help themselves, their families, their friends and their colleagues. We believe that the ability to read is an essential element of an enriched and fulfilling life.

Vice President of Community Service, Dr. Gloria Hill, SPLC President,Linda Frease, MVA
President, Thom Dupper pose with the “big check.”

Angels Against Abuse

Each year, the MVA seeks out community agencies that are providing necessary services to the Tampa Bay community. The focus is on elderly, homeless, veterans and children. The goal is to identify underfunded community resources who are working on the front lines of need in our communities.

In 2022, MVA supported Angels Against Abuse (https://www.angelsagainstabuse.org/) with a total grant of $8,000.

(MVA VP Community Service, Dr. Gloria Hill presents a large check to Angels founder Sandra Kearney. An additional $3,000 was donated later bringing the total to $8,000 for the year. )

The Angels work with several local agencies providing care for children who are either in the foster care system or are soon to be placed there. Most often, these children are removed forcibly from their homes due to abuse, and they are placed in the care of agency housing or private foster homes. The experience is traumatic, and the children often leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The Angels team set out to help these kids by:

providing goods and services not covered by the foster care system;
helping to reduce the trauma of home removal;
trying to create as many traditional childhood experiences for these children living in non-traditional conditions; and
working with children and families to stop the cycle of abuse.

Inter Faith Food Pantry

MVA collected non-perishable food items for the Inter Faith Food Pantry in November and were so impressed with the agency that they also donated $7,000 in cash to help meet the needs of the food insecure in the Seminole/Largo area. This non-profit, all volunteer organization has been serving the local community since 1980.

Senior Gift Baskets

In years past, the Honeywell Retirees Club hosted senior Christmas dinners at the Minnreg Hall for residents of local Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities. The pandemic changed all that in a big way. No one could leave. No one could visit.

The MVA VP of Community Service, Dr. Gloria Hill, found a way to reach out the shut-in seniors with a gift to brighten their Christmas.

This year, the MVA decided to provide Christmas gift bags to the residents at two local facilities:

Westchester Gardens – 120 Beds

ProMedica Memory Care – 60-80 Beds

Facility Dog Program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital

Facility dogs are expertly trained to help children cope with the most challenging of medical situations, procedures, and diagnoses and overcome the stress that they may experience during a stay at the hospital.

Brea, our hospital’s first facility dog joined the hospital as an employee and member of the Child Life team in February 2021. Brea works alongside her handler, Leah Frohnerath, a certified Child Life specialist, and together they help motivate patients to meet their goals, make the hospital environment feel more like home, and give kids a reason to play and smile, even when they’re sick or injured.

Leah and Brea visited our monthly luncheon and demonstrated the important work they do for children and families at the hospital. As a result, MVA donated $8,000 to support Leah and Brea as they seek to add an additional facility dog to the service.

VIEW APPRECIATION LETTER HERE

Volunteerism

Most MVA members are retired but many are active in volunteering in the community. A recent survey revealed that 82% of our members do some form of community service volunteering, ranging from ringing bells to building houses and everything in between.

Each holiday season for the past 18 years, MVA members sponsor and staff a bell-ringing collection site for the Salvation Army.

Table Donations

The MVA petitions its members several times a year to donate particular items to help various community agencies. We have found that this is a great way to involve a large number of our members in directly supporting our community agency partners.