Addition Financial Credit Union renovates classrooms for four local teachers
Free Classroom Makeovers Revealed to Educators in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake Counties Ahead of 2023-2024 School Year
LAKE MARY, FL (August 3, 2023) — Four lucky Central Florida teachers started their new school year off in dramatic fashion, moving into some beautifully upgraded classrooms they saw for the first time, just one week before classes resume.
Through their fifth annual Renovate to Educate Contest, Addition Financial Credit Union selected one public school teacher from Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola counties to receive a free classroom makeover, providing renovations of roughly $3,500 per classroom. Teachers from those counties applied for renovations by submitting an essay about their visions for a dream classroom.
The classroom reveals took place from July 31 through August 2, where teachers had the opportunity to see their brand-new classrooms come to life with school district officials and Addition Financial representatives on hand.
“I was just overwhelmed by the sense of love I felt when I walked in here,” said Nicole Sanservino, an ESE teacher at Gray Middle School in Groveland and the Lake County Renovate to Educate winner. “It’s everything I could have imagined, just knowing the kids have a safe space to go where they can feel comfortable. Because if their needs aren’t met, their learning isn’t going to take place.”
The winning teachers selected teach a range of subjects and grade levels:
- Alyssa Snyder, 3rd grade teacher at Riverside Elementary School in Orlando
- Jeannette Colon-Caraballo, 9th-12th grade Intensive Reading/ Latinos in Action/ English Language Development at Poinciana High School in Kissimmee
- Nicole Sanservino, 6th-8th grade ESE teacher at Cecil E Gray Middle School in Groveland
- Eva Velez, an intensive reading teacher at Seminole High School 9th Grade Center in Sanford
“Teachers built Addition Financial’s foundation over the past 85 plus years, so giving back to them will always be a rewarding part of what we do,” said Kevin Miller, President and CEO of Addition Financial Credit Union. “Ultimately, the teachers are asking for these renovations for their students, so knowing that the children will be learning every day in these beautifully redesigned classrooms is at the heart of Addition Financial’s Renovate to Educate program.”
To bring the teachers’ visions to life, Addition Financial teamed up with Seminole State College’s Interior Design program, hiring paid interns to collaborate with each individual teacher while gaining hands-on, real-world experience. Then volunteers from Addition Financial picked up the paint brushes and Allen wrenches, completing the classroom renovations in four separate three-day windows during the summer, leading up to the big reveals.
About Addition Financial
Addition Financial believes in the power of transforming lives by bringing financial success and education to everyone. With a robust suite of financial services designed to meet members’ needs, the credit union serves more than 170,000 members at 26 full-service branches and 10 high school branches and is a part of the Presto! ATM network. Headquartered in Lake Mary, Fla., Addition Financial is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than $2.8 billion in total assets. With a legacy of more than 85 years of serving educators and supporting education, Addition Financial is the Official Financial Institution of the UCF Knights and owns the naming rights to the Addition Financial Arena on the University of Central Florida campus. Addition Financial is also the Preferred Credit Union for Seminole State College and the Preferred Credit Union for Valencia College. For more information, visit AdditionFi.com.
