10 people who make Central Florida a better place to live (2022) | Commentary
With so much strife in the world, it’s time to celebrate something good — the people who work tirelessly to make the community we all call home a better place to live.
The idea of this annual feature is to spotlight those who don’t normally make headlines but who definitely make a difference. Readers nominated close to 200 people for this year. That says a lot about about how much good we have going on.
This year’s honorees come from the nonprofit, business, preservation, law enforcement and cultural communities. Here’s a look:
Cameron Gomes, CEO, Central Florida Dreamplex
Special needs kids have the same dreams as every other kid. Unfortunately, they don’t always have the same opportunities. Cameron Gomes was determined to change that when he founded the Dreamplex in Clermont, a place that offers gymnastics, swimming, therapy and so much more to children of all abilities. One nominator noted Gomes “spends countless hours at various adaptive sports clinics, oftentimes sacrificing time with his own family.” But he’ll tell you he gets more out of it than he puts in. And a lot of local families’ lives are richer for it.
Maya Tolentino, UCF police officer
Most police officers are brave public servants. But Maya Tolentino has repeatedly gone above and beyond the call of duty. She spends her own time volunteering with nonprofits that help underprivileged kids learn to do everything from tell stories to start businesses. Yet she’s also a leader within the department. When UCF needed a chaplain for its stress-management response team, Tolentino went to school to get her degree. She was honored for her crisis-response work a few years ago after answering a call involving a potentially suicidal student — one who would later say Tolentino’s team helped save his life.
Shawn Welcome, Orlando poet laureate
Some people might wonder what a poet can do for a community. Well, if that poet is Shawn Welcome, it’s more than just lyrical storytelling. Welcome also uses the spoken and written word to transform lives, working with struggling youth and those who are behind bars. One nominator said Welcome helps give voice to “youth and poets of color who would otherwise be shouting into the void.” And that says nothing of his own talented writing and delivery, sharing stories, observations and serious life lessons, often with a uniquely Central Florida flare, in a captivating, modern fashion.
Dennis Pape, investor, economic promoter
In a community that’s sometimes complacent with its large-but-low-wage tourism economy, Dennis Pape is a bit of a rabble-rouser. As the co-founder and CEO of Seedfunders Orlando, he’s personally involved in helping fund and nurture entrepreneurs and new tech companies. But Pape goes beyond that, challenging local leaders and politicians to do more to diversify our economy. That nudge is sorely needed. And Pape nudges with credibility by not only investing himself, but joining forces with others. Earlier this year, he partnered with more than 50 other entrepreneurs and business leaders in issuing a “Call to Action” that listed specific ways the region could do more. One longtime observer said Pape “has forced the region to take innovation seriously.”
Steve Goldman, philanthropist and preservationist
Steve Goldman is something of a Renaissance man and has channeled his energy into promoting cultural opportunities for youth and preserving land for all Central Floridians. The Winter Park resident is chairman of the Winter Park Land Trust, which works to protect urban parks and green space throughout the region, and is a leader in the Young Composers Challenge, which showcases and fosters the talent of aspiring teenage musicians and songwriters. One of those who nominated him called him “a quiet and humble force among us” who works in the shadows to help others shine.
Ryan Bozeman and Mark Thompson, co-founders of the Picnic Project
For more than a decade, the guys behind the Picnic Project in Sanford have been nurturing the needy — with both food and companionship. What started as “burritos under bridges” blossomed into a full-service nonprofit that feeds hundreds of people every week and runs a food pantry that distributes hundreds of thousands of pounds of food every year. They do so by partnering with the Sanford Police, Second Harvest Food Bank and others. One nominator said the two men who founded the project, Ryan Bozeman and chef Mark Thompson, “make Central Florida a better place to live focusing on marginalized people who often are ignored and overlooked.” The core belief of the Picnic Project is: “There is enough for everyone if we all share.”
Brendan O’Connor, editor Bungalower.com
Every year I like to include at least one person who does a stellar job keeping residents in touch with this community’s ever-changing culture. That’s what Brendan O’Connor lives for. With his Bungalower website, O’Connor offers hyperlocal content about everything from new small businesses and the city’s latest park-expansion plans to creative ideas for making neighborhoods more walkable and notes about the week’s most interesting entertainment opportunities. O’Connor keeps his finger on the pulse of Orlando and then shares what he learns.
Gabriel Preisser, general director, Opera Orlando
Opera isn’t always considered the most accessible art form. But don’t tell Gabe Preisser that. He goes to great lengths to ensure Opera Orlando offers something for everyone — from mashing traditional opera with pop culture to bringing music into schools, so that children who might not otherwise ever hear an aria can do so. In doing so, he has put Opera Orlando on the national radar. Preisser, an accomplished baritone, is the rare creative type who not only has a heart for the arts but a brain for business. As a result, the group’s finances are as strong as its staging of Puccini. Few communities this size have an opera company this strong. Much of that has to do with Gabe.
Barbara Chandler, manager, Hannibal Square Heritage Center
In a fast-growing place like Central Florida, history can sometimes be forgotten. Barbara Chandler and her colleagues at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center in Winter Park try to make sure that’s not the case, especially for the city’s Black pioneers. The center offers everything from walking tours to art and history exhibits. The goal: Honor the past and make sure the people who helped shape it are part of the future. One of those who nominated Chandler said “everything she does is done with joy, determination, and love,” but stressed she’s also not afraid to speak truth to power when needed.
Katie Gill Warner, director, Audubon Center for Birds of Prey
Some people don’t realize that there’s a nationally renowned bird sanctuary nestled in a wooded patch between busy highways in Maitland. It’s led by Katie Gill Warner, who has worked with Audubon for more than two decades and, among other things, helped return 700 rehabilitated bald eagles to the wild. In a state where paving often trumps preservation, Warner is an advocate for the creatures that were here first. One person who nominated her called Warner a “modern-day torch bearer” for generations of naturalists past, including her center’s namesake.
