Community Oriented by EVP Laura

Hello again Florida DECA! 
My name is Laura Valiente and I am your EVP. Today we are going to talk about what it really means to be Community Oriented. Being Community Oriented is recognizing the benefits of service and responsibility to local and broader communities. Florida DECA is Community Oriented through Helping Hands. 
Helping Hands started with Daniela Rey in Team 54 with a clothing drive during their fall leadership conference to donate to the Salvation Army of Orlando. Team 55 then made Helping Hands donate to a different charity every year. 
Helping Hands today has a fall and a spring drive. In total we have donated over 145,000 to many different charities. We give thousands of items to 2 different charities a year! This shows how we are able to impact and improve our community and helps us stay on our goal of being Community Oriented which helps us make a constant impact to many communities throughout Florida. 
How can your chapter improve the community? Your chapter could participate in community service chapter project. This is a competition category that asks chapters to use their leadership skills to hold a community service project. They ask that that community service project includes as many people from your chapter as possible. Chapters can also do community service outreach activities such as: starting a tutoring program, participating in a relay for life activity, visiting a senior citizens home, volunteering, and there are a lot more out there! 
Being Community Oriented is a fundamental part of DECA. If your chapter is able to do these community service projects they will not only be helping the community but most likely bonding and learning in the process. I cannot wait to see what your chapter has in store! 
Thank you for watching. See you soon Florida DECA!