When Vero Beach Magazine was founded 29 years ago, one of the editorial goals was to shine a light on the work nonprofit organizations were doing to better our community. Back then there were around 75. Over the years the number has grown, thanks to individuals who identified a need and were determined to do something about it.
Among them are three women—Hannah Hite, Angel Pietsch, and Shala Edwards—all of whom have a heart for improving the lives of disadvantaged children, which they do by funding after-school and summer programs for those less fortunate, spreading birthday joy one homeless child at a time, and elevating educational opportunities for girls. Here are their stories.
Hannah Hite
Homeless Children’s Foundation: Providing Sensible Solutions for Homeless Families
t’s hard to believe there are homeless children in our community. At last count, the School District of Indian River County had 155 names on a list, and that doesn’t include children outside the public school system: those who attend a private school, are homeschooled, or have simply fallen through the cracks and are not on anybody’s list…