07/13/2026
🎉📚WHAT A DAY, HERNANDO COUNTY! 📚🎉
The Back-to-School Family Resource & Wellness Fair 2026 was an incredible success, and our hearts are filled with gratitude for every family, partner, volunteer, and community leader who helped make this event possible!
This was the first event of its kind for the HCSD Parent Academy and Family Engagement Mobile Unit (FEMU), and the community showed up in a big way!
A very special thank you to Kendra Kenney and the amazing team at People Helping People in Hernando County for serving as outstanding hosts. Their hospitality, generosity, and commitment to helping families ensured that everyone who attended felt welcomed and supported.
Impact Highlights from the Day:
✅ Approximately 47 dental screenings completed by the Premier Community Healthcare Dental Mobile Unit
✅ 6 students pre-registered for school thanks to Jessie Jones and Tammy Garner from the Research & Accountability Department
✅ 25 families assisted by the Students & Families in Transition (SFIT) Team, including Shanika Figueroa Rodriguez and Debbie Kelly, who provided program information, completed intakes, and connected families with valuable resources and support services
✅ 21 visits to the Florida Department of Health station, including 15 vaccinations administered and assistance with student records updates
✅ 8 families assisted with Medicaid information and documentation by Nicole Rooney
✅ 42 parents and children engaged at Aaron Ellerman's interactive station, where families learned, connected, and had fun throughout the event
✅ The Family Engagement Mobile Unit welcomed approximately 36 families, distributing books, science experiment kits, kite sets, educational materials, and district resources
A heartfelt thank you to Magen Schlechter, Director of Federal Programs, and Marcia Lambert, our FEMU Bus Operator, for creating a warm and inviting experience for every family who stepped aboard the Mobile Unit.
Special recognition goes to Jodie Kanneberg, Parent Engagement & Community Liaison, and School Board Member Michelle Bonczek, who greeted visitors throughout the event with kindness, encouragement, and genuine care.
We were also honored by the support of School Board Chair Kayce Hawkins, Former BOCC Chair Brian Hawkins, and their family for taking time to attend and encourage our efforts.
This event demonstrated exactly what can happen when schools, community organizations, healthcare providers, and families come together with a shared purpose:
💚 Healthy Students
💜 Prepared Families
💙 Successful Schools
Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, partnered, and supported this effort. Together, we are proving that when we meet families where they are, amazing things happen.
🚍📚 The Family Engagement Mobile Unit is just getting started, and we are already looking forward to making next year's event even bigger and better!
Dell O Barnes Sr
Jodie Kanneberg
Meg GS
Hernando Schools
Michelle Barnes
Michelle Bonczek Hernando County school Board district 4
