Bella Cielo with children participating in “Sitting for Service Hours” {Photo by Robin Cielo}
By Jill Fox
Bella Cielo has huge admiration for her teachers at North Broward Preparatory School.
The Parkland Bay freshman, who is involved in robotics, track, and cheer hopes to become an engineer one day.
Last spring, Bella heard about childcare issues some of the teachers anticipated in August. With two full weeks of pre-planning before school began, they found it challenging to manage their schedules with their children at home.
“Most of the teachers don’t have family nearby, and summer camps are expensive,” said Bella.
Her mother, Robin, said Bella has always had high respect for her teachers and mentioned how much it bothered her that they had to pay for childcare while working on materials for their students.
“Since our teachers dedicate so much time and energy, I wanted to give back,” said Bella.
After getting the green light from the administration, she created a volunteer program called “Sitting for Service Hours.” In exchange for volunteer hours, students watched the teachers’ children during their two weeks at work.
Bella gathered 50 volunteers to babysit between 30 and 40 children each week. The children, ages 4 to 12, participated in arts and crafts, sports, karaoke, movies, and more.
“It really filled a niche for the teachers,” said Robin.
The teachers were very appreciative, said Bella, and she plans to continue the program at North Broward, utilizing it during other school breaks.
“We’re really proud of what she accomplished,” shared Robin. “She made something incredible for the community of North Broward.”
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Author Profile
- Jill Fox is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. She has worked in public relations and television for over 20 years. Fox lives in Parkland with her husband and their two children.
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