Submitted by Diana Hanford
PEMBROKE PARK, FL. Broward Education Foundation, the sole nonprofit benefitting Broward County Public Schools, joined forces with Florida Power & Light Company during its Power to Care volunteer week, where volunteers read a book to students and helped beautify the front entrance area at Watkins Elementary School in Pembroke Park. The event empowered young readers and sparked their curiosity for learning.
An enthusiastic group of guest volunteers read the book Woosh aloud to second through fifth grade students and gave each child a copy of the book to bring home. Following the reading sessions, students and volunteers spent time outside weeding and planting small plants and shrubs to beautify the elementary school grounds.
“We recognize the importance of giving back. We are proud to partner with the Broward Education Foundation to support Watkins Elementary School. Together, we are enhancing the quality of life for children in Broward County – powering stronger communities,” said Juliet Roulhac, FPL director of external affairs for the Broward and Southwest region & NextEra Energy Inc. director of corporate philanthropy.
“Through collaborative community partnerships such as the invaluable one we have with FPL, we’re sparking an interest in early childhood literacy and ensuring more students are proficient at their respective grade reading levels,” said James A. Knapp, President & CEO of Broward Education Foundation. “Together, we’re lighting the path towards brighter futures in Broward County.”
The author of Woosh is Lonnie Johnson. He was always building things and as a kid he made rockets. As a teenager he built a robot from scratch. As an adult he worked for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Galileo orbiter and probe that studied Jupiter. One day, while hooking up his latest invention to the bathroom sink to test it out, there was a Whoosh as water shot across the room. “This would make a great water gun,” Johnson thought. In this book, readers virtually met the innovative engineer who unexpectedly invented one of the most popular toys of all time—the Super Soaker. In 1989, Johnson formed his own engineering firm and licensed his most famous invention, the Super Soaker® water gun, to Larami Corporation. Two years later, the Super Soaker®, generated over $200 million in retail sales, and became the number one selling toy in America. Larami Corporation was eventually purchased by Hasbro Corporation, the second largest toy manufacturer in the world. Over the years, Super Soaker® sales have totaled close to one billion dollars.
Currently, Lonnie Johnson holds over 100 patents, with over 20 more pending, and is the author of several publications on spacecraft power systems.
