News Release: 4/24/2019

Coral Springs, Fla.-- (April 23, 2019) –The Coral Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce has maintained an amazing partnership with the seven local high schools in our community through a committee of hard working volunteer business leaders and educators. The Chamber’s 501 (c) (3) Education Foundation is dedicated to supporting the development of future leaders across Northwest Broward.

The DECA and BPA programs in the high schools prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, management and technology and much more. (www.deca.org and www.bpa.org) Each year, the students choose a project and through community leader involvement, the interactions have ranged from activities such as: mock interviews, a shark tank panel experience in which students could “pitch” the business leader sharks and even a branding project where the students took on local businesses to help with logo design and devising marketing outlines. After performing at a local level and based on competitive organizational performance measurements, students can move on to the regional and national levels. Travel expenses and associated costs for these competitions can add up quickly. Over the last several years, the Coral Springs Regional Chamber has been able to provide considerable financial assistance to the schools with much needed funds for the DECA and BPA programs.

This year at the Chamber’s Annual Night of the Stars Grand Gala, $7,000 was raised and divided amongst the schools all thanks to the members, volunteers and sponsors who advocated to raise funds for the students alongside the Chamber. After the Gala is over, the Chamber hosts an Education Recognition breakfast event in which the students from the business programs are invited to showcase their projects to members of the community, receive internship opportunities and converse with business leaders. At the event’s close, the schools are presented a check from the Chamber with 100% of the funds raised from the Gala. In the last couple of years Coral Springs High School, Coral Glades High School, Coral Springs Charter High School, J.P. Taravella High School, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Coconut Creek High School and Monarch High School have been awarded over $35,000 from the Coral Springs Regional Chamber Education Foundation to help minimize costly expenses for the DECA and BPA competitions.

“This program is one of the most valuable give-back programs we have in our area as it fosters the professional development of future leaders. It’s an amazing effort that continues to grow each year,” said Cindy Brief, President & CEO of the Coral Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce. One of the Chamber’s continued goals and initiatives is to showcase to the community how proud we are that we not only have extremely gifted students in our community that should be recognized, but that we have the resources and means to assist in nurturing the future leaders coming out of Northwest Broward.