- April 25, 2025
Lakisha Ayers-White, organizer of the FESPA Gobble Event, gets a lift from the Flagler Palm Coast Starlets who volunteered to help pack and distribute bags. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Carole Gauronskas, vice president of the Florida Education Association, tells student volunteers that providing service for others is part of a life worth living. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas High Honor Society members Austin Weeks and Stanley Gatzek place Thanksgiving bags into an awaiting vehicle. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Palm Coast Starlets Alexandria Reyes and Aza Kabaloeva deliver Thanksgiving bags to FESPA members. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Joseph Schneider helps fellow Flagler Schools bus driver Tanya Bartlett with her Thanksgiving bags. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Palm Coast Starlets Kayleigh Labazzetta and Trinity Williams brought Thanksgiving bags down to the first floor of the Government Services Building. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Lakisha Ayers-White with Buddy Taylor Middle School/Wadsworth Elementary food service employee Keisha VanLierop. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas High National Honor Society members Austin Weeks and Stanley Gatzek carry out Thanksgiving bags. Photo by Brent Woronoff
When Florida Education Association Vice President Carole Gauronskas read through the letters of recommendation to go with Lakisha Ayers-White’s nomination for FEA Support Professional of the Year, she cried.
Ayers-White won the FEA’s honor for 2023 and will be competing with 37 others for the national honor.
“This is huge,” Gauronskas said. “This is all about what she’s done for the community.”
Ayers-White is a Flagler Schools bus driver and vice president of the Flagler Educational Support Professional Association. And for the third straight year, she organized the FESPA Gobble Event.
This year, the event handed out supplies for 70 Thanksgiving meals for FESPA families.
Flagler Palm Coast High School Starlets and Matanzas High Honor Society members were among the volunteers who put together and handed out the bags of food and gifts on Friday, Nov. 17, at the Government Services Building.
The bags included a turkey, stuffing, green beans, gravy mix, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rice, cornbread, pumpkin pie ingredients, drinks, plates, cups and napkins, in addition to paparazzi jewelry and gift cards and coupons for Subway, Chick-fil-A and Texas Roadhouse.
Two FESPA recipients were randomly selected to receive televisions donated by The National Teachers Associates Life Insurance Company. Olive Garden and Super Nails also donated gift cards.
