FRONT PORCH

Neal Communities, Southwest Florida’s premier, private homebuilder, and SimplyDwell, a Neal company focused on building new homes for budget-conscious buyers, have each donated $750 as T-shirt sponsors for the upcoming Leadership Summit held by Future Builders of America.

Taking place April 18-21 this year, the four-day camp is held annually in Haines City, Florida. High school students from across the state of Florida come together to get hands-on training in building skills such as carpentry, HVAC, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, electrical, screen enclosures and more, as well as soft skills in topics like interview training, how to network, and professional behavior on a jobsite.

“Professional builders teach the classes,” said Cindy Hall, director of Future Builders of America, “and the students get real experience. We have 14 classes, and they do actual projects in each one. In the screen enclosures class this year, they will be screening in the back deck of the lodge. Last year, they caged the pool. This year, there will also be a class installing a solar PV system.”

Last year’s carpentry class built additional bunk beds so more students could come to the camp this year. “We’ll have 94 students this year,” said Hall. “The program has grown considerably since we hosted seven students at the first camp in 2004.”

Students also participate in competitions over the four-day Summit. This year, they will have a boat building and racing contest. “The student teams each receive two refrigerator boxes, two cans of spray glue, two rolls of duct tape, caulk and paint,” said Hall. “With those supplies, they will be tasked with designing and building a boat that can hold three of them to race on the lake.”

Camaraderie, teambuilding and collaboration are part of the Leadership Summit’s learning experience. “The students are going to have an amazing time,” said Hall. “And the volunteers have a blast, too.”

Future Builders of America is a program of The Home Builders Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to introducing construction career opportunities to secondary school students and other youth up to 25 years of age. The organization provides programs to develop leadership skills critical to the construction industry.

With a core belief that “Where You Live Matters,” Neal Communities has given more than $8 million to local charities throughout Southwest Florida and is committed to the communities where they live, work and build. Neal Communities has also supported high school students interested in the building trades by sponsoring the Riverview High School Construction Academy in Sarasota and hosting field trips to Neal Communities’ construction sites and headquarters.