Speakers

Let's celebrate together this morning with a holiday activity.

Annual Garden Tour coming soon!

Jessica Barriel and Lt. Nancy Alvarez presenting a RCKL presentation.

TOPIC:  HUMAN TRAFFICKING 101

Lt. Nancy Alvarez
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

  

Intelligence is only information if you do not share it.

Melody Dawn Tuschel

Monroe County Recycling Coordinator and Outreach Liaison

    

      After 29 years of nursing, I am excited to have the opportunity to share my passion for the environment. During the COVID pandemic, I lost my job and began to travel in my RV, full-time, working and learning with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. At the end of 2020, I was able to secure a position at Bahia Honda State Park as a resident volunteer. I also worked at the Dolphin Research Center. I met and fell in love with my wonderful husband, Mark, at Bahia Honda State Park, where he is employed as the maintenance director. Since then, I was hired at the Monroe County Cudjoe Transfer Station as a scale operator. I worked there for 18 months before the Recycling Coordinator position was developed. My position allows me to utilize my experience gained at the transfer station, recent college coursework and my passion for the environment, to educate residents, businesses and visitors on the best recycling practices. I get to research waste diversion opportunities and advocate for local policies to streamline waste and recycling processes. When I’m not working on recycling initiatives, I enjoy the outdoors: fishing, bird watching, kayaking, paddleboarding, jogging and gardening. I also am an avid reader, crafter, and love spending time with my family, especially the furry ones. I also write a monthly environmental article for The News Barometer, and when in season, I am an FWC permitted Sea Turtle Surveyor working for City of Marathon and Bahia Hona State Park. I hope to make a positive impression on my audience and share something they otherwise would not have known about recycling. My professional goals include reducing landfill waste, increasing Monroe County’s recycling to 75%, reducing food waste, and supporting the prohibition of plastic bags and polystyrene. I hope you join me in a collaboration to protect and preserve our delicate ecosystem for us and generations to come through education and example. 

Tony Hammon is a life-time educator. He has been a classroom teacher,
coach, and school administrator for five decades. He started his career
at Coral Shores HS as a marine biology/biology teacher and founded
Island Christian School in 1974. He is also Pastor Emeritus of Island
Community Church, where he served as Sr. Pastor from 1989 to 2019.
Tony holds a BS from University of Miami in Biology Education and a
Med in educational administration from Tennessee Temple University.
He has authored three books and travels regularly to third world
countries to provide educational training and coaching.
He currently serves as President of the International Association of
Christian Colleges and Schools (IACCS) the international division of the
Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (FACCS) where he
has served as board member for many years. IACCS reaches deep into
the heart of third world and developing countries, providing free
educational training to teachers and administrators. In addition, IACCS
has built educational buildings, installed water systems, supplied over
100 milk cows, assisted in establishing demonstration farms
orphanages.
He has been an active member of the Upper Keys Rotary Club since
2007. Each time he travels to a third world or developing country Tony
marvels at the work he sees being conducted by Rotary Clubs from
around the globe. He says, “Everywhere you look you see Rotary
projects and signs displaying the 4 Way Test.” The Upper Keys Club has
contributed several times allowing the purchase of several cows. To
date 120 cows have been given to individual orphanages providing life-
sustaining nutrition the over 100,000 babies.
Tony has been married to his wife Colleen, for 51 years, has four
children and 11 grandchildren.