Looking for some great hands-on activities with your children that will expose them to volunteerism, hard work, and community spirit? Bungalower is partnering with local tech-guru Gregg Pollack and his children to spotlight some of the amazing local organizations that are always on the lookout for volunteers.
Editor’s Note: All following video, content, and opinions are those of Pollack and not of Bungalower Media. We first wrote about the following organization HERE in April 2017.
Cultural festivals happen year-round in Orlando, celebrating the diversity of our city. While these events are important, might it also be important to bring all of these together to celebrate our differences? This is why FusionFest (Website) was created; to showcase what makes varying local heritages unique.
My friend Tisse Mallon, who is on the steering committee for FusionFest, encouraged the kids and me to volunteer at this event which happens the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving. Each day began with a parade that included flags from all over the world, marched by people from those countries. All day, a diverse group of dance groups performed, food trucks cooked up food from all over the world, and there was even a listening and storytelling booth that provided opportunities to get connected to new people with diverse backgrounds.
The kids and I volunteered to help in the games tent Saturday during the event where we taught everyone to play Poi Rakau, a game from New Zealand (the one with the sticks in the video). We also played dominos (from Cuba), balero (from Mexico), and fisherman (from Russia). The kids found themselves interacting with people from all around the world.
We will definitely go back to FusionFest next year, and I recommend you do as well.
In the meantime here are two cultural events coming up in Orlando this weekend:
- 2020 Downtown Orlando Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade. A free event marching from the courthouse to Lake Eola Saturday, January 18th from 10 AM – 11:30 AM.
- Central Florida Scottish Highland Games. Here you can experience traditional highland athletics, dance, art, music, culture, food all with a Gaelic spirit.
Pollack will be sharing more videos of his family’s adventures in volunteerism into early 2020 as he endeavors to expose his children to the joys of volunteerism and in giving back to the community. If you have any to suggest for a future visit, please do get in touch or contact [email protected] for an introduction.