It was all hands on deck at an elementary school in suburban West Palm Beach. About 150 employees with Florida Power and Light volunteered at Seminole Trails Elementary School.
The volunteers spent the day beautifying the school by restoring the garden, cleaning up the facility, painting and landscaping. The volunteers also participated in a reading activity with students kindergarten through fifth grade.
For one of the volunteers, Thursday's work was personal.
"My son is a student here," Ore'al Bluntson said. "He did not know, so he was completely surprised and was overjoyed."
Bluntson said volunteering was a great way to show her kids she is modeling the way and to practice what she preaches, which is to give back.
The project is part of FPL's "Power to Care Week," now in its tenth year. During the week, FPL volunteers will tackle community projects in 11 counties throughout Florida.
Since the project was completely funded by FPL, the school says this is one less thing they’ll have to worry about since money for these projects are already tight.
“We work within our budget and we do what we can everyday, but we are limited," Asst. Principal Bruce Saulter said. “That's why it’s important that we have community volunteers and agencies and businesses like FPL to help us out."
During the planning, Saulter said the school was able to give their input.
"It was a great opportunity to not only make the school more beautiful but personalize it for our goals as a school and what we stand for,” said Saulter.