Addition Financial Foundation Receives Regional Award for Its Renovate to Educate Program
LAKE MARY, Fla. (November 20, 2025) – The Addition Financial Foundation has earned the 2026 Executive Award of Regional Significance, a top honor in the East Central Florida Diamond Awards, for the transformational impact of its Renovate to Educate program. The Diamond Awards, established by the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC), celebrate outstanding projects that exemplify regional collaboration, innovation, and long-term benefit across an eight-county region.
Renovate to Educate, originally launched as a classroom makeover initiative, has evolved into a support program focused on upgrading “needs spaces” in Central Florida public schools. These dedicated resource rooms provide homeless and low-income students and their families with access to food, clothing, toiletries, and other essentials. The program currently supports schools in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake counties.
ECFRPC Executive Director Tara McCue said she was deeply moved by Renovate to Educate and its emphasis on restoring dignity and stability for students facing hardship. “As a former teacher, this program -- serving four counties -- truly resonated with me,” McCue said. “Homelessness and poverty can have a devastating impact on students at such a critical point in their lives. We must ensure they have the tools and opportunities to succeed, and this program does exactly that.”
Through close collaboration with Seminole State College’s Interior Design Program, school administrators, and dozens of Addition Financial Credit Union volunteers, each renovated space is tailored to meet the specific needs of its school community with new furniture, décor, and supplies.
Across the region, the demand for these spaces continues to grow. Local school district data shows that more than 15,000 students in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake counties are experiencing homelessness, with tens of thousands more classified as low-income.
“This award is an incredible honor, but seeing the real impact these needs spaces have on families is what inspires our Foundation to do all that we can,” said Cristina Lehman, Executive Director of the Addition Financial Foundation. “Every renovated space represents a child who can walk into school with less worry and can focus more on learning. We look forward to continuing to support local schools and students through Renovate to Educate.”
The Addition Financial Foundation and this year’s other winners will be recognized at the 2026 ECF Diamond Awards luncheon on February 25 in New Smyrna Beach.