Did you know continues...

September 24, 2015

Yesterday ended the official Constitution Week by the Proclamation that Governor Scott gave me for celebration in Florida by observing September 17 - 23, 2015 as Constitution Week.

I had one of the greatest Constitution Week that I can ever remember. I was given able to locate my great friend Jack Bovee and thank him for writing all those letters and staying on top of our elected government officials in making this week of celebration possible.

You will get plenty of more information about my exciting Constitution Week that I can promise you my good friends!

However, I will now give you another important fact. Instead of a fact about the USA, I will give a fact about one of the counties from our Sunshine State:

I actually learned this important fact during my journey across Florida while visiting Key West!

Did you know that Monroe County is actually the largest county in Florida by total area.

More than 99 percent of the Monroe County population lives in the island chain known as the Florida Keys.

 

If you knew that you are probably a real Floridian, I think you should make a point of going out of your way to thank your social science for a job well done of making sure you knew this great fact about Monroe County.

 

Just to give those of you who did not know this fact, I want to share with you something else very important that you should know when you visit Key West!

 

 

Monroe County was actually names after President Monroe.

 

Now you know two interesting things about Monroe County and not just the fact that Key West is the County Seat.

 

 

 

 I actually got an opportunity to cycle across that land area and cruise along some of that water area from Monroe County. I cannot wait to take my drive from Naples to Key West in October to celebrate my accomplishment of the journey across Florida.

 

Joseph

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makes you appreciate the good things in life:

September 22, 2015

I normally attempt to shy away from sending forward emails because it ties up your time and in many cases you probably seen it before anyway.

However, I felt a need to include this in my blog so when you are waiting for my posting of my final day of the Constitution Week Celebration; I want you to consider this wonderful message.

I have seen it before and have even shared it before but this is one that I never get tire of sharing:
 

Change Your Thinking   It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking..     Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.          One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.   His bed was next to the room's only window.        The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.         The men talked for hours on end.     They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..          Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.        The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.           The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.   Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.       As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.        Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.      Days, weeks and months passed.      One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.   She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.     As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.          Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.          It faced a blank wall.             The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.      The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.    She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'     Epilogue:    There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.  Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.     If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.    'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .'    The origin of this letter is unknown, but it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on.    Do not keep this letter.  I pray you will forward it to all your friends     If you ask why I put this on my blog page, my answer is simple. Each time I did the running and cycling, I knew that getting those 200,000 Constitution booklets will become a reality.   Some profess that it is blind faith and I only can reply that is the way I have always led my life by staying positive and believing in the best to come.   I will get back to the stories of my journey across Florida in my next blog.   Joseph

So many requests for the Proclamation...

September 22, 2015

I sought the assistance of my great friend Jim Dupre (who knows everything about computers and technology) and now my friends you have the document in whole you requested:

 

Thanks Jim for making this possible to place on my blog site!

 

Joseph

Constitution Week continues...

September 22, 2015

When I learn how to bring over a copy of the Proclamation from Governor Rick Scott I will post the document here on the blog as well just as I did on the Face Book page. Until that moment please note that the Proclamation ends soon:

CONSTITUTION WEEK

 

 

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the United States established a foundation for the success of our nation through core beliefs such as popular sovereignty and limited government; and

 

 

WHEREAS, Constitution Week was officially declared and established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on August 2, 1956...

 

 

 

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Rick Scott, Governor of the State of Florida, do hereby extend greetings and best wishes to all observing September 17-23, 2015 as Constitution Week.

 

 

Please see how I started my Constitution Week and when I the observing of Constitution Week ends tomorrow I will hopefully have internet connection and share with you how I ended my celebration of Constitution Week. Until September 23, 2015 please observe some of the great fun and excitement that I am having on this very special week of Constitution Week (September 17-23, 2015)

 

 

In my next blog, I will explain the importance of these pictures during Constitution Week!

 

 

Many has asked me often what are those bracelets you wear on your arms. This means to me that you do not have one yet, thus I have done a poor job of letting you know that this is one of the fundraisers that I use in order to get Constitution booklets for our youth across Florida.

 

If you would like some of the bracelets and support the fundraiser, you find the bracelets come in two styles:

 

1. Bracelet on my arm is the Constitution Bracelet
2. Bracelet on the arm of the model is the Military Bracelet

Those bracelets can be purchased for $5.00 each which means that now it will be possible for five youth to have a personal copy of the Constitution booklet.

 

I will provide you more about this opportunity at the end of Constitution Week.

 

"It is fitting and proper to officially recognize this magnificent document and the anniversary of its creation" - Governor Rick Scott (11th day of September, in the year two thousand fifteen)

 

Joseph



Update of my journey as of September 20, 2015...My goal, my mission, my vision, and my dream!

September 20, 2015

I am so often asked when is that finish line going to be crossed and how many counties do you have left. I decided to explain it as well as I could so that everyone can see the accomplishments and the counties left to complete.

The outpour and the support have been worth the many delays that I have encountered along the way. Many individuals, many organizations, and people from all walk of life have stepped up and said we not only support you with words of praise but we are going to do our part to help achieve the goal of getting those Constitution booklets and into the helps of the youth while assisting them to master those 27 Amendments and every aspect of the United States Constitution.

My goal, my mission, my vision, and my dream

1. Collier County               -  April 20, 2015
2. Lee County                    -  May 28, 2015
3. Charlotte County          - June 19, 2015
4. DeSoto County              - June 22, 2015
5. Highland County           - June 22, 2015
6. Hardee County              - June  23, 2015
7. Henry County                - June  24, 2015
8. Glades County               - June 24, 2015
9. Sarasota County            - June 27, 2015
10. Manatee County            - July 03, 2015
11. Polk County                     - July 07, 2015
12. Okeechobee County       - July 07, 2015
13. Broward County             - July 13, 2015
14. Citrus County                  - July 14, 2015
15. Sumter County                - July 14, 2015
16. Pinellas County               - July 15, 2015
17. Hillsborough County      - July 16, 2015
18. Pasco County                   - July 23, 2015
19. Hernando County            -  July 23, 2015
20. Orange County                 - July 24, 2015
21. Volusia County                  - July 29, 2015
22. Seminole County               - July 30,2015
23. Miami-Dade County         - July 31, 2015
24. Marion County                   - August 14, 2015
25. Levy County                        - August 15, 2015
26. Gilchrist County                  - August 15, 2015
27. Alachua County                   - August 16, 2015
28. Osceola County                    - August 17, 2015
29. Monroe County                    - August 31, 2015
30. Flagler County                      - September 3, 2015
31. Duval County                         - September 3, 2015
32. Nassau County                       - September 4, 2015
33. St. John County                      - September 4, 2015
34. Clay County                             - September 5, 2015
35. Putnam County                       - September 5, 2015
36. St. Lucie County                     - September 11, 2015
37. Indian River County               - September 11, 2015
38. Brevard County                       - September 11, 2015
39. Martin County                          - September 12, 2015
40. Palm Beach County                  - September 12, 2015

On September 21, 2015, I will start my new journey to the finish line. I will be traveling to:

1.       Lake County

2.       Bradford County

3.       Union County

4.       Baker County

 My goal is to rest in Columbia County and start a fresh journey on Tuesday, September 22, 2014:

 

1.       Columbia County

2.       Hamilton County

3.       Live Oak County

4.       Lafayette  County

Rest in Dixie County and start a fresh journey on Wednesday, September 23, 2015:

1.       Dixie County

2.       Taylor County

3.       Madison County

4.       Jefferson County

Rest in Escambia County and start a fresh journey on Thursday, September 24, 2015:

1.       Escambia County

2.       Santa Rosa County

3.       Okaloosa County

4.       Walton County

5.       Holmes County

Rest in Holmes County and start a fresh journey on Friday, September 25, 2015:

1.       Jackson County

2.       Washington County

3.       Bay County

4.       Calhoun County

5.       Gulf County

6.       Franklin County

Rest in Liberty County and start a weekend journey on Saturday, September 26, 2015 toward home:

1.       Liberty County

2.       Gadsden County

3.       Wakulla County

4.       Leon County – Stop for planning with educational officials and transportation officials for my final mile and last trip with a celebration in Tallahassee as the march toward the finish line on September 30, 2015.

The End of the Journey and another step toward getting Constitution booklets in the hands of every fifth grade student in Florida.

 My goal, my mission, my vision, and my dream for doing my part in helping to expand the knowledge of the Constitution across our great State of Florida.

“Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong” – James Bryce

Joseph

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Constitution Day and the events leading to this wonderful moment...

September 20, 2015

When I started this journey of promoting the United States Constitution across Florida in April 2014; I had no idea that I would encounter so many wonderful "Patriots"... and even more importantly I have been truly blessed by the great Floridians as well as those who love our nation.

Upon being accepted to take part in the James Madison Fellowship Foundation, my professional and personal life took on a very new meaning. As part of my training as a Fellow in learning the Constitution, I had to invest my entire summer in Georgetown with some of the most knowledgeable, dedicated; American Scholars, Educators, Teachers, and Patriots that I ever encountered in one place at any single time.

When I left Washington D.C. I vowed that I would share the great knowledge that I gained with not only my students but with every Floridian and as many citizens, future citizens, and non-citizens who would listen and desired to know about our Constitution.

I have felt in my 16 years of teaching in the public education system at the secondary level I was making a difference. However, I can honestly say that this month so far has been one of the greatest highlight of any month of September that I can recall in celebration of the Constitution.

Those of you who have been following my blog you are fully aware that on September 11, 2015 I dedicated part of my Journey Across Florida by doing 100 miles between September 11 and 12, 2015 to demonstrate my love for the Patriots on the day established for Patriot Day.

In January 2015, I had my first meeting with a Florida Public School District to discuss ways we could reach our youth in expanding their knowledge of the Constitution. The Miami-Dade Public School District directed a workshop for twenty one (21) elementary school teachers to come hear my story. They had much more than my story they heard the passion of Professor Sean Forman, Barry University of how the Higher Education Institutions could impact the K-12 Educational System with expanding the minds of the youth about the Constitution.

Those educators got an even greater treat because they got to learn of an organization that had some additional resources to assist them in achieving their goal of expanding the knowledge of their students about the Constitution. The 21 elementary teachers had Jimmy Sengenberger, President and CEO Liberty Day Institute come from his Headquarters in Denver, Colorado as a panel speaker to demonstrate how the Liberty Day Institute impacted the lives of the youth across Colorado. Those teachers now knew that they had more than a Constitution booklet to give their fifth grade students for their lifelong learning but they had another very important resource with the Liberty Day Institute to add in their "Tool Box" in assisting their students.

I was so moved from that conference that I personally donated 500 Constitution booklets from the hard work of our Liberty Day Institute Steering Committee and Collier County supporters to those 21 elementary teachers to get them started on getting Constitution booklets to each of their fifth grade students in the largest school district in our state in the 2015-2016 School Term.

Few of my Fellows and dear friends would have agreed that I have done my part and kept my promise that I made to them that I would do more with my knowledge than just reach my students. However, I knew that I owed our youth and our nation much more than just that simple act for one month. I decided along with the approval and support of our Steering Committee that we were going to continue beyond January and move forward toward a much higher goal.

Please continue following my blog and you will find out how each month lead to this wonderful celebration and best ever Celebration of Constitution Day in Florida and how we are continuing to gather support in reaching the goal of giving every fifth grade student in Florida their very own personal copy of the United States Constitution.

While you are waiting to view the next blog please check out the start of our celebration of the Constitution on Constitution Day which lasted deep into the evening across Florida with the Naples Daily News write up of the Celebration at the steps of the Court House in Collier County. 
 
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naplesnews.com%2Fnews%2Flocal-news%2Fconstitution-day-draws-a-crowd-in-collier-county_92193231&h=LAQHTIEqr

If you have a problem getting this link, you can email me or use any other form of social media to contact me and I will greatly get you a copy of the newspaper link.

Joseph

My Dedication to 9-11-2001...

September 13, 2015

I am often asked how long can I cycle and my response is always as long as it takes for me to reach my goal. As many of you know, I love running and cycling.

I was forced to return to Southwest Florida this week due to my camera so full that I could not get anymore pictures. I not only learn how to download my pictures and save them in multiple places but I accomplish another mission on my journey across Florida.

When I returned to Naples something just entered my mind that I wanted to accomplish as part of my celebration and tribute to the "Memory" of 9-11-2001. I wanted to tie it into my journey across Florida and on 9-11 and 9-12 it became a reality.

Please check out my story of my way of keeping the memory of 9-11 alive:

These counties are now history and part of my story of how I chose to remember 9 -11-2001...I was teaching on that day (which is something that I love most in life) and as I was taking my break and went to the teacher's lounge; my reaction will and shock will forever be in my mind.

This year, I decided that those foolish people will never stop our American Dream, our Way of Life, and will never take away our Freedom. Thus, on this weekend which started on Friday, September 11, 2015; I turned disappointment of having to leave finishing the Panhandle journey for this week into something that I will never forget.

My 100 Miles... along with running of 35 miles

This is just part of my journey across Florida in celebration of the "Memories" of 9 - 11.
The counties covered on this weekend included:

1. Brevard County  - Viera, Florida (Melbourne)
2. Indian River County - Vero Beach, Florida
3. St. Lucie County - Fort Pierce, Florida
4. Martin County - Stuart, Florida
5. Palm Beach County - West Palm Beach, Florida

The people I met in this area of Florida are just amazing. I know that this area will get those fifth grade students their Constitution booklets and I believe that they will do the same for the seventh grade students as well.

Please stay tune for the other postings coming your way.

"Our core business is to create challenging engaging and satisfying work for every student every day"

The first thing you see when entering the doors of S. Lucie County Public School District.

Once I get permission from the school district, I will post this on my Face Book and other Educational material because this is truly what we should be striving to accomplish all over this nation.

Joseph

My last leg of the journey across Florida...

September 12, 2015

I have finally covered the Central Parts of Florida and touched each County from the North East farthest point of Florida to the South East farthest tip.

Those of you who have been waiting until I completed my other journey across the counties I will catch you up on all the fun in next few days.

I do want to share with that I promised to cover each of the 67 Counties and to spread the word about the United States Constitution with hope that we get enough support for the 200,000 fifth grade students in our Sunshine State.

Attached below is a check starting us on the way to those 200,000 students getting Constitution booklets in their hands:

 

The PEN of Florida Contributed $300.00 as part of the Match Fund that we got in our last Fundraiser. The Staff and members of PEN made it possible for n0w 600 of the 200,000 youth to have Constitution booklets.

 

We are going to obtain the goal of getting those 200,000.

 

Joseph

Today is really Labor Day...

September 7, 2015

Today was the day that I was supposed to complete my journey across Florida with the completion of each of the 67 counties.

Hurricane Erika forced me back home because no way I was going to leave my wife home alone in the mist of our first hurricane in the past several years. Secondly, my journey along the Atlantic Coast was so interesting that I actually spent more time than I actually wanted. However, it was all good and once you see my pictures and read my story you will understand.

I stayed in Duval County for two days and two nights because I found Jacksonville such a wonderful place and of course the school district is rich with such history. I would suggest for you a very interesting book for your reading enjoyment:

In No Ways Tired: The NAACP's Struggle to Integrate the Duval County Public School System, by Abel A. Bartley, 2015

If you decide to purchase this book, I would kindly ask you to let the manager of the store know that you are in support of the 27 - 67 Journey Across Florida. A donation of $1.00 will be awarded to the school of your choice toward the purchase of a Constitution booklets for a fifth grade student.

You just let me know where you purchased the copy of the In No Ways Tired with the date, location, and purchased price of the book and a donated copy of a Constitution booklet will be awarded to the school of your choice with a note of your contribution to the school district.

I believe that you will find your great purchase of the In No Ways Tired will be a great read for you and you would have contributed to getting another one of the 200,000 fifth grade students a copy of the Constitution booklet. Thanks in advance for your dedication of learning more about the Duval County Public School System and equally important your commitment of helping to our youth expand their knowledge of the United States Constitution.

Finally, I want to let you know that I timed my visit in this area of Florida so that I could be in St. Johns County; in order to take part in America's Oldest City 450th Anniversary Celebration of St. Augustine. I not only got to do my 27 miles in St. Augustine but got an opportunity to visit with several members of the school district and during the evening learn more about our oldest city in the nation without reading a book.

This was my second trip to St. Augustine. My first visit was so short that I recalled only the old school and Fort Mose and this time I feel that I really got to know St. Augustine. I had the opportunity to review the history and share with the wonderful people about their pride of the past and excitement about the presence and future of the amazing treasure spot of Florida.

I wish each of you a Happy Labor Day and I will post some of the pictures and share some of the wonderful places that I have visited during my journey across Florida.

Joseph