Celebrating a decade of spreading JOY!!
Hear all about the incredible work the amazing local non-profit organization Xtraordinary Joy is doing for rare chromosome disorder research, as well as for people with disabilities across the globe!
To find out more about the incredible work they do and how you can support their organization, you can visit: https://www.xtraordinaryjoy.org
You can also follow their journey on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/xtraordinaryjoyinc
https://www.instagram.com/xtraordinary.joy/?hl=en
I am so excited to be back with you all! We will officially be back up and running in October 2025, so stay tuned for all the exciting things to come. :)
In the meantime, check out my Drew Dees HOPE scholarship fund. I’m excited to announce that my fund will award a UF student with a physical disability a scholarship to help with the cost of participating in the UF Disability Resource Center’s fully accessible study abroad program in London!
You all know how much impact the trip had on me when I was able to get the opportunity to go abroad last year, so I can’t think of a better way to keep that mission of letting other students with disabilities also experience the exciting JOY of being able to finally study abroad! It is life-changing, no doubt! That being said, I have some big goals. I would like to try to have at least $1000 in the account by next summer, so that we can officially award our first scholarship! The account currently has a little over $500 in it, so we are already halfway there! Let’s do this, and thank you all so much to everyone who has and will continue to support my mission of ensuring that the next generation gets to experience all the joy life has to offer! Please visit the link below if you feel called to make a donation to the cause:https://www.uff.ufl.edu/.../028089-drew-dees-hope.../
Thank you all so much, and as always, Go Gators!
Chris O'Brien is the state Capitol reporter for WKRN News 2 and Nexstar in Nashville, Tennessee.
He's a proud graduate of the University of Florida, and a lover of all things Gators. Chris worked in Greensboro after graduating, prior to his current position in Nashville, as a general assignment MMJ.
Chris is also a lover of the National Parks System, and would like to see all 63 National Parks in his lifetime -- he's currently at 12.
When he's not working, you can find him at a local bar watching sports or out hiking.
Connect with Chris:
Instagram:
@chris_obrien10
Twitter:
@THEChrisOB
Drew's News Podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms. And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
I caught up with the Executive Director of the Center for Independent Living of North Central Florida, Tony Delisle, to talk about the fantastic work we do in the community! (Yes, I said we because it just happens to be where I work). We provide services through partnerships with the Department of Education, the Department of Health, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program, and the Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Levy, Marion, and Putnam County School Boards. In addition, we are the only coordinator of sign language interpreting services for Alachua and surrounding counties and have four highly qualified sign language interpreters on staff. The CILNCF is also partnered with Florida Telecommunications and Relay, Inc. (FTRI), the designated Regional Distribution Center (RDC) of specialized telecommunications equipment. With this program, the CILNCF provides communication access to deaf, hard of hearing, deaf/blind, and speech-impaired people residing in North Central Florida.
Further, our organization has developed intensive programming for youth with disabilities. The CILNCF operates a High School High Tech Program at six (6) area high schools in five (5) school districts in North Central Florida. High School/High Tech (HS/HT) was developed out of concern that too few students, especially those with disabilities, were being prepared for technology-based careers. Our program is designed to provide young people with all types of disabilities the opportunity to explore jobs and postsecondary education leading to technology-related careers. Locally, it is a community-based partnership comprised of students, parents and caregivers, businesses, educators, and rehabilitation professionals.
Connect with CIL:
Instagram: @cilgainesville
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloridaCente...
CIL Podcast:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../the......
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ePzIFF...
Google: https://www.google.com/podcasts...
Or give us a call at 352-378-7474 to find out more about our services!
She has a heart of pure gold, works hard to make sure each of her students feels loved and cared for, and she bleeds purple and gold!💜💛🏈 I am talking about none other than Gilchrist county’s very own 2023 Florida Teacher of The Finalist, Brooke Whittington!! In this episode, we relived the magical moments of her becoming a teacher of the year state finalist and chat about the keys to becoming a great teacher.
Drew's News Podcast want to be on the show? Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms. And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
The Drew's News podcast is back, baby! For the official return of the podcast, we have the honor and privilege of speaking with Emmy award-winning meteorologist Alex Calamia about all things weather and gardening. Enjoy!
Connect with Alex!
Twitter: AlexCalamiawx
Instagram: AlexTropicalPics
Facebook: Alex Calamia
Drew's News Podcast want to be on the show?'
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms. And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
I caught up with disability advocate Ryan Lundy. Over the years he received occupational therapy and accommodations in school. He had a 504 which is a plan for students that need accommodations in regular education. This means he had many tutors, counselors, and academic advisors. Attending school was not easy for him, he got taken advantage of a lot and bullied by kids. Many days he would come home and cry and think about why he was not being included. Kids would take advantage of him by making him give them rides and money. He discusses the way he coped with these situations and much more.
Connect with Ryan:
rhlundy85@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-lundy-36471944/
Drew's News podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms. And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
Jordan Ellis is a Unversity of Florida Alum. Writing is what she loves to do, so her dream job is to be an author. She lives with cerebral palsy and walks with two crutches, but she doesn't let that hold her back from much. Currently, she has recently completed her Bachelor's degree and has been focusing on her blog, which she's had for almost 4 years now. She really just loves a good story and believes we all have one.
Connect with Jordan:
Instagram: @JordEllis15and
Blog Instagram: @from3west.
Blog: https://www.from3west.com/main-blog
Drew's News podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms. And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
Billy Floyd is a former morning news anchor in Casper, WY, and Eugene, OR, and thanks to a change in his career path, he's now going crazy with his very own podcast show, "Who's On The News" — having the time of his life! Billy is everyone's hype man-- from career advice to advice about life in general Billy covers it all in this episode!
Connect with Billy on all platforms:
@1billyfloyd
You can also subscribe to his podcast "Who's On The News"
Drew's News podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms. And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
I caught up with my good friend, Kirby Snead, a former Florida Gator baseball player, and current member of the Toronto Blue Jays organization. During our conversation, he told me baseball has always been in his blood since he was a little boy. he also explains what it was like growing up as a small-town kid with big city dreams.
Connect with Kirby:
Twitter and Instagram @KirbySnead
Drew's News podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms. And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
I had a wonderful conversation with the dynamic duo, Chrissy and Michael Holloway, about all things Special Friends Care Inc., and the secret to being a powerhouse business providing services and supports for people with disabilities in the North Central Florida community for over 20+ years! 😊
Learn more about Special Friends Inc:
http://www.specialfriendscareinc.org/
Email: services@specialfriendscareinc.org
Drew's News podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms.
And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
I had a chance to catch up with Blade Hall, a local musical artist and content creator from Ocala, Florida. We chatted about a variety of things from his musical creative process, to how he went viral on TikTok!
Connect with Blade:
IG: HallPassForBlade
Twitter: BladeHalll
TikTok: bladehall
Drew's News Podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms.
And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
I had the pleasure of catching up with recent Gator grad Henry Coburn, who is currently a reporter for WSPA 7News in Spartanburg, South Carolina. We had a great conversation covering a variety of topics, ranging from what life has been like as a journalist since graduating from the University of Florida to career advice for aspiring journalists who are getting ready to enter the industry.
Connect with Henry:
Whether you have story tips or just want to say hi, Henry would love to hear from you. You can reach him any time on Twitter: @henry_coburn or by email: hcoburn@wspa.com.
Drew's News Podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms.
And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
I had the honor of talking with the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications' 2020 teacher of the year, and one of my biggest UF mentors, Harrison Hove, about incorporating diversity and inclusion within a TV news course. We learned so much from each other during our time together.
Connect with Harrison Hove!
Twitter: @HarrisonHove
Email: hchove@ufl.edu
Drew's News Podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms.
And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
Rita Inman, Assistant Director for Access Services, from the University of Florida Disability Resource Center joined me to talk about all things DRC! From academic accommodations to accessible housing, we covered it all.
You can take a virtual tour of Cypress Hall.
Get connected with the DRC via social media on all platforms @UFDRC or send them an email to accomodations@ufsa.ufl.edu.
Drew's News Podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms.
And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
Kirsten Wolff, News Director at WESH 2 News, and Jess O'Neill, the former assistant News Director at WESH, and current News Director of KOAT in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Join me for a conversation about what went into the process of ensuring I had the best internship possible, and what they hope to see as far as #disabilityinclusion within newsrooms in the future.
You can connect with Kirsten or Jess via email:
Jess jmoneill@hearst.com
Kirsten kwolff@hearst.com
Drew's News Podcast want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms.
And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
Drew's News Podcast Want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms.
And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
In this episode, Drew's parents Samantha and Chris Worley, share their journey of what it's like raising a child with a disability.
You can connect with Samantha and Chris via email wsamchris2@aol.com
Purchase Drew's News podcast merchandise at this link:
https://forms.gle/pLNwSZGa3zC4PSn99
Drew's News podcast do you want to be on the show?
Please email me at deesreports@gmail.com or follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms. And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.
The game of basketball: with Kevin Scott O'Brien, a professional international basketball player!🤩🙏🏻🏀
Connect with Kevin on social media: Instagram: @kevinobrien33 Twitter: @KevOBrien33
I plan to use this platform to shed light on journalism from a disability perspective as well as showcase people with and without disabilities who are doing good in the world.
Follow me on social media @DrewDeesReports on all platforms:
And Youtube
And remember, if you can dream it, you can Drew it.