BY PAT LAVINS 

Cynthia Falardeau, Executive Director of the Education Foundation, was named recently as the first “Woman of the Year” by the Junior League of Indian River County.  Falardeau was recognized at the Junior League’s April 24^th luncheon held at the Moorings Club.  She was selected from a wide array of nominees who represented four categories: (Business/Professional, Civic/Non-Profit, Volunteer and Rising Star.

As football fans know, the benefits of the 12^th man and home field advantage are incalculable.  This is the perfect analogy for the work that Falardeau does as the Executive Director of the Education Foundation of Indian River.

Friends and others involved in the Education Foundation say Falardeau works tirelessly to enrich the educational opportunities for school age children in the public school system.  For twenty years the Education Foundation has supported students, parents and teachers.  Founded in 1991 by Morton Block, Alma Lee Loy and Dan Richardson the seeds planted have grown to provide more services to students.

The greatest contribution, however, has been the “thinking out of the box” types of programs that meet the specific needs of individual classes.  Since the Education Foundation recognizes that not all students want to be academic scholars there has also been a focus in supporting career path programs at Vero Beach High School and Sebastian River High School.

Some of the course work provided the ability to simultaneously earn college credit.  This helps to offset the time and expense earning an accredited degree.  The genesis for this idea came because of the initiation of the Florida “Ready to Work” program that was designed to assist the Florida business community.

Like so many initiatives introduced by the Florida legislature, the program was an unfunded mandate.  The Education Foundation stepped in to go about the tasks of securing grants and technical equipment so that computer tablets, electronic calculators and specialized software could be purchased in sufficient quantity to meet the demand.

Challenges seem to be the lifeblood that keeps Falardeau motivated while she tackles her professional goals and objectives simultaneously with meeting the needs of her husband and her academically challenged young son.

Falardeau however, is not an all work and no play kind of gal.  Her idea of play is just different than most in the community.  She loves the challenge of creative writing and has seen some success in this area in having her work published in local media.  However, it was in winning the CNN I-Report Contest that sent Falardeau over the moon.  Out of thousands of entrants she was selected for an award and went to Atlanta to tour the CNN facilities as a part of her recognition.

It is hard to calculate what makes Falardeau shine enough to be recognized as “Woman of the Year.”  There are so many variables about this unique woman that it is hard to quantify which characteristic stands out the most.  There is certainly the enthusiasm that she brings to her job.  She smiles from ear to ear when she discusses the accomplishments of the students that she has assisted whether it has been a school garden for an elementary school or a car in need of repair to provide the automotive students with real world experience.

She also has a real talent for surrounding herself with the best and brightest educators in our community — those currently employed and those retired.  Additionally, she has the kind of personality that motivates people to reach for their checkbook and help Falardeau meet the goals that she in conjunction with her key team have categorized for their program.  She even was able to get underpaid teachers involved by setting up a program where they made a small financial contribution in order to come to work casually dressed.

Friends of Falardeau said the Junior League set a high bar when it named her as its first “Woman of the Year.”