Dick Batchelor’s advocacy for children has benefited hundreds of thousands of students in Orange County for more than three decades and bolstered the Central Florida economy by billions of dollars.

Batchelor was born in Fort Bragg, NC, one of seven children. His parents were tenant tobacco farmers before moving to Orlando in 1957, where his father worked in construction and later as a carpenter. After several years living in low-income housing, the Batchelor family moved into a home in the Orlo Vista neighborhood. He graduated from Evans High School in 1966, after which he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Vietnam, earning the rank of Corporal.

Thanks to the G.I. Bill, Batchelor earned degrees from Valencia Community College and the University of Central Florida. In 1974, he became the youngest person to be elected to the Florida Legislature, where he served eight years, five of which were in leadership roles. He was the recipient of more than 50 awards for his legislative service.

Following his time in the legislature, Batchelor founded a consulting firm and has been deeply involved in the Central Florida community, especially in issues dealing with children. He currently serves on several boards, including the Florida Children’s Hospital Board, Florida Hospital Foundation Board, the First Amendment Foundation, and Central Florida Urban League Board of Directors, Florida Children’s First, and the Florida Tuskegee Airmen Board. Since 1981, he has served as the honorary chairman of the “Dick Batchelor Run for the Children,” an annual 5-K run that raises funds to treat abused children. Batchelor is frequently named one of “The 50 Most Powerful People” by Orlando Magazine.

In 2002, Batchelor founded Change 4 Kids to generate support for a half-penny sales tax to build new schools and renovate older schools in desperate need of repair in Orange County. Six previous referendum attempts had failed, but thanks to Batchelor’s work, the referendum passed with almost 60 percent of the vote. For his efforts, Batchelor was named the 2002 Central Floridian of the Year by the Orlando Sentinel.

In 2014, Batchelor once again spearheaded a successful Change 4 Kids campaign to renew the half-penny sales tax for another 10 years. The sales tax is expected to generate $2 billion to replace or refurbish schools, provide important technology upgrades and make a major economic impact on regional construction.

Johnny Damon was born at Fort Riley, KS, where his father Jimmy was stationed as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He had met his wife while stationed in Thailand. After Johnny was born, his parents lived on bases in Japan and West Germany before settling in Orlando, where he started pre-school.

A natural athlete, Damon was a big baseball fan and fulfilled his passion while playing in the South Orange Little League. By seventh grade, he had caught the eye of Dr. Phillips High School’s baseball coach, Danny Allie, who was impressed by how hard Johnny worked. It was clear every time he took the field; running, while others walked.

As a freshman at Dr. Phillips in 1988, Damon made the football team and was one of the team’s best players. In the spring, he made the baseball team playing center field, and turned out to be the school’s first four-year starter. He also ran track and was considered one of the Panthers’ top runners.

During his senior year in 1992, Damon was rated the top high-school prospect in the country by Baseball America, was named to USA Today’s High School All-America team, and was the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year.

He was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the first round (35th overall) of the 1992 amateur draft. After four years in the minors, he made his Major League debut in 1995 and played for the Royals until 2000. He donned the uniforms of the Oakland Athletics in 2001, the Boston Red Sox from 2002-2005, the New York Yankees from 2006-2009, the Detroit Tigers in 2010, the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011, and the Cleveland Indians in 2012, winning two memorable World Series along the way (2004 Red Sox and 2009 Yankees). He led the American League in stolen bases in 2000.

Off the field, Damon established The Johnny Damon Foundation, a non-profit that has supported local groups such as Arnold Palmer Hospital, PACE Center for Girls, Edgewood Children’s Ranch, S.T.A.R.S. of West Orange, West Orange Habitat for Humanity, Orlando Magic Youth Fund, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Northern Florida, West Orange Boys and Girls’ Club, Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando Firefighters Benevolent Association and UCP of Central Florida. He’s also a national spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides programs and services designed to ease the burdens of severely injured servicemen, servicewomen and their families.