Lakeview Elementary School in St. Cloud is one of four Central Florida schools selected to receive a transformative renovation through the Addition Financial Foundation’s 2025 Renovate to Educate program. This year’s initiative marks a shift in focus from updating individual classrooms to enhancing entire “needs spaces” that provide essential resources for students and families facing financial hardship.
A “needs space” is a dedicated area within a school that offers access to food, clothing, and personal items for unhoused or low-income students. By upgrading these areas, the Addition Financial Foundation hopes to create more inclusive environments that support the well-being and success of every student.
The Foundation collaborated with local school districts to identify campuses where these renovations could have the most meaningful impact. In addition to Lakeview Elementary, the other selected schools include Engelwood Elementary (Orange County), Millennium Middle (Seminole County), and Leesburg Elementary (Lake County).
“Our Foundation board is proud of the work the Renovate to Educate program has done transforming teachers’ classrooms over the years,” said Cristina Lehman, Executive Director of the Addition Financial Foundation. “But we believe we can make an even deeper impact now for more students and families by helping them meet some truly fundamental needs.”
Renovations will take place over the summer of 2025. Addition Financial Credit Union will partner with Interior Design interns from Seminole State College to redesign and organize the needs spaces, which will be fully stocked with food and supplies. The goal is to complete the upgrades before the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
Through this initiative, Lakeview Elementary and the other recipient schools will be better equipped to care for the whole student—supporting not just academics, but basic needs that are vital to learning and personal development.
For more information about the Addition Financial Foundation and its initiatives, visit Foundation.additionfi.com.
