Hearts of ODA camp in Lakewood Ranch provides volunteer time and talent

By Madison Bierl
| 4:30 p.m. July 18, 2025

East County
Neighbors

Lakewood Ranch resident Andrew Jones, 13, was told by his mother Erin Jones that there are three things you can give to make the world a better place — time, talent and treasure.

“If you have nothing to do, you can give your time, a lot of people can lead and that takes talent,” Andrew Jones said. “Some people have a lot of money and can donate and that's a treasure.”

The Out-of-Door Academy hosted a “Hearts of ODA” camp from July 14-18 with the purpose of engaging middle school students in service. On the morning of July 17, they gave their time and talent at All Faiths Food Bank to sort donated food by whether it was safe or expired.

Bo Bickley, the volunteer associate at All Faiths Food Bank, said it was incredible to work with the ODA group.

“When they understand that they’re serving a purpose bigger than themselves, a lot of them walk away with a little bit different attitude and a little bit different view,” Bickley said.

Waterside's Bianca Azevedo, 11, said she was thankful for the opportunity to help people.

“While we’re volunteering, we’re having fun,” Azevedo said. “We all get to work as a team and we all learn more about each other. It’s fun to learn new things.”

Colby Heidke, who is a 2025 ODA graduate, helped lead the camp alongside Camela Giraud, the director of collaborative learning and educational outreach at ODA.

“It’s their first time doing community service for a lot of these kids and it’s a new experience that they enjoy,” Heidke said. “We hope that it sets a precedent for the rest of their lives.”

Lakewood Ranch resident Tristan Norlan, 13, enjoyed the projects at Meals on Wheels and All Faiths Food Bank. He said it is probably the most fun he has had doing something in a long time.

“I want to help people so the whole world can be a better place,” Norlan said.

Other locations they volunteered at during the week included Meals on Wheels, Mothers Helping Mothers and Goodwill. They also learned from the All Star Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit revolving around foster care and they learned about wildlife and natural resources from the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County.

“When I watch the news, I’m overwhelmed,” Giraud said. “There's so much bad, fighting, so much division. This week was about the fact that there is good in the world and there is a vision for people who need help.”

An important point Heidke and Giraud have made is that small changes can make an amazing impact.

“You might not know the solutions to climate change or storms or floods or poverty or war but you can make little changes,” Giraud said. “As a single person, you do a little thing and if everyone does that little thing we can move the mountain.”

The Hearts of ODA camp was led by Camela Giraud, the director of collaborative learning and education outreach at ODA. She was assisted by co-facilitator Colby Heidke, who is a 2025 ODA graduate and also the founder of the Sarasota Mobility Alliance.

Lakewood ranch resident Tristan Norlan, 13, finds a Snoopy inspired Valentine's Day box of chocolate. It expired on June 1, 2022 and chocolate is only good for one year after expiration so it was thrown away.

Lakewood Ranch resident Andrew Jones, 13, says he wants to end hunger. His mother Erin Jones told him there are three things you can give to the community: time, talent and treasure.

Sarasota resident Catalina Poole, 11 and Waterside resident Bianca Azevedo, 11, check the expiration of Hawaiian Punch containers. It was not expired so they relocate it to the beverages box.

Sarasota resident Owen Tyler, 13, enjoys the challenge of finding and sorting the items. He wants to put more food on the table for people in need.

Bradenton resident Sophia Antipov, 12, throws away bread she found that is "rock solid."

Lakewood Ranch's Sophie Patel, 12, Bradenton's Sophia Antipov, 12 and Lakewood Ranch's Kylie Caserta, 12, use teamwork to work through the bin of food together.

Sarasota resident Leo Marr, 11, works with Bo Bickley, the volunteer associate at All Faiths Food Bank. Marr broke his wrist playing soccer but didn't let that stop him from helping the community.

Camela Giraud is the director of collaborative learning and educational outreach at ODA. Bo Bickley is the volunteer associate at All Faiths Food Bank. They work together to determine the expiration date. Depending on how old the food is, the print may not be easily legible.

Bradenton's Sophia Antipov, 12 and Lakewood Ranch's Kylie Caserta, 12, search for an expiration date while simultaneously laughing and talking.

The group of volunteers sorted through bins of food that was donated and determined which food was sealed and still healthy to eat. If it was expired, opened or used it was thrown away.

Twelve campers and three staff members participated in the All Faiths Food Bank service project on July 17. They determined the expiration dates, looked at the chart to see if things were still safe to eat and sorted them from there.

author

Madison Bierl

Madison Bierl is the education and community reporter for the East County Observer. She grew up in Iowa and studied at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University.