Fourteen Key West High School students are working this summer through A Positive Step of Monroe County’s Idle Hands summer youth employment program. The partnership with the City of Key West provides local teens with paid summer jobs and skills for their future.
Since 2010, APSMC, a nonprofit founded by youth and family advocate Billy Davis, has connected KWHS students 16 and older with meaningful summer employment in city departments. This year’s program runs through July 31, with students working in engineering/multimodal transportation, community services, transit, the cemetery and the police department.
Among this summer’s participants are 16-year-olds Monea Mcleod and Zaylee Hayes, both rising juniors at KWHS. The two students are interning with City of Key West multimodal transportation coordinator Ryan Stachurski, gaining experience in local government, building professional skills they’ll carry into college and their future careers, and seeing how municipal government serves the community.
“Every summer, these students remind us just how much talent, determination and potential our community has,” said Davis. “Watching them show up eager to learn, take on new responsibilities and begin shaping their futures is incredibly inspiring. They give all of us reason to be optimistic about the future.”
The Idle Hands summer youth employment program costs about $100,000 each year. The city contributes $35,000 toward student payroll, while APSMC raises the balance through donations, grants, corporate support and fundraisers, including a benefit dinner on Saturday, July 18 at the Key West Cooking Show, 291 Front St. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. and features a culinary demonstration by local chefs that culminates in a multi-course meal that celebrates Key West’s heritage.
For dinner tickets and information about APSMC, visit apsmc.org, or contact Davis at 305-304-1969 or APSMCCRP@aol.com.
