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In 2022, Westminster Christian School senior Eric Eikenberg, Jr. and his siblings – one brother and two sisters – created a non-profit called Together We Shall Love Florida. He’s the current president.
“It focuses on Florida’s foster children,” he says. “I’ve worked with the FL Citrus Network. We have provided services to the foster children in Miami.”
The non-profit recently hosted 25 foster children for an event in the Everglades.
“It was an air boat tour,” he says. “It was two boats with their foster families. It was the first time they had been on an airboat ride and in the Everglades.”
The children were able to see a big alligator on the dock before they left on the tour.
“None of them had seen a gator before so they were intrigued,” he says. “They were fascinated.”
Eikenberg says they started the non-profit after going through a family situation.
“We saw the pain they went through the foster care system,” he says. “We decided to start to focus on the children and provide them with experiences they do not receive on a regular basis.”
The 501c3 receives funding from private donors. They sent letters to family, friends, and some people the family knows. They also have a website that has a donation tab.
“We raise around $10,000 annually,” he says.
Sponsored events include an annual Foster Family Day at ZooMiami where the kids get school supplies and do an educational scavenger hunt.
“We have members from ZooMiami to give them educational lessons,” he says. “The ZooMiami day, you’d be surprised at some of the faces of the kids with what they saw. Like seeing a flamingo. They’d never seen a pink bird before.”
They also host a basketball game called Hoops for Unity with foster kids playing against police officers.
Eikenberg’s sister Rebecca will take over as president next year.
At school, Eikenberg plays third base for the WCS baseball team. He says this year’s team is shaping up well.
“We made it to the state championship last year,” he says. “We fell short. We are looking to get the twelfth state championship for Westminster, which would be the most in the state of Florida.”
Which college he attends may be influenced by whether he receives a scholarship to play baseball.
Otherwise, he’s looking at colleges in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic areas and plans to major in Business Analytics and Business Management on a pre-law track, plus get an MBA.
“My goal is to become a general manager of a major league baseball team,” he says.
Eikenberg created a Leadership Speaker’s Series when he was in eighth grade. He’s brought in luminaries such as Dr. Mark Rosenberg, the former president of Florida International University, former governor Jeb Bush, and current Lt. Gov. Jeannette Nunez as well as county commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgens.
“All students are invited to come and hear these leaders speak,” he says.
He’s also a part of the WCS Leadership and a member of Model United Nations. This year, Eikenberg is a student ambassador, showing prospective students and their families around campus and answering questions. He’s a board member of the National English National Honor Society. He’s also in the National Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society and Tri-M, the music honor society. He plays violin in the orchestra.
Over the summer, he plays travel baseball, but he also held internships. One was in the Office of the President of FIU. He also did an internship at the State Attorney’s Office in the Gang Unit.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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