AMIkids Pensacola

11/01/2025

🎲👻 Don’t toss that costume just yet… Halfway to Halloween: A Vegas Night! 👻🎲

Our haunted gala is rolling the dice on Saturday, April 25, 2026!
Join AMIkids Pensacola for an unforgettable night of casino games, cocktails, and eerie elegance—all for a great cause.

🎟️ Tickets and sponsorships drop soon, keep your eyes peeled (and your costumes ready)!

Shout out to our Event Chair: Jo Stanovich
Master of Ceremony: Stanovich & House Rep Salzman
Costume Contest Judges: Chip Simmons and his team; Ronnie Rivera, Andy Hobbs, and Whiteny Lucas

10/09/2025

On October 22, from 4-6PM, we will be having an Open house for anyone to come see what we are doing here at the program! We are also looking for future applicants between the ages 16-24. We hope to see you there!😀

09/30/2025

With heartfelt gratitude, the AMIkids Pensacola Workforce Development Program extends a sincere thank you to Loyalty Credit Union for the generous office furniture donations received over the past year. Their support has truly transformed the look and feel of our program, creating a more welcoming and inspiring environment for our students and staff.

We are especially grateful to the Loyalty Credit Union executive team and to the wonderful Barbara MacNeil, whose efforts helped make this gift possible. It is because of dedicated community partners like Loyalty Credit Union that we can continue empowering young people to reach their full potential and make a lasting impact in our community.

Thank you for believing in our mission and for making such a meaningful difference!

09/26/2025

🎤 Big thanks to the Pensacola Civitan Club for letting us take the mic and share the story of AMIkids Pensacola Workforce Development Program YouthBuild!

Not only did you give us the floor, but you’ve also filled our Token Store with generous donations that our students are putting to very good use. Your investment in our young people will pay community dividends and help them with the confidence to build their bright futures. 💪 🪙✨

09/26/2025

🔨 At AMIkids Pensacola Workforce Development Program YouthBuild, we know the right tools don’t just build projects, they build confidence, opportunities, and futures.

That’s why we’re sending a huge thank-you to Mr. Janson Thomas and Swift Supply for donating a brand-new DeWalt table saw (aka the Cadillac of cutting wood ✨). And hats off to the Trades Council for making the ask on our behalf.

This saw isn’t just sitting pretty; it’s already hard at work. Our students have used it to practice cutting wood and have already built brand-new shelving for our clothing closet, where they can access professional attire to step into job interviews with confidence and pride. Thanks to this gift, our young men and women are literally cutting a path to success, looking sharp on the outside while sharpening their skills on the inside.

Mr. Thomas, Swift Supply—your donation is more than a piece of equipment. It’s a symbol of belief in our students’ potential and a reminder that when you invest in people, you help build something stronger than wood: you help build lives. 💛

09/26/2025

💨 At AMIkids Pensacola Workforce Development Program YouthBuild, we’re all about building futures—and thanks to BlueWind Technology, our students got to see what it looks like to build big. Like, really big.

BlueWind opened its doors and gave us a behind-the-scenes, world-class tour of their manufacturing plant, where giant housing units for wind turbines are born. (Spoiler: they’re massive. 👀)

A huge thank-you to senior management and HR for not just showing us the machines, but for taking the time to share knowledge, answer every question, and spark curiosity about careers in advanced manufacturing. 🌍⚡

Thank you to board member Dave Murzin for facilitating this tour and to Meredith Bush, Board Chair, for attending this event.

09/26/2025

🌟 At AMIkids Pensacola Workforce Development Program YouthBuild, we know success takes more than classrooms and tool belts—it takes champions behind the scenes. Our governing board is that secret sauce: guiding, giving, and fueling our mission in ways that go far beyond the ordinary.

And speaking of fuel… today board member Tracie Moore came armed with the ultimate kind of empowerment—breakfast. We’re talking pancakes, french toast, sausage, bacon, grits, sausage gravy, hashbrowns, and fresh fruit. Basically, the kind of spread that makes you believe you can build a house and conquer the world before noon. 🥞🥓✨

Tracie, you don’t just rock—you roll, flip, and sizzle. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and the top of our happily full stomachs. 💙

And thank you too, Thad!

09/26/2025

AMIkids Pensacola Workforce Development Program YouthBuild is blessed to have an outstanding construction partnership with Pensacola Habitat for Humanity. Our students are building and stacking up more than just bricks and boards; they’re stacking industry-recognized certifications like NCCER Site Safety, OSHA-10, OSHA-30, NCCER Core, and even Forklift. 💪

In the classroom, they master the skills. On the worksite, they put those skills to work—proving that the blueprint for success starts with hard hats, teamwork, and a vision bigger than any single project.

We have been lucky that none of our students have had to utilize thier certifications in First Aid and CPR on the work site. 😅 (safety first, always)

Once again, huge thanks to Pensacola Habitat for Humanity for being more than just a partner, there’re helping us raise walls and raise up young people to see their own potential. "I built that !" 🏡✨

09/26/2025

🚁 At AMIkids Pensacola Workforce Development Program YouthBuild, we believe in showing our students the sky isn’t the limit—it’s just the beginning.

A huge shout-out to Ryan Nelson, our lead helicopter instructor at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, for giving our students the unforgettable opportunity to take the controls of a $4 million flight simulator. (Yes, FOUR million. We triple-checked before touching buttons. 😉)

Because of Ryan’s guidance, a few students have officially caught the flying bug—and now they’re talking about wanting to get certified to soar for real. That’s not just flying a simulator; that’s planting the seed of possibility.

Thank you, Ryan, and thank you Whiting Field, for lifting our students’ dreams higher than ever before. ✈️✨

Fun Fact: This was the same type of aircraft our very own Mr. Henderson (Senior Vocational Instructor) flew while in the Air Force.

09/26/2025

I want to acknowledge our "Employee of the Quarter" winners for Q1 & Q2.

On the right, we’ve got Mr. Jason – GED guru, brainiac wrangler, and the man who somehow makes algebra less scary. On the left, Mr. Wallace – vocational instructor, participant recruiter, and our resident renaissance man who wears more hats than a Broadway costume closet.

These two don’t just do their jobs; they crush them. Let’s give a huge round of applause (and maybe coffee, because they’ve earned it) for their dedication, talent, and all-around awesomeness. 👏👏

09/23/2025

🎲👻 NEW DATE! Halfway to Halloween: A Vegas Night 👻🎲

Our Fright & Fortune event is cashing in its chips and coming back bigger, bolder, and eerier than ever—now rebranded as Halfway to Halloween: A Vegas Night and rolling into Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 6–10 PM!

Same spine-tingling thrills, same over-the-top Vegas glam, now with a twist of mischief—all to support AMIkids Pensacola and help local youth discover their talents, build leadership skills, and chase their dreams.

What’s in the cards:
💀 Casino games where luck is always lurking

💀 Spook-tacular costume contest judged by the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Chip Simmons.

💀 Show-stopping Vegas energy from MC Marty Stanovich, featuring board member & event ambassador Jo Rich.

💀 Spellbinding themed cocktails, live and silent auctions, and performances to die for.

💀 Dust off your costumes, summon your squad, and roll the dice—this night is all treats, no tricks!

📅 Saturday, April 25, 2026, 6–10 PM
📍 Long Hollow Creatives, 700 N Guillemard St, Pensacola, FL
🎟️ Tickets & sponsorships coming soon—don’t gamble on missing this jackpot of a night for AMIkids Pensacola youth!


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08/28/2025

🚲 Help Our Students Get Rolling! 🚲

Transportation is one of the biggest challenges our students face in getting to work and to our program. We recently had a student, Nate, who started a new job but often has to walk 1.5 hours each way because buses don’t run when he gets off work. With a bike, that walk would turn into a 26-minute ride—a game changer for him and many others.

We’re reaching out to our community for bikes and bike parts. Do you have:
• A bike you’re no longer using?
• Spare parts like wheels, chains, brakes, or seats?
• Tools or supplies for bike repair?

Anything you can contribute will help us support students who are working hard, finishing school, and preparing for their futures. We even have a few “Frankenstein bikes” we’re piecing together—so every spare part helps bring them back to life. ⚡️💡 (“It’s alive!”)

If you’re able to donate, please reach out—we’d love to connect. Together, we can keep our students moving forward, literally and figuratively.

🙏 Thank you for supporting AMIkids Pensacola Workforce Development Program YouthBuild!

At AMIkids Pensacola, we believe in the power of transformation. Every young person has the potential for greatness, and we’re on a mission to unlock it.