Area Churches Help Seminole County Schools Raise Funds for Cameras

Area Churches Help Seminole County Schools Raise Funds for Cameras

The goal is to raise $62,000 to pay for cameras at the district’s high schools and one of its middle schools, and $43,000 has already been raised.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • January 15, 2019

Every Seminole County school in Oviedo, Fla., will be receiving upgrades to school security in the next five years, and several area churches are helping raise funds to pay for the upgrades.

Seminole County Public Schools and the Sheriff’s Office are promoting school safety in a new video and initiative called “Secure Oviedo Schools.” The district is working toward fencing and new video surveillance equipment at its schools as part of its five-year security plan.

After the Parkland shooting, CrossLife Church pastor Dwayne Mercer reached out to the district to ask how they could help.

“I said what can we do then to help you? And they said cameras or fencing and we had to make a choice and so we could do more schools with the cameras,” Pastor Dwayne Mercer told Fox 35.

CrossLife Church and other community churches are working to raise funds for the new camera equipment. The goal is to raise $62,000 to pay for cameras at the district’s high schools and one of its middle schools, and $43,000 has already been raised. If all goes well, the five-year security plan might be reduced to three.

The important thing, Pastor Mercer said, is to work toward ensuring the safety of students and staff.

“Our community is a family-oriented community and people are afraid. It's continuing to go on and on and all we can do is do what we can do,” Pastor Mercer said.

The Secure Oviedo Schools group hopes to meet its fundraising goal on Feb. 1 at a golf tournament followed by a dinner and auction.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

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