NSB's Cudas Unhooked receives $3,000 from Bouchelle Island group

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Photo and story submitted by Dale Smith / Shawn Lane, president of Cudas Unhooked, right, receives a symbolic check for $3,000 from members of the Bouchelle Island Social Committee, from left, Sue Willard, Barbara Dees and Vicky Lillyforth.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Residents of Bouchelle Island have adopted Cudas Unhooked, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping at-risk students at New Smyrna Beach High School.

Saturday, the Activities and Social committees from the condominium community presented a symbolic check for $3,000 to Shawn Lane, president of Cudas Unhooked as a donation to the two-year-old organization.

Money was raised through a variety of activities including a raffle for baskets of food and other items donated by small businesses and merchants. The raffle, which raised $2,000 by the Social Committee, took place during the Bouchelle Island Benefit for Cudas Unhooked event on Jan. 26.

The Activities Committee raised another $1,000 from a chili cook-off and from a donation jar.

“We’re thankful we could raise the money for a worthy cause,” Willard said. “The community really pulled together.”

In accepting the check, Lane said his organization appreciated Bouchelle Island residents for adopting them this year and hoped the residents will continue its support in the future.

Cudas Unhooked is a group dedicated to helping at-risk students at New Smyrna Beach High School graduate. The purpose of the group is to encourage students to focus on what they need to do academically in order to graduate from New Smyrna Beach High School by providing support and collaboration in reducing risk factors.

The group also offers an opportunity for the students to network, tutor and mentor one another.

About the contributing writer:
Dale Smith is a resident of New Smyrna Beach, who has reported on local news in Volusia County since October 2009.  His writing background includes a mix of journalism and public relations in several community newspapers and a p.r. firm in northern Virginia. He attended Barton Academy in Barton, Vt., and the Cambridge (Mass.) School of Broadcasting for radio & TV broadcasting.