PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — Crews were hard at work giving a house in Pinellas Park a new roof and gutter system on Monday. The home belongs to high school teacher Lauren Iovino.
“I was totally in shock. Excited, but also couldn’t believe something like this happened to me,” said Lauren Iovino teacher at Boca Ciega High School.
The teacher of 13 years, is having a roof installed for free after winning a contest. Several current and former students wrote essays about the impact she had on their lives and why she should win.
“One of the kids that nominated me, I think he’s 27 now and he reached and was like 'hey I nominated you,' and I was like 'thanks.' My volleyball players, I train them to go on, I train them maybe morals of life, but you don’t realize they think about you when they go to bed, you’re not just thinking about them,” said Iovino.
E-Star Roofing Services held the contest as a way to give back to a member of the community who’s making a difference.
“She’s a mom of five, she’s a Pinellas County schoolteacher, she gives back so much to the community. It’s really nice that we’re now able to give back to her,” said Julie McAllister, Office Manager at E-Star Roofing Services.
Iovino says her roof had been leaking and she was saving money for a new one. She can now put that money toward something else.
“I also have a fence that’s coming down. You know kids playing in the backyard fence comes down. I can fix that now. So that’s a huge relief on me,” Iovino said.
