Community remembers school worker after unexpected death

More than 200 backpacks collected at Maureen Sumlin's funeral

APOPKA, Fla. – More than 200 backpacks lined the front of United Methodist Church during the funeral of Maureen Sumlin on Tuesday morning. 

The paraprofessional at Wolf Lake Elementary School died unexpectedly one week ago.

Kindergarten teacher Shannon Blake said Sumlin was an irreplaceable part of the school. 

"Our school family lost the face of our school," she said. "She really was the person who knew all of our children at school and greeted them with a smile every day." 

Fifth-grade student Cheyenne Doyle was one of many who said she knew Sumlin well. 

"She's a nice lady," she said. "She's been helping everybody out and she's been a substitute for everybody." 

Blake said she thought it would be a great idea to give back to the community, and worked with Principal Caroll Grimando to organize the backpack donation. 

"It just speaks to how this community feels about her, an opportunity for her legacy to live on," Grimando said. "I know she's smiling at that and I know it would warm her heart we turned this tragedy into something wonderful for our students." 

Orange County Superintendent Dr. Barbara Jenkins has seen the number of students dealing with homelessness almost double in the past five years. 

Nearly 10,000 students in the county are now homeless and Jenkins said these backpacks could make a big difference. 

"A child that's really struggling because their family is struggling with poverty feels a little out of place at the start of school," Jenkins said. "It's very important because it will boost their self-esteem." 

The backpacks from Sumlin's funeral are being distributed to students Apopka-area schools who need them. The first day of school on Monday.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Sumlin's children. You can donate here

You can also click here to learn more about A Gift for Teaching, which provides $10 worth of school supplies for every $1 donated.
 


About the Author:

It has been an absolute pleasure for Clay LePard living and working in Orlando since he joined News 6 in July 2017. Previously, Clay worked at WNEP TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he brought viewers along to witness everything from unprecedented access to the Tobyhanna Army Depot to an interview with convicted double-murderer Hugo Selenski.

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