Meet the Gordon’s - a Big Family with Strong Community Ties

As a big, blended family of 7, we are always running around to make it to the next game, meeting, or practice. My siblings and I range all the way from age 6 to 24. So, you can only imagine the array of activities we get ourselves into to accommodate everyone’s different interests and passions. Thankfully there are many opportunities in our community for the whole family to stay busy.

Emma, the youngest, is a dance maniac and loves going to ballet classes at the P-Rec. Leo IV, 8, can’t take his skates off the hockey rink with his best friends. Gabby, 15, is our next softball star and has been playing parkland softball and baseball since she was in elementary school. Anne, 16, found a community and sense of belonging with the JROTC program. All of which is only thanks to the supermom skills of our mom, Mayda, that coordinates and executes all of our schedules. Her extensive experience as a licensed realtor, has prepared her to be able to handle many moving pieces at the same time. When she is not shuttling the troop to their next destination, she is helping keep the zoo alive at our home! Together, my siblings have a dog, cat, goldfish, bunny, snake and four parakeets.

I think we all follow in the footsteps of my stepdad, Leo Gordon III, as he is the most involved out of all of us! Leo is a board member of the Parkland Parks and Rec advisory board, Chairperson for the Parkland Days 60th Anniversary Celebration Committee, Vice President of the Parkland Chamber of Commerce, is almost graduating the Parkland/ Coral Springs CERT training and just finished a season of Parkland Adult Softball league. Not only is he active on the field and in the community but he began to expand his education this year when he entered the executive program at the Jim Moran Institute.

Not only has he set an example for all of us to get involved and stay active, but he has helped me personally find my own ways of getting involved. We often will go to town hall meetings, and I have had the honor to not only get to meet all the Parkland commissioners but also State Representative Christine Hunschofsky. Then, I began to participate with the Parkland Chamber, meeting other family run businesses in our community and soon after obtained a role to manage the social media accounts. I have also been able to volunteer for many amazing organizations but the one closest to our hearts is Parkland Buddy Sports.

Practices, games, meetings, and everything in between often collide, and it takes a village to get everyone where they belong, but we always seem to find a way. Thankfully, our family has been operating MVP Environmental solutions, a full-service mold, water, and fire restoration company for over a decade and this has allowed all of us to have the flexibility to make it to all the games, shows and practices.

By Luisana Castillo