Florida Power & Light Company External Affairs Manager and disabled U.S. Army veteran Sophia Eccleston has a passion for serving our country and helping members of her community who are in need.
Working at FPL Sophia has built relationships with elected officials, local leaders and members of nonprofit organizations in Palm Beach County, giving her the opportunity to address issues that are currently affecting residents in the community. Two of the areas Sophia has helped make a marked impact on, are addressing homelessness and bringing much-needed support to veterans.
“In many cases when service men and women come home, they struggle to find the resources necessary to help them adjust back to civilian life,” said Sophia. “We all have a duty to help those who have served us, and I am honored to be able to do my part.”
Sophia currently serves as president of the Board of the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County, whose mission is building coalitions and inspiring pathways to help end homelessness in the county. Through her involvement with the organization, since 2017 she was able to help raise more than $900,000, to provide housing to individuals and families, including homeless veterans.
Sophia also helped launch the Mission United program for United Way of Palm Beach County. The program coordinates services for veterans and their families, connecting them to affordable support, employment services, education, legal assistance, health care and other resources.
“Sophia and the thousands of veterans employed at NextEra Energy, Inc. embody the values and culture of giving back our organization stands for,” said Pam Rauch, vice president of external affairs and economic development for FPL. “It’s an honor to work alongside veterans who have given so much to our great nation, and continue to serve their communities every day.”
Just in time for Veterans Day, Sophia partnered with Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County to build a home for a veteran in Boca Raton, Fla. Members of FPL’s employee resource group VETNEXT, which is made up of employees like Sophia who give back to their communities and fellow veterans through a number of initiatives, also came together to build this dream home for the veteran in need.
According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, in 2018 there were more than 2,500 homeless veterans in Florida. To learn how you can help U.S. homeless veterans, please visit www.volunteer.va.gov.
About the Author - Pam Rauch
Pamela Rauch serves as vice president of external affairs and economic development for FPL, where she is responsible for all local government relations, community relations and economic development for the company. An experienced attorney, Pam started her career at FPL as a senior attorney, eventually becoming part of that leadership team as Associate General Counsel, managing the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental Group. She is actively engaged with the community and serves on numerous boards and committees.