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Connected Polk outlines countywide business–school partnerships, reports $2.55 million invested
Summary
On Aug. 23 at a Polk County School Board work session, a Connected Polk leader described the nonprofit's intermediary role connecting businesses and schools, said the group has invested about $2,552,000 in school programming, and previewed 167 events planned for 2025'026.
Dr. Melody Bridal, a leader with Connected Polk, told the Polk County School Board at its Aug. 23 work session that the nonprofit serves as an intermediary between local businesses and schools to expand students' exposure to careers and create sustainable partnerships across the county.
Bridal said Connected Polk aims to boost student access to career exploration and employer pathways and that the group's founders framed the work both as economic development and a moral imperative. "We are an intermediary which is somewhat new to our area. We are the first of our kind in Polk County," she said.
Connected Polk described a strategy of behind-the-scenes work matching businesses to school needs, providing volunteers and programming partners rather than running its own curriculum. Bridal told the board the organization has invested about $2,552,000 in programming for schools, has grown from two pilot schools in 2022 to work in 17 schools (13 of them public), and reached "over 6,000 students" through partner activities.
The organization gave examples of recent events and initiatives it helps coordinate, including a Lakeland Regional Health showcase that brought roughly 150 students and about 13 career pathways to a high school, and a Junior Achievement Discovery Center (Barnett Family Discovery Center) project the presenter said will reach more than 20,000 students. Bridal said Connected Polk engaged about 200 professionals and more than 40 types of businesses last year.
Board members asked about how businesses can get involved and where the group is focusing its outreach. Board member Miller asked, "What is the best way for a business to to connect with you to get involved?" Bridal answered, "Contact me, reach out, smoke signals. We work first with our community. I'll strategically listen to how they wanna accomplish that and then match them up," and provided an email (Melody@connected.org) and a website (connectedpolk.org) during the session.
Board members praised the group's countywide expansion and its focus on career-technical, logistics, manufacturing and information-technology pathways. Dr. Allen said the statistics Bridal shared about students feeling unsure of career paths underscored the need for the work; Bridal had said 66% of 16- to 24-year-olds surveyed were unsure about their career path, 74% believed more exposure would help, and 62% felt a lack of control over their career trajectory.
Bridal also described a continuum of engagement for students: large industry showcases (for ninth and 10th graders), smaller "flip the script" sessions for 11th and 12th graders, deeper academy career connections, and a pilot of virtual field trips aimed at overcoming transportation and capacity challenges. She said Connected Polk planned more than 167 events for the school year and intends to scale in 2026.
No board action was requested at the work session. Board members thanked Bridal for the presentation; Bridal invited board members to upcoming events and mentioned a November ribbon-cutting for an IDEA school site.
Polk County school staff in attendance included Chief Collins, who was standing in for Superintendent Hyde during the meeting and introduced the presentation.
