ConnectED Polk outlines countywide business–school partnerships, cites $2.55 million invested

Dr. Melody Bridal, founder of nonprofit ConnectED Polk, told the Polk County School Board on Aug. 23 that the organization serves as an intermediary between businesses and schools to expand students’ exposure to careers. "We are the first of our kind in Polk County," Bridal said, describing ConnectED Polk as a bridge that works behind the scenes to align business resources with school needs.

Bridal said the organization has invested $2,552,000 in school programming to date, has grown from two pilot schools to 17 schools (13 public), and reached more than 6,000 students through engagement with about 200 professionals across 40 business types. She described hands‑on industry showcases, a "flip the script" program for juniors and seniors, virtual field‑trip pilots and more than 167 events planned for the coming cycle. "We want to continue to be flexible, to be innovative and work behind the scenes to promote, to scale, to invest in initiatives that meet our mission," she said.

Bridal highlighted specific partnerships, including Lakeland Regional Health, which brought roughly 150 students to explore health‑care pathways, and the IDEA Lakeland charter school, which she said has a historically long wait list. She said the planned Barnett family Junior Achievement Discovery Center would be designed to reach roughly 20,000 students in the region.

Board members praised the countywide expansion and urged Bridal to pursue partnerships in logistics, manufacturing and IT/cyber careers. In response to a question about how businesses can get involved, Bridal said: "Just contact me, reach out," and provided a contact: Melody@connected.org. She also said ConnectED Polk is onboarding businesses to School Links so companies can be matched to school needs and opportunities.

The presentation was followed by board questions and positive comments; no board action was taken.