Who Cracked My Egg? Graduates First Class at Carver Center

BUNNELL, Fla. – Decorated with balloons, food and swag, the G.W. Carver Center welcomed its new graduates with pride on Wednesday evening. The ‘Who Cracked My Egg’ emotional resilience program was created by Carmen Gray after the passing of her son, Curtis Gray, to aid children in learning emotional life lessons as well as giving them an understanding of cooking.

“I think the program went very successfully. We were able to culminate the culinary aspect of elevating recipes for different eggs and we were able to culminate that with lessons on emotional resilience strategies and mental health awareness,” said Gray.

When talking about the impact the program had, Carmen Gray was very excited to share the efforts of the teens.

“I can say it has, just looking at the elevation of where they were six weeks ago and where they are right now. A lot of the information that was implemented along with their experience in the kitchen. Just watching their elevation, just watching them really rise to the occasion not just in the kitchen but in terms of cooking, but how they implement the information from the lesson plans, I’m really excited and I’m happy. I could see the results,” she said.

It was considered successful and very impactful, with many of the teens in the program taking away the foundational building blocks of being proud of oneself, that no matter what another person tells them, they matter, and to be open and kind.

Teamwork in the kitchen, their growing leaderships skills, and the ability each graduate showed to understand emotions was also praised. The emotional resilience aspect of the program was a focus of the graduation ceremony. Gray reiterated the idea that emotions could be positive or negative, and that emotional resilience is rooted in how a person thinks and responds to emotions, even those of others.

The program, due to its success, is slated to expand. The outreach to vulnerable children and teens may be brought to the county’s schools and other organizations in need.

“So, this was our launch. This is our sfummer camp program and we’re definitely looking to do afterschool programs working along the Flagler School District and implementing the program where needed, even for private organizations,” said Gray.

“We’ll be working with MIP (Me in Progress) coming up in a couple of weeks and that’s going to also be six-week courses stretched out over three different courses. So, I’m excited about that and we’re looking forward to the future.”

The participants were also excited about their graduation. Tay’Nyja Smith, one of the graduates, shared a little about her journey.

“I love the program. It was fun meeting new people and cooking,” she said.

When asked about a lesson she learned from the course, she stated it taught her, “how to be a better person and cook,” as well as inspiring her to be a role model for others.

“As a mentor and an advocate for Flagler Schools youth, I could find no better place than to be there and ensure that every student felt that attending this program was an honor and something to be celebrated,” shared Maryiotti Johnson, Assistant Director of Finance and Operations for the Flagler County Education Foundation.

“One of the lessons the students learned was about philanthropy and giving back to the community. This is an important lesson we can all benefit from.”