Passing the Baton: CDS Furniture Donation Empowers Growing Florida School

This summer, Carrollwood Day School is giving its 4th and 5th grade divisions an exciting face lift, refreshing a total of nine classrooms with brand new, modern student and teacher furnishings. But before the new desks could arrive, CDS faced a familiar logistical puzzle: ensuring the existing, high quality furniture found a meaningful home instead of a local landfill.

Enter the power of the CDS community network.

Recognizing the challenge, CDS elementary teacher Stephanie Rodriguez reached out to her longtime friend of 14 years, Shelby Husted, an administrator at The Cygnet School in Lakeland, Florida. Their longstanding friendship and shared passion for education made the collaboration a natural fit. The Cygnet School is a passionate, growing private school dedicated to providing an inclusive, highly individualized education for students of all abilities, including neurodivergent learners.

For a growing school like Cygnet, a sudden influx of premium classroom furniture was a game changer.

Shelby, a crew of volunteers, and the CDS Facilities Team quickly joined forces. Over the course of a few U-Haul trips, they packed, moved, and completely cleared out all nine classrooms. Because of this coordinated teamwork, every single student desk, chair, and bookshelf was saved from the waste stream and given an immediate second life.  CDS continues to prove that sustainability and community go hand-in-hand.

A True Win-Win Partnership.

"In the past, finding a home for an entire division's worth of furniture has been a massive struggle," said Vincent Monty, Director of Facilities. "To have a local partner step in and utilize 100% of it is incredible. We were able to efficiently make room for our new 4th and 5th grade spaces, and The Cygnet School received the resources they need to continue growing their wonderful program."