ABOUT  US

Cynthia Haring, a native of Iowa, has always been extremely supportive of good causes in different aspects of life. As a young poet, singer, and songwriter she performed under the name Destiny Quibble. Cynthia had her own music group and became the poster child of street performance legalization in Chicago in the 1980s. As a teacher, Cynthia worked with children from diverse multilingual and multicultural backgrounds in the Iowa-Illinois Quad Cities, in Parker (Arizona), and Tampa (Florida). Her experience in performance, recording, song writing, and as an educator in English as a Second Language (ESL) inspired her to form the different World Nation groups she established in these states. For years, Cynthia has made kids and teenagers shine on stage and recording studios. She has recorded songs in sixteen languages and has released her music in vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs over the years. These include alternative rock in her “The Life and Times of Destiny Quibble” album, songs in four Native-American languages from the Colorado River Indian Tribes, and original and cover songs in her last three CDs “Cruising in my Wagon,” “Walking in a Memory,” and “School of Fish.” Cynthia’s life has always been centered on education, music, and uplifting humanity by providing a positive outlet for the creative expression of talented, and sometimes overlooked, young people. Cynthia’s compassion, generosity, empathy, and sense of justice led her into creating this foundation to make a difference and “be the change you want to see in the world.”

Alice M. La Placa is a sixth generation Native-born Floridian, born and raised in the city of Eustis.

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After graduating from the University of South Florida, she realized her dream of becoming a teacher and has been teaching elementary students in Hernando County, Florida since 1982. She will retire in May 2023 after forty wonderful years in the classroom.

Alice is a member of The Sue Sue Sisters, a singing group formed in 2016 in memory of Alice’s best teacher friend, Susan “Sue Sue” Spear Lake.

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Alice and husband, Daniel, are the parents of two grown daughters and make their home in Spring Lake, Florida.

Originally from Lima, Peru, Katia lived in the United Kingdom for over seven years before she came to the U.S.  She got her Bachelor’s degree in English as a Second Language (ESL) from the Instituto Pedagogico Nacional in Lima.  She did her Master’s degree in Education at the University of Leeds in England while she taught Spanish there.  Katia has had the opportunity of teaching Spanish or English in her native Peru as well as in Puerto Rico, where she taught English to soldiers of the Puerto Rican Army National Guard in Juana Diaz.  Currently, she is an ESOL Lead Teacher in Hernando County Schools, Florida.  Her love for international travel and culture made her the perfect fit to become a member of Cynthia Haring’s World Nation and the Sue Sue Sisters music groups where she plays percussion and sings as backup voice.  Katia has been an unconditional supporter of all of Cynthia’s musical endeavors and charities for years. 

Board member Joyce Cotton, a native of the Midwest, is director of marketing and community partnerships for PBS at WEDU in Tampa, Florida.  She is responsible for developing corporate and non-profit community partnership support for WEDU PBS, a community owned not-for-profit public media broadcast television
station. At WEDU Joyce serves to provide multimedia marketing and branding opportunities for awareness and partnerships through on-air broadcast programming for television, wedu.org, social media platforms, the monthly member magazine (Premiere), and a weekly e-newsletter (Preview). She also works on sponsorships for award-winning special events, cultural documentaries, community engagement and educational outreach
initiatives.
 

Joyce is actively involved in the Tampa Bay community and consistently contributes her time and resources as a volunteer for non-profit organizations in education and the cultural arts community.  One of her
ongoing initiatives is support and advocacy for the arts and family members, caregivers, and individuals with Autism. Her passion is to inspire awareness and education for individuals and groups, focusing on inclusion and access to all of the valuable resources that are available here in the Tampa Bay community.

Christian Valdeos, originally from Lima, Peru, graduated from Frank W. Springstead High School with high honors and the Seal of Biliteracy as a fluent speaker of Spanish and English in 2019.  He then obtained an Associate of Arts degree, graduating magna cum laude from Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC), before continuing in the nursing program.  Christian graduated as a registered nurse from PHSC in December 2022 while continuing his work in the Coronary
Intensive Care Unit at Tampa General Hospital.

He is now moving forward on his medical journey to become an anesthesiologist. Through his 

professional nursing and community service work,

Christian has found inspiration and passion in life by providing care and compassion to people in need, particularly seniors facing medical challenges.

As a member of the World Nation Records® team, he has participated in recording sessions at
Morrisound Recording Studio in Tampa. He also has worked as stage manager, videographer, and photographer during performances of the World Nation music group. Christian has volunteered at Grace’s Closet, providing clothes to those in
need, as well as the Nature World Wildlife Rescue in Homosassa.  He currently serves as treasurer for the Hispanic Scholarship Civil and Cultural  Foundation in Hernando County.