FPL surprises Army veteran, family with holiday decorations

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It was a joyous moment for local Army veteran June Halstead-Cox when a team of volunteer Florida Power & Light Co. “elves” delivered a bright surprise to her and her family.

To thank her for her service, FPL transformed her home into an energy-efficient holiday wonderland. FPL volunteers decorated her front yard with LED’s, solar-powered lights and other energy-efficient décor.

Cone, Allen

For four years, Halstead-Cox served in the United States Army through several deployments, including Iraq, Iran, Germany and throughout the U.S.

She says the holiday home décor surprise was “awesome.”

“I felt so overwhelmed, so shocked, I just never expected something so grand, so I’m really, really grateful,” Halstead-Cox said. “This is just unbelievable to me. I just screamed and screamed in the car when we drove up.”

FPL worked with Halstead Cox’s husband and the One Life to Live Foundation on this surprise.

Daphne Uter, who also is a veteran, is with One Life to Live Foundation.

“She’s really a superhero in my eyes,” Uter said. “I am truly excited to be able to deliver this surprise to someone so deserving. We are happy to be able to put a smile on a woman veteran’s face.”

Ilan Kaufer, external affairs manager with FPL, says today’s volunteer activity was special to him and his colleagues.

“This is just a small way to honor Halstead-Cox and thank her for her service,” Kaufer said.

For Halstead-Cox, the décor is beautiful but what it represents is even more meaningful.

“I’m so grateful to the One Life to Live Foundation. I believe in their mission and vision,” she said. “I’m also grateful to the FPL ‘elves.’ There are so many of them and they took time out to do something nice. We decorate, but we would not have gone above expectations like this.”

For 15 years, FPL has been celebrating local heroes as part of the company’s commitment to the community.

Here is a video FPL submitted of the surprise visit.