FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) - When Charisma Payne started kindergarten, her dad went with her - and stayed.
Carl Payne had retired from the U.S. Air Force and wanted to keep busy back in 2008 when Charisma started school. So he volunteered at Edwins Elementary School in Fort Walton Beach, spending the entire day helping teachers and office staff.
He became a fulltime volunteer, doing lunchroom duty, helping the librarian and helping administrators improve their communication with parents. He started substitute teaching and eventually volunteered his way into a paid position - parent liaison.
His daughter just graduated from fifth grade and will be heading to middle school in the fall. But Payne told the Northwest Florida Daily News (https://bit.ly/1j4TLRD ) that he’ll be staying behind, continuing his work at Edwins Elementary.
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Information from: Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.), https://www.nwfdailynews.com
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