Heather Bedor remembers someone recently describing her as a community builder. “I never really thought of that terminology,” she says, “but it was wonderful to be told that.” However one says it, there’s no question Bedor has long embraced the role of building, supporting, and celebrating community.
For her, it’s about responding to need whenever she sees it, however she can. In 2016, the Orlando community was stunned by the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub. Heather had just accepted a position as Event Coordinator at The Center Orlando, and stepped in to serve as their Volunteer Site Supervisor, managing press, volunteers, and community members in the immediate aftermath of the event.
For her, it’s about responding to need whenever she sees it, however she can. In 2016, the Orlando community was stunned by the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub. Having accepted an Event Coordinator position with The Center Orlando just the night before, Bedor stepped in to serve as their Volunteer Site Supervisor, managing press, volunteers, and community members in the immediate aftermath of the event.
Two years later, on Valentine’s Day 2018, Florida was struck with another horrific tragedy — the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where Bedor grew up. She worked with her employer at the time, Macaroni Grill, to organize an event that raised more than $20,000 to support victims and their families. “I very quickly learned how to face the chaos and be a chaos coordinator,” says Bedor. “I consider that my superpower, and if I can’t put it to good use, why have it?”
Two years later, on Valentine’s Day 2018, Florida was struck with another horrific tragedy — the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where Bedor grew up. She worked with her employer at the time, Macaroni Grill, to organize an event that raised more than $20,000 to support victims and their families. “I very quickly learned how to face the chaos and be a chaos coordinator,” says Bedor. “I consider that my superpower, and if I can’t put it to good use, why have it?”
So the second week of March 2020, when life as we know it was turned upside down by the outbreak of COVID-19, Bedor’s instincts kicked in. A restaurant consultant at the time, she went to work finding a way to help local establishments that suddenly found themselves facing a new kind of catastrophe.
“COVID-19 lit a spark to create a community of support, in part so I could regain a sense of community myself but also help the companies I was working with,” she says. “I thought, how can I help them get business to their doors?”
Nationwide, the pandemic cost the restaurant industry $130 million in lost revenues between March and October 2020, according to the National Restaurant Association. But throughout that critical time and beyond — continuing to this day — Bedor was determined to do what she could to support Orlando eateries.
She created Still Serving, a charitable foundation aimed at aiding locally owned restaurants, bars, and breweries in Central Florida. She called establishments one by one to find out who was open for takeout and curbside service so she could help spread the word. Then, she invited each of them to join Still Serving, which lives primarily on the Facebook group of the same name, and establishments began comparing notes and tips on how to make a fast shift to service that met pandemic safety protocols.
“I wanted to create a sense of community where these business owners could speak to one another and say, ‘This works for us’ or ‘What about this?’” she says. “At the same time, I wanted to encourage the community to support them. To create a buzz, I made bingo cards for the local restaurants, giving people a fun reason to go try new places out.” Patrons could trade in a full card for a gift certificate, but Bedor says many never cashed in — they just played for the fun of it and to support the cause.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran and founder of I Know A Guy T-Shirts and More Joe Giannini chipped in and designed Still Serving t-shirts to sell as a fundraiser for locally owned restaurants, bars, and breweries. “All the money from the shirts goes into a relief fund,” Bedor says. “We have been able to use it to provide financial assistance for various expenses, including medical and utility bills, as well as critical equipment repairs.” The fund remains active to this day as local establishments continue rebuilding their operations. (T-shirts are available at iknowaguytshirts.com/products/still-serving-florida-fund-raising-tee)
Melissa McAvoy, owner of Swirlery Wine Bar, calls Still Serving a kind of connective tissue that helped restaurants navigate a sudden reversal of fortune together. “It was initially very motivating to keep our business afloat during the pandemic,” she says. “It was important to Swirlery to do everything in our power to make it through the unknown situation. The Still Serving group kept us connected to constant changes the government was imposing, and the group kept us all connected. We felt like we were all in it together, and the group helped keep us up to date on what we were doing and how we can help one another.”
Bedor has never received any money from the Still Serving initiative and says she was humbled when local media took notice of her efforts. The Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Weekly published stories about Bedor and Still Serving, and Orlando Family Magazine honored her in its Super Women of Central Florida 2021 issue.
As Florida began lifting restrictions in phases, Bedor used her platform to spread the word about reopenings in real time. Later, she held Central Florida’s very first job fair for restaurants, as so many had lost staff members who left during the pandemic and moved on to other careers.
Bedor calls Still Serving a passion project that stems directly from her love of the food and culture of Orlando, where she’s lived for nearly 25 years. “There are so many local restaurants, and they all offer something different,” she says. “This is such a transient city, and everybody’s coming in to hit the theme parks, but they don’t explore all these little local places that will just blow your mind.”
Still Serving now has more than 5,300 members, with viewership in May up twenty-two percent, so the group remains as relevant as ever. Bedor has been working to get 501c3 status to make Still Serving’s relief fund an official nonprofit entity. She continues to encourage people to promote anything they want, from daily specials and events to news of celebrities who’ve stopped by. “It’s an open conversation,” Bedor says. “It’s like sitting around a dinner table and talking about our favorite places. It’s creating that sense of community and family.”
McAvoy agrees. “I still find the group to be valuable,” she says. “We still have compassion and respect for one another and wish one another well, four years later.”
Bedor has one rule: Treat everyone with respect. While she welcomes healthy debates, “If somebody’s just badmouthing a restaurant, this is not the place for it.”
Bedor is still the Administrator of the group and continues to post regularly about Orlando restaurants. For her, spreading the word is second nature. “When I go somewhere, I always take a photo and share something interesting about a place,” she says. “I’m not doing it to take a selfie and say, ‘Look at this!’ It’s more about, ‘Look how gorgeous the craftsmanship of the bar at this tavern is. It was hand carved by the owner’s father.’”
Her worldview is not one of blind largesse — like everybody, Bedor has encountered restaurants that underwhelm her — but she holds herself to the same standard she likes to see in others: staying open to new places and experiences.
“I want to embrace the world,” she says. “I give everybody an opportunity, and I’ve never met a stranger.”
