Jun. 16, 2022 Andrea Eliscu, Founder of A Boat, a Bridge & a Bond: Dragon Boat Racing For Kids And Cops
Hybrid Meeting June 16, 2022
A nurse and healthcare consultant by trade, Andrea Eliscu, BS, RN, is a community-builder, volunteer, mentor, philanthropist and social entrepreneur by passion. She serves as President of Medical Marketing Inc., a healthcare marketing and public relations firm she co-founded in 1984 to help physicians position their practices for success in the ever-changing healthcare marketplace. Throughout her career, Eliscu has authored four books.
She is perhaps best known for her tireless work with a program called Dueling Dragons.
In 2010, Eliscu brought the sport of dragon boating to Orlando and in 2011 formed an unlikely team — police officers and inner-city kids — to change how both saw and interacted with each other. She worked with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and then Orlando Police Chief Val Demings to create Dueling Dragons, the first program of its kind in the country.
Over the past 10 years, Eliscu has drawn national media attention and made new headlines — stories about cops and kids working together, not on the streets, but in the water, away from any distractions, learning something new together, and seeing each other in fresh ways. In 2016, she was invited to give a TEDx talk about her work with the program, and it has also been featured on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, the Today Show, CNN, local Orlando news and an Amazon Prime Video documentary released in 2017.
Recently Eliscu was recognized with the Orange Appeal Woman of the Year Award, the I-4 Corridor Connection Award, the “Social Entrepreneur & Innovation Award” at Central Florida’s National Philanthropy Day breakfast. Her volunteer work has also been honored with a “Good Citizenship Award” from the Orlando Police Department and the “BOLDY Spirit of Collaboration Award” from Growing Bolder.