For the Maletta family, love and family came full circle right here in St. Augustine. It was here that more than 20 years ago, Tom and Michelle Maletta spent their honeymoon. And, after a couple major moves as well as extensive world travels, it is here where they returned in 2002 to lay roots and raise a family. They discovered their new home in Clubview Estates nestled near the first tee of the King & Bear golf course.

Today, Michele is a busy mother of three who was recently named to the Board of Davidson Cares. We caught up with Michele to ask her about her new appointment and her experiences.

Q: Congratulations on being named to the Board of Davidson Cares! How did you get involved with Davidson Cares? Davidson Cares is Davidson Realty’s corporate giving program, which is dedicated to supporting local schools – specifically Wards Creek Elementary, Mill Creek Elementary, Palencia Elementary, and Pacetti Bay Middle School. Tom and I have 3 children: Tommy, 14; Matt, 11; and Katie, 8. Our oldest attends Pacetti Bay Middle School and the younger two are at Wards Creek Elementary. I am very involved in the children’s school, especially Wards Creek where I spend two days a week helping in the classroom. I was honored to be asked to serve on the Board of Davidson Cares because I am already very involved with the schools, and I feel like I can be very useful to the Board because of my current involvement.

Q: Looking around your home, the décor reflects a family with stories of great travels – a Russian chess set, a hand-crafted canoe, German beer steins. Tell us a little about your journeys. We lived in North Carolina for a couple of years prior to moving here, and before that Tom and I lived in Savannah for 10 years. We love to travel, and we’ve been able to take our children with us, too. Our family has been to over 40 countries including Antarctica, Australia, Russia, Poland, and Peru. My favorite country is Ecuador where we spent a month last year. We’ve enjoyed filling our home with things related to all the places we’ve been.

Q: When it was time to choose a home in Florida, what was it that drew you to the King & Bear?
We looked all over Palm Coast and St. Augustine, but really liked the King & Bear. At the time, there were only a handful of houses built in the King & Bear. In fact, our house was being built when we first saw it, and we immediately knew it was exactly what we were looking for!  It was one of the only brick and stone houses we had seen in Florida, which is a style we love. Before moving in, our home was the 2002 Symphony Showcase home so we had to wait until the showcase was over to move in.

When we first moved here, I remember going to the pool across the street with my two oldest (then 3 years and 6 months old), just waiting for someone else to show up at the pool. It took about two years before people first started showing up at the pool! Of course, now there are lots of kids for them to play with.

Q: As a mother of three and an active member of the community, you certainly keep busy, Michele!  And you’re adding even more to your plate? Yes! Next semester, I will be teaching a couple of courses at Flagler College three days a week, so there won’t be much time left over!