Sponsored By Historic Lutz Cemetery & The Historic Heritage Foundation
A Youth Service-Learning Project of Historic Lutz Cemetery and the Historical Heritage Foundation
The Florida Legacy Project is a youth service-learning initiative that connects young people with local history through the lives of those who came before them. Working within Historic Lutz Cemetery, students select an individual interred at the cemetery and become the caretaker of that person’s story. Through historical and archival research, photographs, public records, family interviews, and other available resources, participants discover who that individual was, the life they lived, and the role their story plays in the larger history of Lutz and Florida.
The project goes beyond research by combining history, preservation, service, and technology. Students may help care for gravesites, document monuments, collect photographs and historical materials, and transform their research into a lasting digital biography connected to the gravesite through a QR-enabled memorial. In doing so, a name and date carved in stone becomes a story that future generations can discover. Through the partnership of Historic Lutz Cemetery and the Historical Heritage Foundation, the Florida Legacy Project gives young people an opportunity to serve their community while developing a personal connection to history—and helps ensure that the stories entrusted to our care are not forgotten.
Research the Past. Serve Today. Preserve Their Legacy for Tomorrow.
Our Mission
The mission of the Florida Legacy Project is to connect young people with local history through meaningful service, research, and preservation. By discovering and documenting the lives of those who came before us, students help preserve individual stories, honor community heritage, and ensure these legacies remain accessible for generations to come—while learning that history is not simply something we study, but something we are each entrusted to carry forward.
Florida Legacy Project — Core Goals
- Preserve Local History — Research, document, and preserve the stories of individuals interred at Historic Lutz Cemetery so their lives and contributions are not forgotten.
- Connect Youth with the Past — Give young people a personal connection to history by allowing them to discover the life behind a name, date, or monument.
- Encourage Meaningful Service — Provide hands-on service-learning opportunities through gravesite care, documentation, historical research, cemetery projects, and preservation activities.
- Develop Research Skills — Teach students how to use historical records, archives, photographs, newspapers, interviews, and other primary and secondary sources to build an accurate picture of a person's life.
- Preserve Stories Digitally — Transform student research into digital memorials and biographies that can be accessed through Life's QR Codes and other historical archives.
- Honor Veterans and Community Builders — Help students understand the service, sacrifice, work, and everyday lives of the veterans, families, pioneers, and community members who helped shape Lutz and the surrounding area.
- Build Intergenerational Connections — Encourage students to engage with families, historians, veterans, longtime residents, and community organizations to collect and preserve firsthand knowledge.
- Create Future Stewards — Inspire young people to recognize that cemeteries, historical records, artifacts, and personal stories are part of their community's heritage—and that preserving them is a responsibility that passes from one generation to the next.
A strong phrase to tie the goals together would be:
Discover a Life. Preserve a Story. Carry the Legacy Forward.
Student Research Component
Each student or student team will:
- Select a person interred at Historic Lutz Cemetery
- Conduct historical and genealogical research
- Gather and digitize materials, including:
- Photographs
- Letters & Documents
- Military Records
- Newspaper Articles
- Family Trees
- Oral Histories & Interviews
- Personal Memorabilia (when available)
- Write a biographical narrative suitable for public viewing.
Community & Educational Impact
Impact for Students
- Real-world research experience
- Civic pride and historical awareness
- Writing, technology, and critical thinking skills
- Service learning and volunteer hours
Impact for Families
- Preservation of family history
- Public recognition of loved ones
- A permanent digital legacy
Impact for Community
- Living cemetery experience
- Heritage tourism potential
- Intergenerational storytelling
- Preservation of local Florida history
Student Participation Guide
Each student will be guided as they become a historian, researcher, and storyteller. Through the project they will help preserve Florida's history by researching the life of a person buried at Historic Lutz Cemetery and transforming their story into a permanent digital legacy.
Lutz Cemetery is more than 115-years old and is full of amazing stories and history.
Each student's work will ensure that future generations can learn about the people who helped shape our community - simply by scanning a QR code on a headstone or niche.
Learn More about Life's QR
Our student historians will collect information that will be digitized and added to an exclusive memorial page accessible by scanning the stainless steel QR code that will be affixed to the person's headstone or niche. Click the button to learn more about Life's QR.
Achievable Steps to Success
Step 1: Choosing a Research Subject
Historic Lutz Cemetery is 115+ years old, with veterans dating back to the Civil War. You may also recognize many names in the cemetery as street names in our community.
Step 2: Research & Source Collection
We will share ideas on where to find information and provide contact information for family members who have agreed to participate.
Step 3: Collecting & Digitizing Materials
We will guide you on how to properly handle materials entrusted to your care.
Step 4: Writing the Biography
This project will help you to create a biographical narrative that includes early life background, education, career or military service, personal accomplishments, and more.
Step 5: Creating the Digital Legacy Page
Each participant will be provided with a Life's QR for their subject. Project coordinators will assist with final formatting and publication to the online digital site.
Step 6: QR Code Installation
The Student Historian's research becomes a permanent part of the cemetery and the community.