At Keep Manatee Beautiful’s annual Awards Celebration on September 13 the Polo Grill in Lakewood Ranch, local businesses, governmental agencies, neighborhoods, organizations and citizens were awarded for their outstanding volunteer efforts during 2011 in litter cleanup and prevention, recycling and landscaping. The keynote speaker was Senator Mike Bennett.
OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER GROUP AWARDS:
These volunteers surpassed the norm in doing quarterly cleanups and longevity of adoption and marking storm drains to prevent stormwater pollution.
Adopt-A-Highway Program:
Adopt-A-Road Program:
Adopt-A-Shore Program:
Storm Drain Stenciling:
LEAVE YOUR MARK KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL SCHOOL OF THE YEAR AWARDS
These schools surpassed the norm in meeting criteria necessary to become a Keep America Beautiful school.
| Elementary School: | Rowlett Elementary School |
| Middle School: | Braden River Middle School |
| High School: | Manatee High School |
RECYCLING AWARDS:
Recycling Awards honored those going beyond the norm to recycle goods used in the workplace or at home that otherwise would be discarded.
| Small Business: |
Royal Palm Car Wash Turner Tree & Landscape |
| Large Business: |
Pittsburg Pirates & Bradenton Marauders School District of Manatee County |
| Adult Organization: | El Rancho Village |
| Individual: | Tracey Dodge of Nolan Middle School |
LANDSCAPING AWARDS:
Landscaping Awards recognized landscapes that surpassed the norm for design, maintenance, neighborhood enhancement, community awareness, and use of native and drought tolerant plants.
| Small Business: | Royal Palm Car Wash |
| Large
Business: |
Mosaic for Bunker Hill
Community Park |
| Public
Open Spaces: |
Manatee Co. Natural Resources for Robinson Preserve |
| Public Building: | King Middle School |
| Neighborhood
Community: |
The Crossings |
| Multi-Family Community: | Capetown Village |
PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS:
These awards recognize those demonstrating leadership in cleaning up and improving the community environment through litter prevention, preventing illegal dumping, beautification and minimizing impacts of waste.
| Outstanding Personal Contribution: | Shannon DeGaetano of Sugg Middle School | |
| Esther & Lawrence Ricker of Wood Park | ||
| Law Enforcement Agency: | City of Bradenton Code Enforcement Division | |
| Business and Industry Partnership: | Small
Business – |
1 Stop Landscaping |
| Air & Energy | ||
| Bunker Hill Vineyard & Winery | ||
| Environmental Biotech International | ||
| Fawley Bryant Architects | ||
| Living Out East Magazine | ||
| Large Business | Arrow Environmental Services, Inc. | |
| ESC - Energy & Sustainability Consultants | ||
| Flowers Baking Company | ||
| Pittsburg Pirates Baseball Club | ||
| St. Stephen’s Episcopal School | ||
| Turner Tree & Landscape | ||
| Waste Pro | ||
| Willis A. Smith Construction | ||
| Community Organizations: | Manatee County Community Action Team | |
|
Palma Sola Park Association |
||
| Government Partnership: | Bright House Networks | |
| Bradenton Herald | ||
| The Bradenton Times | ||
| Media Community Relations: | Manatee County Government | |
| Youth Volunteers: | Manatee High School Key Club |
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Over 100 supporters from the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM) participated in the Heartwalk sponsored by the American Heart Association. Participants included faculty, staff, students, friends and even some pets of USFSM. USFSM also took home the award for best t-shirt design.
The
group began meeting in 1986 to help cancer patients, their families,
and friends in coping with cancer and its treatment. The group meets
every Wednesday at Blake Medical Center in the Cancer Resource Room and
provides emotional and spiritual support through a sharing and caring
environment. Support group members are able to discuss their feelings, questions and concerns with others facing similar battles.
”We are excited to celebrate this milestone for the Caring Friends group,“ explains hospital president and chief executive officer, Daniel Friedrich. ”Our
Cancer Care Center’s philosophy is to combine advanced medicine with
emotional and social support to create a comprehensive patient
experience that sets the stage for both hope and healing.“
The Cancer Care program at Blake Medical Center combines advanced diagnosis and treatment with compassionate care for individuals fighting cancer. The program has been accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer since 1988. From prevention to the latest diagnostic tools and treatment options, the Cancer Care Team combines over 450 years of experience and are committed to providing outstanding cancer care to the patients they serve.
Bradenton's newest Rotary Club, Manatee Riverside Rotary, presented a check to Camp Boggy Creek for $2,500 on Sept. 21, 2011, during their weekly meeting. The meeting was held at Pier 22 located in downtown Bradenton. This money was raised at their first annual casino night also held at Pier 22. The event raised a total of $5,000 and the remaining funds will be distributed to other local not for profits that benefit children in our community.
Founded by Paul Newman and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Camp Boggy Creek is a year-round camp for children ages 7-16 suffering with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Located on 232 acres in Eustis, Florida, the Camp allows children whose lives have been a series of medical procedures and hospital stays to enjoy a traditional camp experience as just ”kids.“ There is no charge to attend and it is supported solely by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, like the Manatee Riverside Rotary. Since opening in 1996, Camp Boggy Creek has served over 53,000 children and their family members. It is a member of the Association of Hole In The Wall Camps
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Where is a hero when you need one? For senior citizen Ruby Howze of Wauchula, FL, a hero appeared in the right place, at the right time.
Recently, Peace River Electric Cooperative (PRECO) meter reader Dan Duke found himself in the middle of an emergency. Like any other crisis, the event began innocently and without warning. At the beginning of his work day, Duke stopped at Howze’s home to change a defective electric meter.
”I don’t usually do meter changes in the morning,“ shares Duke. At first, he was only going to drive by her home on his route to read meters, when, ”Something told me to go ahead and change it right then.“ As a courtesy, Duke went to the door intending to inform Howze that her power would be off momentarily while he exchanged meters. The next few minutes became critical.
Duke gave a knock on the back door and waited. ”She opened the door and said she was feeling dizzy,“ explains Duke. ”After that, she blacked out and started falling backward, so I reached out and caught her before she hit the floor. I still had my [insulated protective] hot gloves on!“
After easing her to the floor, Duke called her by name to see if she would respond. When Howze didn’t respond, he quickly dialed 9-1-1 for help. He let emergency dispatchers know what happened and that Howze was breathing on her own. ”She coughed a little, so I could tell that she was breathing,“ comments Duke. He gave directions to the location and within minutes an ambulance rolled onto the scene.
Howze regained consciousness before the ambulance arrived. After treatment and release from the hospital within hours of the ordeal, she returned to the rural home she’s lived in since 1955.
A few days later, Duke returned to check on Howze. This time a knock on the door produces the pair of gloves he left behind during all the excitement, followed by a big smile from the grateful Howze.
”Boy, this guy helped me,“ Howze exclaims. ”If he hadn’t been here, I might have gone to the door for some other reason and fell down the steps.“ The pair has come to know each other over the past three years, as Duke has travelled to her home monthly to read the meter. ”I thank the Lord that he came! I’m thankful it was somebody I knew and somebody who could take care of me.“
”I didn’t feel bad that day,“ Howze adds. ”By the time I realized what was happening, it was kind of over.“
”You really took care of me,“ Howze gushes at Duke. ”I was perfectly comfortable with you. You did just perfect!“
Duke credits CPR training. ”I’ve never had to use it before now,“ he declares. Then modestly downplaying his role, he insists, ”If it had been any other employee, they would’ve done the same thing.“
Peace River Electric Cooperative is proud to have caring employees like Dan Duke, and is pleased to offer CPR training to all employees.Cultural Connections of Anna Maria Island calls all artists far and wide to start preparing your entry now for artsHOP 2011. Deadline for submitting an art entry is November 1.
The public art theme this year is Doors II, ”Think outside the Door.“ DOORS first appeared as our public art project during the 2009 artsHOP and were seen at various businesses throughout Anna Maria Island. DOORS II will be another island-wide project with 'doors' being the basic concept. In 2009, we had large full-size doors, this year we suggest using smaller doors as the canvas to create something smaller, for instance, cupboard doors or louvered doors, screen doors, tables made from doors, or benches, etc. Let's see how creative we can be!
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