Community News - Manatee Spotlight September 11, 2011

Southern Commerce Bank reports successful backpack drive!

Southern Commerce Bank has spent the last several months preparing, purchasing, organizing and stuffing backpacks with school supplies to benefit the students of Ballard Elementary School.  The employees of Southern Commerce Bank are strong believers in paying it forward and helping within the community.  Seventy-two backpacks stuffed with school supplies were donated with the help of contributions from branch employees, Southern Commerce Bank speed networking events, and donations from their generous clients! 

The backpacks were delivered to Ballard Elementary just in time for their Back to School Night on August 18th.  Southern Commerce Bank would also like to thank their clients and contributors for their generous donations; without them, this achievement would not have been possible. 

Local Companies Partner with Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School

John Giglio, Tracy Vanderneck, Charlene Graeber

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School announced its 2011-2012 Partnerships in Education sponsors this week. Each year local companies partner with the school to bring value to the school community as well as to the sponsoring business.

”We are grateful for the partnerships with our local community businesses,“ said Tracy Vanderneck, Director of the Partnerships in Education program. ”Each company offers something unique to the students of Saint Stephen’s through their sponsorship - for example, the partnership with Freedom Boat Club enables our Marine Sciences teachers to conduct classes out on the Manatee River.“

The 2011-2012 sponsors to date are:

De Soto National Memorial is looking for you!

Have you ever wanted to be part of De Soto National Memorial’s seasonal programs? Did you ever want to work on a haunted trail, or take part in a winter luminary festival? Have you ever wanted to try living history but never had the opportunity. Well De Soto National Memorial, part of your National Park Service (NPS) is looking for those who would like to give it a try. We need volunteers to help fill out our winter season’s event schedule. Some of these opportunities include:

Desoween IV – We are looking for dedicated individuals who love to get spooky and have fun. We need people to dress in creepy costumes, be scary and have a great attitude. Desoween is a family oriented haunted trail walk the takes place on Saturday October 29, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.

Winter Luminary Festival – The trails of De Soto National Memorial will be lit up with holiday luminaries. We need volunteers to help with set up and break down, act as costumed personnel or help with many other functions and operations needed throughout the night. The Luminary walk takes place on Saturday December 17^th 2011 at 6:30 p.m. 

Living History at Camp Uzita– We are looking for history minded individuals who have an interest in the European Renaissance or 16^th Century Native American history for our living history programs at Camp Uzita. Camp Uzita runs every day from December 10^th to April 14^th 2012 from 10:00 till 4:00. As a camp volunteer you can receive interpretive training from certified Park Rangers. Volunteers can work what schedule will fit them the best throughout the season. Some of the activities and opportunities in Camp Uzita include: blacksmithing, tailoring, painting, basket making, pottery, campfire cooking, and arrowhead making just to name a few. 

De Soto Landing Event– Have you ever wanted to participate in the famous De Soto Landing Event. This annual event has occurred at De Soto National Memorial for over 70 years. We are looking for volunteers to help out in several living history departments. We are focused in telling the importance of this history event and its impact on the native people of America. The De Soto Landing event happens of in April 2012.

As a volunteer you will gain experience in event planning and Living history, as well as NPS park operations. The VIP (Volunteer in Parks) program is a nationally recognized and sponsored program amongst the 396 units of the National Park Service.

Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County is Actively Looking for Mentors

One of the key and proven success factors of TSIC is the role of the mentor

A mentor can be YOU! Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County is a scholarship and school-based mentoring program for at-risk youth in low-income families. Take Stock is looking for mentors for middle and high school age children. If you can donate one hour per week, you can change a life by helping a child build a solid foundation of values, establish goals, improve their academic and life skills, while developing their self-esteem and confidence.

A mentor is a caring, compassionate adult who chooses to devote their time to a young person, offering them support, guidance, and encouragement.

”My Mentoring experience has been much more than I thought it would be. I expected to help a young girl achieve her goals - and not much beyond that. My surprise has been how much I have learned from her,“ said Lenore Nepveu, mentor for TSIC. ”We talk about lots of things - not just school or goal related. It's fun to see how she grows and matures as time passes. If you are considering being a mentor - Just DO it! You'll be rewarded in so many ways.“

Our success rate at Take Stock in Children is a result of a comprehensive approach provided by our program. Can you remember adults who paid attention to you; who believed in you; and who guided you during your childhood? These individuals served as mentors. Wouldn’t you like to have someone think of you as their life-changing, trusted mentor?

To become a mentor for Take Stock, please visit our website www.takestocksarasota.org and click How to Help. This will lead you to our application. For any additional questions, contact Dana at dana@takestocksarasota.org or call 941-893-7690. 

Pink for the puppies

Boutique Out East Salon & Spa shows their support of Breast Cancer Awareness month in a funky way.

The Ladies at Boutique Out East are at it again, showing support for October’s  Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Stylists, Estheticians, Nail Artists and fabulous clients are  proudly sporting trendy pink  hair extension  pieces. Owner and master stylist Shelly Gutowski says ” I love my cha-cha’s , and want to help advance  Breast Cancer Research any way I can. As a stylist this  is my way of helping.“

You to can join in  by calling the Spa at 941-746-1500. The cost is only $20 per bundle of pink proudness. Installation only takes minutes, so you can  go out for lunch and return to the office with an amazing new twist. All proceeds go to local Cancer Research. So come out and help us as we support our Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Aunts, our friends and those we haven’t met yet. Hope to see you there doing your part for a good cause.

April Dacas Appointed Publicity Manager for the S.W.A.T. Networking

April Dacas of Len's Roofing

April Dacas of Len's Roofing has been appointed Publicity Manager for the S.W.A.T. Networking - Successfu Women Aligning Together organization. Directtor, Dr. Robyn Spirtas stated that "April's marketing and business skills make her the perfect canidate for this important position. We are so pleased to have her!".

With close to 100 members, "Successful Women Aligning Together" is one of the fastest growing networking group for women in Manatee county. All women in business are invited to attend. For more information, go to www.swatnetworking.com

Who’s Who in the World 2012 to Include Local Resident

Kerri L. Hansen, resident of Myakka City and daughter of local author and writer Oliver J. DeSofi, was selected for inclusion in the 2012 edition of the Marquis Who’s Who in the World. This will be the 29^th edition of Who’s Who in the World. Kerri’s father, Oliver, was included in the 1^st edition and every edition since.