Democrats Meet
The East Hillsborough County Democratic Club meets the second Tuesday of every month at Giordano’s Restaurant, 11310 Causeway Blvd., Brandon. The next meeting is on Tuesday, August 10, at 6:30 p.m.
RSVP by e-mailing EHCDClub@yahoo.com.
Support Group Welcome Residents with MS
The Brandon MS Support Group meets on the fourth Monday of the month from 7-9 p.m. at the Brandon Regional Library, 619 Vonderburg Dr., Brandon.
For information, call Gaye Moran at 681-4284 or e-mail BrandonMSSupportGroup@gmail.com.
League Reveals Annual Meeting’s Events
In June, The League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County hosted its annual meeting and welcomed members and guests to hear Commissioner Kevin Beckner discuss “Juvenile Justice in Florida” and highlight the purpose, goals, and membership of the Hillsborough County Juvenile Justice Task Force. The league elected officers and directors for 2010 – 2011. President, Mickey Castor; Vice President, Joan Pynes; Secretary, Shirley Arcuri; and Treasurer, John Teti assume their new responsibilities immediately. Newly elected directors include Lillie Samuels, Greg Vawter, Lee Essrig, Mike McKinney and Pat Hall.
For more information, call 649-4309.
New Square Dance Classes to Begin
Bay Area Twirlers welcome you to learn square dancing. The class is co-sponsored by Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation. A new class will begin on Thursday, September 16 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Brandon Community Center, 502 E. Sadie St. (north of Hwy. 60 between Kingsway and Parsons). For more information, call George at 662-1012 or Dan at 571-7786.
Resident Tween Continues March
Valrico resident Zach Bonner’s 2,478-mile “March Across America” will stop for a bit in El Paso, Texas, in July, where the Office Depot Foundation will welcome Bonner with a ceremony at a local Office Depot store. The Office Depot Foundation will donate 500 backpacks in Bonner’s honor to the El Paso Coalition for the Homeless, the Child Crisis Center of El Paso and the Sara McKnight Transitional Living Center of the YWCA of El Paso del Norte.
For additional information, visit www.MarchAcrossAmerica.com.
Consumer Protection Agency Recognized
Hillsborough County’s Consumer Protection Agency received the Outstanding Superiority in Community Service Award from the Elder Care Advocacy of Florida (ECAF). The award recognizes the highest achievement of service to all residents in a Florida municipality. The ECAF cited the county’s Consumer Protection Agency for the “comprehensive effort that investigates, prosecutes and deters illegal enterprises harmful to the general public.” The group also praised Consumer Protection for recovering nearly $5 million in restitution of money, goods and services for consumers over the past five years.
For more information, call 903-3425.
Community Investment Tax Report Available Online
A complete report on projects funded by Community Investment Tax funds in fiscal year 2009 is now available on the county’s Website for the public to review. The Community Investment Tax is a half-penny sales tax approved by voters in September 1996. The report is now only online, which saves the county $16,000 annually in publishing fees.
The complete report for fiscal year 2009 is available at www.hillsboroughcounty.org/communityinvestmenttax/. For more information, call 272-5275.
Bully-Free Summer Camp Tips
With school out, children are participating in dozens of different summer programs or summer camps. Camps, just like school and other places where children gather, can be settings for bullying. Crime prevention tips are provided by the Hillsborough County Criminal Justice Department by calling 276-2033 or visiting www.hillsboroughcounty.org/liaisons/criminaljustice/.
Commissioners Seek Applications for Citizen Boards
Hillsborough County Commissioners are seeking residents to serve on several county citizen advisory boards and councils. Residents interested in seeking appointment must be registered voters in Hillsborough County. These are voluntary positions, and members serve without compensation. The deadline for applying is Wednesday, August 4. Appointments will be scheduled for a meeting of the Board of County Commissioners in September.
An application is available in the commissioners’ reception area on the second floor of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa; by calling 272-5826; or at www.hillsboroughcounty.org.
Section 8 Wait List Registration to Close Temporarily
Hillsborough County’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program will be suspending its online wait list registration to evaluate and assess the current list of applications received since the online registration was implementation last January. The online registration system will be reinstated at a later date.
Citizens interested in more information on the program’s eligibility criteria and/or applying for the wait list by the closing date may visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org\hss\section8 or call 903-3400, ext. 218.
Beth Shalom Players to Perform
Please join the Congregation Beth Shalom Players, the temple’s theatre troupe, for an emotional and uplifting live dramatic presentation, The Engagement Party (PG)*, on Selichot, Saturday, September 4, at 7:30 p.m. The Engagement Party will take you into the lives of a small group of friends and relatives working through issues to which we can all relate. Rabbi Betsy Torop will lead a discussion immediately after its presentation, with a Selichot service to follow. This traditional service takes place on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). The service includes some traditional prayers and melodies associated with the High Holy Days and concludes with the sounding of the shofar. Audience members are invited to bring dairy desserts to share between the discussion and the service. The show will be presented at the temple, located at 706 Bryan Rd., Brandon. There is no charge to attend.
For additional information, call 681-6547.
*This presentation contains mild sexual references and mature language and is not intended for younger audiences.
Kids Invited on High Seas Expedition
The Presbyterian Church of Bloomingdale, 710 E. Bloomingdale Ave., Brandon, invites children to a summer kids’ event, called “High Seas Expedition: Exploring the Mighty Love of God,” from Monday, August 2-Thursday August 5. Kids will go on a vast voyage through God’s Word as they participate in memorable Bible-learning activities, sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, dig into yummy treats, experience electrifying Bible adventures, collect Bible Memory Buddies to remind them of God’s Word and create Bible Point crafts they’ll take home and play with all summer long. Plus, kids will learn to look for evidence of God all around them through something called “God Sightings.” High Seas Expedition is for kids from 4 to 14 and will run from 6-8:30 p.m. Family members and friends are encouraged to join in at 8:15 p.m. each day for The Floating Finale—a celebration that gets everyone involved in living what they’ve learned. The cost is $10 per child and includes a light supper.
For more information, call 654-3699 or visit www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/pcob.
Are you Really Prepared?
With the peak of hurricane season almost upon us, St. Stephen Catholic Church is offering Hurricane and Disaster Preparedness to be held on Saturday, July 31 from 10 a.m.-12 Noon. This will be presented by Scott Dunlap, Chief of Administration, Hillsborough County Emergency Management. Learn about evacuation plans, home safety, needed supplies, safeguarding belongings and much more. St. Stephen is located at 5049 Bell Shoals Rd. in Valrico.
Local Author Holds Book Signing
Truth Christian Bookstore, 301 S. Collins Ave., Plant City, will host a book signing for author Debora Coty on Saturday, August 14, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
For more information on Coty, visit www.deboracoty.com.
