Community Roundtable Meets To Discuss Upcoming Events, Awards

The Community Roundtable met for the first time in the new year to discuss business that included updates on this year's Community Affairs Dinner, Alice B. Tompkins Community Service Award, Non-Profit of the Year award, B. Lee Elam Golf Tournament, Maureen Krzanowski scholarship and race for honorary mayor of Brandon.

Founded more than 50 years ago as the Roundtable Charities of Greater Brandon, an umbrella organization for the presidents of area non-profit and service organizations, the group today is open to all residents with an interest in civic and charitable endeavors.

The Community Roundtable's crowning achievement each year is its running of the Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade, billed as one of the largest community and patriotic parades in the state.

The group meets the second Wednesday of the month at the , which shares space with the Brandon Regional Library in the Sandy Rodriguez Center, at 619 Vonderburg Dr.

Due tomorrow, Jan. 13, are nominations for the , the and the , which is given to a graduating senior set to attend college who has been active in community service, "which is what Maureen was all about," said Janine Nickerson, the group's vice president.

The award is named posthumously for Krzanowski, a long-time roundtable member and a past president, who was active as well in other community initiatives and organizations, most notably the Brandon Lions Club.

(For more information about the nominations, and application forms, see this Brandon Patch article, .)

In other Community Roundtable news:

• The B. Lee Elam Golf Tournament is scheduled for March 31 at the Buckhorn Springs Golf & Country Club in Brandon. (See, (published, March 19, 2011)

• The Community Affairs Dinner is scheduled for Feb. 21 at Center Place. Tickets are $40 per person. At the dinner the Alice B. Tompkins, non-profit and scholarship awards will be presented.

• This year's honorary mayor of Brandon, , is offering to speak to community groups and organizations to encourage residents to run in this year's race for mayor, which dates back to 1959. (See, for a list of mayors.) The race is won by the candidate who raises the most money for charity in the month of June, with the winner announced before the start of the .

For information, contact Janine Nickerson, the Community Roundtable's vice president, at 813-661-4350. Or, send an email to: Roundtable2008@aol.com.

Nominations for the awards and scholarship can be dropped off at Center Place or mailed (with a postmark no later than Jan. 13) to the Community Roundtable at P.O. Box 1061, Brandon, FL, 33509-1061.