Hometown Honorees: Volunteers, Teachers, Presenters Duly Noted

It's never out of season to give thanks to the people who work on the job and with civic and community organizations to help build a Greater Brandon.

There's no shortage of mediums through which the effort can by duly noted, and the kudos abundantly given, so post your thanks in the comment box below and spread the news yourself, with your social media links.

Give us word, too, of the hometown honorees you'd like to see duly noted in our next update.

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CENTER PLACE VOLUNTEERS

Earlier this month, the staff that runs the Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association hosted an appreciation luncheon for the volunteers who help to run the group's programs throughout the year. The volunteers (as noted in the Brandon Patch article, ) help out with the Pat's Corner gift shop and ushering and seating more than 17,000 children annually for live theater programs.

As Dawn Galia, the center's executive director, put it: "We couldn't do what we do without our volunteers."

Volunteers noted on this year's luncheon invite list:

Melinda Albritton, Agnes Alfieri, Marianne Bailey, Nancy Brooker, Doreen Donovan, Marge Dorman, Anne Drewry, Vinu Goldberg, Jean Hayhurst, Barbara Herrg, Charlene Irin, Susan Joseph, Nancy Kelley, Margaret Krum, Erica Lugo, Denise Mack, Bridgette Mailahn, Connie Marshall, Sue Mason, Harrta Nair, Demetra Olson, Lulu Pavlishin, Susan Saunders, Mickie Sharma and Hamala Sharma.

Also, Janice Smith, Debbie Strach, Dottie Strickler, Flora Temoin, Sally Uravich, Claudia Yake, Jennifer Warren, Nancy Wimble, Lillian Woodard, Pat Worthington, Raysa DeLeon, Wanda Diaz, Sherry Cohalla, Terry Fink, Kathy Johns, Diana Hagemann, Chris Kazor, Ellia McMillan, Judy Moore, Erica Norrega, Debbie Ploor, Barbara Schwabe, JoAnn Shea, Roxanne Tobaison, Peggs Stuart, Janine Nickerson, Lucille Seodari, Rowena Stillwagon and Tammy Holmberg.

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HOLIDAY HOME TOUR PARTICIPANTS

Since 1993, the General Federation of Women's Club (GFWC) Brandon Service League has been launching the holiday season with a Brandon home tour.

Noted in a recent Brandon News report is that the 51-year-old club's annual fundraiser helps the group raise money for the charities it supports: A Kid's Place in Brandon, the Bill Carey Brandon Boys & Girls Club, art programs at six area schools, the Brandon Outreach Clinic, the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO), LifeCare of Brandon, I Am HOPE Cafe, New Horizons Group Homes and the American Cancer Society's Reaching Out to Cancer Kids Camp.

The following Greater Brandon residents presented their homes this year for the 19th annual Brandon Holiday Home Tour:

Steve and Suzie Walden, Sharon Smith, Edward and Louise Koren and Bill and Phyllis Page of Riverview. Also, Merci Hernandez, of Casa Latana, a bed and breakfast on Lumsden Road in Brandon.

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TEACHERS AWARDED SWFWMD 'SPLASH!' GRANTS 

What plays a critical role in preparing students for the future? It's called STEM, and it stands for education in "science, technology, engineering and mathematics."

Important, too, is protecting and conserving Florida's water resources.

Put them together, and you've got the intent of the "Splash!" school grants program through the Southwest Florida Management District (SWFWMD).

Recently, 52 Hillsborough County School District teachers received such grants. Theirs were among the 157 grants awarded across SWFMD's 16-county region.

Splash! Grant Recipients in Greater Brandon:

• Andria Keene, Strawberry Crest High School, $2,999, for students conduct field studies and perform water tests, creating public service announcements about what they discover.
• Alice Rutland, Brandon High School, $2,879, for students to develop a self-sustaining aquaponic and aquaculture system, testing nutrient levels, plant growth and fish survival.
• Georgianna Trowbridge, Riverview High School, $2,450, for students to complete a biological survey of the Crystal Springs Preserve and assess the health of the Hillsborough River system.
• Russell Wallace, Valrico Elementary, $979, for students to test water quality and design a drain filter, learning how stormwater pollution affects freshwater resources.

 
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CALL-OUT TO THE COMMUNITY: Post your congratulatory note to the hometown honorees in the comment box below. Let us know, too, if you have an honoree you'd like to be duly noted on Brandon Patch.