Community Bulletin and Business Briefs

Community Bulletin

Winter Park resident Bianca Khoury Rey, owner and dance instructor at Turning Pointe Dance Studio in Longwood, showed students at Midway Elementary School of the Arts in Sanford some hip-hop moves during the teach-in event last month.

The National Recreation and Park Association has announced that the Parks & Recreation Department of the city of Winter Park became one of only 95 park and recreation agencies accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies this year.

Bears on Patrol, a Carrollton, Ga., nonprofit, collects stuffed animals for police officers to give to children in crisis situations. They are one of more than 1,000 cause-based organizations registered on The Giving Effect (www.thegivingeffect.com) that are hoping to connect with new donors this holiday season. The Giving Effect uses social media to help donors discover and connect with organizations that need items such as clothes, shoes, and food. It’s the first website to create stories around each in-kind donation that can be easily shared online to inspire others to give.

ESPN and Full Sail University debuted the new Full Sail University Sports Lab Powered by ESPN last month. ESPN will utilize this state-of-the-art facility for research and development of various new studio and remote technologies. This will be ESPN’s first and only sports technology lab at any Florida college or university.

The Bach Festival Society congratulates the winners of the 18th Annual Young Artist Competition, held on Saturday, Nov. 20. More than 50 entrants from around the state competed, with 12 prize-winning contestants advancing to the finalist round.

Grand Prize Winner: Giancarlo Licitra, cello, Winter Springs

2nd Prize Winner: Enoch Wong, piano, Orlando

3rd Prize Winner: Deborah Wendt, harp, Altamonte Springs

Other Competition Finalists include:

Rachel Beal, soprano; Winter Park

Nathan May, double bass; Winter Park

Joseph Prior, horn; Winter Park

Thomas Stephenson, clarinet; Maitland

Ongoing holiday donation drives

During December, Whole Foods Market, 1989 Aloma Ave., will be accepting food donations for HOPE and their Sonshine Food Pantry near Customer Service.

Seniors First’s Holiday Shoebox Drive collects gifts for senior citizens. To donate, or for more information, call Michelle Lowe at 407-615-8962 or e-mail [email protected]

Donate a toy to a needy child by visiting the Angel Tree located in Fashion Square Mall’s Center Court through Sunday, Dec. 12. Or visit The EcoGuys, who are collecting for Toys for Tots and Second Harvest Food Bank, on the first floor entrance near Dillard’s.

Give the gift of a smile by picking up a DOVE card or dropping off a new unwrapped gift for a child ages 0-17 at Starling Chevrolet, City Arts Downtown, Demetree Chiropractic, Christian HELP or any Qdoba location by Tuesday, Dec. 14. Call 407-834-4022 or visit Christianhelp.org

Business Briefs

Owens Realty Network — a global full-service commercial and residential real estate brokerage firm headquartered in Winter Park — recently hired Michael Novak as vice president of commercial real estate investments.

Junior Achievement of Central Florida presented C.T. Hsu, FAIA, LEED AP, with the Spirit of Achievement Award at the 2010 Mid-Florida Business Hall of Fame ceremony at the Rosen Centre Hotel on Nov. 11.

The United Nations Association of the USA — locally represented by the Orlando Chapter — announced that it will join in a historic alliance with the United Nations Foundation to combine forces to build a broader base of citizen support for U.S. engagement and the work of the U.N.

Wells Fargo recently awarded Habitat for Humanity Orlando with a $35,000 grant to help build homes. In addition, Wells Fargo donated two vacant lots valued at a total of $14,500 to the nonprofit. Habitat will build homes for low-income families on the land, located in Orlando’s Holden Heights neighborhood.

PNC Bank has named Nader Hosseinzadeh as manager of its new downtown Orlando branch at 201 E. Pine St., Ste 102.

T. Denny Sanford, one of the nation’s leading philanthropists, made a $10 million donation to support Florida Hospital with its mission to create a state-of-the-art pediatric hospital and provide a brighter future for children’s health care.

Bright House Networks customers who receive ESPN as part of their video service now have access to ESPN3.com and ESPNnetworks.com at no additional cost.

Marketplace Advisors Inc. recently negotiated a new long-term lease agreement for 2,400 square feet of restaurant space at the Shoppes at Aloma Walk, located on Aloma Ave. at S.R. 417 in Seminole County.

NAI Realvest completed the $300,980 sale of an industrial development site at Poinciana Office and Industrial Park on Poinciana Blvd. and U.S. Hwy.17-92 in Poinciana.