Club Hubbub 03.12.15

WEST ORANGE

+ W.O. Seniors

The West Orange Seniors recently presented local charities West Orange Habitat for Humanity, Seniors First Inc. Meals on Wheels, Bread of Life Fellowship Inc. and Matthew’s Hope Ministries with donations of $1,000 each to be put back into the community.

The West Orange Seniors were happy to present the donations to representatives from each group at its luncheon last month.

+ Clermont Toastmasters

The Clermont Toastmasters recently congratulated Donald Toldson for winning first place in International Speech, Tom Stone for second place in International Speech and Dee Melvin as Contest Master during the speech contest at the Feb. 16 meeting. 

The group also praised Joyce Prakke and Tom Stone for receiving the first- and second-place awards in Table Topics, respectively.

All winners will advance to the Area Contest, to be held March 14 at the Cooper Memorial Library.

The Clermont Toastmasters meet at 6:30 p.m. every Monday at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 100 Minnehaha Ave., Clermont.  

For more information, call 352-234-6495.

+ Pastfinders Genealogical Society of South Lake

The Pastfinders Genealogical Society of South Lake will hold its monthly meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12, in room 208 at the Cooper Memorial Library, 2525 Oakley Seaver Drive, Clermont.

The program for the evening will feature author Joanie H. Schirm, who will speak about her book, “Adventurers Against Their Will.” The book is based on 400 World War II letters that Schirm’s father hid away after the war, telling a tale of survival, escape and connection.

Schirm was selected as winner of the 2013 Global E-book for best biography after publishing her ebook.

The Pastfinders invite anyone with an interest or experience in pursuing genealogy research of their families to attend its meetings. Visitors and possible new members are always welcome. No genealogy research experience is needed.

In addition, free classes are frequently offered and provide information on how to use genealogy forms during research, how to effectively use the U.S. Census and various state censuses or simply general help for those who are experiencing a road block in their findings.

The next Computer Users Group class takes place at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, in room 221 at the library. During the meeting, participants will learn new tricks to grow their genealogy and computer skills.

Upcoming General Help classes take place from 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, March 5; 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 17; 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, March 19; 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 24; and 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, March 26, in the Genealogy Room at the library. Guests should bring their genealogy information.

Basic Genealogy Forms and Other Research Forms classes take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 4, and Wednesday, March 18, in the Genealogy Room. Attendees should take a notebook, pencil and any family data.

For more information about the Pastfinders Genealogical Society or upcoming programs, call (352) 989-4469.

+ Junior Civitan Club

The Junior Civitan Club at Ocoee High School recently installed its new officers and new members, including Michael Soapes (junior civitan adviser), Christi Dillard (junior president), Leif Dodel (junior vice president), Sonia Balkaran (junior secretary), Alissa Mahadeo (junior treasurer), Jasmine Cornileus (junior director), Brenda Ramirez (junior historian) and Sirena Amori (junior director). 

The club will coordinate and participate in various volunteer and fundraising projects at the school and within the community, with the West Orange Civitan Club as its sponsoring senior club.

+ Rotary Club of Winter Garden

The Rotary Club of Winter Garden recently welcomed Foundation Academy representatives Dave Baginski and David Buckles as the guest speakers for its weekly lunch meeting.

Baginski, director of athletics and facilities, described the growth the school has experienced in recent years and shared about the variety of academic and athletic programs available to students. 

Buckles, director of operations, explained upcoming plans to expand the school in order to facilitate continued growth. Foundation Academy is a private, Christ-centered school operated by First Baptist Church Winter Garden.

For more information about the school, visit foundationacademy.net.

The Rotary Club of Winter Garden meets at noon every Tuesday at Tanner Hall, 29 W. Garden Ave., Winter Garden. For more information, visit rotaryclubofwintergarden.org.

+ Orange County Retired Educators Association

The Orange County Retired Educators Association will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 2, at College Park United Methodist Church, 644 W. Princeton St., Orlando.

The group will enjoy a program on “Nutrition for Longevity,” delivered by the Florida Hospital Diabetes Center. Anyone who has worked in education is invited to join.

For more details, visit ocrea-fl.org or call 407-677-0446.

+ Robinswood Garden Club

Robinswood Garden Club President Wilma Lentz opened the group’s recent meeting by reading “Simple Things,” by Beverly J. Anderson, expressing that “a friend’s voice on the telephone, a child with smiling face, a letter from a loved one dear, some flowers in a vase” are all simple things to enjoy.

The club wished Sharon Zink a “happy birthday” this month and also sent hopes for Mary Dusek to get well soon.

Several members brought coupons for education to be sent to the Wekiva Youth Camp fund.

Zink served refreshments and presented a program on sustainable gardens and bokashi composting.

In a sustainable garden, gardeners improve a plot of land by composting waste, building the soil, creating a habitat for wildlife with native and Florida friendly plants, reducing the use of chemicals and gas powered equipment and using available resources wisely.

The secret to healthy plants is in the soil. Florida’s soil does not contain enough nutrients for plant health and for retaining water. Many gardeners have learned to add organic matter to their garden beds before planting.

Planting trees helps to store carbon from the atmosphere into the soil. Gardeners should create pathways with natural materials that allow water to percolate into the soil. Also, plants with the same water needs should be grouped together.

It is also important to compost waste. Zink recommended the group check out “Sustainable Gardening for Dummies,” by Owen Dell.

Bokashi composting is a fast, easy way to compost all food scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags and more.

Bokashi is an anaerobic (no air) decomposition process and is Japanese for “fermented matter.” Only recently has bokashi made its way to the United States. To begin, gardeners will need a container, kitchen scraps, bokashi mix and a bokashi bucket system.

The next Robinswood Garden Club meeting will take place Tuesday, April 7, at the Pine Hills Community Center, 6408 Jennings Road, Orlando.

+ Dr. Phillips Rotary Club

The Dr. Phillips Rotary Club recently welcomed new members David Winslow, Sarah Higgins and John Michael Shrev to the club.

The new Rotarians were inducted at the club’s recent meeting and were warmly greeted by Membership Chair Jack Neuhaus, sponsors and current members.

+ West Orange Duplicate Bridge Club: 3/5/15

N-S: 1. H. Parker – M. Lesnik 2/3 tied C. Baldwin – B. Lade, J. and R. Jett 4. N. Fortin – S. Landis 5. L. and T. Saulino; E-W: 1. D. and B. White 2. L. and J. Pylman 3. B. Shelton – M. Guthrie 4. V. Oberaitis – J. Muzeni 5. S. and B. Binkley.