Club Hubbub 12.18.14

Perfetto named Senior of the Month

The West Orange Seniors recently announced Nancy Perfetto as its Senior of the Month.

A new show appeared on Broadway April 17, 1949. It was Easter Sunday, and Perfetto was born to Leonarda, who was called Nana, and Joseph Samper. The only child of the family, Perfetto was born by the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan, New York.

 After attending Catholic grammar and high school, she began working for the New York Telephone Company as a business representative. She later worked for the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in outpatient billing accounts.

Perfetto married in 1972 after moving to New Jersey, where she learned to become an independent woman. She began work for the New Jersey Telephone Company. During this time, Perfetto had two sons, Thomas John and John James.

In 1988, Perfetto and her sons moved to Florida. The household consisted of her two sons, her parents and one Siberian husky. She then became a bartender for 10 years at the snack shack of the naval training center, where she had the time of her life. 

Because baking is one of her passions, Perfetto took cakes into work for sampling and for sale. Two of her customers, one being Disney’s Shades of Green hotel manager and the other the food and beverage manager, were so impressed they had her transferred to work with them at Disney World. This made Perfetto the only baker for the 229-room hotel.

Later, after five years teaching men and women to make home-cooked meals as the Aprons lady for Publix Super Markets, Perfetto decided to become the bakery manager for the Winn-Dixie bakery department to be closer to home to care for her mother. At Publix, she got to know her customers, their children and families. She was even invited to their homes and birthday parties.

+ Veterans of Foreign War Community Band

The Veterans of Foreign War Post 2093 Community Band is currently seeking new members.

Performing for more than 25 years, the group is the only VFW community band in Florida. It is a supporting entity of VFK Post 2093 and performs 12 to 15 concerts annually for special occasions, such as the Memorial Day Ceremony, Veterans Day Parade and Independence Day celebration. 

The band holds practice weekly, and new members are invited to join to make music and socialize, especially percussionists. All rehearsals are from 7 to 9 p.m. at 4444 Edgewater Drive, Orlando. Audiences are welcome. 

For more information, visit band.alrint.com or call Wilbur “Smitty” Smith at (407) 671-7447.

+ American Mensa

American Mensa will be offering intelligence-testing sessions in Orlando. This non-profit organization is open to those who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized test.

The group meets at least once a month, often for dinner at 6 p.m. the first Friday of each month at Jason’s Deli, 2915 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando. Members also often gather for get-togethers featuring a speaker or freewheeling discussions. There are also widely attended annual conventions offering workshops, seminars and parties. Numerous regional gatherings are held each year, as well, offering social and intellectual excitement. 

American Mensa welcomes new members to attend Mensa meetings or simply relish the intellectual stimulation that membership promotes. 

For more information about testing and upcoming events, call Nora Foust at (386) 789-4650.

+ W.O. Chamber of Commerce

The Danniel J. Petro/West Orange Chamber of Commerce Scholarship application process has begun.

To qualify, recipients must be a dependent of a chamber-member business owner or an employee of a chamber-member business. Applicants also must reside in one of the group’s service area communities — Dr. Phillips, Gotha, Horizon West, Lake Avalon, MetroWest, Oakland, Ocoee, Orlo Vista, Pine Hills, Windermere and Winter Garden.

All candidates must attend a chamber-member high school and be in his or her senior year. To be considered, students should be looking to further their education at Valencia College (all campuses accepted), Westside Tech or the University of Central Florida. 

Student recipients will be awarded $1,000 scholarships. The number of recipients will depend on the amount of money available in the scholarship fund at the time of the award. Any unspent money will be allocated to the following year.

 In addition, two student recipients will be awarded scholarship awards of $2,500 from the Petro Family Foundation.

All interested students must complete the online application and return it to the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, 12184 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden, FL 34787, Attn: Kelly Carney. Applications can also be sent via email to [email protected]. 

The application and all supporting materials must be received no later than Friday, March 20, 2015. To download the application, visit wochamber.com and click “About West Orange County; Committees; Education; Scholarship.” 

For more information, call (407) 656-1304, Ext. 5.

+ Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista

The Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista and International Drive held its annual Charity Golf Tournament at the Orange County National Golf Center earlier this month.

The club raised more than $7,000 for both domestic and international Rotary projects. The winning team was Orlando Health.

+ O.C. Retired Educators Association

The Orange County Retired Educators Association will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, at College Park United Methodist Church, 644 W. Princeton St., Orlando.

Gary Moser, of OCREA, will discuss Florida Retirement System Benefits and frequently asked questions. Anyone who has worked in education is invited to join.

For more information, visit ocrea-fl.org or call (407) 677-0446.

WINTER GARDEN

+ American Legion, Hugh T. Gregory Post 63

The American Legion, Hugh T. Gregory Post 63, in conjunction with Florida Blood Centers, will conduct a blood drive from 2 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, in front of the Hugh T. Gregory Legion Post, 271 W. Plant St., Winter Garden.

Each pint of blood donated is equivalent to three lives saved. Successful donors will receive free movie ticket vouchers. The Post will be open with sodas, coffee, tea, water, fruits and pastries available for those who attend.

For more information, call (407) 656--6361.

OCOEE

+ W.O. Seniors

The West Orange Seniors will hold its Christmas luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, at the Ocoee Lakeshore Center, 150 N. Lakeshore Drive. The cost is $8 per person.

Bingo night is held from 3 to 6:30 p.m. every Sunday and from 1 to 3:30 p.m. every Monday, at the Tom Ison Seniors and Veterans Center, 1701 Adair St., Ocoee. The cost is $76 per person.

Free arthritis chair exercises, sponsored by Health Central Hospital, take place at 8 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays at the senior center.

Every Tuesday, line-dancing classes are available at 10 a.m., with a minimum $2 donation, and free belly-dancing exercises are offered at 1 p.m. 

The seniors play cards from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. They also enjoy dominoes, walking, social activities, coffee and more beginning at 9 a.m. each Wednesday at the center.

For more information about the West Orange Seniors and upcoming events, call (407) 592-4498 or visit westorangeseniors.yolasite.com.

CLERMONT

+ Pastfinders Genealogical Society of South Lake

The Pastfinders Genealogical Society of South Lake will hold its “Happy New Year 2015” first general meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, in Room 108 at Cooper Memorial Library, 2525 Oakley Seaver Drive, Clermont.

Members Russ and Carol Burbank, residents of Lewiston, Maine, when not in Florida for winter, will be the speakers at the meeting. They will present a program, including pictures, on Maine War Heroes of the Civil War. Russ Burbank is also the author of a book of this title. A gift copy can be found in the Cooper genealogy library collection. 

Anyone interested in visiting Pastfinders is welcome to join. Some members are also part of the camping community, anyone of which is always welcome.

Newly elected 2015 Pastfinder officers will be installed at the gathering, as well. The new officers are President Esther Long, Vice President Sandy O’Brien, Secretary Rose D’Angelo, Treasurer Carol Rosum and Directors Lisa Beni, Stanley Wells and former president Dottie Dill.

+ Clermont Toastmasters

The Clermont Toastmasters recently awarded member Thomas Spencer for Best Table Topics, Tom Stone as Best Evaluator and Donald Toldson as Best Speaker and Most Improved at the group’s meeting last week.

The Toastmasters meet at 6:30 p.m. Mondays at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 100 Minnehaha Ave., Clermont.

Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. Its membership is 313,000 strong. Members improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending one of the 14,650 clubs in 126 countries that make up the global network.

For more information about Clermont Toastmasters, call (352) 234-6495.