Community Bulletin and Business Briefs

On Sunday, Oct. 23, nearly 300 guests celebrated Jewish Family Services’ Evening of Valor at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary hotel. The event honored the Chapin Family and the Mandell Family. Overall, Evening of Valor helped JFS raised more than $200,000. Pictured are Harriett and Shelley Lake. To learn more about JFS, please visit www.jfsorlando.org.

Playhouse raises $25K

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, in Winter Park, the curtains rose on a spectacular fundraising evening at The Winter Park Playhouse, Central Florida's only professional musical theatre. The event raised nearly $25,000. Visit www.winterparkplayhouse.org or call 407-645-0145.

Fete benefits food bank

On Thursday, Oct. 27, Chamber members and the greater Winter Park community gathered for a festive fall evening of food and drink at Oktober-fete. The $740 raised at Oktober-fete will be combined with funds raised through efforts on campus to purchase food in bulk for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. For each dollar raised, Second Harvest Food Bank is able to provide $9 in grocery products. In 2010, the Winter Park community through Rollins College donated 16,000 pounds of food to those in need. The goal this year is 20,000 pounds of food. To make a contribution visit rollins.edu/osil/helpinghands.

New Eagle Scouts

Boy Scout Troop 62 will award the rank of Eagle Scout to seven scouts in a Court of Honor ceremony to be held at the St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church Family Life Center at 7 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 14. RSVP to John McCabe at [email protected].

The inductees are:

• Peyton Bailey, 16, Junior Lake Highland Preparatory School

• Joey Broschart, 17, Senior Bishop Moore High School

• Matthew Domescek, 17, Junior International Baccalaureate (IB) Winter Park High

• Brendan Dufresne, 17, Senior IB Winter Park High

• Henry McCabe, 16, Junior IB Winter Park High

• Turner McCabe, 17, Senior IB Winter Park High

• Stephen Timmes, 17, Junior Bishop Moore High School

Property appraiser’s new site

This August, Bill Donegan, Orange County property appraiser, introduced the newly designed OCPA website offering intuitive navigation, streamlined information and dynamic graphics. With more than 4.2 million annual hits from 162 countries, the OCPA is celebrating 15 years of web service.

Get involved

The city of Maitland has openings on the following volunteer boards: Board of Adjustments & Appeals, Personnel Board and the Transportation Advisory Board. You must be a Maitland resident to apply. Contact the city clerk at [email protected] or 407-539-6219 for information.

Get Caught Caring

JFS is collecting new unwrapped toys, gift cards and food for its Get Caught Caring campaign. The goal of the program is to provide all families with the ability to have gifts for their children and food for their holiday meal. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to JFS: 2100 Lee Road, Winter Park. Should your company or group wish to conduct a toy drive on JFS’ behalf, contact Adrienne Cooperman at 407-644-7593, ext. 243. You can also choose to make a donation of $18 or more on your child’s behalf and they will be mailed a special certificate with their name.

New Hope for Kids Thanksgiving Food Drive

New Hope for Kids provides a bag of Thanksgiving fixings and a gift card for a turkey or ham to families in need. Last year New Hope for Kids provided Thanksgiving meals to 160 families. To see the list of foods they need or to make a donation visit newhopeforkids.org or call 407-331-3059 extension 11.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

The Central Florida office of SIKON Construction, Maitland, broke ground Oct. 31 for the new $13 million, 500-bed Wiley Hall Student Housing Facility at historic Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, for Student Suites of Independence, Missouri.

For the third year in a row, Orlando accounting firm Averett Warmus Durkee Osburn Henning has been renewed as an American Heart Association Fit Friendly Company. The American Heart Association recognizes organizations that provide physical activities and a healthy work environment for their employees.

Mercantile Capital Corporation, one of the nation’s largest and most active providers of U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loans for small business owners who want to acquire or develop their own facilities, reported it closed four commercial loans in October to finance projects that total more than $9.4 million.

Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A. is proud to announce that long-time real estate partner and community leader Aaron Gorovitz received the 2011 "Most Influential Businessmen" award in the legal category by the Orlando Business Journal at the Hilton Orlando on Oct. 27.

On Nov. 9, Wawa Inc., the Pennsylvania-based convenience retailer, officially entered the Central Florida market, with the groundbreaking celebration of their very first store in Florida, at the intersection of Central Florida Parkway and International Drive. The store is set to open in July.

Foley & Lardner LLP announced that it has been named the first U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Law Firm of the Year” in Health Care Law. Only one law firm in each of the nationally ranked practice areas receives this level of recognition. In addition, Foley’s Orlando office was ranked in the following top-tier categories:

• Administrative/Regulatory Law

• Commercial Litigation

• Corporate Law

• Environmental Law

• Equipment Finance Law

• Government Relations Practice

• Land Use & Zoning Law

• Litigation – Construction

• Litigation – Real Estate

• Real Estate Law

Send bulletin submissions to [email protected]