Tampa Bay Watch… to the hardworking volunteers who helped out with the oyster shell project to restore McKay Bay! In April, 40 volunteers including individual community volunteers and corporate groups from Mosaic (pictured below) and TECO shoveled 12.5 tons of fossilized shell to buil 140 feet of reef. On Friday, 41 members of a corporate team from Catalina (pictured above) shoveled 8 tons of shell to build 89 feet of reef. Catalina sponsored Tampa Bay Watch in their day of service through their manpower and with a $5,000 donation. The goal of the project is to restore lost habitat systems to the bay, prevent further erosion of the shoreline and improve water quality through natural biological filtration. This project is generously funding by the Coca-Cola Foundation, Tampa Bay Environmental Restoration Fund, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, and the Mosaic Company Foundation. Visit: www.TampaBayWatch.org
BIG BROTHERS – BIG SISTERS FISHING CLINIC
65 littles and their mentors had morning of fishing thanks to big brothers and sisters, old salts fishing foundation, roc park and City of Madeira beach, every child went home with fishing rod/ reel, goody bag and wonderful memories. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, 711 S. Dale Mabry Hwy., Suite 300 • Tampa, FL 33609 • Direct: (813) 769-3616 www.bbbstampabay.org.
100 Women Who Care of Pinellas County (501(c)(3) status) recently presented Hannah’s Homeless with a donation of $11,100. Hannah’s Homeless is a community-based center in downtown St. Petersburg that assists the homeless population by providing essential resources in an empowering way. They supply food, clothing, blankets, hygiene items, and even laundry services. Their vision is to meet the homeless where they are and challenge them to move forward. Next meeting is Tuesday, May 16th, 4000 Gateway Centre Blvd., Suite 200 in Pinellas Park. Social 6-7 pm. FMI: Brenda George at 727-515-1868 or Facebook- 100+ Women Who Care- Pinellas County.
David Amram, attended the Sunshine School in Pass A Grille in 1937. Paradise News publisher and fellow jazz lover Renee Roos post Palladium performance with legendary composer and musician David Amram at The Palladium. Amram jetted off to the Kennedy Center Saturday to perform at a Pete Seeger tribute. David is a rare, funny raconteur who plays a mean flute and piano and scats with the best of them… and he went to elementary school in Pass-A-Grille where he learned to “mind his manners.” Says Amram: “It was a paradise for us kids. We lived in little bungalows and didn’t have to wear shoes to school. You could come in your bathing suit and instead of PE, swim in the Gulf. When I came back sixty years later to the neighborhood, the school was gone and there was a sign where it used to be amidst all the gorgeous homes. But it was the arts program in 1937 that got me started as a performer. In my first role, I was a flower.”