Looking to volunteer this fall? Then Gulfside Regional Hospice has the answer! To help people who work and students who normally cannot make orientations during the week, Gulfside will offer two Saturday classes for those interested in volunteering.

           The first weekend orientation will take place on Saturday, Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. – noon at Gulfside’s West Pasco Administrative Office located at 6117 Trouble Creek Road in New Port Richey. The second weekend training session will occur on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. at the Lutz Thrift Shoppe located at 21780 State Road 54 (a mile east of US 41).

Gulfside Regional Hospice is in urgent need of patient care volunteers. Typical roles for this type of volunteer include:
·       Assisting at our Gulfside Centers for Hospice Care and Hospice House – at Gulfside Center for Hospice Care in Zephyrhills, there is a great need in helping
        to prepare food and sitting with  patients
·      Visiting with patients and families receiving hospice care
·      Providing support to patients at the very end-of-life (Gift of Presence)
·      Offering respite care to provide caregivers a needed break

Additional orientations scheduled for September include:
·       September 16 and 17 from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Gulfside’s Center for Hospice Care located at 5760 Dean Dairy Rd. in Zephyrhills for all    new volunteers in east  Pasco.
·       September 27 and 28 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Gulfside’s West Pasco Administrative Office located at 6117 Trouble Creek Rd. in New Port Richey for all new volunteers in west Pasco.
·       September 30 from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Gulfside’s Dade City Thrift Shoppe located at 37925 Sky Ridge Circle for new Thrift Shoppe volunteers.

In addition to patient care volunteering, other volunteer opportunities are available at Gulfside’s administrative offices and at any of the five Gulfside Regional Hospice Thrift Shoppes. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old to volunteer at the hospice.

Reservations are required as space is limited. For more information or to reserve a space at any of the orientations, call either of Gulfside’s volunteer coordinators – Kathie Poole at 727-845-5707 for the New Port Richey classes or Heather De Los Santos at 813-780-1235 for the east and central Pasco orientations.

The mission of Gulfside Regional Hospice is to provide compassionate, quality care to individuals and their loved ones as they face life-limiting illnesses. For more information about Gulfside Regional Hospice services, call (727) 845-5707 or visit www.GRHospice.org <http://www.grhospice.org/>.
Contact:            
Ashley Mann
Director of Community Relations      
727-845-5707
ashley.mann@grhospice.org

CARES in conjunction with Trade Mark Sales, a Pasco County promotional firm, will hold the “First Annual Charity Art Sales Event” at Bentley Commons, 38130 Pretty Pond Road in Zephyrhills on Saturday, September 25th from 1pm to 5pm and on Sunday, September 16th from 12pm to 5pm.  A wide variety of art will be available for purchase.  Proceeds from  he sale will benefit CARES and the visual arts in t he Tampa Bay area.

CARES (Community Aging and Retirement Services, Inc.) is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation that promotes quality of life and independence for adults through health, social, and supportive services.  CARES works with health professionals, families, vounteers, donors and businesses who want elders to age positively and with dignity.

Admission to the event is FREE, but donations to CARES would be appreciated.  For more information, call Larry Monroe at 813-293-0987. 

Photo:  l-r -Siobhan Guenta Parent Involvement Team, Richard Mason, Rotarian

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Every Monday – 12-1pm
Chamber Radio Show on WKFA 89.3

September 1, 2010 8am
*Executive Board Meeting

September 2, 2010 12pm
Business Development Meeting

September 4, 2010 3-8pm 
Super Cruise & Motorcycle Show

September 6, 2010
Chamber Closed Observance of Labor Day

September 8, 2010 – 12pm
*Full Board Meeting

September 21, 2010 – 7:30am
Chamber Business Breakfast at Golden Corral
Sponsor: Florida Hospital Zephyrhills

September 22, 2010 – 9 am
Finance Committee Meeting

September 23, 2010 4-7pm
Top Drawer Antiques “1 Year Anniversary Party”

September 28, 2010 – 12pm
Ambassador Meeting

September 29, 2010 8am
Citizen of the Month Breakfast

September 30, 2010 – 5-7 pm
Classic Party Connections

After she won the award on Aug. 6, Gulfside’s employee of the year Judy Wilson (second from right) poses with Linda Ward, president and CEO; Sharon Chiary, nurse care manager; and Donna Drake, director of nursing. (Picture taken by Keth Luke, Gulfside volunteer)

Gulfside Regional Hospice named Judy Wilson its Employee of the Year at a luncheon held Aug. 6 at Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club.

Wilson, an LPN, has worked at Gulfside for more than six years. In her current position, she sees patients at facilities in west Pasco. “Working at Gulfside is one of the most rewarding experiences in my nursing career,” Wilson said.

Wilson, along with 11 other Employees of the Month, was a candidate for Gulfside’s Employee of the Year. Each year, the entire employee base votes to present this prestigious award following a creative and fun week of campaigning. “I feel very excited and honored to win the Employee of the Year award,” Wilson said. “Everyone at Gulfside deserves to win the award!”

 The Employee of the Year celebration is a chance to highlight the exemplary service of each Employee of the Year candidate, and the reasons he or she is nominated for the award. Wilson’s supervisor, Sharon Chiary, spoke about Wilson’s commitment to Gulfside and hospice care at the luncheon. “Judy exemplifies that Gulfside Regional Hospice’s patients always come first,” Chiary said. “When one of her teammates was out for an extended amount of time, Judy stepped up to make sure every patient was covered. She always goes the extra mile for Gulfside Regional Hospice patients and families, staff, and facilities.”

For her accomplishment, Wilson won $1,000, as well as a clock plaque showing the honor. Wilson’s mother, Delta Christiansen, was at the luncheon to see her receive the award.

 “Judy exemplifies the qualities of so many of our Gulfside Regional Hospice employees,” said Linda Ward, Gulfside’s president and CEO. “Her dedication to our patients and their families is tireless and she is the true reflection of hospice care.”

Gulfside Regional Hospice, established as a nonprofit corporation in Pasco County in 1988 and initially licensed in 1989, serves more than 400 patients daily. GRH employs over 250 professionals and has more than 550 volunteers, and is the only hospice that serves Pasco County exclusively. For more information about Gulfside Regional Hospice, call 727-845-5707 or visit www.GRHospice.org.

     In an effort to provide jurors a more pleasant atmosphere and create a more positive experience, the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s Office recently coordinated several initiatives, including free bus transportation, computer kiosks with Internet access, and library books.
     On July 27, 2010, the Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to continue a program requested by Dr. Paula S. O’Neil, Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller. The program provides free transportation on any Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT) bus route to the Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City or the West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey for citizens summoned to report for jury service. Lack of transportation has often been cited as a problem for potential jurors.  The complimentary bus ride is an excellent opportunity to facilitate jury service and introduce our residents to the benefits of Pasco County’s Public Transportation services. Under the program, citizens reporting for jury service are able to ride the bus by simply showing their summons to the bus driver.
     Recognizing how valuable jurors’ time is, computer kiosks have been installed with personal computers to allow Internet access. While complimentary wireless Internet has been available for a few years, some jurors do not bring their personal laptops to jury service. This access allows jurors to keep up with their offices while performing their civic service. All jurors are instructed regarding the limitations and proper use of Internet resources while performing their service.In the most recent initiative the Office of the Clerk & Comptroller partnered with the Pasco County Library System in a joint effort to provide jurors library books while performing their jury service. The books can even be taken home at the end of the day and returned to any Pasco County Library or the courthouse when finished.
     The Clerk & Comptroller’s Office is committed to making jury service as comfortable and functional as possible. Improvements such as these will hopefully enhance the experience for our citizens as they perform their civic service as a juror in Pasco County. For additional information on jury service, please visit our website at

www.pascoclerk.com.

Expansion promises easy access and improved service The Canadian Drugstore, Tampa Bay’s premier provider of discount international prescription medication, has announced it will be moving its Pasco County location on September 1, 2010, to 38176 Medical Center Avenue, Zephyrhills, FL. The company will continue to provide their valuable service of saving patients up to 80% over typical retail cost of their prescription drugs.

“We are excited about the new opportunities for service and growth our relocation represents,” said William Hepscher, owner of The Canadian Drugstore.  “We can be especially helpful to Seniors caught in the Donut Hole and those who are self-employed or uninsured. Our new store is easily accessible off SR 301 just north of The Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. We will be able to provide personalized, face-to-face counseling in our comfortable, private offices and we will take advantage of new technology to improve our already outstanding customer service”.

 The Canadian Drugstore has been in business since 2003 and provides affordable medication solutions and consultations free of charge at any of their three Florida offices in Zephyrhills, Largo and Tampa, FL.  For more information, call 813-788-2007 or visit www.drugstoreunlimited.com.

For three consecutive years, the Bank of America’s Charitable Foundation has awarded the Pasco-Hernando SCORE Chapter a $5,000 grant to develop and present business seminars co-sponsored by the Pasco and Hernando County Public Library Systems.  Christopher G. Nessmith, New Port Richey Banking Center Manager presented the Bank of America grant-check to SCORE Vice-Chairman Bill Dalton.

     Throughout the year, SCORE presents approximately four small business seminars each month on such topics as How to Successfully Start Your Own Business, How to Get a Business Loan, Basic & Advanced QuickBooks, Using the Internet to Grow Your Business, How to Market in this Economy, Creating a Business Plan and many, many more.  These seminars are presented by members of the local SCORE Chapter and are available to the general public free of charge.  For scheduling of seminar topics and dates, times and locations, visit the local SCORE website, www.score439.org.  Dress is casual and no need to pre-register.

     Founded in 1964, SCORE’s national network of over 12,400 active and retired business owners and corporate executives have helped well over 8.5 million small businesses.  SCORE prides itself in its free face-to-face business counseling, training and development for small business owners and managers.  To apply for business counseling by an experienced local SCORE Chapter member, file an electronic application found on the Pasco-Hernando Chapter website www.score439.org.  Confidential counseling is available to start-ups as well as mature businesses wishing to expand, develop and accounting system, develop a business or marketing plan or find a solution to a business problem.

The Annual Scarecrow Festival is scheduled for October 9, 2010 from 10am to 3pm.  Main Street is currently looking for Arts & Craft, Food, Commercial and Non-Profit vendors.

Clean out your closets and sell your treasures at Downtown Main Street’s “Community Rummage Sale” in Beautiful Historic Downtown Dade City! The Rummage Sale is scheduled for October 23, 2010 from 8am to 1pm (around the Historic Pasco County Courthouse). 

Booths are $15 for a 10′ x 10′ yard sale space.  Commercial, Non-profit and Arts & Crafts spaces are also available.  All you have to do is set up and sell……Main Street will do the promoting! 

For more information and/or applications contact Main Street at
352-567-0284 or www.dadecitymainstreet.org