University of Florida IFAS Extension Manatee County’s Residential Horticulture Program is hosting a community-wide scavenger hunt to celebrate Florida Arbor Day, Jan. 20. The Manatee County Extension Service is an educational program within county government which brings the resources of the University of Florida to Manatee County to solve local problems, provide educational opportunities, promote economic enhancement and improve the quality of life for all. The horticulture program specifically addresses landscape and gardening concerns with Master Gardener Volunteers providing outreach in the community since 1979.

Participants of the event can explore Emerson Point Preserve, Conservatory Park, The Nest at Robinson Preserve, and Downtown Bradenton’s Riverwalk while searching for trees with a TreeQuest tag. Once found, participants can scan the QR code on the tag to open an online survey where they will be asked to enter information about the tree and register an email address for the chance to win prizes, including trees suited to our area, books on tree ID for Central and South Florida, and class passes for Extension Programs. In addition to the QR code, each tag will have information about the specific tree including its common name, scientific name, and environmental impact.

TreeQuest encourages residents to get outside and enjoy local parks while learning about tree species native to Florida and their benefits. The event has been offered in Manatee County since 2019. The scavenger hunt is free of charge and open to people of all ages, making it a perfect family outing.

“Trees provide innumerable benefits to our communities, not only providing us with life-giving oxygen but also moderating temperatures and beneficially impacting our physical and mental health," says Alyssa Vinson, Residential Horticulture Agent. "We encourage everyone to get out exploring our local parks and learning more about the benefits that trees provide.” 

Sarah Wertheimer, executive director of Embracing Our Differences (EOD), announced recently that the organization has appointed Ethan Messier as a STAR student board member. Messier, a 12 th -grade student at Pine View School, is a member of The Boys & Girls Club’s STAR (Students Take Active Roles) Leadership Training program. After completion of the program, students are eligible to give back to a cause they care about by serving as a voting board member for one of STAR’s 90 partner agencies. Messier, 17, has been part of EOD’s Coexistence Club at Pine View since 2021 and has led four Unity Day events at the school. In addition to his work with Embracing Our Differences, Messier has volunteered for dozens of community and school initiatives, including reviewing books and creating a video for youth programs at Shannon Staub Public Library in North Port; serving as a teacher’s assistant at Charlotte Preparatory School in Port Charlotte; helping promote events and fundraise for BuildOn in Osprey; and volunteering for Active Minds, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mental health, especially among young adults. He is also active in many Pine View clubs, including the Science National Honor Society, HOSA Future Health Professionals, and Sarasota Students 4 Climate. In addition, Messier completed a program on racism and capitalism in American history at the Harvard University Pre-College Program (July 2021) and, as part of the Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs Program, created a business plan for StickUp,a sticker business that encourages civic engagement and nonprofit giving. “When I had the opportunity to join EOD’s board of directors, it was a no-brainer,” says Messier. “EOD genuinely believes in amplifying the voices of young people and uplifting kids in a world where it is needed more than ever. I believe in the mission of this organization, and I’m grateful for the opportunities both the Boys and Girls Club and Embracing our Differences have given me. I can’t wait to further my involvement with this incredible community of dedicated individuals!” Embracing Our Differences’ board of directors includes Judge Charles E. Williams, Chair; Linda Poteat-Brown, Vice-Chair; Kaitlin Yelle, Treasurer; Richard Bergman, Secretary; and Christina de Guia, M.D., John Weber, Ethan Messier, and Sarah Wertheimer. For more information about Embracing Our Differences, please call 941-404- 5710 or visit www.embracingourdifferences.org. 

Chef Teylor Bouchard joins Hamlet’s Eatery as their new head chef. Bouchard has over a decade in the restaurant industry. Culinary trained at Keiser University she gained experience working at places like First Watch, Mar Vista, and the Sarasota Catering Company. Hamlet’s Eatery’s tagline is “to meat or not to meat”. For every traditional item, they offer a vegan option. They also sell craft beer, wine, and Prosecco on tap. Hamlet’s opened in June of 2020 and won Best New Restaurant in the Herald-Tribunes Readers Choice Award. They were recently nominated Best All-Around and Outdoor Dining spot. They were also winners in SRQ Magazine’s “Best of” for best fries two years in a row. And this year they are a finalist in multiple categories. Open every Thursday thru Saturday 10-3 and in January 2023 they will stay open on Fridays until 8pm. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram at HamletsEatery. Located at 821 Apricot Ave in Sarasota. www.Hamletseatery.com. 

Registration is open for the 2023 winter semester at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College (OLLI at Ringling College), which offers noncredit educational opportunities for adults to pursue new interests, expand intellectual horizons, and enrich their lives. The semester, which runs Jan. 9-March 3, 2023, features more than 70 courses, lectures, and special presentations covering a wide variety of topics, including arts and entertainment, history, music appreciation, health, literature, philosophy, religion, and science. Semester highlights include “Flamboyant Florida Films”; “How Not to Be Wrong”; a free, two-part Medicare information series; and the fourth annual Listening to Women series. Classes are offered in-person at Sarasota Art Museum, the Ringling College Museum Campus, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, and online via Zoom. To register, or for more information about becoming an OLLI member, visit www.OLLIatRinglingCollege.org or call 941-309-5111.  

Children at the Safe Children Coalition’s youth shelter will have a holiday filled with games and necessities thanks to the generosity of nurses and caregivers at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital. Staff at the youth shelter said they were in great need of clothing and games for older children they help who are homeless or in crisis. For several weeks in early December, caregivers brought in donations and collected them at the hospital. A car load of items were donated including an X-box game system, gift cards to the movie theatre, clothing and sporting equipment. Leena Cathcart, RN, Manager of the Progressive Care Unit said, “A patient who has been on our floor for several days saw the donations in our box piling up and learned who would be receiving them, she had tears in her eyes. Helping others, making a difference, that’s why we do what we do.” 

Each December, students from the Perlman Music Program (PMP) Summer Music School, Israel Residency and Chamber Music Workshop reunite on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus for lessons, studio classes, works-in-progress recitals, chorus and orchestra rehearsals and other activities. This year, 35 musically gifted students and Fellows (student mentors) from seven countries will participate in the program. Starting on December 29, the public is invited to watch free rehearsals and works-in-progress recitals under the baton of world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman and other esteemed faculty members. Audiences will also be able to watch Patrick Romano, choirmaster, rehearse with the PMP choir. Lisa Berger, executive director of The Perlman Music Program Suncoast (Perlman Suncoast), the locally based nonprofit that supports PMP and its alumni with programs throughout the year, explains that “The PMP Winter Residency provides valuable mentoring and performance opportunities for young, gifted musicians, ages 12 and up, who have a rare and special talent for classical string music”. “They’re back after a two-year hiatus and we can’t wait to welcome them.” Berger adds, “It’s also a treat for local audiences who can observe the mentoring process of musicians who will someday appear on stages around the world.” This year, audiences can attend 18 events held in a heated performance tent on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. On January 5, PMP Winter Residency students and faculty present a “Celebration Concert,” featuring the PMP String Orchestra under the baton of Itzhak Perlman, and the PMP Chorus, led by Patrick Romano, at the Sarasota Opera House. The “Celebration Dinner” follows the concert in the tent on the USF-Sarasota Manatee campus. “This is a lovely way to celebrate all of the faculty and students who worked hard during the preceding weeks,” says Berger. The event is attended by Toby and Itzhak Perlman, PMP students, faculty and staff, with fine food and beverages and entertainment by the students and faculty. For more information about The Perlman Music Program Suncoast, visit www.PerlmanSuncoast.org.  

Pictured: Forty-five musically gifted students, fellows and acclaimed faculty members from seven countries will participate in the PMP program. Photo courtesy of The Perlman Music Program Suncoast.

The Gettel Foundation presented a check to Toys for Tots for $30,000 on Wednesday 12-21-222, 11:30 a.m. at 5959 E. State Rd 64 Bradenton. Sargent Major Lew Layton and Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Reimann from the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, of the United States Marines joined for the presentation. The Gettel Automotive associates raised an additional $21,000 in which bikes, helmets and toys were purchased and gifted to Toys for Tots. “Generally, the 0-2 years of age are the most forgotten age group, and the $30,000 will be used to purchase toys for this age group,” Sargent Major Layton says. “At Gettel Automotive Group, we are committed to giving back to our communities, we are pleased and honored to make a difference” says James Gettel, President Gettel Automotive Group.