Compiled By Michelle Colesanti, michelle@ospreyobserver.com


Veteran’s Job Fair Tampa

RecruitMilitary helps military veterans and military spouses connect with employers that seek to attract, hire and retain America’s best talent. RecruitMilitary and DAV will host a Veterans Job Fair on Thursday, January 11 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Armature Works, 1910 N. Ola Ave. in Tampa. This is a free hiring event for veterans, transitioning military personnel, National Guard members, Reserve members and military spouses.

Hillsborough County’s Small Business Idea Camp Inspires New And Future Business Owners

Thinking of starting a business, but don’t know where to begin? Hillsborough County’s Small Business Idea Camp series is designed to inspire and engage new and future business owners in the fundamentals of entrepreneurial thinking.

At the Small Business Idea Camp, participants will: Discover how to sustain a successful business without undertaking significant financial risk, uncover the underlying concepts and processes that enable aspiring small business owners with limited resources to identify, evaluate, and transform new ideas into successful endeavors, draw from best practices of design thinking, learn to identify problems, find solutions, and make customer connections through an interactive experimental process, and immerse in real-world small business experiences to develop and hone entrepreneurial attitudes and skills.

Participants can choose from two camp workshop sessions: 

January 9 – February 1 – meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. at 5508 Co-Working & Collaboration Exchange, 5508 N. 50th St., Ste. 15 in Tampa or July 10 – August 2 – meets Tuesdays and Thursdays 6-8 p.m. at Entrepreneur Collaborative Center, 2101 E. Palm Ave. in Tampa.

Workshops provided at no cost, but an application is required to enroll. Visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/newsroom/2016/12/20/get-inspired-for-success-at-small-business-idea-camp or call Hillsborough County Entrepreneur Services at 204-9267 for more information.


Yellow Ribbon Flight To Honor Veterans

The Yellow Ribbon mission taking Veterans from Lakeland Linder Airport to Washington DC will take place on April 11.

The mission will be a one day event departing early in the morning and returning that day.
The mission will take place during the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-in. All Veterans who have not participated in a previous Honor Flight or Flight to Honor are eligible.

At the request of numerous veterans of the Vietnam and later eras, options were created that a veteran may select to participate on the mission.

Option 1. Veteran accompanied by a Guardian. This is primarily for a Veteran requiring physical assistance and/or a Guardian specifically requesting to accompany a particular Veteran. The Guardian donates $450 for the opportunity. No cost to the Veteran.

Option 2. Veteran unaccompanied by a Guardian, but sponsored by a family member, employer, organization or friend.  The sponsor contributes $250 for a seat on the mission for the Veteran.  

Option 3. Veteran unaccompanied by a Guardian sponsors himself or herself and donates $250 for a seat on the mission.

For Options 2 and 3, the Veteran must be physically capable of completing the mission without assistance such as a walker, wheelchair or other mobility device.  This does not preclude another veteran accompanying a veteran needing assistance. 

Veterans wishing to participate are urged to submit an application as soon as possible. Visit PolkVeteransCouncil.com to download an application.

Two Citizens Honored By League Of Women Voters Of Hillsborough County

The League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County (LWVHC) is announcing the selection of two distinguished individuals to be honored for their contributions to the local community and Florida. The following individuals will be honored at the LWVHC Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon on Thursday, February 8 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton Tampa Airport – Westshore Hotel, 4500 West Cypress St.

Geraldine McKinnon Twine – 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award: As a young wife and mother living in the segregated south of the 1960s, and in the face of social and societal obstacles, Twine defied barriers, acquired professional credentials, and attained academic degrees. Now a retired advanced registered nurse practitioner, Twine’s legacy of empowerment and drive lives on through the Geraldine Twine Endowed Scholarship providing financial support to a full-time undergraduate student studying within USF Health with a preference towards Nursing majors and members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Joe Guidry – 2018 Sydney & Thalia Potter Civic Leadership Award: As an editorial writer at The Tampa Tribune from 1984 until the newspaper ceased publication in May 2016, Joe Guidry successfully championed environmental stewardship and wise growth management. Guidry’s reasoning encouraged grass roots activists, brought new advocates to the table, and persuaded decision-makers to protect our natural resources.

Registration and information is available at www.hclwv.org/laa.

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Michelle Colesanti
Michelle has been with the Osprey Observer for almost nine years, and her current position is Assignment Editor. She resides in Bloomingdale with her husband Phil, two sons, Philip and Matthew, and Tigger the cat.