It’s Bunco Time

Kappa Kappa Chapter of Kappa Delta Phi will be hosting a Bunco for Children’s Charities on Thursday, January 31 at 6 p.m. at Center Place, 619 Vonderburg Dr. in Brandon.

The cost is $20 and includes light fare, snacks, refreshments and wine. Enjoy the fun while benefiting local Brandon charities.

Tickets are available at Center Place or at the door. For more information, please call 967-3954.

The Bridges Retirement Community Hosts Veterans Assistance Seminar

The Bridges Retirement Community is hosting a veterans assistance seminar on Thursday, January 17 from 10-11 a.m. to educate wartime Veterans and their survivors about a benefit through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ‘Improved Pension with Aid and Attendance.’ This benefit can help offset the cost of living in a retirement community for a wartime veteran or his/her surviving spouse.

Veterans of any branch of the armed services who served 90 consecutive days on active duty, including one day during a wartime period, may be eligible to receive up to $1,794 per month for assisted living expenses if they served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam Era or other more recent conflicts (duration of service required may vary).

Edwin Ortiz, Manager of Hillsborough County Veterans Services, will provide information and answer questions about this benefit. This free seminar will be held at The Bridges, 11350 Bloomingdale Ave. in Riverview. Lunch is provided. Seating is limited. Please reserve a seat by calling 413-8900.

American Business Women’s Association SouthShore Chapter Meets

The American Business Women’s Association SouthShore Charter Chapter 1409 meets every second Monday at East Coast Pizza, located at 13340 Lincoln Rd. in Riverview at 5:30 p.m. for networking and meeting beginning at 6 p.m.

The mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support and national recognition. This includes providing educational scholarships for local women in the community for continuing their education to advance their careers.

The next meeting is on Monday, January 14, and the guest speaker is Karen B. Lanese, CPA from Lanese and Associates. The Association is looking for more members to join.

Members of the Sgt. Walter P. Ryan Detachment, Marine Corps League, participated in the Wreaths Across America event at American Legion Post 5 cemetery in Tampa on December 15, 2018. L-R: Boris Parker, Ron Essick, Larry Westcott, Jim Maines,Hank Wolons, Mel Stillwell, Walt Raysick and Joyce Stillwell.

Ruskin Native Graduates Marine Recruit Training With Honors

Pfc. Michael A. Hernandez graduated from Marine recruit training today as the platoon honor graduate of Platoon 3102, Company K, 3rd Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment, for placing first of 91 recruits.

The honor graduate award recognizes the Marine who best exemplifies the total Marine concept, which encompasses physical fitness, marksmanship and leadership traits, during recruit training.

Hernandez, a native of Ruskin, acted as platoon guide for Platoon 3102.

He is a graduate of Lennard High School and was recruited at Recruiting Substation Brandon, by Staff Sergeant Donald Rich.

Hillsborough’s New Online System Makes Pet Adoption Simpler

Hillsborough County has made major improvements to the way people look for adoptable pets.

The Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center recently unveiled its online kennel, a new system that substantially increases the amount of information available to prospective adopters. The online system, called ADOPT, features individualized pet profiles, real-time updates on which dogs and cats are available for adoption and detailed search options for those looking for specific characteristics in a pet such as breed, sex or age. A resident can now filter search results to find, for example, only female dogs less than 2 years old, or look online to see if their lost cat has been taken to the shelter.

ADOPT pet profiles also include all the information the staff and volunteers have gathered when observing pets while at the shelter, giving those considering adoption a look into the dog or cat’s personality and how it could fit within their life.

The ADOPT online kennel system can be accessed by desktop computer or mobile devices at www.HCFLGov.net/Adopt.

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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.