Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Digest

Hearing-impaired program expanded

By TIMES STAFF
Published February 21, 2007

COUNTYWIDE

Hearing-impaired program expanded

The Deaf and Hearing Connection for Tampa Bay has expanded its no-cost telephone loan services, which include amplified telephone and equipment usage, at the following locations: Largo Library, Clearwater Library, Palm Harbor Library, Dunedin Senior Center, Safety Harbor Library, the Upper Tampa Bay Library, St. Petersburg Sunshine Center, Gulfport Senior Center and the Gulf Beaches Library. Call 727 399-9983 for dates and times.

Clear your pipes with community chorus

The Palm Harbor Community Chorus is looking for male voices to join its group, which meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Global Family Fellowship Church on Hercules Avenue. Preparations are under way for our spring concert series. Call 709-5818

Hellenic association offers scholarships

The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association has applications available for more than $5,000 in high school and college scholarships awarded by AHEPA's Pinellas Chapter No. 356 and the Daughters of Penelope, Pelias Chapter No. 186. Applicants must be 2007 high school graduates or current college students. Applicants do not have to be of Greek descent, but they must be a family member of a current member of the Order of AHEPA or the Daughters of Penelope. Call chairman John Tsagaris at (727) 791-1040 for an application or visit www.ahepad2.org or www.ahepa.org.

Bothered by litter? Call this number

Keep Pinellas Beautiful has a new 24-hour litter reporting hotline residents can use to report litter problems: (727) 210-4663.

The litter hotline is designed for large-scale litter problems or those that pose a public safety hazard, such as cases where items could create traffic problems. Examples include:

- Road or environmental hazards.

- Illegal dumping.

- Areas with major litter problems, such as storm drains with shopping carts or bulky items in them, or places like businesses with widespread litter problems.

The hotline is not for reporting code enforcement problems such as overgrown lawns or minor instances of littering.

Action to remove the trash/litter is taken by Keep Pinellas Beautiful Staff or coordination with the appropriate city or county department.

Callers will need to provide a street address or intersection, description of the litter problem and a contact phone number. Keep Pinellas Beautiful will coordinate with the appropriate city or county departments to address litter reports.

For more information, call (727) 210-4663 during regular business hours or visit the Web site at www.keep pinellasbeautiful.org.

Teen volunteer guide is now available

In an effort to promote youth volunteerism and help students complete service projects, the Volunteer Action Center and 2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares has published the Pinellas County Teen Guide to Service Learning.

The guide lists 26 agencies in Pinellas that have volunteer opportunities for teens who need to complete 75 hours for the Bright Futures scholarship or for other programs.

For a free copy of the guide, call 211 or visit www.211tampabay.org. The 211 information line has information on health and human services in Pinellas, Hernando and Citrus counties. To reach the information line from a phone that's blocked from making three-digit calls, call 210-4211.

Small business program upgraded

Pinellas County has revised and renamed what used to be known as the Small Business Assistance Program.

Under its new name, the Small Business Enterprise Program allows qualified vendors to bid for county purchases from $2,000 to $10,000.

The program is designed to benefit all small businesses principally located in Pinellas County, regardless of the gender or race of their owners, with sales and staffing below established limits. Employers with fewer than 50 full-time employees and annual gross revenue of less than $2-million are eligible.

To learn more, call 464-3148 or e-mail businesshelp@pced.org An online application is available at www.pinellascounty.org/ purchase/sbap1.htm.

Sign up to help Tampa Bay Harvest

Tampa Bay Harvest is an all-volunteer organization that collects food from restaurants, supermarkets and other sources to donate to food pantries and other local organizations that help feed the hungry. Volunteers are needed to transport food, help with coordinating and record-keeping, and assist with food-collecting events. Call 538-7777, ext. 1.

African-American heritage gets spotlight

The eighth annual Florida African-American Heritage Celebration is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, at Heritage Village, the Gulf Coast Museum of Art and the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo . For more information, call (727) 588-6342, or visit the event's Web page at www.pinellascounty.org/unity.htm. Admission is free.

[Last modified February 21, 2007, 07:51:11]