Letters to the Editors

Pasco feels water pinch as Pinellas allows more

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 12, 2000

Editor: I am a Pasco County resident who has a private well used only for lawn watering. I can certainly see why Pasco County restricted lawn watering to one day a week even with private wells. All of this water comes from the same aquifer, regardless of the water source, either private well or commercial. However, I would like to point out some glaring inconsistencies.

Pinellas County and the city of St. Petersburg have been taking water from Pasco for years. Now neither government feels the need to enact the same restrictions required of Pasco residents.

Pinellas and St. Petersburg residents can keep their lawn green by watering two days a week if they have a private well. I, on the other hand, must watch my lawn turn brown with my one-day-a-week watering restriction. Pinellas and St. Petersburg residents can drive around in clean cars, with no restrictions on car washing, while I have been forbidden to wash mine. Luckily, I have a friend living in Pinellas County who has offered to let me drive to his house and wash my car as often as I like, using Pasco water.
-- Richard McAtee, New Port Richey

Volunteering at hospice "most rewarding"

Editor: National Volunteer Week is celebrated in April to recognize and celebrate the efforts of more than 150,000 volunteers nationwide who provide more than 16-million hours of services to Americans with terminal illness and to their families. I am very proud to be counted as one of these individuals and want to join in saluting my fellow volunteers who donate their time and energies to help others.

I became a volunteer with Hernando-Pasco Hospice in East Pasco several years ago. I was looking for some way to give back to the community. I wanted to feel like I was really helping someone, that my time was worthwhile. I never imagined how fulfilling it could be. I went through 24 hours of training and became an integral part of a caregiving team of doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains.

For those of you who don't know, hospice is considered to be the model for quality, compassionate care at the end of life. It involves a team-oriented approach of expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient's wishes. Emotional and spiritual support is also extended to the family and loved ones. Generally, this care is provided in the patient's home or in a home-like setting operated by a hospice program. The hospice care team addresses all of the symptoms of illness, with the aim of promoting comfort and dignity.

Hospice volunteers help make this special way of caring possible. Simply put, we are there to take care of whatever needs to be done. We hold a hand, listen, take a patient to their favorite park, or read to them. We can run an errand, walk a dog or pick up a prescription. We step in when a family member needs a break from caring for their loved one, and we support the family after their loved one has passed away.

Hernando-Pasco Hospice has served Pasco residents for 15 years. I'm so proud to share that we are expanding our service in East Pasco by building a new hospice house on Clinton Avenue. Our grand opening will be this summer! Our hospice house is for patients who do not have a caregiver available in their own home. Additional volunteers will be needed to serve as cooks, kitchen assistants, shoppers, maintenance workers, etc. If you would like more information about volunteering, please call volunteer clerk Linda Taylor at (813) 780-6797.

People often ask, "Isn't it depressing?" when I tell them I am a hospice volunteer. Today, we hear more and more about end of life and what it means to have a good death. I smile and tell them, "It's the most rewarding thing I have ever done."
-- Dolores Poirier, Zephyrhills

Male volunteers needed for mentoring program

Editor: I am a parent of a child attending West Zephyrhills Elementary School. I have become aware of a mentor program started at that school. They seem to be having some trouble recruiting male volunteers. Since National Volunteer Week is this week, I was hoping that your paper might be interested in printing an article about this program and assist in putting the word out into the community.

There are a lot of young children living their lives consumed by their surroundings of violence, anger, drugs and prejudice. It is imperative that we help them to see a better way of life before it's too late. These children living within that sadly troubled world are the same children who go to school with our kids, live in our neighborhoods and statistically could hurt the ones we love and (if they make it that far) fill up our jails. So an intervention program is not just important to those kids in need, but also should be important for each one of us on a very personal level.

We all know too well the outcome of a child crying out for help and no one listening. If we can start showing them that we do care, at a young age, then there is always hope. They need to know that there are others who care about them and allow them the opportunity to step out of their sad and dark world for a short time to see that the world can be a brighter, kinder and more caring place. Each one of us can make a huge difference in a child's life if we just share a little of our blessings with them.

I feel strongly about this matter, and I am sure a lot of your readers will also. If you wish to contact me, I can be reached at (813) 779-2045. The program needs male mentors to volunteer once a week for an hour. A contact at West Zephyrhills Elementary is Jim, who is a guidance counselor there.

Thank you for your time and help in this matter. We will be able to make a great difference with your assistance.
-- Sharon Garcia, Zephyrhills

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