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Volunteers help out countywide
By JORGE SANCHEZ
© St. Petersburg Times, In ways big and small, people in Citrus County pitched in to help during Saturday's Make a Difference Day. If you drove around Citrus County Saturday morning, you probably saw plastic grocery bags filled with canned food. The county's letter carriers picked up the food donations on their morning rounds and will deliver them to Citrus United Basket, or CUB, an Inverness food and clothes charity. CUB provides food year-round but is known for its food baskets for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. In Lecanto, hundreds of people attended the Central Citrus Rotary Club's third annual Health Fair Saturday. By 7 a.m., people were already in line for a blood screening test. Central Citrus Rotary president Linda Daly said the response to the reduced-cost blood tests was encouraging. "We're providing a $350 blood test for $45, and people recognize that as a good value," Daly said. "Also, some of the people who came have no health insurance, and this is a good deal for them as well." A PSA test to detect the presence of prostate cancer in men was an extra $35. In addition to the blood testing, about 20 health care providers also set up tables to offer free services or information. For free, people could have their spine adjusted by one of two chiropractors or get a hearing exam, eye exam or blood pressure measurement. Women could undergo a bone density test. There were also guide dog demonstrations and several mental health organizations distributing information. Seven Rivers Community Hospital in Crystal River will perform the blood tests, and the results will be analyzed by Dr. Mario Mendizable, Daly said. "Also, this is a fundraiser for us," she said. "We make a little money off the tests and from the vendors, which we use to fund local scholarships." The Rotary Club of Inverness also participated in Make a Difference Day by holding a celebrity car wash in the parking lot of Citrus High. A slate of local elected officials such as Judge Mark Yerman and County Commissioner Josh Wooten helped wash cars to raise money for a video library at Citrus Memorial Hospital. The event typically raises about $700 a year for the video library, said organizer and Rotary member Arnold Virgilio. "We started this several years ago just to buy some videos for the waiting room, but it has expanded," Virgilio said. "In addition to having about 400 videos, we have also bought VCRs and televisions for many rooms in the hospital." Though a ticket to the car wash cost $3, many people would contribute an extra $5 or $10. "I think the effect of all the fundraising for the New York City and Washington terrorist attacks has had a spillover effect, instead of hurting local efforts," Virgilio said. He said many people who didn't need a car wash came by and made a contribution.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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