HODGES LAUNCHES PARAMEDIC PROGRAM
Hodges University has launched a public access paramedic program at its Fort Myers location. There are three information sessions interested students can attend, all at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3, 10 and 17 at the Fort Myers campus. In order to be accepted to the paramedic program, students must have a current Florida Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification and a Basic Life Support (BLS) Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) card. For more information, visit Hodges.edu.
MCCORMACK EARNS MEDAL OF HONOR
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Florida Southwest Chapter awarded Indigo Architecture Inc. President Rick McCormack the W.R. Frizzell Medal of Honor at its annual Fall Lecture Series, held on Nov.14 at the Sydney and Bern Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers. The award, the highest honor bestowed upon an architect by the chapter, recognizes a distinguished AIA member who has made a profound impact on the profession over a sustained period of time. The recipient must be a five-plus year AIA member who has demonstrated noteworthy accomplishments in the chapter, as well as community organizations and/or government bodies, and has built a career on integrity and professional leadership. A 35-plus year design professional, McCormack began his career working at Deltona Corp. and later founded Indigo Architecture Inc. The Fort Myers firm specializes in a variety of projects from apartments, medical offices and condominiums to restaurants, hotels and custom homes.
BAYFRONT HEALTH PORT CHARLOTTE EARNS AWARD
Bayfront Health Port Charlotte has been honored by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and the Florida Department of Health (DOH) as one of 20 Florida hospitals that achieved the Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) Maternal and Child Health goal of reducing cesarean section deliveries for first-time mothers with low-risk pregnancies in 2017. Both AHCA and DOH have recognized that the high rate of low-risk cesarean births is a major maternal and child health issue in Florida, as the state has one of the highest rates in the nation, a press release states. The mission of the recognition program is to raise awareness and recognize hospitals that are contributing to providing quality health care for mothers and infants.
ABWA HOLIDAY PARTY SET
The ABWA Neapolitan December Chapter Meeting and holiday party will take place from 6-7:45 p.m. on Dec. 18 at the Hilton Naples. Networking will be held from 5:15-5:55 p.m. Each year, the ABWA chapter members select an organization to collect gifts for. This year, they are requesting a $15 gift or more for sixth graders of the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County. The chapter asks donators to wrap the gift and write “boy” or “girl” on the outside label. For more information, click here or contact Nina Christensen at (239) 580-7306 or laninta@comcast.net.
NATIONAL PUBLICATION FEATURES ARTICLE BY FORT MYERS ATTORNEY
An article authored by Sheppard, Brett, Stewart, Hersch, Kinsey & Hill P.A. attorney Craig R. Hersch appears in the December 2018 issue of Trusts & Estates Magazine. The publication is a national peer review journal and website for wealth management professionals serving the needs of high-net-worth clients, family business owners, family offices, charitably inclined donors and nonprofit corporations. Titled “Bridging the Experience Gap,” the article explores the effects of digitization and commoditization, and provides guidance on how to create and fulfill the expectation of premium services when faced with those challenges.
KAJ ART GALLERY OPENS IN NAPLES
KAJ Art Gallery will host a grand opening on Saturday with a private reception in Naples. It has been open to the public since early November. The opening exhibit of KAJ Art Gallery will feature contemporary art pieces with paintings and sculptures by artist Paul Tamanian. From his first exhibition in Florida in 1992, he has gone on to exhibit and sell works in galleries across the U.S. In addition to Tamanian’s work, the gallery will also present the Kosmask exhibit, which feature large, lightweight wall sculptures, along with the work of sculptor Michael Lucero, who designed six of the masks. Other artists will be featured in the gallery as well. The gallery is a joint venture by longtime friends Jason Taylor and Kosmas Ballis. Taylor is a Los Angeles-based plastic surgeon. He specializes in reconstructive cleft palate surgery for children. Ballis attended the Kansas City Art Institute and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Florida State University. He recently won the gold prize for ceramics at the 2016 Taiwan Ceramics Biennale, which allowed him to spend nine months working with various museums throughout Asia.
CHARITABLE NOTES
‘Ding’ awards $11K in school conservation education grants
“Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) on Nov. 28 awarded $11,000 in grants to conservation education-related projects at nine different schools in Lee, Charlotte, and Collier counties for the 2018-19 school year. Teachers submitted grant applications to the DDWS Environmental Education Committee by Oct. 31. The committee chose awards based on need and relevance to conservation. This is the 13th year the society has awarded these conservation teacher grants. Grant recipients report back on their projects to the society and refuge upon project completion in June 2019. For information on next year’s grants, contact Sara Hallas at (239) 472-1100 ext. 236, Wendy Kindig at wendykindig@aol.com, or visit dingdarlingsociety.org/articles/teacher-grants.
In The Garden Spirit Tree benefits CROW
In The Garden has planted a spirit tree that benefits local nonprofits. The Olive tree was chosen because it represents love and charity, a press release states. Spirit tree donations from Dec. 1-31 will benefit Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW). Canvas spirit tree tags can be purchased at the garden center gift shop for $5. Purchasers can write well-wishes or blessings on the tags and attach them to the tree. All tag sales will be donated to CROW and In The Garden will match all tag sales. CROW is a teaching hospital and visitor education center dedicated to saving wildlife through state-of-the-art veterinary care, research, education and conservation medicine.
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