NAPLES NAMED BEST BEACH TOWN IN U.S.
Naples has been ranked as the best beach town in the country by WalletHub. The list included other Florida cities, such as Marco Island at No. 47 and Bonita Springs at No. 66. WalletHub compared 192 cities across six key dimensions—affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life—using 62 relevant metrics. For the full study, click here.
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF COLLIER NAMES COO
Boys & Girls Club of Collier County has appointed Jose Hernandez as chief operating officer, effective July 8. For the past 32 years, Hernandez has served in the educational sector, focusing most of his career with Collier County Public Schools, most recently as principal of Barron Collier High School and previously as principal of Golden Gate High School. Hernandez will assume programming responsibility for Boys & Girls Club of Collier County’s three campuses: The Nichols Campus in East Naples, the Bolch Campus in Immokalee, and the outreach program at Immokalee Middle School. Hernandez holds a bachelor’s degree in from Eastern Kentucky University in Music Education, a master’s degree from University of Southern Mississippi in music education, a specialist degree from University of Southern Mississippi in educational leadership, and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree from University of Western Florida in education leadership.
BONITA SPRINGS CITIZEN OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS OPEN
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2019 Bonita Springs Citizen of the Year Award. The award is sponsored by the Naples Daily News and The News-Press and is awarded annually to a citizen who has shown they are dedicated to improving quality of life in Bonita Springs during the past year. Nomination forms are available at NaplesNews.com/BonitaCitizen2019. This 43rd annual presentation of the award will be presented at the August 29 Bonita Chamber Awards Celebration Luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa. Tickets are available by calling (239) 992-2943 or online at bit.ly/2019BonitaChamberAwards.
MINICOZZI TO SPEAK IN COLLIER COUNTY
International speaker Joe Minicozzi will share his expertise on community planning in regard to land use at 6 p.m. on July 9 at South Collier Regional Library and 10 a.m. on July 10 at Orange Blossom Library. On July 9, Minicozzi will be joined by a special guest Galina Tachieva with DPZ design firm. In his presentation, “The Dollars and Sense of Growth,” Minicozzi will share his analysis of Collier County. Minicozzi’s visit is hosted by Collier County and Blue Zones Project-Southwest Florida, an NCH Healthcare System sponsored organization. Both events are free to the community and pre-registration is not required. Minicozzi’s work has been featured at the Congress for New Urbanism, the American Planning Association, the International Association of Assessing Officers, and New Partners for SmartGrowth conferences as a paradigm shift for thinking about development patterns. Minicozzi is the principal of Urban3, LLC, a consulting company in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.
CHELSEA PLACE EARNS NADSA AWARD
Chelsea Place Adult Day Care in Port Charlotte is being recognized by the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) as an Adult Day Services Center of Distinction for its extraordinary commitment to patient care and community support. Founded in 2011 by Chelsea and Kris Chana, who were 21- and 23-year-old newlyweds, Chelsea Place started as an assisted living facility. They added the senior day care center at a nearby location which serves over 70 members living in Charlotte County. Chelsea Place also offers private duty home care and al la carte services including transportation, weekly hair salon services, manicure and pedicure services, massage therapy, spa baths, podiatry services and a monthly membership program.
ANDREWS AWARDED DIPLOMATE STATUS
Florida Skin Center Board-certified Physician Assistant Cindy Andrews has been awarded Diplomate status by the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants (SDPA). This comes after Andrews completed 22 online, didactic Diplomate Fellowship modules. These modules are a form of section- or presentation-based training and equal more than 65 hours of American-Academy-of-Dermatology-approved continuing medical education (CME) credits. As a Diplomate Fellow, Andrews must maintain her SDPA Fellow membership and complete all necessary CME credit exams offered online by the Journal of the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants. Additionally, she is required to attend an SDPA conference or complete one of the online conference video packages every two years.
ENTECH RECOGNIZED FOR MANAGED IT SERVICES EXCELLENCE
CRN, a brand of The Channel Co., has named Entech to its 2019 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Pioneer 250 category. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with innovative approaches to managed services. These services help customers improve operational efficiencies, maximize return on IT investments, and continuously help them navigate the complexities of IT solutions. This annual list is divided into three categories: the MSP Pioneer 250, recognizing companies with business models weighted toward managed services and largely focused on the SMB market; the MSP Elite 150, recognizing large, data center-focused MSPs with a strong mix of on-premises and off-premises services; and the Managed Security 100, recognizing MSPs focused primarily on off-premises, cloud-based security services.
CINDRICH APPOINTED COMMUNITY FOUNDATION TREASURER
Tami Cindrich, a partner with Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Co. P.A. (MNMW), has been appointed to serve as the board treasurer for the Cape Coral Community Foundation. In this role, Cindrich will oversee the financial assets and liabilities for the foundation. Cindrich joined MNMW in 1998 and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Healthcare Business Consultant, and an Advanced Certified Quickbooks Pro Advisor. In 2017 she became one of the managing partners in the firm. She specializes in consulting with medical and dental practices, working closely with physicians and administrators in all aspects of practice management, from start-ups to mergers and acquisitions.
CHARITABLE NOTES
United Way to take applications for emergency food, shelter
The United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee will accept applications for funds to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties through 5 p.m. on July 5. The counties of Lee, Hendry and Glades have been awarded federal funds in the amount of $289,305 made available through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program. Applications are being accepted by the local board charged with distributing the funds appropriated by congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas. The local board will determine how the funds awarded to this area are to be distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local human service agencies in the area. The United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee provides the coordination and administrative support for this program in the community. For more information, visit www.unitedwaylee.org.
New Horizons of SWFL partners with United Way of Collier County
New Horizons of Southwest Florida has become a partner agency with the United Way of Collier County. A $30,000 grant will be used for programs that provide at-risk students in Collier County with tutoring, mentoring and faith-building. With the funds from this grant, New Horizons and its dedicated group of 700-plus volunteers can reach a record-number of students who need homework help but may not otherwise have the opportunity to find it, a press release states. Ninety-two percent of New Horizons’ students graduate from high school versus 48 percent for their at-risk peer group. The United Way of Collier County grant contributes to New Horizons’ overall vision to see all at-risk youth graduate from high school with a plan for their lives. For more information, visit newhorizonsofswfl.org.
Lifeline Family Center to break ground on housing for homeless women with children
Lifeline Family Center will break ground on July 18 for housing for single women with children graduating from their program. The ground-breaking is set for 10 a.m. adjacent to Lifeline Family Center at 907 S.E. Fifth Ave. in Cape Coral. Lifeline Family Center began a fundraising campaign to provide affordable housing for graduates of their Phase I program that has now topped $400,000. An additional $236,000 is needed to complete the project debt free. For more information, visit www.lifelinefamilycenter.org.
Pathways Early Education Center of Immokalee receives $10,000 grant
Students at Pathways Early Education Center of Immokalee (Pathways) will have greater access to the center’s nationally recognized, evidence-based curriculum because of a $10,000 grant from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation. The grant will fund Pathways’ Tuition Assistance Program for families who would not otherwise be able to afford year-round early education. Pathways currently has a group of 122 students ranging from four-weeks to 5-years-old. For more information, visit www.PathwaysEarlyEducation.org.
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