Beth Houghton has blazed a trail for women leaders in St. Petersburg, while leading programs that have changed lives for families and children throughout the community.

Her accomplishments were recognized Thursday, when Mayor Rick Kriseman presented Houghton with the key to the city, an honor reserved for those who have had a tremendous impact in the community.

Houghton is CEO of the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, former CEO of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic and former chief financial officer and general counsel at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. She is vice chairman of the Moffitt Cancer Center institute board of director, and chairs the Moffitt hospital board.

She is former chairman of the board of Great Explorations, the Houghton-Wagman Children’s Museum in St. Petersburg, which is named in honor of a $1 million gift from Houghton and her husband, Scott Wagman.

“Her dedication to families, to children, to healthcare in general is truly unrivaled,” Kriseman said during a City Council meeting. “No list of super citizens would be complete without Miss Beth Houghton.”

Houghton was named CEO of the Juvenile Welfare Board in 2019.

“Beth has been a strong advocate for children’s issues and underserved families, creating strategic partnerships and overseeing the funding of high quality programs that benefit hundreds of children and families in St. Petersburg,” Kriseman said. “Last year the city and JWB collectively invested $4.2 million into our teen programs. This investment allowed us to hire certified teachers and behavioral specialists to assist program participants in homework and  tutoring, academic goal setting, school projects, youth development activities and enrichment overlay programs during non-school hours and offer employment opportunities to high school youth. As a result of this partnership we have seen a consistent improvement in teen’s FSA Florida standardized assessment scores and decreased unexcused absences and suspension rates.”

She was CEO of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic from 2011 to 2019. Under her leadership, the organization expanded its reach and helped to provide food, shelter and healthcare to more than 55,000 people on a monthly basis, Kriseman said.

Houghton was in the C-suite of hospitals long before it was common for women to be in executive leadership, said Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin, whose own professional background is in healthcare. Tomalin previously was a regional vice president at Health Management Associates, the former owner of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.

“You’ve blazed so many trails and I feel fortunate to stand, I won’t say in the shadow of your greatness because there’s nothing about you that casts a shadow, I’ll say in the benefit of your light,” Tomalin said.

When people talk about women in leadership, Houghton is one of the first people that comes to mind for Council Vice Chair  Gina Driscoll.

“Your life and your work have inspired so many women including me and I thank you for that. You are someone that I look up to, that I admire and that I hope that as you move on to even more great things that you do, that I will find more ways I can help you,” Driscoll said. “Leaders like you don’t just look for people to follow you. You look to bring up other leaders with you.”

Houghton both inspires and motivates, said Council Chair Ed Montanari.

“Just your personality and the way you operate is like a force multiplier, we would say in the military, because you get so many people that have been with you and part of what you are leading on,” Montanari said. “You are a legend here in St. Petersburg, Beth, and thank you for leading. We need more people like you.”

Surrounded by her family in the City Council chambers, Houghton said it was her privilege to work with thousands of employees and volunteers.

“This is one of those few times you get to tell your children and grandchildren what community service is all about and that somebody actually cares about those long meetings and long phone calls,” she said.

To view the full article, visit https://stpetecatalyst.com/super-citizen-beth-houghton-changes-lives-blazes-trails-in-st-pete/

It’s not too early to get a jump on helping your kids prepare for the next school year, especially if you can avoid the cost of required school or sports physicals with some early planning.

The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County (DOH-Pinellas) is again offering its annual Back to School Clinics from June 28 to Aug. 10 at four of its clinics in area high schools. Students in grades kindergarten to 12 can get physicals, basic dental services, vision/hearing screenings and any needed immunizations—including COVID-19 shots—during the same visit. Services are not provided to students entering pre-kindergarten.

Basic dental services such as sealants, fluoride and assessments will be offered only during July 19-Aug. 10. As part of the vision screenings, students who qualify can receive exams and glasses courtesy of Preserve Vision Florida.

Screenings are provided by appointment only and the student must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Please bring immunization and health records so that staff can update them.

To make an appointment, call 727-824-6900 menu option #4. The forms for services can be pre-filled and are found at the DOH-Pinellas website here: https://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/clinical-and-nutrition-services/school-clinics/index.html.

These are the Back to School Clinics offering services this summer:

• Boca Ciega High School, 924 58th Ave. S., Gulfport
• Gibbs High School, 850 34th St. S., St. Petersburg
• Largo High School, 410 Missouri Ave., Largo
• Pinellas Park High School, 6305 118th Ave. N., Largo

The DOH-Pinellas school-based clinics are funded by the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas.

For information about DOH-Pinellas, go to www.PinellasHealth.com or follow us on Twitter @HealthyPinellas.

To view the full article, visit http://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2021/06/no-cost-physicals-and-screenings-to-get-students-ready-for-the-school-year.html

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital is working with the Florida Department of Health and the Juvenile Welfare Board to offer a free Covid-19 vaccine at three Pinellas County schools. The free Pfizer vaccine will be administered to those 12 years old and older starting in late June. The vaccination will be available at the following locations from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.:

• Largo High School: First dose June 22, second dose July 13
• Gibbs High School: First dose June 23, second dose July 14
• Pinellas Park High School: First dose June 24, second dose July 15

Appointments must be made in advanced. Those interested should call 727-824-6931. Minors must be accompanied by their legal guardian.

To view the full article, visit https://stpetecatalyst.com/zaps/johns-hopkins-to-offer-pfizer-vaccine-at-pinellas-county-schools/

Two science and tech educators are currently accepting youth participants for their first science competition and exhibition, “22 Innovative Ideas.” The nonprofit Shaping the Early Mind, founded by husband-and-wife team Marquis and Shai’Robia Davis, will hold the exhibition in collaboration with the Sankofa Science initiative on May 22, from noon to 4 p.m. on 22nd Street and 9th Avenue South.

The Davises started Shaping the Early Mind (STEM) in 2017 with the mission of providing access to, encouragement in, and engagement with technology education for all.

A PRIDE award-winning scholar in elementary school science who received the Juvenile Welfare Board’s H. Browning Spence Education Award, Shai’Robia Davis said that as a foster child she had gone to as many as 17 schools by the time she graduated high school.

Her experiences helped her understand the struggle of youth who may enjoy subjects like math and science but are not being given the support and encouragement to continue pursuing their passion for those subjects.

“I am a former foster youth, a Black woman, and I’ve just never been encouraged to pursue a career in science, even though that’s the subject I’ve always excelled in,” she shared.

Davis said after she had her first child, her penchant for researching health and science topics such as childhood vaccinations led her to ask herself why she wasn’t studying science — especially since she realized: “I could really see myself doing research, long term.” She returned to school, beginning to wonder “if other people aren’t pursuing these subjects because they’re facing some of the same challenges that I am.”

While working as a Career and Education Specialist for the nonprofit Ready for Life, Davis recalled that when asking countless Black youths what their plans were after high school, many of the males would respond: “Well, maybe I’ll play football, since I’m not good at basketball.” Davis wondered who told them that those were their only options.

Later, while considering an education degree at St. Petersburg College, Davis was completing required observation hours in a fifth-grade classroom. “Again, I’m asking kids, ‘What do you want to do, what do you want to be when you grow up?’” She remembered one child saying he would probably play basketball since he didn’t like football. But, when Davis asked him what his favorite subject was, he replied, “science.”

“So, you’ve never thought about a career in science?” Davis inquired. The child responded, “What do you mean?” Realizing the student had probably never thought of a career in science, she went home, did some research, and compiled a list of athletes who had degrees in various fields of study.

The next day she brought that list of names to the student, not convinced he would think much of it. But instead, “He took it, and he glued it in his take-home notebook, so he could keep it. Hopefully, that encouraged him to think about some other career,” she mused.

The 22 Innovative Ideas science competition and exhibition is open to youth residing in Pinellas County who meet at least one of the following criteria: be aged 6 to 14, identify as BIPOC, are in the foster care system, or have a permanent impairment.

While grades came easily to Davis, today she acknowledges that she’s not “a big school advocate.” Being a foster child meant not only a dizzying number of different schools but sometimes not attending school at all.

“I remember being out for like two months at a time, and I’d always come back and still be on track, excelling in my classes.”

Davis said she looks back at that time and wonders what they were teaching if she was one of the top students and not being in class for months at a time.

“So, I don’t feel like learning happens solely in the classroom.”

This belief and the desire to challenge the stereotypes people hold about what STEM educators look like are two more reasons the Davises started Shaping the Early Mind.

“What’s happening at home and in the community is also teaching the kids and making a huge impact on their lives as well — that’s why we want to bring the learning into their spaces and not just into the schools,” she noted.

Davis said both she and her husband, who has a degree in a technology field, have experienced “obstacles” and felt people’s skepticism when they meet them.

“When we walk in the room, we’ve both felt people [respond] like, ‘Oh, you’re here to do something else,’” Davis relayed. “We want to change the face of STEM for our kids so that they know ‘you belong here.’”

Currently employed as a complex specimen processor in a microbiology laboratory and pursuing a bachelor’s in Biomedical Science at the University of South Florida, Davis plans to take the Florida teacher’s certification exam. But she wants children to know that even without a high school diploma, they can participate in innovation.

“We want them to know — use your creativity, use your resources, and just go for it.”

Shai’Robia Davis, director of education

STEM has done pop-up workshops in Campbell Park and currently are running a virtual stem program. They also shoot tech videos with youth and encourage parents of children interested in being featured in the tech videos to contact them.

The 22 Innovative Ideas science competition and exhibition is open to youth residing in Pinellas County who meet at least one of the following criteria: be aged 6 to 14, identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), are in the foster care system, or have a permanent impairment.

For more information, contact Sha’Robia and Marquis Davis at 727-685-6432 or email shapingtheearlymind@gmail.com. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

To view the full article, visit https://theweeklychallenger.com/tech-educators-host-22-innovative-ideas-science-exhibition-on-the-deuces/.

State lawmakers agreed Friday night to spend $50 million on a new courthouse in Pinellas County named after former State Attorney Bernie McCabe.

The new site of the 2nd District Court of Appeal would be called the Bernie McCabe Courthouse in honor of the late Pinellas-Pasco state attorney, who died in January after serving as the area’s top prosecutor for nearly three decades.

Both the location and the name of the courthouse were a top priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, a former prosecutor who worked for McCabe. He spoke in support for a Pinellas courthouse named after his former boss a week after his passing.

But Sprowls’ priority clashed with that of another powerful Republican lawmaker: Senate Appropriations Chair Kelli Stargel, who wanted the new courthouse built in her hometown of Lakeland, the official headquarters for the court district. Stargel’s husband was appointed as a judge for the district by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.

In a statement Saturday, Sprowls applauded Stargel and hinted that her hometown could still benefit from the plan.

“This is step one in a multi-year plan to address the unique needs of the area that now comprises the 2nd (District Court of Appeal),” Sprowls said, referring to Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Hardee, Highlands, Polk, DeSoto, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Glades, Collier, Hendry and Lee counties. “Senator Stargel has always been a staunch advocate for Polk County, and her long-term vision for addressing the juridical needs of the area will be realized.”

The exact location of the Bernie McCabe Courthouse has yet to be determined. The agreement lawmakers reached on Friday requires the site to be on state or local land. If that isn’t available, the courts would work with the state to find another location in Pinellas County.

Lakeland is the official site in state law for the sprawling district, which handles trial court appeals from Pasco County to Naples and as far east as Lake Okeechobee.

However, the majority of the court’s cases, judges, employees and attorneys are from Tampa Bay, and studies have recommended the new courthouse be built in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties.

Stargel said last month she wanted the new courthouse built in Lakeland in part because her hometown’s legal community has been shrinking since 1980, when the 2nd District Court of Appeal started renting space in Tampa to handle the area’s growing caseload.

The court’s cases are now being held in rented classroom space near downtown Tampa, a site that doesn’t have bulletproof windows. The crumbling, mold-infested Lakeland courthouse has been uninhabitable since 2016.

Last year, lawmakers approved $21 million for a new courthouse in St. Petersburg, but Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed it along with $1 billion in other projects.

When Stargel allotted $50 million for a new courthouse in Lakeland last month, Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, objected. Requiring the majority of people who use the court to commute 35 miles east to Lakeland each day would be a “significant disruption,” he said.

Brandes said senators were placing the courthouse in Lakeland simply “because we can,” something that Stargel said gave her “great offense.”

“I’m not doing this just because I can,” Stargel said during a Senate committee meeting last month. “I think it’s appropriate for my community.”

McCabe was a giant in Tampa Bay’s legal and political community, where he was known as a mentor to young lawyers, a whip-smart litigator and an advocate for crime victims, police officers and children. He served for 20 years on the Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board and was one of the first state attorneys in Florida to start drug and veterans’ treatment courts.

After his death, Sprowls wrote to county commissioners asking they rename the Pinellas County Justice Center, where prosecutors and public defenders have offices, after McCabe.

McCabe “left an unrivaled legacy in the pantheon of Florida justice seekers,” Sprowls wrote.

To view the full news article, visit https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/04/24/state-lawmakers-agree-on-new-bernie-mccabe-courthouse-in-pinellas-county/.

As part of Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, JWB Community Planning Manager Yaridis Garcia was recently featured in a statewide podcast with Prevent Child Abuse Florida and the Ounce of Prevention, spotlighting the 2021 Child Abuse Prevention Conference, JWB’s Neighborhood Family Centers, and our work in the area of strengthening and supporting families to prevent child abuse and neglect.  To learn more about JWB’s work to prevent child abuse and neglect, and strengthen communities visit www.jwbpinellas.org.

Listen to the podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1653430/8296601

Chan Heng was attending a flea market in Pinellas Park last week when he saw a booth advertising appointments for the coronavirus vaccine at the Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center.

So the 54-year-old St. Petersburg resident signed up. It was so much easier than trying to do it online, he said.

He was one of about 300 people vaccinated at the center Saturday. It serves the Lealman area and many immigrant residents, like Heng, who moved to the United States from Cambodia in 1982. The staff even translated for patients.

“This is very convenient,” Heng said.

It is one of many clinics across the Tampa Bay region whose mission is getting vaccines to underserved communities. While the state is allowing all residents 16 and older to get vaccinated starting today, some Floridians still face obstacles. Low-income and migrant residents can lack transportation and face language barriers.

Florida’s residency requirement has raised concerns about vaccine access for migrant workers, the undocumented and those experiencing homelessness. Immigration advocates recently called for an end to the requirement, saying it excludes undocumented immigrants, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The Florida Department of Health says a state-issued ID is needed to receive a vaccine. Seasonal residents may present two forms of identification, such as a deed, mortgage or lease, a utility bill or mail from the government or a bank.

Florida Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Samantha Bequer said health officials can also accept other proof of residency at their discretion, such as a letter from an employer or landlord, or a spouse’s proof of residency along with proof of marriage.

But for those who struggle with such documents and requirements, a patchwork vaccination effort has sprung up across the Tampa Bay region. Advocacy groups, health departments and vaccination sites started serving communities that otherwise might be excluded.

Redlands Christian Migrant Association health advocate Noe Bautista helped organize a clinic that distributed vaccines to migrant farm workers in Mulberry. The clinic received 400 doses of vaccines including both the first and second doses of Pfizer vaccines. The first round was administered March 20.

“The first barrier is the lack of vaccines,” Bautista said. “They don’t have access.”

The registration and identification process was simple, Bautista said. Organizers asked for workers’ names, date of birth, phone numbers and town where they live. Bautista also helped translate information into Mixtec, the language of the indigenous Mexican farmworkers he works with.

Clearwater’s Hispanic Outreach Center offered the first dose of coronavirus vaccines to community members at the end of February and the second doses were distributed at the end of March. In total, the staff fully vaccinated 244 people. CEO Jaclyn Boland said the next clinic, scheduled for April 10, is almost fully booked.

The center asks participants to bring a photo ID and proof of residency. But Boland said they’re also accepting items such as foreign passports for those who don’t have state-issued identification. For those who do not have their own bills or bank statements, proof of residency from someone they share a home with is acceptable, along with a statement from that person affirming they live together.

“Really, we haven’t found many people having an issue with that part,” Boland said.

Dr. Nichelle Threadgill, chief medical officer at Community Health Centers of Pinellas, Inc., said its clinics have tried to offer flexibility to patients and those who visit pop-up clinics, whose times are listed online. Threadgill said the site accepts any form of identification that the Department of Motor Vehicles would accept. Many patients often share homes with relatives, so proof of residency from someone with whom the patient lives is also acceptable.

“We try not to be restrictive at all,” Threadgill said.

Local groups are also working to ensure vaccine access for those experiencing homelessness across Tampa Bay. As of March 29, the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County said it had vaccinated 344 patients at local homeless shelters. Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas CEO Amy Foster said local sites serving the homeless have been accepting county blue cards — which give them access to the county health system — as a form of identification.

“We’re excited that eligibility has been expanded and we’ll be able to get more folks vaccinated shortly,” she said.

In Hillsborough County, emergency management has worked with community groups to ensure access for undocumented and homeless residents who might otherwise struggle to get vaccinated. Metropolitan Ministries and Feeding Tampa Bay have also hosted vaccination sites.

Tampa Bay Street Medicine has worked to distribute 93 vaccine doses to its patients, many of whom are experiencing homelessness. Most recently, it distributed the first dose of vaccines to patients at the beginning of March, said clinic co-director Jacob Wasserman.

The organization also administered doses of the Pfizer vaccine in February and 95 percent of patients returned for their second dose, he said.

“I think that the reason for that is the fact that we’ve cultivated a true relationship with our patients over the course of many years,” Wasserman said. “I just took it as a really cool sign.”

Read the full story by Tampa Bay Times at https://tampabaytimes-fl.newsmemory.com/?publink=113c2e5d6

Tampa Bay area children can once again receive free water safety and swim lessons at their local Y, starting during the local school districts’ Spring Break, March 15-18.

TheY’s Safety Around Water program is offered this year at 16 Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA and YMCA of the Suncoast locations. The program is free and open to all 3-12-year-old beginners and non-swimmers in the Tampa Bay community. The YMCA of the Suncoast is able to offer the program at no cost in Pinellas County thanks to the generosity of the Juvenile Welfare Board.

During the 4-day course, certified instructors teach kids a sequenced set of skills that will reduce the risk of drowning and give them confidence in and around water. Participants must be present on the first day of class and bring their own swimsuit and towel. A YMCA membership is NOT required; however, due to limited space, pre-registration is required at these participating Ys:

March 15-18: Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA (11 locations), Clearwater YMCA, Greater Palm Harbor YMCA, Greater Ridgecrest YMCA, James P. Gills Family YMCA, North Pinellas YMCA

At the Tampa Y, you can sign up online, in-person or by phone. At the Suncoast Y, you can sign up in-person or by phone. As with all YMCA programs and services, the Y follows guidance from the CDC and government officials to create a safer environment and ensure the highest standards of cleanliness and appropriate accommodations for social distancing. The Y will also offer the free Safety Around Water program in May and August of this year. Dates and times vary based on YMCA location.

To view the full news story by Bay News 9, visit https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2021/03/02/spring-break-kicks-off-free-safety-around-water-lessons-at-the-y

GULFPORT, FL — On Feb. 13, 2021, the Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseers unanimously passed resolutions to honor the service of Sammy Cacciatore, Rhea Law, Bernie McCabe and Bonnie Forman – all esteemed alumni with a legacy of helping elevate their alma mater and the legal field. The resolutions recognize their years of selfless devotion to both the College and the advancement of legal education.

Sammy Cacciatore

Sammy Cacciatore is a Double Hatter, earning a bachelor’s degree from Stetson University and his Juris Doctor in 1966. He began his career as an Assistant Public Defender and in 1967 joined the Law Office of James Nance, which would later be known as Nance & Cacciatore, where he continues to practice personal injury litigation.

In Jones v. Hoffman, Cacciatore pioneered efforts to establish comparative negligence as the standard in Florida. This ultimately resulted in the change to this standard throughout the country, transforming the way injured people are compensated.

He gives generously of his time and resources to many professional and nonprofit organizations, including: the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; Brevard County Bar Association; Vassar B. Carlton American Inn of Court; Florida Supreme Court’s Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases; Florida Justice Association; Florida Bar Board of Governors; Coastal Conservation Association; Several Judicial Nominating Commissions, Florida State Courts; Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church; Coastal Conservation Association; and the Back Country Fly Fishing Association.Subscribe

Despite his many interests and obligations, Cacciatore has always maintained time for his alma mater, being appointed to the Board of Trustees of Stetson University in 2000 and serving as a member of the Board of Overseers since 1995.

Rhea Law

Law is a 1979 Stetson Law alumna who practiced in the areas of higher education, economic development, government, and land use law. During her career, she served as chief executive officer and chair of the board of Fowler White Boggs, PA and as chair of the Florida Offices of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC.

Her professional and nonprofit organizations are many and varied, including: the American Bar Association; American Bar Foundation; Enterprise Florida, Inc.; Leadership Council on Legal Diversity; Tampa Bay Technology Forum; Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce; Leadership Tampa; Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research; Tampa Bay Defense Alliance; Tampa Bay Partnership; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Multicultural Advisory Council; Health Professions Conferencing Corporation; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute National Board of Advisors; MacDill Air Force Base Support Council; Tampa Bay Metro; Tampa Bay Partnership; Tampa Electric; Peoples Gas Board of Directors; Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation; The Florida Council of 100; United States Law Firm Group; University of South Florida Board of Trustees; and University of South Florida Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation.

Law was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Stetson University in 2019 and has served two terms as a member of the Board of Overseers, beginning in 2007 and then again beginning in 2013.

Bernie McCabe

McCabe was a Double Hatter, earning his bachelor’s in 1969 and Juris Doctor in 1972. He began his career as the Assistant State Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Florida and went on to serve as the Division Director, Executive Assistant State Attorney, and Chief Assistant State Attorney before being elected as State Attorney for Pinellas and Pasco counties in 1992. He was continually reelected to the position and worked until his passing in 2020.

McCabe dedicated his life and career to many professional and nonprofit organizations aimed at protecting the rights of others, including: the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association; National District Attorneys Association; Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board; Pinellas County Substance Abuse Advisory Board; Suncoast Family YMCA; Pasco and Pinellas Public Safety Coordinating Councils; Florida Violent Crime and Drug Control Council; Pinellas County Health and Human Services Coordinating Council; Tampa Bay Area Chiefs of Police Association; and Pinellas Police Standards Council.

He also was a steadfast presence at Stetson Law, being appointed to the Board of Overseers in 1994, supervising the Stetson Prosecution Clinic for 28 years, teaching young law students as an Adjunct Professor, serving as judge for various mock trial competitions at the law school, and hiring and mentoring many Stetson Law alumni.

Bonnie Forman

Foreman is a 1967 graduate of Stetson University who shared her love of learning by teaching elementary school in Pinellas County, Fla., for 34 years. Her late husband, Edward D. Foreman, was a 1967 graduate of Stetson University and a 1971 graduate of Stetson University College of Law. She established the Edward D. Foreman Most Distinguished Student Award in 2005 in his memory. The award is given each spring to the “best all-around student” who has demonstrated a passion for the legal profession and commitment to community service.

Foreman also established the Edward D. Foreman Scholarship and the Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series at Stetson Law. The lecture series features world renowned experts in the areas of environmental law and environmental science.

She has given generously of her time and resources and been associated with many nonprofit organizations, including: the SPCA Tampa Bay; Pace Center for Girls; Pinellas Education Foundation; and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Foreman was also appointed to the Board of Trustees of Stetson University and to the Board of Overseers of Stetson University College of Law in 2007.

Read the full news story on The Patch at https://patch.com/florida/gulfport/stetson-university-college-law-board-overseers-recognizes-revered-alumni

Preserve Vision Florida is offering free vision screenings for youth and their parents on Wednesday, February 24, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Safety Harbor Public Library. Appointments not required. Assistance for an eye exam and glasses may be provided for those that qualify. Masks are required and COVID social distancing measures enforced.

For more information, contact Miralee Berrios at 813-410-9967. Preserve Vision Florida is a non-profit organization offering 64 years of vision education and services to Florida’s children and adults focusing on promoting a lifetime of healthy vision care through advocacy, education, screening, and research. For more information visit www.pvfla.org. This program is funded in conjunction with Juvenile Welfare Board.

The Library is located at 101 2nd Street North, Safety Harbor, 34695.

Read the full news story on The Patch at https://patch.com/florida/safetyharbor/calendar/event/20210224/972397/free-vision-screenings-for-youth-and-parents-at-safety-harbor-lib