compiled by Lauren Salinero
Dr. Phillips
William Merritt, grandson of Dr. Phillips residents Art and Karen Brown, displays his Lego model of renovations made to Health Central Hospital.
Art and Karen Brown of Dr. Phillips congratulate their grandson, William Merritt, on the Lego model he created of Health Central Hospital’s emergency room expansion and newly constructed patient tower. William was contracted to design and construct the model, which was on display at the grand-opening celebration and is now displayed at the hospital. During the grand opening, William greeted attendees and explained how he designed the model with Lego pieces ordered from Denmark. He also constructed part of the hospital modes as VIP attendees watched. He was honored to do the project and is considering studying architecture in college.
President Obama appoints Barbara Jenkins, Orange Country Public Schools superintendent and a Dr. Phillips resident, to the board of directors of the National Board for Education Sciences.
White House officials announced that Dr. Phillips resident and Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Jenkins will join 12 other leaders in their fields who were appointed to key administration posts. She was selected to be a member of the board of directors of the National Board for Education Sciences. The mission of the National Board of Education Sciences is to advise and direct the Institute of Education Sciences in expanding fundamental knowledge and understanding of education.
Richard Coppersmith of Dr. Phillips accepts a position with Realty Executives.
Longtime Dr. Phillips resident and Realtor Richard Coppersmith joined Realty Executives’ Dr. Phillips office. He recently celebrated 30 years as a Realtor in the area. Richard looks forward to working with both past and future clients for their residential real estate needs.
Ocoee
Ocoee citizens are invited to attend the City of Ocoee’s State of the City Report on Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. at city hall, 150 N. Lakeshore Drive. A video will highlight the Ocoee’s accomplishments of the past year and show what is planned for 2017. The 2017 State of the City Report will also be broadcast live on the city’s government cable channel, Ocoee TV, streamed online at www.ocoee.org, and posted on Ocoee TV’s YouTube channel. For more information, call 407-905-3100.
Windermere
Windermere residents Mitesh (back) and Vernic Popat (front, right) host Million Dollar Listing LA star Madison Hildebrand on his birthday.
Winter Garden
Winter Garden officials (l. to r.) Deputy Police Chief Stephen Graham; Police Chief George Brennan; former Commissioner Robert “Bobby” Olszewski, holding his daughter, Reagan; and Mayor John Rees march in the annual city of Winter Garden Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.
The city of Winter Garden hosted its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration last month. The community march traveled from East Bay Street to the Orlando Magic Recreation Center. Area leaders and residents alike attended the event to celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Et Al
West Orange Chamber of Commerce members commemorate the opening of Guidewell Emergency Doctors. (Photo courtesy of WOCC).
West Orange Chamber of Commerce members held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Guidewell Emergency Doctors. WOCC builds partnerships, strong businesses and commitment to the community by serving as the leading business advocate in Central Florida, facilitating opportunity to nearly 1,000 member businesses. For more information, call 407-656-1304 or visit wochamber.com on the web.
Southwest resident and midwife Jennie Joseph, executive director of Commonsense Childbirth Inc., announced the company’s support for the Little Free Library in Pine Hills. The library’s mission is “empowering the community toward peace and prosperity through literacy and education.” It is sponsored by the Rotary eClub of Florida.
(L. to r.) Gunnar Aasgaard; Jean Campana, Rotary president; Anna Korczynski; Marian Korczynski, district governor elect District 223 of Poland; Pluto; Yvona Holbein, district governor elect District 2260 of Norway; Bob Cooper, district governor elect District 9520 of Australia, and Marilyn Cooper attend a Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista meeting.
Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista held a meeting at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort Area. Club members welcomed visiting Rotary district elect governors and their spouses who were on their way to San Diego for Rotary Training. They also enjoyed breakfast with the club and then a day of fun at Disney World.
Kiwanis Club of Dr. Phillips welcomed two new members into its fold, Brian Koss of Keller Williams Realty and Sarah Derhak of Seacoast Bank. The club has projected to double its size in the first three months of this year. Kiwanis clubs help the community through service projects and focus on changing the world by serving children.
Community members gather at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church for an interfaith discussion panel called Speaker Series.
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church hosted its Speaker Series, an interfaith discussion panel, to facilitate peace and dialogue between the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities in Central Florida. Panelists included Hillel Boaz Skolnik, a rabbi from the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation; Abdul Rahman Sykes, an imam from the Islamic Center of Orlando; Falecia Williams, president of Valencia College’s West Campus; and Jennifer Stiles Williams, lead pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. The event was free and open to the community.
Representatives of West Orange Chamber of Commerce honored numerous outstanding individuals and businesses at the organization’s annual Big Orange Awards. Among the 2016 award recipients were Winter Garden resident Mary Keating, Bert Roper Award; Windermere resident Kathleen Roat, Ambassador of the Year; Bay Hill resident Eva Tukdarian, The Mary Vandeventer Award — The Spirit of West Orange; and Winter Garden resident Congressman Daniel Webster, Danniel J. Petro The Bright Future of West Orange Award.
Although we try to ensure that all information presented above is the most current, correct and dependable available, we do rely on others for the source of our news. Therefore, the Southwest Orlando Bulletin and Kearney Publishing Corp. cannot be held responsible for the validity of the information presented here, nor does mentioning it constitute an endorsement. In Your Neighborhood news is welcome and may be mailed to P.O. Box 851, Windermere, FL 34786; or emailed to Lauren@kearneypublishing.com.💓