Kids Beating Cancer luncheon gets special guest … and other neighborhood news!

compiled by Lauren Salinero


Bay Hill

Bay Hill resident and West Family Law Group founder Richard D. West was appointed to co-chair a Florida Bar Association ethics committee. For the second consecutive year, he was appointed to co-chair the Ad Hoc Bounds of Advocacy Committee. In this position, Richard helps lead the committee in updating the original Florida Bounds of Advocacy, which he helped draft 10 years ago. He will also be lecturing on ethics to family lawyers attending the Marital and Family Law Review Course that will be held in Orlando in January 2018.

Dr. Phillips

Stephanie Cook of Dr. Phillips is named a 2017 Legal Elite.

Dr. Phillips resident Stephanie Cook, a partner with Shuffield-Lowman, was selected as a 2017 Legal Elite attorney by Florida Trend. The designation represents the top 2 percent of the Florida Bar’s more than 67,000 members who practice in the state. Stephanie was honored in the practice area of commercial litigation. Florida Trend representatives collect ballots from Florida Bar members, asking lawyers to name attorneys who they hold in the highest regard and would recommend to others.

Windermere

Windermere officials welcomed State Senator Victor Torres to a town hall meeting, where the senator discussed the recent state legislative session and shared his insights about what to expect in the next session, which will begin in January instead of the usual March start date. He also talked about his legislative priorities. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings spoke about crime trends in the area and educated attendees on the opiod crisis gripping, not only Central Florida, but the nation. Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles talked about the special House District 44 election taking place for Windermere residents and briefly about the large number of local elected positions that will see new people due to term limits. Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn shared his concerns with the way Tallahassee is treating local governments with their continual intrusion on home rule, local governments’ right to self-governance. Orange County Clerk of Courts and Southwest resident Tiffany Moore Russell spoke about the services that are available to Orange County residents, and Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh informed the group about the recently mailed tax notices and services they provide.

Et Al

Congratulations to the following Southwest-area residents on their recent academic achievements:

  • Recent graduates from the University of Alabama include Kristina Armstrong of Celebration, Bachelor of Science in commerce and business administration; Kaitlin Breslin of Winter Garden, Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering; Lauren Lane of Windermere, Bachelor of Arts in communication and information sciences; Caroline Montz of Ocoee, Bachelor of Science; Scott Moore of MetroWest, Bachelor of Arts; Brandon Morris of Windermere, Bachelor of Arts; Avi Nelson of Celebration, Master of Accountancy; Melody Schmidt of Southwest Orlando, Bachelor of Arts in communication and information sciences; and Carolyn Todd of Windermere, Bachelor of Science in civil engineering.
  • Windermere residents Olivia Cole, Bachelor of Arts from Orlean Beeson School of Education, and Madeline Sundberg, Bachelor of Arts from Howard College of Arts and Sciences, graduated from Samford University.
  • Graduates from the Georgia Institute of Technology include Justin Eng of Windermere, Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering; Xavier Galloway of Ocoee, Bachelor of Science in computer science; Tom Knight of Dr. Phillips, Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering; Alexander Recksiek of Ocoee, Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering; and Aaron Troan of Dr. Phillips, Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering.
  • Gregory Ferone of MetroWest graduated from Missouri Valley College with a Bachelor of Science in exercise science.
  • Emily Fleishman of Dr. Phillips graduated from the University of Findlay with a Bachelor of Science in business management.
  • Sara Ghassemi of Ocoee, Bachelor of Arts in journalism, and Andrew Hughes of Winter Garden, Bachelor of Arts in psychology, graduated from Baylor University.
  • Jacqueline Katta of MetroWest and Zamara Martinez of Dr. Phillips graduated from Graceland University, each with a Master of Science in nursing.
  • Dr. Phillips residents Alaaeddine Minyaoui, logistics management, and Dexter Wiley, computer science, graduated with bachelor’s degrees from the Florida Institute of Technology.
  • Juan Ramon Rivas of Winter Garden graduated from the University of North Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in sociology.

(L. to r.) Celia Hartman, Sandra Gomez, Mary Kenny-Thwaites, Jennifer Diaz, Johnny Damon of Southwest Orlando, Donna Boyer of Palm Lake, Margaret Guedes, Dr. Francelis Gonzalez of Turtle Creek, and Cecelia Doctor-Marshall attend a Kids Beating Cancer luncheon.

Baseball legend and Southwest resident Johnny Damon stopped by a Kids Beating Cancer luncheon to thank the group for all they are doing for children who need bone marrow transplants. The group is also gearing up for the Hats & Heroes Ball, its annual gala. This year, the organization celebrates its 25th anniversary. The theme for this year’s gala is “The Phantom of the Opera Masquerade Ball.” Tickets and tables are available at www.kidsbeatingcancer.com.


The Orlando Regi­onal Realtors Association announced its 2017 class of ORRA Young Professionals Network 20 Under 40 Rising Stars in Real Estate award recipients. The notable young Real­tors were selected by the ORRA Awards Committee for their demonstrated excellence in career and service to both community and the real estate industry. Among those awarded were Windermere residents Juliana Boselli Neves, Chris Sapp and Deborah Schroeder; and Winter Garden residents Matthew Matin, Vanessa Pierce and Michael Thomas.


Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista past President Rommel Mosquera welcomes new Rotary exchange student Eliska Vranova.

Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista hosted a visiting exchange student at a recent meeting. Eliska Vranova is visiting Central Florida for eight months from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. She was selected from several candidates to come to the community and stay with a Rotary family while going to school and visiting various organizations. Eliska will share with Rotary members about herself and the Rotary communities she represents.

 

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 Cornerstone Publishing & Multi-Media LLC 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. ♥