compiled by Lauren Salinero
Victory Martial Arts Celebrates its 19th anniversary
Students and their families celebrate Victory Martial Arts’ 19th anniversary with special classes and a potluck.
To commemorate its 19th anniversary, Victory Martial Arts at 7512 Dr. Phillips Blvd., Suite 120, in Orlando, hosted two special classes, featuring guest instructors Master Von Schmeling and professional Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters Antonio and Anthony Pettis. Anthony is the former UFC Lightweight Champion. After the classes, students and their families were invited to partake in a celebratory potluck. For more information, call 877-797-7988 or visit www.victoryma.com on the web.
Ocoee Celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month
Colorful banners line Clarke Road in Ocoee in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
The city of Ocoee joined the nation in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. The city’s governmental television station, Ocoee TV, aired a four-part series titled Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy That Shaped a Nation. It was a landmark six-hour documentary that featured interviews with nearly 100 Latinos and more than 500 years of history. It was the first major TV documentary to chronicle the rich and varied history and experience of Latinos.
In addition to the series, Clarke Road was decorated with festive “Ocoee Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month” pole banners. Colorful framed posters, featuring Hispanic art, greeted visitors at Ocoee City Hall. City hall also presented biographical art prints of historic figures, including professional golfer Nancy Marie Lopez and experimental physicist Luis Walter Alvarez, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1968.
Shepherd’s Hope Receives a Donation
The West Orange Healthcare District and the city of Winter Garden announced a collaboration in support of Shepherd’s Hope that will include a long-term lease of land from the city and a $1 million grant from the district. The city will lease approximately 2 acres of an 8-acre plot of land at 455 Ninth St. to Shepherd’s Hope. The location is just blocks away from Shepherd’s Hope’s original site at Westside Tech, where it began providing an after-hours clinic to underserved residents in 1996.
The district will match up to $1 million in a grant to Shepherd’s Hope to be used for capital construction and the creation of a capital and maintenance endowment for the building. The West Orange Health Alliance already agreed to contribute $500,000 toward the $1 million match in the form of a capital development grant for the new building. In order to better serve the residents of west Orange County, Shepherd’s Hope will build a 10,000-square-foot building that will include a new health center and administrative space.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Gov. Rick Scott (center) discusses the west Orange business community with West Orange Chamber of Commerce members (l. to r.) Tom Ennis, OHL-Arellano Construction; Michael Waldrop, Blue Cord Design & Construction; Joel Galassini, Cemex; Paul McNamara, Reed Nissan; Walter Toole, Ace Hardware; WOCC Chairman Rob Maphis, Collage Design and Construction Group; Bill Heichel, Heichel Plumbing; Clay Boxom, Sysco Central Florida; Jenna Emerson, Cemex; and Dave Porter, Orlando Economic Development Commission. (Photo courtesy of WOCC.)
West Orange Chamber of Commerce members met with Gov. Rick Scott at Florida Chamber’s 100th Anniversary Future of Florida Forum, in conjunction with the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals conference. 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.
Helios Education Foundation officials announced that a $1.5 million grant was awarded to Orlando Repertory Theatre and Orange County Public Schools to provide dual-language learning opportunities to voluntary pre-K students in 11 Orlando-area classrooms. Students in these classrooms receive instruction 50 percent of the time in English and 50 percent of the time in Spanish, culminating in dual-language comprehension and fluency.
Orlando Health will soon begin providing a new therapy that allows oncologists to see the tumor they are treating continuously during radiation therapy. It’s a cancer-fighting technology called MRIdian that will be installed at the new comprehensive cancer center being built at Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, in partnership with UF Health Cancer Center — Orlando Health. The $30 million cancer center at Health Central is expected to open in December 2018, with MRIdian patient treatments commencing at that time. For more information, visit www.orlandohealth.com on the web.
Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park, located at 7625 Sinclair Road in Kissimmee, is now offering a special rate for the zip line experience as a separate attraction. The zip line ticket is $29.95 and will allow guests to take four rides on the park’s zip lines in one day. Participants must be at least 9 years old and be able to reach the tips of their fingers to a height of 5 feet, 9 inches while keeping their feet flat on the ground. The offer cannot be combined with any other offer. For more information or to make a reservation, call 407-390-9999 or visit www.orlandotreetrek.com on the web.
The staff of Huntington Learning Center in Dr. Phillips congratulates the success of two of its students. Adam improved his overall American College Testing score from a 25 to a 31, ensuring a spot in his dream school; and Jeremy, who came to Huntington after being faced with possible retention, solidly passed his Florida Standards Assessment. Huntington Learning Center is located at 5060 Dr. Phillips Blvd. in Orlando. For more information about the company’s programs, call 407-290-1111.💓