For Gold Award project, Girl Scout invites community to tea

Megan Young, a 12-year member of the Girl Scouts and daughter of Jeannie Young and the late Fred Young of Plant City, is hosting a tea for women and girls for her Gold Award project, the highest award achievable for a Girl Scout.

The event will be at noon Saturday at Lone Oak Baptist Church, 3505 Lone Oak Road, Plant City. There is no cost to attend and all ages are invited.

Young is a student at Durant High and a Plant City resident. Representatives of the Pregnancy Care Center of Plant City and the I Wait organization will be the featured speakers.

Young will be making gift baskets for new mothers in the community who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy. If anyone would like to donate items for the baskets, they can bring them to the tea. Suggested items include toiletry/bath items, bibs, books, blankets, baby clothes/items and Walmart gift cards. There will be door prizes for guests.

For information, call (813) 774-1077.

Optimist Club member marks 95 years

The Plant City Optimist Club helped one of its members celebrate his 95th birthday Oct. 26.

Bernie Reynolds, a charter member of the club that started in 1963, was its first president. Several club members and their families celebrated with Reynolds at the Health Center of Plant City.

Longtime member Dave Robbins noted that the club has come a long way since 1963. During Reynolds' time with the club, it has sold more than 35,000 Christmas trees and served about 100,000 youths through its sports, academics and community programs.

Daughters of the Confederacy meet

Plant City Chapter No. 1931 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 W. McLendon St.

Club helps students learn to cook

The Plant City Civitan Club has helped the Robinson Elementary School cooking class for 18 years. Claudia Scott, the cooking class teacher, updated members of the club on her efforts at an Oct. 15 meeting at BuddyFreddys restaurant.

The club furnishes the class with financial help so the students can learn to read recipes and cook food. Scott attended several meetings of the Civitan Club and eventually became a member.

At the start of every school year, she asks the students what foods they like and dislike. Then she goes to local grocery stores and buys the items needed for that month to cook. Scott sends the receipts to the Civitan Club for reimbursement.

Through the years, she has baked cookies for the Cookie Jar Contest for the Florida Strawberry Festival, baked bread to raise money for picnic tables to be used by the classroom, made Crock-Pot fudge for Mother's Day presents and strawberry jelly for Valentine gifts. She has even purchased crawfish and boiled them in the classroom.

For several years, Ken Der of Big Bear Farms would come out and clear grassy areas for the students to plant gardens. The cooking class raised green beans and had so many the class members sold them when they got their fill of eating them.

The students enjoy cooking, which would not be possible without the financial help from the club, Scott said in expressing gratitude for the partnership.

Leadership class visits HCC campus

Members of Leadership Plant City recently toured Hillsborough Community College's Plant City campus.

The leadership program includes a series of classes hosted monthly by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce. During the program, business leaders learn more about the city and tour local businesses and institutions.

Those attending the HCC tour included Chris Carapezza, Central Florida Construction; Tami Corbiere, All About Graphics; Lionel Crooks, Jarrett Scott Ford; JeanAnn Davenport, Dental Associates at Walden Woods; Jim Freyvogel, MacDonald Training Center; Ingrid Gaylord, South Florida Baptist Hospital; Tami Ham, All About Graphics; Angie Hunter, American Business Women's Association; James LeHeup, South Florida Baptist Hospital; Vema McKelvin, Wells Memorial Funeral Home; Pattie Mills, HCC; Candy Owens, Plant City Photo Archives; Grant Poling, Mango Family Cleaners; Devony Scott, Sister's & Company; Kathleen Waite, Sedita, Kilton; and Karen White, Bella, Hermida, Hurn, Stertzer & Gray.

Open house planned for 99th birthday

The family of Mary Surrency invites friends and relatives to help celebrate her birthday at an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the home of Wiley and Audrey Gillespie, 4601 W. State Road 60. Surrency turns 99 on Nov. 18.

For information, call (813) 737-3282. Gifts are not required.

Sign up now for flag football

Registration began Monday for the Tampa Bay Flag Football League's winter-spring season. The season, which runs from Jan. 28 through April, is for youngsters 5 to 17 years old.

To register, call (813) 731-9106.

Potholes? Flooding? County has number to call

Hillsborough County Public Works Department wants to remind residents in unincorporated area that they can call one number, (813) 635-5400, to request a variety of services or report a needed repair such as street flooding, potholes, ditch cleaning, sidewalk repair and trash pickup on the public right of way.