Our Lady of Guadalupe parishioners recognized

Two members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Wimauma, Jorge and Rosa Meza, recently received the St. Jude the Apostle Medal from the Most Rev. Robert N. Lynch, bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, for their faithful devotion and generosity toward the church.

Chairwoman helps spread wealth

SUN CITY CENTER - Many South Shore organizations have been helped by the efforts of Muriel Brownell, 2009 chairwoman of the Sun City Center Woman's Club's Home Life Committee.

Brownell organized the collection of items for a different charity each month from January through December.

She was aided by a committee that included Joan Bair, Jan James, Ann McGervey, Catherine Ruehl, Phyllis Ward, Sandra Czachor, Anne Johnson, Carol Mess, Dee Schmaedecke, Joann Duffy, Kathy Mahoney, Jean Pierce and Leyda Smith.

In-kind and cash donations of $2,100 were given to the Athena House for homeless female veterans, Good Samaritan Mission in Balm, Bethune Recreation Center, a Girl Scout cookie gift-of-caring program, Southeastern Guide Dogs, the Fisher House for families of veterans hospitalized at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, the food pantry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Wimauma and the Hillsborough Correctional Institution, a faith- and character-based institution in Riverview for women.

Brownell and her husband, Jim, moved to the area from Massachusetts. She has been a member of the club for 10 years.

Local artist's work is on display

SUN CITY CENTER - The Art Club of Sun City Center's Artist of the Month of January is Anne Walker.

As a teenager, Walker was accepted into an art program sponsored by the Philadelphia College of Art.

She continued to study oil painting with Loren Percy of New Hampshire, while working as a nurse and raising a family. Since coming to Sun City Center, she has worked on acrylic and watercolor still life, landscape and abstract paintings with teachers Roberta Snyder, Joanna Coke and Virginia Laudano.

Her work can be seen through January at the following Sun City Center locations: SouthShore Community Bank, library, chamber of commerce, SunTrust Bank, A-1 Connection Realty, Wachovia Bank, the visitors' center and in the Art Room showcase at the Atrium building.

For information about the club, visit www.art clubofscc.org.

Motivational speaker at annual dinner

RIVERVIEW - Motivational speaker - Gary Guller will give a talk at the 25th annual Community Affairs Dinner at 6 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Hilton Garden Inn, 4328 Garden Vista Drive.

Guller is a personal executive coach with an inspiring story. He achieved recognition in 2003 as the first one-armed man to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

The 35th Alice B. Tompkins Award will be presented to an individual who has volunteered and worked to improve the area.

The service award, established in 1975, was named posthumously in 1985 for Tompkins, the former editor of The Brandon News and a community volunteer.

And at the event the inaugural Nonprofit of the Year Award will be given to an outstanding organization.

Admission is $55 per person, including dinner. For tickets, contact Mary Boor at marymboor@ verizon.net.

Newsome chorus to host dinner

LITHIA - The Newsome High chorus will extend the festivities of the holiday season by offering a musical feast in madrigal-dinner style starting at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the First United Methodist Church, 121 N. Knights Ave., Brandon.

About 50 members of the school's chorus will participate as servers or entertainers in costume. Each course of the banquet, which includes roasted chicken, side dishes and desserts, will be accompanied by performances of traditional Renaissance music.

Cost is $22 per person, with proceeds benefiting the school's chorus program. Deadline for reservations is Friday.

For information, go to www.newsomechorus .com, call Denise Godfrey at (813) 334-6023 or e-mail denisemgod frey@gmail.com.