Flagler County In Brief

The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·10 min read
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Woman’s Club announces May events

The Flagler Woman’s Club will hold a Pancake Breakfast celebrating the brave men and women of the Flagler Beach Fire Department on May 21 from 9-11 a.m. at 1524 S. Central Ave., Flagler Beach. A donation of $5 gets you pancakes, links, coffee, juice or tea. Proceeds go to the Flagler Beach Volunteer Firemen’s Association. For more information, call Mary 386-569-7813.

The Flagler Woman’s Club will hold an evening of Bunco on Saturday, May 21, at 6 p.m. at 1524 S. Central Ave., Flagler Beach. The Bunco Buffet will be served at 6 p.m. with Bunco to follow. Feel free to bring a dish to share and BYOB if you like. There will be a $10 donation at the door. Call Debbie at 312-607-8200 for more information.

Fire Rescue to provide a water safety day for families on Saturday

Flagler County Fire Rescue is partnering with agencies and businesses throughout the county to provide an educational yet fun day of water safety instruction for families and children. WaterSafe will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 21, at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club, 73 Patricia Lane, Palm Coast.

“Water safety is so important, because it only takes a couple of seconds for a child to drown,” said Fire Marshal Jerry Smith. “We need to provide our children a safe environment and teach them how to float first, and then how to swim.”

Florida leads the country in drowning deaths of children ages 1 to 4 years old, according to the Florida Department of Health. The Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) cites drowning as the leading cause of unintentional death of children in this age group.

Parents can sign up for the opportunity for their children to participate in the Swim Scholarship Program at the event. An application is available at the bottom of the WaterSafe website watersafefl.org. Additional safety information can be found under the “More” tab.

Most water-related accidents are avoidable by following a few simple guidelines that local professionals will provide.

Flagler County Emergency Management, Flagler County Fire Rescue, Flagler Beach Ocean Rescue, Flagler Beach Fire Department, Flagler County Schools, Flagler Technical College, Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club, Advent Health, the Florida Swimming Pool Associations, Florida Health Department-Flagler, and EM Pros (Emergency Medicine Professionals) will participate by providing instruction and informational literature. Educational stations will include the following: free and paid swim class registration; water survival skills (pool); CPR introduction; water rescue demonstration; infant swim demonstration; sun safety, eye and skin protection; water safety “reach, throw, don’t go;” pool safety information; ocean safety information; water and wildlife dangers; and, “Safe Kids” information.

There will also be photo opportunities with a live mermaid, and KIX and Beach 92 will also be on site during the event.

This event is free and open to the public.

Songwriters Festival announces largest attendance yet

Local organizers of the Palm Coast Songwriters Festival announce the growth of the festival which began in 2018 with nine HIT Songwriters and now includes more than 35 of the best songwriters with over 125 #1 HITS to their credit, not to mention hundreds of additional charted songs. With attendees from 16 states, multiple cities within a 200-mile radius in Florida, and many residents from Flagler, St Johns and Volusia counties, the festival, which was held April 28 to May 1, enjoyed its most successful attendance ever.

On Friday, April 29, the festival helped raise over $8,400 for the Gold Star Mentors Foundation with the auction of a guitar autographed by major artists including Collin Raye, Billy Currington, Daryl Worley, Aaron Tippin and Sammy Kershaw. The mission of Gold Star Mentors is to give guitars and teach children and young adults to play them who are grieving the death of a military loved one. For more information about this great charitable foundation, go to goldstarmentors.com.

Then on Sunday, May 1, festival organizers raffled off another autographed guitar at the amphitheater show, raising $3,000 for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library/Early Learning Coalition for Flagler and Volusia counties. The second guitar was autographed by all the HIT Songwriters performing at the four-day festival.

Additionally, the festival helped raise $8,100 for the Daytona State College Foundation in November of 2021 in conjunction with the Plantation Bay Community, ICI Homes, Flagler County Insurance Agency, and Total Comfort at a fundraiser/dinner/Songwriters Round held at the Plantation Bay Country Club.

For more information about the Palm Coast Songwriters Festival and tickets for the 2023 festival, May 4 thru May 7, visit palmcoastsongwritersfestival.com, and connect with the Festival at PalmCoastSongFest on Facebook, PalmCoastSongFest on Instagram and @PalmCoastFest on Twitter.

Touch-A-Truck is Back and Bigger Than Ever

This year the City of Palm Coast Public Works Department will outdo itself for its second Touch-a-Truck event on May 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. along Park Street in Central Park, featuring more than 75 vehicles from multiple agencies including:

  • City of Palm Coast Public Works, Stormwater, Utility and Fire Departments;

  • Flagler County Fire Rescue

  • Flagler County Sheriff’s Office

  • East Flagler Mosquito Control District

  • Florida Highway Patrol

  • Florida National Guard

  • NASCAR

The event is freeand offers fun for the whole family - hosted by the City of Palm Coast Public Works Department, in celebration of National Public Works Week! The theme for National Public Works Week is #ReadyandResilient by joining forces with all of the important agencies doing work in Flagler County, it reinforces that spirit.

Kids of all ages will have the chance to not only touch, but hop right into the driver's seat of a dump truck, loader, pontoon excavator, signal bucket truck, fire ladder truck, SWAT vehicle, helicopter and more. View the full list here. touch-a-truck To create a great experience for all attendees, the first hour of the event will be designated as “horn free” from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Vendors will include: Kona Ice, Cool Beans, Lovin O-Van, Golden Glory Café, Andreas Italian Ice, Wittle Weenie Wagon, Wicked Good Mini Donuts, Arepa Life, Tropical Tastee, Taqueria Don Ramon, Cajun Cravins To Go and For Any Event LLC. Plus, the Flagler Humane Society will showcase pets that need a forever home.

Park Street, Lake Ave and part of City Place will be closed for the event.

For more information, contact City of Palm Coast Public Works Workforce Data Analyst Benny Cope at bcope@palmcoastgov.com.

Education Foundation announces new executive director

The Flagler County Education Foundation Board of Directors announces Teresa Rizzo as the new Executive Director.

The Flagler County Education Foundation is a Direct-Support Organization for Flagler County Schools dedicated to generating financial support and enhancing programs that benefit students, families and teachers. Teresa succeeds her late husband, Joseph Rizzo, who had been the executive director since February 2017. Teresa will be the fourth Executive Director in the Foundation’s history. The search committee included Dr. Jennifer Thornton, the current Board President, Ann Marie Zweifel, Victoria Tiehen, Maria Lavin-Sanhudo, Jennifer Ames, and Ronald Tortelli.

Teresa Rizzo comes to the Education Foundation after becoming a State Regional Literacy Director for the Florida Department of Education in 2021. She was a teacher in Flagler Schools for 14 years before discovering her passion for instructional coaching and educational leadership. In 2019, she accepted a position as a literacy instructional coach at Wadsworth Elementary with the aspiration of one day joining the Florida Department of Education working with struggling schools across the state to close the achievement gap. She has been a business owner and displays exemplary leadership attributes. She will serve as both visionary and liaison with deep-rooted connections to our Flagler County School District, leaders, families and businesses.

Teresa said, “I am honored to be chosen to continue and elevate the remarkable legacy of the Flagler County Education Foundation that flourished under the adored Joe Rizzo. The kids of Flagler County are our future. The foundation’s mission will continue to expand and provide opportunities kids might not have been afforded without the support of the foundation.”

Teresa earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with a concentration in Sports Medicine. Upon graduating, she pursued her senior internship at Flagler Palm Coast High School, where she discovered her love of education and Flagler County. With a passion for continued education, Teresa became a graduate student in the Educational Leadership program at Stetson University in 2019. During her time at Stetson, she was nominated by her professors for the Stetson Vibrant Leadership Award and delivered the commencement address at her graduation.

The Flagler County Education Foundation Board of Directors invites the community to an informal Meet & Greet on May 24, at the Government Services Building to welcome Teresa. To learn more about the Flagler County Education Foundation’s initiative, visit FlaglerEdFoundation.org, or contact Teresa Rizzo directly at rizzot@flaglerschools.com.

Garden Club at Palm Coast presents scholarships

The 2021-2022 Garden Club at Palm Coast Scholarship Committee awarded four $1,000 scholarships at the Senior Scholarship Night held on May 2 to the following seniors: Olivia Denino, FPCHS; Gabriella Monroe, FPCHS; Alyssa Sa, Matanzas HS; and Victoria Wilcox, Matanzas HS. Congratulations and best of luck to them. They all have career ambitions to become involved in environmental health sciences.

Each student submitted their application to the Flagler County Education Foundation, which was forwarded to the Garden Club’s Scholarship Committee. The committee then voted on which students meet the criteria set by the committee and the Garden Club. They looked for students that will pursue careers in environmental studies. Scholarship funds come from the proceeds at club events during the year. The club’s biggest annual fund raiser is the Spring Festival and Plant Sale which is held in April. The Garden Club at Palm Coast held several other fund raisers this year (Treasures in the Attic Sale, Fashion Show hosted by Chez Jacqueline, plant sales by the Propagation Guild) and some of those proceeds were earmarked for community scholarships. The club had great success with all the fund-raising events in the 2021-2022 season. Thank you to all who came out to support our events.

The Garden Club at Palm Coast was established in 1975 and at the close of our 2021-2022 season has 201 members. Meetings are held from September through May at the VFW on Old Kings Road on the second Monday of the month at 1 p.m. www.gardenclubatpalmcoast.org

OARS to host Narcan distribution on May 20

Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services and AdventHealth are co-sponsoring a second free Narcan distribution and education event in as many months, “Increase a Lifespan with Narcan.” The event will be held May 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Advent Hospital Emergency Room parking lot, 60 Memorial Parkway, in Palm Coast. People can drive through or walk up to receive free Narcan and Narcan educational information. This event is open to the general public.

Flagler Open Arms Recovery Services (Flagler OARS) is hosting its first Casino Night on June 11 at the Palm Coast VFW. Sponsorship dollars from this event will help provide services to people in early recovery; funds necessary to match grant opportunities and offset the nonprofit’s operational expenses.

During the Casino Night, attendees will give a donation in exchange for gaming chips. At the end of the evening, these chips are converted to raffle tickets and donated prizes are then raffled off at the conclusion of the event, giving guests the added incentive to play and re-donate funds to have a chance to win a prize. Guests will enjoy Blackjack, Three-card Poker, Texas Hold’em, Roulette and Craps tables.

Approximately 12,000 Flagler County citizens/neighbors/friends/family members are in some stage of recovery from substance use disorder. These are people in our community, people Narcan may have saved. These are people with whom you work, dine, play and worship.

Flagler OARS is a nonprofit organization that provides public education, policy advocacy, support and peer services for substance use disorder. Flagler OARS works in the Flagler County and St. Johns communities. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to recovery.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler County In Brief: Upcoming events and activities