MOUNT DORA BUZZ - Kindness Matters: no act of kindness is too small

IT'S GIVING WEEK! YOU CAN MAKE A POSITIVE LOCAL IMPACT.

12/1/2020

‘Tis the season for giving and the Giving Week initiative is the perfect time to “give locally.” In Lake County, one organization that is in dire need of support is Lake Cares Food Pantry. Donations can help them win a matching grant of up to $10,000 which can feed a lot of struggling families in need.

The pantry has seen an increase in new families in need of food due to hardships created by COVID-19. Last March, Lake Cares distributed 56,000 pounds of food to families, including 43 new families. In October, food distribution climbed to 91,000 pounds, including 120 new families and the need continues to rapidly increase, according to Ruthie Haffner, Director of Development at Lake Cares.

During Giving Week, there are three easy ways people can help bridge the local hunger gap in Lake County by supporting Lake Cares Food Pantry.

1. DONATE FOOD
Shelf-stable foods like pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter, rice, beans and canned vegetables are always needed. A good strategy is to shop the B.O.G.O. specials at your local grocery store. Here's more information on donating food to the pantry.

2. DONATE MONEY
Lake Cares’ Holiday Campaign makes it possible to provide complete holiday meals to 700 families, which is 200 more than last year. A $50 donation will feed a family of four.

In addition to food costs, monetary donations can also help cover operational costs to keep the Pantry's lights on. You can donate on-line at LakeCares.org or mail a check to: Lake Cares, 2001 W. Old Highway 441, Suite 1, Mount Dora FL 32757 or call 352-383-0100.

3. VOLUNTEER
There are plenty of ways to volunteer at Lake Cares. Just visit the website to learn more.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here. Discover the area's online event calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.

TWO MOUNT DORA CHURCHES PROVIDE FREE MEALS ON THANKSGIVING DAY

11/23/2020

‘Tis the season to give thanks, and pass the turkey and stuffing. This year two churches in Mount Dora are teaming up to distribute free Thanksgiving meals on Thursday, November 26.

St. Edward’s Episcopal Church and Saving Faith Baptist Church will provide the meals to anyone who is in need. Both local churches will have a drive-thru meal distribution for cars to line up and pick up meals. The distribution will be on a first come, first served basis and include one meal per person in the car, plus an extra meal if needed.
Times and locations are as follows:

12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. – St. Edward's Episcopal Church, 460 North Grandview Street, Mount Dora
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Saving Faith Baptist Church, 1155 North Clayton Street, Mount Dora

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MOUNT DORA FIREFIGHTER LOSES APARTMENT TO FIRE

6/10/2020

In a strange twist of fate, a young Mount Dora firefighter had to sit on the sidelines as flames tore through his apartment building last month. On May 29, Kristian Williams wasn’t home when he received a video showing his Oviedo apartment building fully engulfed in flames.

The 24-year-old Homestead native rushed to the scene and stood helpless, watching as local firefighters battled the blaze at the three-story, 50-unit Park Place apartment building.

Williams joined Mount Dora Fire Department in December, 2018, and immediately felt a deep connection to the community and the department. He’s best known to residents as the caring firefighter/paramedic that was photographed in April rescuing a tiny duckling from a storm drain in a Publix parking lot.

Lightning is suspected to be the cause of the apartment building fire that started around 10:30 p.m. The raging flames, which crews battled for hours, left an estimated fifty percent of the building destroyed and caused structural damage so severe that the building will be demolished. As a result, over 40 residents were reportedly displaced and Williams was among them. Despite the size of the blaze, no injuries were reported.

Williams considers himself fortunate that he was able to retrieve a few undamaged items, but many families were left with nothing. The kind-hearted public servant described the family across the hall from him that lost everything, so he set up a GoFundMe account to raise funds for them, himself and the other residents affected by the tragedy to help cover the costs of replacing essentials and relocation. Anyone wishing to help can go to the GoFundMe here.

Williams recently moved into temporary housing in Mount Dora where he plans to take time to get on his feet before planting new roots in the city where he serves.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here.

ABOVE: Williams' burned apartment building. (photo by Kristian Williams)

ABOVE: Williams with the rescued duckling in the storm drain.

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ADVENTHEALTH TEAMS TAKE A KNEE FOR "WHITE COATS FOR BLACK LIVES" CAMPAIGN

6/5/2020

It was a unifying sight across Central Florida hospitals today. AdventHealth physicians, nurses and other team members across Central Florida, including Lake County, took a knee together for almost nine minutes. The minutes of silent reflection was in solidarity with other healthcare professionals across the nation as part of the White Coats for Black Lives campaign.
The nationwide movement is centered on combatting:

higher rates of disease among Black communities,
higher barriers of entry to the health care industry for Black individuals,
lower rates of Black medical students, and
the fear among Black individuals to seek medical care.

All AdventHealth team members were welcome to join in kneeling for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in remembrance of George Floyd and countless others. Those who participated maintained social distance, wore masks and were encouraged to share photos as an expression of support online with #WhiteCoatsForBlackLives.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here.

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MOUNT DORA HOSTS "PEACE, LOVE & UNITY" WALK ON JUNE 6

6/3/2020

Mount Dorans will come together this Saturday for a “Peace, Love and Unity Walk.” The public is invited to attend this peaceful grassroots event organized by a diverse group of local residents. City Councilmember Crissy Stile, downtown business owner Henry Ollendick, and Pastor Bobby Rowe of Saving Faith Baptist Church in Mount Dora collaborated on the effort.

“Instead of a protest demonstration, we chose to have a peaceful unity walk in support of equality for all,” said Stile.

Mount Dora Police Chief Robert Bell and other officers will be joining in the walk to show their support of equality.

“The goal of this walk is to start the healing process of us coming together in love, peace and unity,” said Rowe, who is active in the city's Northeast Community and attended Mount Dora Middle School and Mount Dora High School.

The walk will begin at 10 a.m. on June 6 at the intersection of Donnelly Street and Jackson Avenue across from the Pine Woods Cemetery. The short route will feature a brief stop for prayer and comments before the walk finishes back at its starting point. Participants can park in the Church of Christ parking lot at 1801 N. Donnelly Street or along the side streets.

Stile said she hopes that other City officials and downtown business owners will join residents in the walk. She advises participants to maintain appropriate social distancing due to COVID-19 concerns. For additional information, please contact Crissy Stile at crissy@barrelofbooksandgames.com or 352-735-1950.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here.

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EUSTIS BUSINESS DONATES BANNERS TO HONOR LAKE COUNTY 2020 GRADUATES

5/28/2020

This year’s high school graduating class may have lost out on their prom and senior ditch day, but local cities across Lake County are visibly honoring the more than 2,400 graduates with the help of a local businessman.
Timothy Totten, owner of Celebrating Heroes, had an idea to create individual banners for each graduate and worked with the area’s public and private schools to use the seniors’ yearbook photos. Totten and Eustis Mayor, Michael Holland, then worked with the other local city governments to seek their willingness to hang banners for their graduates.

So far, the banners have been installed in Mount Dora, Eustis and Tavares. Umatilla and Leesburg banner programs should be kicking off over the next few days. Banners for three South Lake County schools will be installed at the schools ahead of their graduations on June 11th and 12th.
Mount Dora’s Class of 2020 banners, honoring Mount Dora High and Mount Dora Christian Academy, are on display along the fence at the Lawn Bowling Association and the Mount Dora Marina, Mount Dora High School and MDCA Bulldog. Banners for Eustis graduates are hanging from downtown light poles, and Tavares has displayed them along the fence at Tavares Town Square.

The bulk of the program costs have been advanced by Totten's company, with donations being accepted to offset the expense. Additional support for the program has come from the donation of manpower and funding from local cities, as well as a handful of local donors.

RELATED: Lake County Schools changes to traditional graduation ceremonies.

"I didn't want to wait until we could raise all the money, because there is only a very limited amount of time when graduations and festivities normally happen," said Totten of the effort to pay for the project. "Without counting manpower and artist time for our company, the printing cost was more than $35,000, but that's a small price to pay for honoring these great kids."

To make a donation to the effort, interested parties can visit www.celebratingheroes.com or make a donation to Timothy Totten at any United Southern Bank branch.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here.

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MOUNT DORA, TAVARES & EUSTIS CHALLENGED TO COLORFULLY SUPPORT GRADUATING SENIORS

5/12/2020

It’s a time-honored tradition -- with a twist. Every year Lake County’s high schools have 'Color Wars' during Spirit Week in the lead-up to their Homecoming. Freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior classes each are assigned a different color and compete to see which class can show the most spirit with their color.

Due to COVID-19, seniors in all local schools are foregoing their traditional graduation festivities, so the communities of Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis are being asked to ratchet up Color Wars a notch or two. During what would have been the week of graduation, May 18 through May 23, Mount Dora Buzz is encouraging residents, business owners, students, civic clubs and city governments to show their support of their local Class of 2020 by proudly displaying their colors. Mount Dora will use orange, Eustis blue, and Tavares red.

The sky's the limit for creativity. People can splash their community’s color on mailboxes with bows and cars with ribbons or they can opt to go big with colored outdoor lights, colorful store displays, posters and yard signs. Restaurants can use colored tablecloths or banners. It’s the perfect time to “go big or go home.” Residents, business owners, students and government leaders are encouraged to send photos of their colorful community spirit in support of their seniors to Mount Dora Buzz, so it can be posted and shared.

Congratulations, Class of 2020, we're so proud of you!

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here and download the area's free mobile app.

MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCILWOMAN HOSTS VIRTUAL PE CLASSES FOR KIDS

4/26/2020

ABOVE: Crissy Stile, Mount Dora City Councilmember and small business owner. (Photo courtesy of Crissy Stile)

Schools have been closed for weeks and many parents, busy with their own daily work schedules, have found themselves thrown into a different kind of frontline: education.

Now a Mount Dora City Councilwoman has jumped in to provide a short reprieve to exhausted parents. Crissy Stile has created a free, Virtual Physical Education (PE) Class for kids of all ages that she will host on Zoom beginning April 27. To join in the virtual class, participants need to email stilec@cityofmountdora.com in advance so they can be sent the required Zoom link.

Stile, who works out regularly, will conduct the fun class from the deck at Donnelly Park in the heart of downtown Mount Dora. The 45-minute class will begin at 3 p.m. Up to nine socially-distanced kids can join Stile in the park while others can join in via Zoom. The outdoor exercise falls under essential activities identified by Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis. Guardians of the kids at the park are also required to remain a minimum of six feet from others.

Stile isn’t just an elected official in this small Central Florida town, she’s also a hard-hit small business owner with a book store located in Mount Dora’s quaint historic district. Since Florida’s shutdown, Stile’s store, Barrel of Books & Games, has been forced to rely on remote orders and delivery. Stile will continue the class every other day at 3 p.m. until she can resume her full-time job at the bookstore.

Imagining what present-day life is like for parents is what inspired Stile to help out in a way she’s all too familiar with. As the “fun” aunt, she is very active in her nine nieces’ and nephews’ lives and is quite happy entertaining other people’s kids to give parents a respite.

“If I can virtually occupy your kids for 45 minutes every other day, so you can catch your breath and recharge your own mind and emotions and keep your family together, happily, then I will have accomplished exactly what I set out to do,” said Stile.

To participate at home, kids just need some floor space in front of their computer, tablet or smartphone and a blanket or mat for floor exercises. Kids are encouraged to take a break whenever they need and to have drinking water nearby. Participants can exit the class sessions at any time.

Stile stressed that social distancing is of the utmost importance, so kids and their parents should respect the guidelines set forth by the CDC and remain safe.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here. Also download the area's free mobile app.

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LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO RING BELLS ON APRIL 15 IN SUPPORT OF FRONTLINE WORKERS

4/13/2020

As most of the community stays home to abide by the social distancing guidelines, others are serving tirelessly to fight against COVID-19. On Wednesday, April 15, 2020, at 4:15 p.m., local churches, businesses, and the public are asked to show their appreciation for these individuals by ringing bells of thanks.

The City of Eustis originally had the idea and then partnered with other Central Florida municipalities like Mount Dora, Tavares, Leesburg, DeLand and Orange City to spread the word. The areas' Chambers of Commerce have also gotten involved. People are asked to share their support on social media using the hashtag #BellsofThanks.

After a resident gave her the idea, Eustis City Commissioner Karen LeHeup-Smith suggested the supportive effort at a recent City Commission meeting.
“This is a small way for each of us to say thank you to the front-line essential workers. From medical professionals to first responders, government employees, retail workers, farmers, and so many more …thank you,” said LeHeup-Smith.

The City of Eustis is encouraging residents to show additional appreciation by continuing to practice social distancing, follow CDC guidelines, and abide by all executive orders issued by the State of Florida that will help slow the spread of COVID-19.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here. Discover the area's online entertainment calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.

LOCAL STUDENTS SEEK BUYERS FOR LIVESTOCK AFTER CANCELLATION OF FAIR

3/23/2020

ABOVE: Mount Dora High School student Rylee Grazulis and her 1111 pound steer.

Small businesses aren’t the only ones feeling the economic squeeze from the coronavirus. After the Lake County Fair was cancelled for public safety concerns, high school students from Mount Dora and Tavares were also left in a financial lurch. The cancellation left hardworking FFA and agriculture students scrabbling to find buyers for their market steers, pigs, layer hens and a meat goat.

As part of an annual educational project, the students work hard to raise the livestock, and also spend significant financial resources caring for them in preparation for the fair’s market auction. The event is typically the students’ only opportunity to recoup their sizable investments in the animals.

Now Mount Dora High School (MDHS) and Tavares High School (THS) students are hoping individuals, businesses and groups will consider buying the animals. People can also split the cost with others if they don't need all of the meat. To make the purchase even more convenient, the FFA clubs will provide transportation to the meat processor which will consult with the buyer to select their preferred cuts of meat. The purchaser pays for the processing.

MDHS students have five market steers, four market pigs, three sets of layer hens (3 chickens each) as well as one meat goat for sale. Tavares High School has seven students seeking private buyers for their market animals, which include two steers and five pigs (see below photos, descriptions and prices).

Anyone interested in more details and prices on the livestock available can contact:
Mount Dora High School: bellamyc@lake.k12.fl.us
Tavares High School: HollandJ@lake.k12.fl.us

Some of the livestock animals available for purchase:

MDHS Student: Rylee Grazulis

THS Student: Cody Richardson's Hampshire/Yorkshire cross gilt, Fiona. Weight: 225 (3/23). Cody needs $2.60 per pound to break even.

THS Student: Logan Cates Duroc/Yorkshire/Hampshire cross pig named Ol’ Red. Weight: 230 lbs. (3/23) Logan needs $3.50/pound to break even.

THS Student: Julie Gibbs' steer Mojo. Age: 1 year and 5 months. Weight: approx. 1000 lbs.

THS Student: Grace Vanzant's Hampshire cross pig is named ChewBacon. Age: 6 months Weight: 189 lbs. (3/23). Grace needs $2.39 per pound to break even.

Student: Tora Kersey's Charolais steer, Gus. Age: 1 year and 7 months Weight: 1280 lbs on March 7. Tora needs $2.30 per pound to break even.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here. Discover the area's online entertainment calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.

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