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The Junior Orange Bowl Committee elected and recently installed its new board for the upcoming year. On a Zoom call hosted by JOBC’s 50th president Steven Gonzalez, the gavel was passed on to the 51st president Samantha Jones. Samantha, working mother of two daughters, age 16 and 13, started volunteering with the JOBC in 1993 and became a member in 1997, holding many leadership positions with the organization since that time.
Past JOBC President J.R. Steinbauer conducted the swearing of JOBC President Samantha Jones and her board: President-Elect – Grant Souviron; Vice President – Roberta Fliss; Vice President – Lisa Albizu-Vazquez; Treasurer – Anthony Broad; and Secretary – Jennifer Forbes. This is a big year for the JOBC that is celebrating the 60th Anniversary of its International for Tennis Tournament and the 70th Anniversary of its Youth Ambassadors program.
The Junior Orange Bowl in partnership with the South Florida Writers Association is also presenting its 33rd Annual Junior Orange Bowl Creative Writing Contest open to all eighth graders in South Florida. The theme for this essay competition is “How Has Nature Helped Me in This Time of Pandemic?” Books & Books and Coral Gables Museum are sponsors of the Creative Writing event while the contest is also made possible by a generous grant from the Coral Gables Community Foundation. Co-Chairing the competition are Anthony Broad and Jennifer Forbes with Director Connie Goodman-Milone.
There are cash prizes from $150 to $750 and, even better, the winning essays will be published in Author’s Voice which could be great for college applications. Judging criteria includes: attention to theme, originality, and depth of meaning. Essays can be submitted on the Creative Writing page under Our Events at www.juniororangebowl.org. Attention teachers! Each teacher who submits five or more student essays will be entered into a raffle to win a cash prize of $500 for their school. Submissions must be received online or postmarked by April 16. The awards ceremony will be a live/virtual event at the Coral Gables Museum on Sunday, May 2, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Contact us at creativewriting@jrorangebowl.org or call 305-662-1210.
In other good news, the South Miami/Coral Gables Elks Lodge 1676 teamed up with ONE MORE CHILD and Reality Church and their 20 volunteers from Georgia Southern University on March 20 to distribute food to 125 South Dade families in need. The students, who arrived on the prior Thursday, were on a Mission Trip with Reality Church which is part of the North American Mission Board (NAMB). They joined Elk volunteers packing 24 pound food boxes purchased with a grant from the Elks National Foundation and on March 20 gathered again at the Lodge to distribute the boxes to the families. Elks Lodge 1676 President Jim Glogowski was pleased that despite the pandemic challenges that the Lodge 1676 was able to fulfill their motto “Elks Care, Elks Share,” having received a record amount of grants to fulfill this mission. They have also provided food and clothing to our homeless veterans, have teamed with local police and churches to provide food to those in need, and have continued to provide scholarships to worthy students as they pursue higher education. They welcome those interested in service to join. For information about Elks Lodge 1676 go to: www.Elks1676.com. To join the BPOE: http://join.elks.org/
Please join us for Gloria Gab LIVE at Community Newspapers on Facebook Live every Monday at 10 a.m. On the show, you will meet many of the people making a positive impact on our community. Coming up on April 19 will be Nick Silverio, Founder and CEO of A Safe Haven for Newborns. Learn more about Nick’s mission and the return of the organization’s May14th Charity Golf Tournament in Doral.
Finally, save Saturday, May 8, for a memorable Mother’s Day Tea hosted by the Coral Gables Woman’s Club to benefit the club’s free children’s dental clinic. For more information on renting the club’s beautiful historic clubhouse or to find information on club activities or membership, visit gfwccoralgableswomansclub.org. You do not have to be a resident of the Gables to join and, in fact, many members live in this area.
Until next time, keep making each day count and share an act of kindness.
