COUNTYWIDE
Hospice to offer 6-week bereavement groups
The Bereavement Services team at Gulfside Hospice is launching two, six-week bereavement support groups on Jan. 7. A group for residents in west Pasco will be offered at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays at Gulfside’s Bereavement and Community Outreach Center, 6224 Lafayette St., New Port Richey. It will be facilitated by bereavement counselor Dody Santana. The second group will meet at 3 p.m. Tuesdays at the Rucki Center for Hospice Care, 5760 Dean Dairy Road, Zephyrhills. This group will be facilitated by bereavement counselor Sonia Houston.
Groups will emphasize discussion and participation, while focusing on various aspects of grief and the healing process. During group sessions, participants will be encouraged to share information, experiences and emotional support for one another. There is no cost to participate, but each group has a limited number of available spots. To reserve a seat, contact Santana or Houston at (727) 845-5707.
Veterans can apply for transitional home
Operation Homefront is accepting applications from veterans and military families for a new transitional home in Wesley Chapel. The home is the latest addition to Operation Homefront’s Transitional Homes for Community Reintegration Program, designed to help veterans and their families as they transition from the military into civilian communities.
Through the program, a veteran (within 12 months of discharge and who has served honorably) and his or her family, will receive temporary, rent-free, single-family housing, financial education and support services. The family will work with a caseworker and financial counselor to create realistic financial, educational, employment and personal goals. The two- to three-year program prepares families for home ownership and provides skills needed to improve credit scores, pay off debt, accumulate emergency savings and establish ties to the community they reside in.
The veterans must be willing to work toward self-sufficiency during the program. They pay a monthly fee, which will be refunded upon program graduation. Families also will be responsible for utility costs, while Operation Homefront provides lawn care and landscaping.
Operation Homefront is a nonprofit organization with a mission to build strong, stable and secure military families so they can thrive. For further details, or to apply for a transitional home, visit operationhomefront.org.
Where to recycle Christmas trees
Pasco County will accept Christmas trees through Jan. 12 for recycling, to be chipped into mulch, chopped into firewood or relocated as wildlife habitats. Residents are asked to remove all decorations, tinsel and hooks and drop off the tree at one of the following locations during normal business hours:
• John S. Burks Memorial Park, 1322 Gene Nelson Blvd., Dade City
• Veterans Memorial Park, 14333 Hicks Road, Hudson
• Anclote Gulf Park, 2305 Baillie’s Bluff Road, Holiday
• Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’Lakes
• Sam W. Pasco Recreational Complex, 9835 Chancey Road, Zephyrhills
• Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, 10500 Wilderness Park Road, New Port Richey
• West Pasco Class III Site, 14230 Hays Road, Spring Hill
• Wesley Chapel District Park (at the north end near Overpass Road), 7727 Boyette Road, Wesley Chapel
For information, visit bit.ly/2lWhIVh.
Free hepatitis C and HIV testing offered
The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, in conjunction with the Public Defender’s Mobile Medical Unit, is offering free rapid HIV and hepatitis C testing at several locations throughout January. The Health Department is offering free adult hepatitis A vaccinations on select dates, as well. A calendar with times and locations for the free testing and vaccinations is available at pasco.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/infectious-disease-services/aids/index.html.
Results from the rapid tests will be available in 20 minutes. For details, call the Health Department at (727) 619-0260.
Mariano elected to Regional Planning Council board
The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council elected new board officers for 2020 at its December meeting, with leaders hailing from Manatee, Pinellas, Pasco and Citrus counties. Among the new leaders is Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano, who is the council’s secretary-treasurer for this year.
The council works with 27 west-central Florida municipalities to assist these areas in making long-range plans related to the future of the Tampa Bay region. For information, visit the website at tbrpc.org.
HUDSON
Knights baseball registration scheduled
The Knights of Columbus 10377 Sports League will conduct its 2020 baseball season registration from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 11, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 16 and 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 18 at Saint Michael The Archangel Catholic Church, 8014 State Road 52. There is no paper registration; parents must sign their children up online prior to coming in to registration at tshq.bluesombrero.com/kocsports.
Divisions include T-ball for ages 4-5, Minors for ages 6-8, Majors for ages 9-11 and Seniors for ages 12-15 (based on ages as of May 9). A 10-game season will be played on Saturdays, starting Feb. 22. Games will be at Veterans Memorial Park on Hicks Road.
The registration fee is $60, which includes uniform shirt, pants, hat and socks. Fees must be paid in person at registration, cash or checks only.
There is a limit on coach requests to no more than seven per team, taken on a first-come, first-served basis only (in person). Team size is limited. For information, email to kofcsportsleague@gmail.com.
LAND O’ LAKES
Sensory gardening program to start
Children ages 8 to 13 who are on the autism spectrum are invited to participate in Gardening for Autism: A Sensory Gardening Program from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturdays, Jan. 11 through Feb. 15 at the Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.
The program is provided by UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension, and includes hands-on, basic gardening lessons while empowering participants to grow their own healthy food. Planned programming includes potting a tomato plant, creating a backyard habitat and constructing a toad house. Activities are designed to create a love of gardening in a quiet, calm and safe environment.
The cost is $40 per participant, which covers all course materials and a cookout. Parents must remain with their students during the duration of each session. Class size is limited. To register, visit bit.ly/2rG1qak.
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