We are fortunate to have neighbors like The Betzers who sponsor events such as Preludes in the Park. Members of The Florida Orchestra have held performances at The Betzer residence on numerous occasions, which can be enjoyed while relaxing in Crescent Lake Park. At every performance, donations are accepted for different charitable organizations.
Author: Kathryn Bursch
Published: 10:27 AM EST January 13, 2021
Updated: 10:27 AM EST January 13, 2021
SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla. — Andrea Jackson has delivered mail for 14 years, the last seven of them in the Crescent Lake neighborhood of St. Petersburg. She’s known for both her excellent service and her wide smiles. When asked what she likes best about her job, Jackson replies, “the people.” And “the people” like her right back.
While this mom completed her bachelor’s degree (while also working fulltime), residents cheered Jackson on. And when people found out Jackson wanted to become a nurse, one resident set up a GoFundMe page to help with her tuition. Nearly $5,000 has been donated.
It’s no surprise neighborhood residents were sad to learn about Jackson’s last day. Jackson walked her final route last week, because she is starting nursing school.
Instead of delivering messages, on her final day, Jackson received them. The sidewalks along her route were lined with colorful chalk expressions of support. You Rock!, Andrea’s a Star, Andrea is Awesome, We admire you for following your dreams, We’ll Miss You– are just a few examples of the well wishes written by residents.
“They’re so overwhelming,” said a shaky-voiced Jackson. “I keep catching myself crying.” And the final message that Jackson delivered to people along her route? “I promise to visit.”
Author: Kathryn Bursch
Published: 9:38 AM EST January 5, 2021
Updated: 9:38 AM EST January 5, 2021
SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla. — Music means different things to different people.
“Music can bring joy, can bring love, can touch one’s heart, can bring people together—all great things,” explains violinist Yuan-Yuan Wang.
But ask most any player and they’ll also tell you this.
“Music to me, at least, is no fun to do by yourself. It’s meant to share with an audience and to share with your colleagues and play together,” said Kaitlyn Resler, who plays French horn.
And that’s why a group of music makers, all friends from the Florida Orchestra, have been holding concerts outside a house across the street from Crescent Lake Park in St. Petersburg.
The Preludes in the Park events started, because the musicians were tired of being silenced and isolated because of COVID-19. But even though the Florida Orchestra is now performing again, the informal events have continued.
“We don’t need anything fancy to share music,” said tuba player TJ Graf. “That’s what we love to do.”
Residents from the neighborhood and parkgoers have been enjoying the concerts. “It was so nice and peaceful, and just relaxing,” said Deborah Lane from her beach chair on the grass. “I’ve been working two jobs, so this was the perfect thing for me to get away from all of that.”
The musicians have been collecting donations for various charitable groups. One event in November was dedicated to the memory of Matthew Matchin, the co-owner of Plant Love Ice Cream who died in September. The musicians wanted to support his mother, who is now running the shop alone.
Matthew’s mother, JoAnn Matchin, attended the concert. “I could feel Matt beside me. The tears rolled down my face as the music wrapped its arms around me and embraced me,” described Matchin.
The outdoor acoustics may not be perfect, but when music comes from the heart—it’s a notable experience.
There is also a GoFundMe page set up for Matthew Matchin.
The musicians plan to hold more concerts. You can find out when and where, by following “Preludes in the Park” on Instagram.
Chuck Williams and Jim Anderson miss the deeper community they’ve cultivated since retiring to St. Pete from Chicago. But the pair feel lucky to have each other — and warm weather — in this pandemic. Chuck, 63, and Jim, 71, both have chronic underlying health issues and are staying home, like many Florida seniors. “All of a sudden, there was absolutely nothing on our calendar,” Chuck says. The pandemic has kept them away from much of their LGBTQ community, their neighborhood association, other community meetings and cleanups and grocery runs. Now, they see only a small bubble of friends, outside with precautions.⠀Still, they can’t recall their darkest moment from the past seven months. And no shade, but they feel sorry for their single friends.⠀We heard from local seniors about how they’re weathering necessary but often aching isolation in the pandemic. Click the link in our bio for their stories.⠀ 📸 : @DirkShadd / Tampa Bay Times (Oct. 15)
As a neighborhood organization, our events are mostly social gatherings and it has been recommended that social distancing is the only way to stop coronavirus from spreading. As a result, the CLNA Board has decided that we should cancel all upcoming events until further notice as a precautionary measure. In the meantime, the CLNA Board will conduct its business as required by our Bylaws via means of remote communication. We will continue to communicate with members on important issues affecting our neighborhood.
If you know someone who may need assistance or are able to help out a neighbor who may need assistance, please let us know. There may be neighbors with health issues that may need medications picked up or have other needs. Below is a list of resources we have gathered, which you may find helpful. We will continue to update this post with additional information as it becomes available.
Public Health Agencies & Government Updates
More than ever, it is important to be up-to-date on the latest information. We would advise frequently checking international, national, state, and local public health agencies and government updates. These health and government agencies provide different important information that affects all of us:
World Health Organization:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html
The State of Florida:
Florida’s COVID-19 Data & Surveillance Dashboard:
https://fdoh.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/8d0de33f260d444c852a615dc7837c86
Florida Department of Health:
http://www.floridahealth.gov/index.html
COVID-19 Governor Executive Orders:
https://www.flgov.com/covid-19/
Pinellas County:
http://pinellascounty.org/emergency/covid19/default.htm
City of St. Petersburg:
https://www.stpete.org/emergency/covid-19.php
Resources for Small Businesses, Self-Employed, and Gig Workers
Below is information for small businesses, the self-employed, and gig workers. The US Treasury and Small Business Administration have launched the “Paycheck Protection Program” (PPP) and CARES Act webpages where eligible small businesses and sole proprietorships can now apply for loans. Starting on April 10th, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply. Given there are funding caps, you should apply as soon as possible. Please note that technical problems have been reported with processing applications under the CARES Act, but this should not dissuade you from applying if you qualify and need these loans. You should contact your bank for additional information.
CARES Act
U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program:
U.S. Treasury Dept. CARES Act:
https://home.treasury.gov/cares
Practical insights as to SBA Loans under the CARES Act:
https://www.foley.com/en/insights/publications/2020/04/sba-loans-under-the-cares-act-updated
CARES Act Summary:
https://www.foley.com/en/insights/blogs/~/link.aspx?_id=2F157EFF3D074053ABE22AD88D48E973&_z=z
Summary of CARES Act Tax Provisions:
https://www.foley.com/en/insights/blogs/~/link.aspx?_id=F7B96F434EE04263A9B404ADF3A1CD8D&_z=z
City of St. Petersburg Fighting Chance Fund
The City of St. Petersburg has created the Fighting Chance Fund – an emergency grant for St. Pete’s negatively impacted locally owned and independently operated small businesses to provide relief to small businesses impacted by local COVID-19 orders. Please note these are grants being offered and not loans.
The fund is expected to provide critical support to about 1,000 restaurant, bar, retail, and service-based businesses and their more than 3,000 eligible employees. The City’s goal is to help offset the significant, temporary loss of revenue during this global pandemic. Applications for eligible businesses and individuals will be available April 9th. Please refer to the video below and the City’s webpage for additional information:http://www.stpete.org/assistance/fighting_chance_fund.php
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
In coordination with state and federal partners, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity lists resources available to assist employers and individuals impacted by the state’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19:
https://www.floridajobresources.com
Resources for parents with children staying home from school
We also understand that children do not have school while parents may be working from home. There are many resources available for children to continue their education at home. Below are some resources you might want to consider in addition to any provided school resources. There are also many educational apps that can be downloaded. Commonsensemedia.org is a good resource in selecting quality, age-appropriate material for children.
Talking to Children regarding COVID-19
CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/talking-with-children.html
PBS:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/10-tips-for-talking-about-covid-19-with-your-kids
Educational
Scholastic Free Virtual Learning Resources for PreK-9+:
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com
PBS Free Distance Learning:
Khan Academy:
Khan Academy is a non-profit whose mission is to provide free world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Created by experts, Khan Academy’s library of practice and lessons covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more.
Khan Academy also provides schedules for children 2-18:
Starfall, PreK-3 ($35 annual membership):
Also, it is a good time for stay-at-home activities such as arts and crafts projects, science projects, video exercise classes (i.e. yoga), gardening, cooking, board games (i.e. scrabble), puzzles, and reading.
Reading free books online
St. Petersburg Library:
http://splibraries.org/index.html
Library of Congress:
Openlibrary.org:
Free Google eBooks:
https://books.google.com/books?uid=117522004192189783614&as_coll=1018&source=gbs_lp_bookshelf_list
We would like to acknowledge one of our own Crescent Lakers, Lola Ward, who is a mentor with Friends of Woodlawn Elementary. She surprised the 5th Grade graduating class of Woodlawn Elementary with a special delivery of ice cream from the Clara Rose Ice Cream Truck. She came up with the idea and made arrangements for the truck to come to the school to provide each of the 5th Grade scholars ice cream. This act of kindness and generosity is illustrative of the heart of our community. It does not take much to make an impact – care, desire, and commitment. Thank you Lola for the impact you are making on your mentee, Woodlawn Elementary, and Crescent Lake.
Our neighborhood answered the call of the City of St. Petersburg to help our USCG families in need that had been reporting to duty without pay due to the recent government shutdown. Within 24 hours of an e-mail to members we received a generous amount of donations totaling over $1,000 in food and gift cards.
The City of St. Petersburg is home to the US Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, one of the USCG largest commands. The USCG is America’s maritime first responders and are unique because they are not part of the Department of Defense, but are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security. The donations were personally delivered to the USCG. The USCG Chief Petty Officer’s Association, a non-partisan, non-profit organization ensures these donations will go to families in need. The Sun Coast branch of the USCG covers approximately 670 active duty members north to Yankeetown, FL and south to Ft. Myers.
We would like to thank the following members who made the donations:
Melissa & John Matelich, Andrew & Debbie Bundschuh, Brett Buchert, Kenneth & Lisa McKenzie, Hollie & Sam Schmidt, and Lisset & Wayne Hanewicz.
There are so many ways to give back to our local community. As a neighborhood association, we do what we can to help improve our neighborhood and give back to our community. One way to give back to the community is to help our public schools. Today, more than ever, public schools need the help of their communities. There are members of our St. Petersburg community rallying for their public school, such as Friends of North Shore Elementary: http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/The-comeback-at-North-Shore-Elementary-is-real-as-families-rediscover-their-neighborhood-school_162522638. The neighborhoods surrounding Woodlawn Elementary School want to do the same for their zoned school.
As a result, we have joined with surrounding neighborhoods to start a Friends of Woodlawn Elementary group. As a neighborhood association, we want to do what we can to ensure the success of Woodlawn Elementary. Providing community support for Woodlawn Elementary is good for our neighborhood and the City of St. Petersburg. It is a great way to give back to our community and make our neighborhood stronger. It gives families in our neighborhood the option to consider their zoned public school as an alternative to private, magnet, or fundamental schools further from their home.
An easy way to support Woodlawn Elementary is through mentoring or volunteering. It just takes 30 minutes out of your week. This is the first step we are taking in ensuring the success of our zoned elementary. To become a mentor, you need to take a one-hour workshop, which has been scheduled at Woodlawn Elementary School’s Media Center for Wednesday, August 22nd from 7-8 p.m. The training will qualify attendees to be Lunch Pal Mentors, although it is recommended that all potential volunteers attend the training. The training includes a background check. You will need to bring photo identification to the training session.
You can receive updates if you like the Friends of Woodlawn Elementary Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfWoodlawn/
More information on LunchPals is available at https://www.pcsb.org/lunchpals.
If interested in participating, please fill out this Google form so you can be added to our volunteer list and select your volunteer preferences:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwtvUanp2Yx0q3hlMEq-oDpyJ_7Xr3Q_plxj6JHjnlb05WmA/viewform?usp=sf_link
Woodlawn Elementary web page: https://www.pcsb.org/woodlawn-es
