La bohème Opera

The Pensacola Opera held a reception after the performance of La bohéme at The Saenger Theater on January 20. Performed in Italian with English subtitles, this classic is one of Opera’s most romantic stories. Pensacola Opera has brought many memorable performances over the years, such as Pirates of Penzance, Carmen and La bohème, and is celebrating its 40th Anniversary Season by paying tribute to the rich history of musical storytelling in Pensacola. Pensacola Opera is committed to charting a course for meaningful change in the surrounding communities by maintaining a focus on equitable and inclusive programing, while honoring the very best in art form.

The VIP after hours reception honored the opera’s artists and recognized them for their contribution. Recognized were: Nadine Andrews (Stage Manager), Glenn Avery Breed (Costume Designer), Greg Ganakas (Stage Director) and Jennifer Knisbell (Development Director) just naming a few who made this all come together.

Culinary Productions was on hand catering the event, bringing a nice spring mix salad, shrimp alfredo, herb-crusted chicken filets, and warm, buttery croissants with, of course, a nice arrangement of adult beverages.

Council on Aging of West Florida has successfully housed agency client Beverly Monroe in a 128-squareoot tiny home unit as part of a project funded by a $50,000 AARP Community Challenge Grant. The project, which began last June, has purchased two tiny homes and aims to have both units outfitted and occupied by an older adult experiencing housing insecurity by this spring.

The homes are manufactured by the Tennessee-based company Incredible Tiny Homes and the project utilizes their innovative and highly customizable 8 by 16-foot Incred-I-Box model, which cost $20,000 each. Pensacola Habitat and the Pensacola State College carpentry program have partnered on the project and supported efforts to get the units move-in ready. Monroe has been living in her Incred-I-box for just over a week.

“Seeing Beverly go from a housing emergency to settling into a home of her own has been so rewarding, but it highlights the fact that there are many others like Beverly in our community who are facing eviction or are experiencing homelessness,” says Council on Aging marketing communications director Emily Echevarria, who spearheads the project. “With the appropriate implementation and buy-in from local leaders, this type of unit can be part of a multifaceted approach to tackling the monumental problem of affordable housing for seniors in our community.”

The project aims to showcase the possibilities of one nontraditional, attainable housing solution that is affordable to lowerincome older adults, many of whom live on a fixed income that hasn’t risen with the level of inflation and rental price increases.

Academy Student Showcase at the end of the school year. As Pensacola’s resident professional dance company, Ballet Pensacola is known for its high artistic quality and innovative productions showcasing classical and contemporary choreography.

Performances are offered at various venues throughout the Pensacola community, including the Saenger Theatre and the Pensacola Cultural Center.

The AARP Community Challenge is a grant program to make tangible improvements in communities that jumpstart long-term change. It is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods, and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages. The grant award was one of 260 awards out of 3,200 applications for quick action livability projects that align with community agefriendly efforts. To learn more, visit aarp.org/ Livable.

A Military Appreciation Performance by Ballet Pensacola

Join Ballet Pensacola February 10-12 in honoring the dedication and bravery of the United States Military. This performance will feature Artistic Director Darren McIntyre’s original choreography “Lights Will Guide You Home,” along with other creations such as “Fleet Week,” “Spartacus,” and more to celebrate our men and women in uniform!

Manna Kicks Off Their Souper Bowl of Caring Day

Get ready to tackle hunger on the day of the big game, February 12th! Be part of the nationwide movement by planning to participate! Gather your healthy canned soups and other nonperishable food items for SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY! (All puns intended)

Ballet Pensacola enhances the cultural life of our community through excellent dance training and quality dance performances. They present four major productions each season: a fall show, The Nutcracker in December, a winter show, and a spring show.

Along with the four major productions, Ballet Pensacola gets involved with the community by performing in schools, area festivals, and special events. The Ballet Pensacola Academy students have the opportunity to perform with the professional company, and the students have their own

Start collecting your donations now, and plan to drop them off at Manna, 3030 North E Street, between 10am and 1pm, on Sunday, Feb. 12 to be counted in the Souper Bowl of Caring. For more information on how to make it a SOUPER food drive for Manna, contact us at fooddrives@mannahelps.org.

Manna is a local grassroots organization fighting hunger in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. They provide groceries directly to individuals and families in need. Their services are all offered free of charge and receive no government funding and have no national affiliation. Most of their funding comes from individuals, foundations, faith-based organizations, corporations, and businesses. Manna is nonsectarian, community focused and volunteer supported. They believe every person has a right to live free of hunger and to be treated with respect and dignity.