LOCAL NEWS

NEW DIRECTOR

Julie Adams has been hired as the new Parks, Recreation and Culture Department Director. This position will soon be vacated by current Director Travis Edwards, who will be retiring after more than 33 years of service with the City. Julie Adams will work with the City to continue offering quality leisure opportunities for all citizens. This includes City-sponsored recreational activities, athletic programs, and special events. Prior to joining the City of Winter Haven, Ms. Adams worked with the City of Lakeland for more than 16 years, serving as a Recreation Supervisor and an Assistant Superintendent of Recreation.

FLORIDA SCHOLARSHIPS

Polk County Supervisor of Elections, Lori Edwards announced that the Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE) will award three $1,200 scholarships to Florida students in 2021. Applicants must meet certain criteria. Polk County residents may contact Lori Edwards at (863) 534-5888, or by email at info@polkelections.com. The deadline to return the scholarship application, which includes two letters of recommendation, is March 26, 2021.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

Florida Department of Health Polk County’s vaccination registration web portal at register.polk.health is accepting vaccine appointments. Here you create an account for a future vaccine appointment. Polk County is following the required prioritization set by the federal government and the State of Florida giving the first vaccinations to high-risk health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19, as well as any person over the age of 65. Call (863) 298-7500 Mon-Fri 8am5pm, Sat & Sun 8am-2pm.

SPANISH-SPEAKING GRADS

Polk County Public Schools is offering a new program to help Spanish-speaking adults seeking to become high school graduates. The district’s two adult schools are offering the Spanish GED (General Educational Development) program to residents 16 years and older. After successfully passing the GED exam, students are awarded a State of Florida High School Diploma and are considered high school graduates. For more information or to register, please call East Area Adult School 863-965-5475 or West Area Adult School 863-499-2835.

SPONSORSHIP APPLICATIONS

Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing (PCTSM) has announced that sponsorship applications for fiscal year 2021-2022 arts, cultural, and heritage event sponsorship (covering events taking place October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022) are now being accepted online and the final submission deadline is noon on April 16th. Go to visitcentralflorida. org/ach-application/ to access the application. PCTSM and the Polk Arts Alliance will once again partner to host two workshops to assist organizations that wish to apply. It is mandatory to attend one of the two workshops.

SYMPTOM CHECKER

Polk County Public Schools has contracted with Self Care Decisions to offer students, parents, and employees an online symptom checker. PCPS’s new Symptom Checker is available at wellness.polkschoolsfl. com. Users will enter their age and gender to customize their experience. The Symptom Checker helps users determine what level of care is needed, if any, and how to relieve the symptoms of minor illnesses and injuries at home. It also provides dosage tables for common medications, first aid instructions, and parenting advice in categories such as family issues, injury prevention, discipline problems, eating and sleeping problems, school-related problems, and immunizations.

WH CHAMBER & STATE FARM

The Winter Haven Chamber Foundation has partnered with State Farm Insurance to offer multiple $1,000 college and vocational training scholarships. Due to the pandemic in 2020, individuals who graduated in 2020 or are graduating in 2021 are eligible. Students who attend or attended Lake Region High School, Winter Haven High School, Polk State’s Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School, and New Beginnings High School Winter Haven are eligible to apply. This scholarship is intended to assist students who demonstrate financial need. Students must have a minimum of 3.0 GPA to qualify, a transcript is required. Applications must be submitted by April 2nd. Find it at winterhavenchamber.com/blog.

EVICTION PREVENTION

Polk County’s COVID-19 Eviction Prevention Program opened for applications to assist tenants who are unable to pay rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, using federally approved funds, assists Polk’s most vulnerable tenants who are in imminent danger of eviction and provides property owners with an alternative to eviction. To be eligible for the program, applicants must meet certain requirements. Those requirements, along with the application portal, can be found online at polk-county.net. To apply over the telephone, call (863) 519-1000.