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MAY 2018 941.349.0194 | ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC
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Remembering our Veterans on Memorial Day
KIDS CORNER
By Adrienne Feltman
Meet Thomas “Tommy” Mullin, 7, 1st Grader at Phillippi Shores Elementary School
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RESIDENT HONORED
Ralph Ricapito was inducted into The City All-Star Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall Of Fame page
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CANUKUS The American team faced a daunting challenge at this year’s CANUKUS Challenge
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ARTIST
Meet Landings artist Gary Bowen page
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Each year The Landings community pays tribute to our Landings Veterans who have served in the military and have now died. They are remembered by family, friends, and neighbors on Memorial Day in The Landings. Most recently, we remember Pvt. Glen Shriberg, USArmy, and Retired Ambassador & 1st Lt., Donald Leidel, USAir Force who both died this past April. The following Landings residents we remember now are: USAir Force, Capt. Samuel Edelman; USArmy, Captain David Gold; USArmy, Corp. Hal Kaplan; and USArmy Sgt.
John Meyer. All of these Landings Veterans were honored and recognized for their service to our country during the time they were residents of our community. We remember them now and wish to keep their names and their memories with us and their families. On Memorial Day, let us remember all of our Veterans who have served our great country in the past and take time to salute our brave and courageous military and their families who are serving us today.
Nancy Ferraro: Volunteer Extraordinaire By Diana Colson Nancy Ferraro joined New College in 1966 as their founding registrar. A longtime resident of Sarasota, she had undertaken a career that was challenging and demanding as well as exciting and stimulating. When New College merged with the University of South Florida in 1975, Nancy’s responsibilities increased to include registration and scheduling for USF at Sarasota. For more than three decades she enjoyed serving the students and faculty, many of whom became lifelong friends. Upon retirement in 2000, Nancy turned to volunteer work, offering her organizational skills to non-profits whose missions she supported and felt passionate about. From 2000 -2006 she was on the Board of Pines of Sarasota, serving as Board Chair for part of that time. She knew Pines well as her mother had lived there for many years, receiving the same outstanding care all residents receive no matter their level of need. As she says “It is amazing that in Sarasota we have a facility like Pines! My Mom started in Assisted Living, then moved to the memory unit and finally to nursing. At every level, she was treated with skill, kindness, respect, and dignity.” The mission of the Pines originally was to serve only low-income Sarasota residents. However, as the community became aware of the extraordinary care given at Pines, other residents wished to live there. If beds were available, no person was turned away. Today Pines serves 276 residents and is funded mostly by
private donation. They do receive grants, many of them matching grants. Currently, they have embarked on a multimilliondollar project to bring muchneeded renovation to their aging campus. Every dollar donated is matched by a $2 donation from the Esther & Harold Mertz Foundation. During the same years, Nancy turned to another passion of hers: animals! Always an animal lover, she became an active volunteer at the Humane Society of Sarasota, working with potential adopters to help them find their perfect pets. Soon she added to her matchmaking responsibilities the training of new volunteers who wished to work with cats. Inspired by their interest, she began to read up on and study Cat Behavior so that she could pass that knowledge along to others. “I teach Cat Communication,” she says with a grin. During that same period, she also volunteered with Animal Rescue Coalition (ARC), helping check animals into their mobile spay/neuter unit—one of the first free units in Sarasota. Of this experience, Nancy says, “Owners brought in their animals, people who could not afford to take them to a veterinarian. The animals received basic shots, and the vets were wonderful to work with. It was always amazing to see these people come in with their straggly animals and their straggly selves, but – by golly – they did it!” Continued on page 12