Make Tracks to Crews Lake Park

The Central Pasco & Gulf Railroad operates a 7 1/2" gauge railroad in Pasco County's Crews Lake Park. This miniature railroad is fun for children and adults alike, and is open to the public to ride the second Saturday of each month (next date is January 10, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.). Do you have a tiny train fan with a birthday coming up? The CP&G Railroad is also available for birthdays and other private parties for a reasonable fee.

For more information, visit the CP&G Railroad's website.

Something to Do Year-Round in Pasco

Looking for fun and interesting things to do in Pasco County? Have company coming and want a unique activity to do with your guests? The Pasco County Tourism Board has information for you!

For an annual Calendar of Special Events, click here.

For a list of other interesting sites in Pasco, click here.

Enjoy our community!

The Season of Giving

Charities Offer Opportunities To Help
With the current economic downturn, area agencies are finding themselves with fewer donations and more people requesting assistance. Click on the link above for a list of Pasco County community agencies looking for help so they can help others this holiday season.

Farm Share Holiday Food Giveaway Is Dec. 12 In Pasco

Farm Share Holiday Food Giveaway Is Dec. 12 In Pasco

Fresh food will be given away to eligible Pasco County residents in New Port Richey from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Friday, December 12 at the North Trinity Self Parking lot at the corner of Little Road and Old State Road 54. Call Sen. Mike Fasano's office at 1-800-948-5885 for more information.

Cold Weather Shelters Open Tonight

With Freeze In Forecast, Pasco Opens Shelters

Pasco County officials are opening four cold-weather shelters tonight, as temperatures are forecast to be in the high 20s in central and eastern Pasco and in the 30s closer to the coast. Click on the link above for locations and more information.

Thanksgiving meals

If you have no plans for Thanksgiving, check out one of the locations offering Thanksgiving dinners in Pasco County! Click on the link below for details. Happy Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving meals planned for Pasco County - St. Petersburg Times

Pasco County Opens Cold-Weather Shelters Tonight

Weather Dog: Hillsborough, Pasco Open Cold-Weather Shelters - from TBO.com Breaking News

Pasco County shelters are:

•Holy Ground Homeless Shelter, 8835 Denton Ave., Hudson. Transportation and hot meals will be provided. (727) 863-9123.

•First United Methodist Church of New Port Richey, 5901 Indiana Ave., New Port Richey. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

•Hope Lutheran Church, 12321 Canton Ave., Hudson. Doors open at 5 p.m. (727) 359-6538.

•Community Chapel, 5320 First St., Zephyrhills. Doors open at 6 p.m.

•Farm Workers Building, 37105 Lock St., Dade City. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Holiday Assistance

Center offers holiday assistance
Do you need help this holiday season? Joining Hands/Pasco Holiday Center is offering holiday food and gift assistance to qualified families. Families must meet one of the following criteria:

* Have children under age 18;
* Current Social Security Insurance or Social Security Disability recipient;
* Senior citizens 65 or older; or
* Grandparents with custodial guardianship.

Registration is at Community United Methodist Church at 3214 US Hwy 19, Holiday, from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. For more information, call 727-937-3268.

Family Fun Day in New Port Richey Saturday, November 8

Kids' activities, a family fitness walk and parenting talks are on tap this Saturday at the third annual Pasco Kids First Family Fun Day. The free event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Sims Park, includes $3 all-you-can-play inflatable playhouses and an interactive walk around Orange Lake in which children can enter a drawing for a new bike. A series of educational talks, ranging from voluntary pre-K to how to talk to your child about sexual abuse, will be given in Peace Hall. 'The idea is to promote a healthy family from the inside out,' said Rick Hess, director of Pasco Kids First. For information, visit www.pascokidsfirst.org or call (727) 845-8080.

Free Cell Phone and Service

Safelink Wireless, a division of TracFone Wireless, offers a government supported program to provide a free cell phone with airtime to income-eligible households.

For more information or to apply, visit their website at www.safelinkwireless.com.

Give a Little Time, Get a Few Groceries

We are all feeling the economic pinch right now. If you have a little bit of spare time, you might want to consider joining SHARE Florida Food Network. This not-for-profit organization rewards personal community involvement (volunteering) with substantial savings on food.

For an example of the types of food you receive, October's menu includes

• Potatoes
• Eggplant
• Lettuce
• Zucchini
• Grapefruit
• Apples

for $6.00! Choose the Basic Package for $18.00 and you will receive the fruits and vegetables listed above AND the following meat items:

• 8 oz Pork Sausage Links
• 1.8 lbs Split Chicken Breast
• 1 lb Ground Beef 85/15
• 1 lb Pollack Fillets
• 1 lb Mild Italian Rope Sausage.
  

All they ask in return is that you spend a little time volunteering for your favorite cause or charity. Pretty sweet deal in these challenging times! For more information, visit their website at www.shareflorida.org.

Drive-Thru Flu Shots

It's flu season again, and the Pasco County Health Department wants to make it a little more convenient to get your flu shot - you don't even have to get out of the car! The Drive-Thru Flu Shots will be available at the following locations:

Thursday, October 16 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
St. Michael the Archangel Church
8014 State Road 52
Hudson, FL

Monday, October 20 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Centennial Middle School
38505 Centennial Road
Dade City, FL

Flu shots will cost $25, payable by cash or check. People with proof of straight Medicare or Medicare PPO coverage will get their shots for free. For more information, check out the Pasco County Health Department's flu webpage.

Healthy Start Coalition of Pasco, Inc.

For moms and newborns, there is help in Pasco County. "Healthy Start provides moms and newborns with the resources, support and help they need to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy birth" (Healthy Start website). They can be contacted at:

P.O. Box 1527
New Port Richey, FL 34656-1527
Phone: (727) 841-7888
Fax: (727) 841-6555

In addition to Healthy Start, the organization also has the MomCare program. MomCare is a Medicaid funded program specifically designed for moms-to-be who would not normally be eligible for Medicaid but qualify because of an expansion of the eligibility criteria during pregnancy. The purpose of the program is to ensure early prenatal care, thereby producing healthy birth outcomes. A list of providers and contact information is available on the Healthy Start website. To see the Healthy Start website, just click on the organization's icon under Medical/Dental/Health Services to the right of the page.

Helping Those In Need-Food Donations

We are getting into holiday time. Halloween is just around the corner, and you know what lies around the rest of the corners. This is an important time of year for food donations. The organization that helps out Pasco as well as Hernando, Citrus and Sumter counties is the Suncoast Harvest Food Bank. Located in central Pasco, the Food Bank "supplies a wide variety of dry, refrigerated, and frozen foods and also supplies household items to over 135 local not for profit pantry organizations" (SHFB website). SHFB accepts donations of all kinds from cash, to food, to items for their thrift store, to used boats and automobiles. An individual can even volunteer with them. This is an important organization in our community especially in today's economic climate. You can view their website under "Food Resources." If you can give a little this year, please do. If you are in need of help, don't be afraid to reach out.

Elmer's Genealogy Library

There's a really unique library a couple of hours from Pasco up in Madison, Florida called Elmer's Genealogy Library. If you are researching your family tree, are at a crossroads, or just need a little assistance to get started, they may be able to help you. They will do research for you either online or in person. There is a charge though-$40/hour for non-members, $20 for members. Check out their website: http://www.elmerslibrary.com/index.php

Researching your family history is a fun and rewarding activity but can also be a daunting task. It's nice to know that we have places like Elmer's to help us when we need it.

Don't forget that locally, we have resources too. There is the genealogy collection housed at the Hugh Embry Library in Dade City. Other resources can be obtained by contacting the West Pasco Historical Society. Click on the icon under History/Genealogy, to view their website.

Pasco County EOC Emergency Notification System

County Emergency Operations launched a new program in the past few weeks called the Emergency Notification System. It's a pilot program right now, for seven months. It's being developed to warn residents of any kind of emergency situations from hurricanes to hazardous material incidents to boil water orders. By signing up, county residents can receive emergency notifications by home phone, cell phone or email. If you want to sign up, just go to the county emergency management website: http://www.pascoemergencymanagement.com/

On the web page, you will see an icon that says "Click here for one step notification." Click on that and follow the steps. Give it a try! This could prove to be a very useful tool to the citizens of Pasco County.

Coastal Cleanup September 20, 2008

Want a chance to volunteer some time? Give back to your community? Do something good for the environment? Well, on September 20th, you can have your chance with the 2008 Coastal Cleanup. The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup is a worldwide effort to help rid our coastlines of the garbage and waste we leave behind. Lots of people from Pasco will be participating, landlubbers and divers alike. Join in the fun and do something worthwhile! Click on the link below to sign up:
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9623

Or locally, you can call 727-847-8041.

Conservation Series Slated for Hudson Regional Library

The Pasco County Utilities Department and the Pasco County Library System are co-sponsoring a special series of four programs on conservation. The programs are scheduled at the Hudson Regional Library, located at 8012 Library Road in Hudson. These programs are free and open to the public. The programs are:

Win/Win: Conserving Water & Your Dollars
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
6:30 p.m. -- 7:30 p.m.

Sand is NOT Soil
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
6:30 p.m. -- 7:30 p.m.

Recycling
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
6:30 p.m. -- 7:30 p.m.

Landscaping for Water Conservation
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
6:30 p.m. -- 7:30 p.m.

Pioneer Days-Dade City

In case you've never been, there's a little gem of a museum in Dade City called the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village. Pioneer Florida is a collection of historical buildings and items of the Florida pioneer on display throughout 16 beautiful acres just north of Dade City on Highway 301. There's a main building housing many artifacts from all aspects of pioneer life such as farming, spinning, blacksmithing and food preparation. There's even a schoolhouse and train depot on the property. This weekend would be a great time to visit because it's the museum's annual Pioneer Days Festival (August 31 and Sept. 1). One will find civil war reenactments, children's activities, and craft demonstrations throughout both Saturday and Sunday. Pioneer Days occurs every Labor Day weekend. To find out more, just click on the link:

http://www.pioneerfloridamuseum.org/index.php

Pasco County Community Development Homebuyer Programs

Pasco County Community Development assists residents of the county with neighborhood revitalization and housing programs. One program they offer is the Homebuyer Assistance Program. With real estate prices down, now might be a good time to buy a home if you are ready. There are certain parameters applicants have to meet. The money provided by the county is considered a 0% loan and must be paid back according to each person's ability within a 30 year time frame. Click on the link below to be taken to the document page of Community Development:

Comm Development Docs and Forms

From there, click on the fifth PDF file down entitled "Homebuyer Assistance Program."

Take a glance. The program could help you get into that dream home you've always wanted.

SCORE Ch. 439-Serving Pasco & Hernando

Have you ever heard of the Service Corps of Retired Executives? Probably not. But, you've probably heard of SCORE, which is the acronym for the Service Corps. SCORE is a non-profit group dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and small business owners across America. SCORE is a resource partner with the Small Business Administration (SBA). If you are actively pursuing your own business or just thinking about it, the volunteers of SCORE are a valuable resource. Take advantage of their years of knowledge. We have a chapter right in our own area. SCORE Chapter 439 serves both Pasco and Hernando counties. You can view their website just by clicking on the link under "Business/Legal/Career." You can also view the national SCORE site by visiting the following link: http://www.score.org/index.html

Keep your eye out for SCORE business seminars at your local library. Seminars covering various topics from Record Keeping/Quickbooks to Writing a Business Plan are available. At the SCORE 439 website, just click on the link under seminars.

Pasco County Economic Development Council

Pasco County is home to many great groups that help different aspects of the community. One group that helps to promote growth and business development in the county is the Pasco County Economic Development Council. The PEDC helps new and established businesses (according to their home page):

• Find funding resources to expand your business
• Coordinate job and workforce training programs
• Coordinate employer activities/services with Career Central
• Obtain local permits and assist with regulatory requirements
• Work as a liaison with various state and federal agencies
• Link directly to the business leaders in the Tampa Bay region through its membership in the Tampa Bay Partnership
• Coordinate local and State incentives

The PEDC can also provide demographic/statistical data for anyone doing research on business in Pasco County.

The PEDC can provide you with:

• Up-to-date demographic figures for the County
• Manufacturing trends and needs based on the results of our annual survey
• Available commercial and industrial buildings and sites in the County
• Annually updated list of manufacturers in the County
• List of 24 Largest Employers
• List of 24 Largest Manufacturers

This is a very valuable, useful resource in Pasco County. Check out their website under "Business/Legal/Career."

Pasco County Health Department Dental Clinic

The Pasco County Health Department offers basic dental services for children aged 1 through 20.

Services Available: 

 Exams & X-Rays
 Cleanings
 Fillings
 Sealants
 Preventive Care
 Simple Extractions (NO Oral Surgery) for current patients of record ONLY
 Emergency Exams & Treatment for current patients of record ONLY
 Referral Suggestion to Dental Specialists for current patients of record ONLY

Open:   7:30am to 5:30pm
  Monday thru Thursday

To make an appointment, call: Monday thru Thursday
   (727)861-5260 ext. 284

One must meet the following criteria in order to receive service:

-A Pasco County resident, age 1 through 20, with full Medicaid coverage.

- A Healthy Start client with appropriate Healthy Start Referral for Dental Services.
- A Healthcare Connections client with appropriate Dental Referral from Physician or Case Manager.
- A child, age 1 through 17, who lives in Pasco County and has NO Dental Insurance or Discount Plan.
(Eligibility is based on household size and total household income)

Click on the link under Medical/Dental/Health Services.

One Bay! Voice It!

Wanna have a chance to voice your opinion about future growth in the Bay Area? Now's your chance! "One Bay is a diverse partnership of public and private leaders spearheaded by five regional organizations: Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Tampa Bay Partnership Regional Research & Education Foundation and the Urban Land Institute Tampa Bay District" (One Bay website). One Bay is asking for citizen input into four alternative growth scenarios. It is important that we not leaving our regional planning to chance but to choice. As populations grow and resources become more scarce, we have to go into the future better prepared. It's important. Go to their website, take a look at the different scenarios, and give them your feedback. Click here to go the the One Bay website: http://www.myonebay.com/

Charity Navigator

Giving money to charity may not be the first thing on a lot of people's minds these days, but giving does still occur. In fact, in times like these, charities need donations more than ever. There is a website out there that can help you decide whether your donation dollars are going to a worthwhile cause. It's called Charity Navigator. To quote the web site's homepage, Charity Navigator, "America's premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,300 of America's largest charities." The site provides statistics on where a charity's money goes, offers user reviews, and offers searches by charity category. With our dollars getting stretched, sites such as these can really help us spend our money a little more wisely. You can access the site from a link under "Consumer Information/Protection."

The 411 on 811

A little known service available to residents is the Sunshine State One Call of Florida. If you are a do-it-yourselfer or just need to do some work in your yard that requires digging, you can call 811 to find out where underground utility lines are on your property. Best of all, it is free. By calling 811, your utility company will send out a professional locator to identify and mark lines on your property. It is done within two business days. By doing this, you reduce the risk of injury and prevent damage to utility lines. It's a smart idea to use this service before starting any excavation work. Check them out! A link to their website is under "Consumer Information/Protection."

Better Business Bureau of West Florida

One organization we all know about but don't think to use is probably the Better Business Bureau. For consumers, the Better Business Bureau is a valuable resource when it comes to information on area businesses and on consumer information in general. They also work to resolve disputes between consumers and companies. Through the BBB, a consumer can look for accredited companies, check out a business or charity, or just seek out general information. Our local office is located in Clearwater.
Their address is: Better Business Bureau
2655 McCormick Dr.
Clearwater, FL 33759
Their phone number is: 1-800-525-1447.

You can also check out their website under Business/Career/Legal category of web links to the right.

Youth and Family Alternatives Inc.

Youth and Family Alternatives is an organization that helps troubled youths and their families. They have locations throughout the Suncoast Region that offer different kinds of programs. The organization's website states that Youth and Family Alternatives is a "a leading provider of community-based care service and services to truant, runaway and ungovernable youth and their families in west central Florida." They offer substance abuse prevention and intervention service, community-based care services, runaway/youth crisis services and family counseling. Locations are available in east and west Pasco County. Services vary by location. Examples of their programs include: CASA (Child Adolescent Substance Abuse), a substance abuse intervention program designed to provide counseling services to youth ages 8 through 17 who are at risk of substance abuse and for youth who may already be experimenting with substances, the Parenting Program, which provides in-home validation services for parenting skills as well as monitoring of reunifications through a parenting coordinator who is referred to validate parenting classes taken through various approved parenting programs, and Youth Crisis Shelters, short term shelters that aid runaways and other youth who need a temporary place to stay. These are just a sampling of the programs administered by Youth and Family Alternatives. To gain more information about Youth and Family Alternatives click on the link to their website under "Community/Social Organizations."

Pasco Sheriff Dispatch Log

Ever wonder what kinds of calls the sheriff's office receives from your neighborhood? Wanna know what kind of activity is going on in your area? You can get an idea by viewing the dispatch log of the Pasco County Sheriff. The log can be reviewed by date, street, or subdivision. To access the database, simply go to the Pasco County Sheriff's Homepage at http://pascosheriff.com/webapps/index.pgm

From the homepage, click on either the dispatch log or subdivision activity icon at the left of the page under online resources. If you go in under dispatch log, you can search the dispatch database by call number, date or street name or a combination of the three. If you search by subdivision, you can use the previous three parameters or choose the subdivision you live in.

Give it a peek. It's a good idea to know what's going on in your neighborhood.

West Pasco Historical Society

There's a great resource in Pasco County if you are looking for local history. The West Pasco Historical Society at 6431 Circle Blvd in New Port Richey is just that place. The Society consists of a museum and library which houses many permanent collections of early businesses and residences. The building the Society is housed in was once the Seven Springs school house. The Society's library "it is primarily used by historians searching for details of early settlers and historical facts concerning local areas, the county, and the State of Florida. It also contains a large selection of photographs and maps" (Historical Society website). If you are in need of local history, the Society is indeed a great place to visit. The Society also houses a gift shop stocked with work from area artisans. If you'd like to visit, give them a call at 727-847-0680.
Their visiting hours are very specific, so be sure you call ahead or visit their website to find out when they are open. You can click on their link under "History/Genealogy."

Pasco County 211

Pasco County 211 is such a valuable tool to the residents of Pasco that mentioning it from time to time is a necessity. So, here we go again. This great resource can aid just about everybody in the county and is run by the United Way of Pasco. 211 provides program information for a variety of topics from abuse to education to wildlife. If you need food bank information or G.E.D. resources, you can find some through Pasco County 211. You can access this resource via the web (just click on the United Way/211 link at the top of the page), or you can call the United Way (727-845-4357 in West Pasco or 1-877-828-8929 for East and Central Pasco).

YMCA

Did you know that Pasco County is served by two YMCAs? They sure are. There is the New Port Richey YMCA which is part of the YMCA of the Suncoast group. They have locations from Citrus to Pinellas. The New Port Richey Y's contact info is:

NPR SunTrust Branch (YMCA)
6130 US Hwy 19
New Port Richey, FL 34652
(727) 844-0332

You can go to the the Suncoast YMCA website by clicking on the link under Community/Social Organizations.

There is also the East Pasco Family YMCA in Zephyrhills. They can be contacted at:

37301 Chapel Hill Loop
Zephyrhills, FL 33541
813-780-9622

YMCAs are great facilities for exercise and activities for all ages.

Consumer Credit Counseling of Florida

The Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central Florida and the Florida Gulf Coast Inc. is a non-profit agency serving those who are struggling with their finances. Are you in mortgage trouble, swimming in credit card debt, pondering bankruptcy, or just looking to get on a better financial track, the CCCS may be able to help you. They offer counseling and debt management to help people get out of trouble. They also offer numerous workshops on subjects such as affordable home ownership. budgeting for teens, car buying, understanding credit, credit repair, reverse mortgages and a whole lot more. For information, call their headquarters at 1.800.984.0977 or visit their website. Just click on the link under Consumer Information/Protection. There are two service centers in Pasco County.

Dade City
37837 Meridian Ave.
Suite 200
Dade City, FL 33525

New Port Richey
5945 Florida Ave.
New Port Richey, FL 34652

EARTH911.org

Earth911 is a wonderful website that, according to its mission state, "delivers actionable local information on recycling and product stewardship that empowers consumers to act locally, live responsibly and contribute to sustainability." This website not only provides lots of information on what can be recycled and how, but it also provides information on how we can all be better consumers in ways that benefit the planet. There's even information for students, articles on how to compost and other information on various environmental topics covering air and water quality, climate change and energy conservation. The best tool of the website is the search bar at the top of the page that can help you locate local places that will take unwanted chemicals, electronics, metals, plastics and more. Earth911 "centralizes information and resources into a single user-friendly, neutral and non-governmental network." It's definitely worth a look. Click on the link under "Environmental."

Career Central and Connections

This week's posting is about area career centers, places that help individuals looking for jobs and employers looking for qualified employees. In these uncertain times, these resources can prove very helpful.
Career Central "is an enterprise sponsored by the Pasco Hernando Jobs and Education Partnership Regional Board. Career Central serves as the area's One-Stop venue for meeting both employer and employee needs." With offices in Port Richey, Zephyrhills, and Spring Hill, Career Central is ready to provide job search help, training, career planning and targeted services such as help for seniors and veterans. Career fairs and resume help are other activities of this organization.
Connections, located on Main Street in New Port Richey, "is funded by the United Way of Pasco County, Pasco County Commissioners, and donations from area churches, individuals, and businesses." Connections serves individuals who are unemployed or underemployed, need computer skills training, or are seeking a career change. Connections also helps employers find qualified employees. Some specific services Connections offers job seekers include career counseling, and help with job skills, interview skills, and networking skills as well as resume writing advice.
Check out these two organizations. You never know when you might need them. You can find links to their websites to the right under Business/Legal/Career.

GAS!!

We are all facing higher gas prices. It seems like everyday gas prices go higher and higher. What can we do? There are some websites that track the cheapest gas in any given area. A couple of sites that can help you track cheaper gas prices in your area include: Gas Buddy and Gas Prices-Mapquest. Click on their links under "other community information" at the right. There are also numerous articles on the web about how to increase gas economy through car maintenance and driving style. Fueleconomy.gov is just one site that offers this kind of advice.




javascript:void(0)
Publish Post

My Safe Florida Home (MSFH)

Well, with hurricane season just a little more than a month away, I thought this would be a good time to remind everyone of the state-run My Safe Florida Home program. MSFH exists to educate the citizens of Florida on how to better prepare their homes against windstorm damage. Not only can one obtain free information from the MFSH website, but one can also make application to get a free wind inspection of their home by a qualified inspector. One can even possibly get matching grant money to help them make improvements to their home. This is a useful tool to any homeowner. We all need to be prepared come hurricane season. MFSH is here to help.

LOVEBUGS!

I thought this would be a good time to do a post about everyone's favorite insect, the Lovebug. The one insect we all can't wait to scrape off of our cars each spring and fall. We usually see them in late April to May and in late August to September. Maybe by creating this post, we will be spared (I can dream can't I?). I wanted to provide information on what exactly a lovebug is and tips for getting them off of one's car. The first link is information provided by the University of Florida Extension Service on what exactly lovebugs are.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_MG068

The second link is from the Dollar Stretcher website and provides tips for getting lovebugs and other insect carcasses off of your vehicle.

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/990614c.cfm

So, be ready! Our flying friends will be here soon.

Pasco County Parks & Rec Summer Camp

It's that time of year again! What time of year, you ask? Time to think about what the kids are going to do this summer! Well, how about signing them up for summer camp? Pasco County Parks and Recreation sponsors Summer Camp programs throughout the county. Camps will run between June 23 and August 1. Registration varies for the different locations. Be sure to click on the link below and then click on the link for the "Summer Camp Brochure" at the top of the Parks and Rec page. It's a PDF file, so it might take a few minutes to download.

http://www.pascocountyfl.net/pubser/deptp/parks.html

To register, you must have proof of Pasco County residency, a driver's license or picture ID, emergency contact and medical insurance info, cash or a check made payable to the Pasco Board of County Commissioners, and your child's birth certificate and proof of kindergarten completion. Camp is for ages 5-13 years.

Websites to save you money!

Feeling the pinch of rising gas and food prices? I'm sure we are all cutting back in one way or another to cut down on expenses and save a little money. Here are a couple of websites that can help you do that:

The Dollar Stretcher http://www.stretcher.com/index.cfm

This website offers tips on ways to save money on everything from taxes to food recipes. Advice is given both from the community at large and from experts in the field.

A good personal finance website is Bankrate.com http://www.bankrate.com/

Bankrate provides one stop shopping for financial rate information on everything from mortgages and CD's to checking accounts and credit cards. One will also find articles on personal finance and handy rate calculators for determining payments and interest rates for auto loans, credit cards, etc. Tax advice is given as well as advice on debt management.

Check these sites out. You might find some information that will save some greenbacks.

Local Harvest (LocalHarvest.org)

Here's a website to find locally grown, organic food. Just type in your zip code and start searching for farms, farmers' markets, restaurants, grocery co-ops, and more.

According to the website, "LocalHarvest is America's #1 organic and local food website. We maintain a definitive and reliable "living" public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Our search engine helps people find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and encourages them to establish direct contact with small farms in their local area. Our online store helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area."

If you are interested in finding good, fresh food from a locally grown source, this is the place to start. There's nothing like taking a trip to a local farm on a Saturday afternoon to pick berries or just pick up some fresh corn, citrus, and more. The adventure can begin at Local Harvest.

The website is located at: http://www.localharvest.org/

WUSF Radio Reading Service

Similar to the State's Talking Book Library, WUSF 89.7, out of Tampa, offers the WUSF Radio Reading Service for the visually or physically impaired who are unable to read print sources. It is available to listeners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, via a specially tuned low frequency radio receiver, provided at no charge to listeners, or through the WUSF-TV Channel 16 SAP option.

The WUSF Radio Reading Service broadcasts many local and national newspapers, an extensive selection of current magazines, and many unique programs, such as:

-Grocery and department store ads
-Special announcements from the Library of Congress Talking Book Program
-Newsletters and updates from local/national organizations for the blind and visually impaired
-Numerous holiday specials

A schedule of readings is available from the WUSF website. Materials are read by dedicated volunteers.

To contact the Radio Reading Service:

You can e-mail RRS Program Director, Brad Stager at bstager@wusf.org.
You can also send mail to the WUSF Radio Reading Service:
WUSF Radio Reading Service University of South Florida -WRB 2094202 E. Fowler Avenue Tampa, Florida 33620Phone: 813-974-8633Or, from anywhere in Florida 800-444-4193

Their web link is http://www.wusf.usf.edu/WUSF-FM/reading/Radio_Reading_TVLk.cfm.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities

The Agency for Persons with Disabilities is a state run program that helps individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. It provides assistance to identify the needs of persons with developmental disabilities and funding to purchase supports and services. The agency's primary mission is to "to support persons with developmental disabilities in living, learning, and working in all aspects of community life." To receive services, a person must live in Florida and must be diagnosed with a developmental disability before the age of 18. Persons who have or might have a developmental disability may apply for services at any time by calling the agency in their area. Concerned relatives, friends or others may apply on behalf of a person believed to have a developmental disability. For Pasco County, one can contact the Suncoast office at:

1313 N. Tampa Street, Suite 515
Tampa, FL 33602-3328

Phone: 813-233-4300

You can visit their website at http://apd.myflorida.com/

Pasco Safety Town

Pasco Safety Town is a child-sized town designed to provide a complete hands-on safety education for children. Safety Town focuses on children ages 5-8 (K-2nd grade). The town has paved streets, working traffic signals, miniature buildings, and even a railroad crossing, all designed to be as authentic as possible.

Public and private schools and children's groups visit Safety Town as a field trip during the week. The children are taught by volunteers who have been trained by education and safety professionals. Safety topics covered include:

Pedestrian safety
Bicycle safety
Water safety
Fire safety
Electrical safety
The right way to call 911
Safety around animals
Stranger danger
Using safety belts

Safety Town is also used for bicycle safety rodeos, and to train adults such as school crossing guards.

Pasco Safety Town is located between Hays Road and Shady Hills Road on State Road 52, about eight miles east of U.S. Highway 19.

Contact info:

Pasco Safety Town, P.O. Box 1285, New Port Richey, FL 34656-1285. Phone: 813-929-1203.

Meetup.com

"Whatever Your Interest. Wherever You Are." That's the motto of a great website that helps to connect people with like interests. It's called Meetup.com. You create a profile, pick groups you might be interested in, and they will send announcements for upcoming events or meetings. You find groups by topic and zip code or city. If you can think of it, there is probably a group for it. If you are new to the area or are just having a difficult time connecting with people, give Meetup a shot. You never know. There's groups for stay-at-home moms, travelers, movie buffs, readers, computer enthusiasts, crafts people, outdoors people. You name it. As with any social website, always use a little caution and don't give out too much information.

So get out there and meet some people!

Operation Pit Snip

Although late in announcing this great program, I'm going to mention it anyway. Operation PitSnip, a project of the Coalition for Animal Welfare/West Central Florida, Pasco County Animal Services, and the Friends of the Pasco County Library System, is offering a $40 discount off of the spaying and neutering of any pit bull dog owned by a Pasco or Hernando resident.

Call one of these participating clinics for an appointment:

PETLUV SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC
7346 Broad Street ▪ BROOKSVILLE
(352) 799-9990

PAWS SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC
11720 US 19 ▪ Port Richey
(727) 819-1910

SPAY PASCO
32347 State Road 52 ▪ San Antonio
(352) 588-2132

ANIMAL COALITION OF TAMPA
1719 Lemon Street ▪ Tampa
(813) 250-3900

The program ends February 29, 2008.

Reduce The Catalogs You Receive in the Mail

There's a great website out there that enables you to reduce or even eliminate the massive amounts of catalogs you receive in the mail. The site is called Catalog Choice and is a free service. Catalog Choice is a sponsored project of the Ecology Center and is endorsed by different environmental groups. All you need to do is log on, create a user id, and then you are ready to cancel or reduce the catalogs you do not want. What a concept!! Eliminate junk mail and help the environment. As of this writing, "the Catalog Choice community is presently 574,853 persons strong, having already opted out of 7,095,217 catalogs."

To view the website and sign up, just click on the "Mail Order Catalog Canceling Service" under Environmental at the right of the blog page.

Want To Quit Smoking?

Still smoking and want to quit? Did you know that the Florida Department of Health and the American Cancer Society offer a toll-free telephone-based tobacco use cessation Quitline for adults and youth? In Pasco County, the program is administered through the county health department. The program consists of pro-active counseling sessions, self-help materials, and coupons for pharmacotherapy assistance. The program is available in both English and Spanish.

The Florida Quit-for-Life Line is toll free and ready to take your call. Give it a try at 1-877-822-6669.

Tax Help for Seniors and Low to Moderate Income Earners

It's that time of year again! TAX TIME!! Let's all dance a jig!! If the idea of filing your taxes fills you with trepidation. Fear not! There is help out there.

For seniors, help is available from the AARP. The AARP Tax-Aide program has nearly 32,000 volunteers staffing 8500 sites across the country. Copy and paste the link below into your browser address bar to find the nearest tax help location near you:

https://locator.aarp.org/vmis/sites/tax_aide_locator.jsp

For low to moderate income wage earners, the United Way hosts their Prosperity Campaign. Pasco residents can call 211 or 1-877-828-8929.

File away, fellow citizens!!!!!!!!!

PHELC

The Pasco Hernando Early Learning Coalition is the area leader in making sure children are ready to enter and succeed in school. Their four main programs are:

School Readiness

School readiness funds pay a portion of the child care costs for low to moderate income earning families so that they may seek and maintain employment to support their families.

School readiness programs serve children birth to five and some school-age children receive services before and after school.

Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten

Voluntary Pre-K passed and funded by the Florida Legislature provides 540 hours of free pre-kindergarten services for children who are four years old on or before September 1st or parents could choose a shorter more intense program in the summer operated by the school district. The goal of the program is to provide quality pre-kindergarten experiences for young children to assist them in becoming ready for kindergarten.

Quality Initiatives

Efforts to improve the quality of services available to young children and their families are a primary concern. The Coalition sets aside a portion of the funding received to target these issues.

Resource and Referral

The Coalition's Resource and Referral program offers free information and referral services to all families seeking quality early care and school readiness programs and out of school time solutions. Resource and Referral's also assist in the recruitment, startup and support of providers and promote quality, availability and affordability of services available within their communities.

For more information, click on the link at the right under "Education." You can also contact them at (727)233-8291 or (866)797-9444.

Pasco County Veteran's Services

Pasco County Government offers help to county veterans and their families. Services are provided through two full time offices in Port Richey and Dade City and part time, by appointment, at the VA Outpatient Clinic on Little Road and the Senior Center in Land O' Lakes. Staff can help veterans, their spouses and relatives with federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding claims and benefits. Click on the link under "Other Community Services."

Utility Assistance for Seniors

The Pasco County Department of Human Services is able to assist county residents aged 60 and over with past due utility bills twice during the year. This program was funded through the Department of Elder Affairs and the Area Agency on Aging. Residents must meet certain income eligibility requirements and have a past due utility bill or a shut off notice from the power company.

For more information or if you have questions, please call the Human Services Port Richey office at 727-834-3297 or the Dade City office at 352-521-5173.