Scholarship donation
Lisa Yeager, Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) Foundation advancement coordinator, recently spoke to Dade City Sunrise Rotary. Acting Club President Jennifer Ferguson, foundation events and marketing coordinator, presented Yeager with a $1,000 scholarship donation to the foundation to aid a deserving student attending PHSC’s East Campus in Dade City.
Donation Drive
Pasco Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s five offices will collect donations in July for the Pasco County School District’s ABC (Assist, Believe & Care) Program. ABC was created to provide financial assistance to students and their families who are experiencing economic hardship, especially when those needs interfere with the student’s ability to be academically successful.
“While the impact of COVID may be lessening, there are still many other challenges caused by these uncertain economic times,” Fasano said, in a news release.
“The strain can be enormous on a family, especially when a parent loses a job, or a single parent is struggling to raise children while doing all they can to make ends meet. Children without food, adequate clothing or other unmet needs often suffer academically,” said Fasano.
Cash donations go into a fund teachers can use when they see or learn of a need a student may have.
The donations can be made at any of the tax collector’s five office locations in Pasco County, or they can be mailed to: Tax Collector Mike Fasano, P.O. Box 276, Dade City, FL 33526. In the check’s memo line, write “Pasco ABC Program.”
For information, call 727-847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.
Piano Festival
The Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF) will launch its 11th season at the University of South Florida School of Music, now through July 17. The festival’s continuing theme is “Legacy of Piano and Planet.”
Founded by Rebecca Penneys in 2013 as her legacy project, RPPF boasts a multi-generational, internationally renowned faculty together with the most talented students from across the globe.
The public is invited to enjoy the festival including master classes, soirées, and satellite concerts at various venues throughout Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, plus two live WUSF radio performances and the “2 Piano – 8 Hand Extravaganza Event” on July 15.
All events are free and open to the public. To learn more about the festival, visit RebeccaPenneysPianoFestival.org.
Summer Reading Challenge
Pasco County Libraries has launched its Summer Reading Challenge, “All Together Now,” at all Pasco library locations, now through July 31. Requirements include 600 minutes of reading and record-keeping in the Beanstack app.
Readers who complete the challenge will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift card, courtesy of Friends of the Library. Other individual prizes also will be up for grabs at all Pasco library branches.
To learn more, visit MyPas.co/SummerRead2023.
New partnership
Covenant Journey Academy (CJA), a Christian online school for kindergarten through 12th grade, announced a new partnership with America’s Christian Credit Union (ACCU), to provide families with education-related financial services, according to a news release.
The partnership will allow all families enrolled with CJA to access such resources as: flexible tuition financing; Biblical financial literacy training materials; and student checking and savings accounts.
CJA is a full-service online Christian academy offering more than 150 courses, all taught by certified teachers. Its programs are designed to ensure students have the knowledge and ability to apply God’s truth to make sense of cultural issues facing the world today, according to the release.
To learn more about the academy, visit CJ.Academy, or call 407-875-1967.
For more information about ACCU, visit AmericasChristianCU.com, or call 800-343-6328.
Summer Haul Bus Pass
Students can ride Pasco County Public Transportation (GoPasco) buses all summer through Aug. 31 for just $20.
The special student-rate passes can be purchased at these places:
- GoPasco Administrative Office, 8620 Galen Wilson Blvd., New Port Richey
- Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s Office, East/West Pasco Government Centers
- Pasco-Hernando State College bookstores – New Port Richey, Dade City and Wesley Chapel
- County libraries, various locations
For more information on the pass and GoPasco bus routes and schedules, visit MyPas.co/SummerBusPass.
Library reading program
The Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library will host its summer reading program with interactive events, reading challenges and prizes for all ages.
Join the Reading Challenge, through the registration portal of Beanstack, to log reading and activities to unlock digital badges and prizes. The portal includes themed suggestions for kids, tweens, teens and adults.
Reading during the school-year gap can help critical thinking skills and the ability to retain information, as well as encourage an interest in reading for pleasure.
Children can participate simultaneously in the Reading with the Rays program, too.
Pick up a Reading with the Rays game card at your library to be eligible for more prizes. Once a game card is completed, participants can turn it into their local library for a chance to win Tampa Bay Rays prizes, including tickets to a home game.
Visit MLB.com/rays/community/reading to download a game card.
