A silver celebration
For 25 years, Saint Leo University’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies (CCJS) has built mutual respect and understanding between Catholics, Jews, and all people of goodwill, according to a news release.
Now, everyone is invited to a special celebration of the silver anniversary of the CCJS, founded in 1989 by Rabbi A. James Rudin, and Dr. Arthur Kirk, Saint Leo president emeritus.
The 25th anniversary celebration is scheduled for Oct. 26 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Shanna and Bryan Glazer Jewish Community Center, 522 N. Howard Ave., in Tampa. The event includes dinner and a presentation of the 19th Eternal Light Award.
The award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the cause of Catholic-Jewish relations. The recipient this year is Rabbi David Fox Sandmel, Ph.D., chair of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations.
Sandmel has been with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) since 2014 and serves as senior advisor on Interreligious Affairs. Prior to joining the staff at the ADL, he held the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and served as senior advisor on Interreligious Affairs to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. His keynote address will be Why Catholic-Jewish Relations Matter Today, and Father Dennis McManus will give the response.
Chairs for the 25th anniversary celebration are Bishop Gregory Parkes of the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg and Joseph Probasco; honorary chairs are Maureen Cohn and Gail Whiting.
Individual tickets are $75 and student tickets are $35. Table sponsorships also are available. RSVP by Oct. 12. Tickets may be purchased at Your.saintleo.edu/ccjs-25th-anniversary. Students must use the discount code STUDENT and show their student ID.
For more information or special accommodations, email .
Need a Homecoming outfit?
The Cinderella & Prince Charming Project, a division of Marjorie’s Hope, has a new location at the Gulf View Square Mall, 9409 U.S. 19 in Port Richey, in the Gemini Moon Rising Store, across from Spirit Halloween. Students need a high school ID to choose an outfit. Upcoming dates are Oct. 6, Oct. 7, Oct. 13, Oct. 14, Oct. 20 and Oct. 21. Hours are Fridays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
International Conference
Saint Leo University’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies is one of the organizers of the upcoming international conference, “New Documents from the Pontificate of Pope Pius XII and their Meaning for Jewish-Christian Relations: A Dialogue between Historians and Theologians,” from Oct. 9 to Oct. 11, in Rome. The conference also will be livestreamed, in Italian and English, online at YouTube.com/unigregoriana.
The conference goal is to shed new light on the historical and theological controversies concerning Pope Pious XII and the Vatican during the Holocaust period and on Jewish-Christian relations at multiple levels. Structured in seven sessions, the conference will address the most complex issues, both in the historical-diplomatic implications and in the social, religious and cultural ones, which led to an irrevocable reformulation of the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people in the following decades.
Registration is open to the public and due by noon on Oct. 2, online at tinyurl.com/2s35d4fu.
Literacy tutor training
The Hugh Embry Library, 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City, will offer Adult Literacy Tutor Training on Oct. 14 at 10:15 a.m. Pasco County Libraries is looking for adults who would like to tutor adult individuals that struggle to read charts, instructions, basic texts, etc. For information or to register, visit PascoLibraries.org.
Food Drive
The Academy of Spectrum Diversity, 5320 First St., in Zephyrhills, is hosting a Food Drive. Donations of canned food and nonperishable items can be dropped off by Oct. 20. For information, call 813-355-3230.
Sunlake school fundraiser
More than 800 students at Sunlake Academy of Math & Science will raise funds for playground equipment, field trips, and other school improvements by performing acts of kindness in the Tampa Bay area and beyond. The campaign will run through Oct. 20.
“Raise Craze,” the annual school-wide fundraiser for kindergarten through eighth grade, empowers children and their families to be good citizens by enlisting sponsors to donate money for each act of kindness performed by the student.
“Instead of selling candy bars, the kids are ‘selling’ acts of kindness that benefit the greater good,” said Lauren Dudley, chair of the Raise Craze Committee, in a news release.
Sunlake students will write letters to hospitalized children across the globe to bring encouragement and raise funds with the help of Letters of Love Global, a nonprofit organization that has provided emotional support to more than 175,000 patients in children’s hospitals.
The academy also is partnering with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay as a school-wide service project to marshal donations for the organization. Students will bring in much-needed items for the Humane Society to further its efforts to provide shelter for displaced animals.
Sunlake Academy is seeking sponsors to further its endeavors to raise money for the 2023-2024 school year. Sponsorships include money and in-kind donations.
For information about the charter school, visit SunlakeAcademy.com, or call 813-616-5099.
Best & Worst States for Teachers
WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst States for Teachers.
In order to help educators find the best opportunities and teaching environments in the U.S., WalletHub analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 24 key metrics, ranging from teachers’ income growth potential to the pupil-teacher ratio to public-school spending per student. Florida ranked fifth overall, with these results (1=best; 25=average):
- First — existence of digital learning plan
- Sixth — projected competition in year 2030
- Eighth — average starting salary for teachers (adjusted for Cost of Living)
- Ninth — quality of school system
For a full report, visit WalletHub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers/7159.
