Law enforcement graduates
Law enforcement officers from five Florida counties, who make up the 22nd cohort of Saint Leo University’s Command Officer Management Program, received their diplomas on Sept. 16.
Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony.
The Saint Leo program was designed to provide onsite education that prepares law enforcement officers for the transition to command staff, by addressing areas such as leadership, ethics, human resources, critical incident management, and other relevant administrative competencies.
The 18-credit hour certificate program consists of six courses during six months (three terms) for undergraduate or graduate academic credits.
Class graduates and their agencies are:
- Citrus County Sheriff’s Office: Sgt. Bobby Price
- Lake County Sheriff’s Office: Sgt. Timothy Beary, Sgt. Robert Casaburi, Sgt. Brian Forst, Sgt. Gerald Green, Sgt. David McDaniel, Sgt. Nate Pickens, Lt. Elvin Rodriguez (class president), Cpl. Bret Rutzebeck, Cpl. Keith Sommer and Sgt. Billy Walls
- Pasco County Sheriff’s Office: Sgt. Eric Cayer and Lt. Luby Fields
- Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office: Lt. Joseph Mitchell and Lt. Ivan Nelson
- Sumter County Sheriff’s Office: Sgt. Dave Clark and Sgt. Clinton Hayes
Saint Leo is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of College and Schools (SACS).
For more information on the program, contact Nikki Heister at or 352-588-8487.
Saint Leo food drive
Saint Leo University’s Tampa Education Center will collect food from Nov. 1 through Nov. 18 for Metropolitan Ministries, whose mission is to care for the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless, according to a news release.
Saint Leo University-Tampa is in the former Berriman-Morgan Cigar Factory building, at 1403 N. Howard Ave., in Tampa.
Canned goods and nonperishable food may be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For information, contact Rod Kirkwood at or 813-743-3228.
Drive-Thru Reading
Staff members from the New River Library and the Hugh Embry Library will greet students at Rodney B. Cox Elementary’s “Fall into Reading Drive-Thru Festival” on Nov. 4 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the school, 37615 Martin Luther King Blvd., in Dade City.
Students can receive goodies to encourage reading and learning.
For information, call 813-788-6375.
Rabbi to speak
The Saint Leo University Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies will host a free lecture on Nov. 4 starting at 7 p.m., at Congregation Schaarai Zedek, 3303 W. Swann Ave., in Tampa.
The guest speaker will be Rabbi Dr. David Novak from the University of Toronto, on the topic of “Is There a Universal Moral Law? Natural Law in the Catholic and Jewish Traditions.”
Another guest speaker, Dr. Vincent Lloyd, will follow Novak’s address and the two will share some reflections.
To attend, reserve a seat online at Zedek.org/ccjs.
Honor Society hosts fundraiser
The Martinez Middle School National Junior Honor Society will host a donation drive to benefit Hope Children’s Home, on Dec. 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Stonebrier basketball gazebo, 3741 W. County Line Road in Lutz.
Guests can bring a blanket or lawn chair, and eat, relax and listen to live music with local metal band, Actual Purgatory. The Bacon Boss food truck will be on site from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Kona Ice will be on site from noon to 2 p.m.
Accepted donations include: Nonperishable items (such as canned veggies, box/bag cereal, canned soup); household items (such as paper plates/bowls, aluminum foil, dryer sheets); school supplies (such as white board cleaner, binders, post-its); and, gently used clothes/shoes for boys and girls ages newborn to 18 years old.
For questions and a more detailed list of acceptable donations, email Annie Hayman at .
