Emerging Trends

By PAMELA GLINSKI For Highlands Today  Published: July 11, 2011

SEBRING - Highlands County Health Department Administrator Robert Palussek is facing a variety of challenges during the new fiscal year, which began July 1, including finding ways to provide quality services to those in need in Highlands County while dealing with a 13 percent budget cut.

With roughly 22 percent of county residents uninsured, his job is daunting, but he says he is "committed to providing superior customer service to all clients and residents of Highlands County." His goal is to improve the quality of life for area residents "in the most efficient and cost effective manner" possible.

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Tarpon group giving summer literacy lesson

By MARK SCHANTZ | The Suncoast News
Published: July 6, 2011Updated: 07/06/2011 09:58 am

TARPON SPRINGS - It may be summer time but Citizens Alliance for Progress, the organization that operates the Union Academy Family Center, is inspiring youngsters to improve their reading, writing, phonetic and vocabulary skills.

"Colleges and employers are very concerned about the basic skills of graduating high school students. Both have incurred additional costs to bring new workers up to par," said Mayor David Archie, the CAP executive director.

The Union Academy Family Center is located on East Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
"The best time to enhance skills and proactively address shortcomings is during the elementary education stage," Archie said. "We are committed to helping to instill the basics in our children and implement this program to enhance the skills of elementary school students year round."
More than 69 students are participating in the CAP Dictionary Project, which takes place from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Dictionary Project provides each child, in third grade and up, with a dictionary.

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Volunteer ministry that gives from the heart needs a good home

By MICHELLE BEARDEN | The Tampa Tribune Published: July 11, 2011
DOVER –

After helping more than 400 migrant and needy families with donated furniture and household items, members of the San Jose Home Makers say they've learned a valuable lesson:
It's a lot better to give than receive.
But now the all-volunteer group finds itself in need of help.
"We're used to being the givers, and we like it that way," says Pam Stamey, president and a founder of the ministry. "But if someone doesn't come through for us, we might have to close down. And that's just not acceptable."

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