Honorable Mentions | April 12 – April 18, 2024

Rotary Club awards five college scholarships to high school seniorsThe Rotary Club of Ocala-Silver Springs awarded a $1,500 scholarship to five exceptional high school seniors in Marion County.

Between the five students chosen, they documented 2,200 service hours and volunteered at 31 different organizations in Ocala and Marion County.

The winners are:

Scarlett Renee Earnest—Belleview High School

Crystal Han—Vanguard High School

Steven A. Johnson Jr.—Dunnellon High School

Andrew Joseph Parker—Redeemer Christian School

Eva Lianne Singer—Redeemer Christian School

(Left to right) Scarlett Renee Earnest, Bellview High School; Crystal Han, Vanguard High School; Steven A. Johnson Jr., Dunnellon High School;
Andrew Joseph Parker, Redeemer Christian School; Eva Lianne Singer, Redeemer Christian School [Ocala-Silver Springs Rotary Club].

Sheltering Hands welcomes new members, vice president to board of directors

The animal welfare non-profit Sheltering Hands Inc. has announced the appointment of two new members to its board of directors, in addition to choosing the next vice president.

Rachel Perez and Kim Cooper are the two new appointees who will join the board of directors for the organization, with Diane Kupchak being elected to serve as the vice president.

Sheltering Hands is dedicated to providing low-cost spay and neuter surgery and cat adoption services for the Marion County area.

[Sheltering Hands]

New member elected to SECO Board of Trustees

James LaMotte has been elected to serve District 4 on SECO Energy’s Board of Trustees.

LaMotte fills the vacancy left by the death of Richard Dennison, a long-standing trustee. SECO Energy’s service area is divided into nine districts, each with a representative on the board.

An Ocala resident, LaMotte works as the area coordinator for Marion County Public Schools. He has served as the president of the SECO Energy Foundation Board since its inception.

(Left to right) SECO Energy CEO Curtis Wynn, newly elected District 4 Board Trustee James LaMotte, SECO District 3 Board Trustee and President Gerald Anderson. [SECO Energy]

CF Citrus Nursing named best RN program in Florida

The College of Central Florida’s Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus associate degree nursing program has been named the 2024 Best RN Program in Florida for the second year in a row.

The top program is chosen by RegisteredNursing.org, a nursing advocacy organization that ranked the 20 best programs out of 150 programs that were evaluated.

CF’s program was chosen as the best based on the percentage of graduates who pass the national licensure exam.

[RegisteredNursing.org]