Join Jackie Saturday, February 25th as she broadcasts live from Pensacola Beach. Plus she will be MAKING THE PLUNGE!!!!

If you want more information CLICK HERE to visit the Polar Plunge Facebook Page or you can call James Hannon at (850) 748-3466

ARC Gateway Recycles Mardi Gras Beads

When the Mardi Gras parades and parties are over, what do you do with your beads? ARC Gateway has the answer: recycle them!

As part of ARC Gateway’s efforts to “go green,” they recycle Mardi Gras beads. When people donate their beads to ARC Gateway, adults with developmental disabilities sort and package them; and the bundles are sold to local krewes for future parades.

In addition to keeping thousands of pounds worth of beads from becoming waste, this program also provides job opportunities and training for adults with developmental disabilities.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

   ~ DROP OFF LOCATIONS ~

Be a part of a great weekend! On March 2nd and 4th, the Kappa Delta Chapter at the University of South Alabama will host its annual Shamrock event to raise money for the prevention of child abuse locally through the Penelope House and Prevent Child Abuse America.

We will be hosting:

Pancake Dinner/Silent Auction

5k Fun Run

Opportunities for sponsorship are varied. We accept monetary donations, raffle prizes, gift certificates, food, etc. 80% of the money raised will stay here in our community. Our goal this year is to raise $15,000. These funds will aid in the incredible work being done by the Penelope House. The remaining 20% will go to Prevent Child Abuse America-the leading advocate for preventing child abuse and neglect among our nation’s children since 1972.

$100 or more or donating merchandise-name imprint on 5k/Fun Run t-shirt

All questions and comments may be directed to:

Lindsey Harville, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thank you for your support and participation!

Leadership Pensacola’s Class of 2012 announces Operation Hope, a class project to renovate the USO Flight Deck Lounge at the Pensacola Regional Airport and The Hangar at NAS Pensacola.

“We are proud to be the first Leadership Pensacola class to select a project that supports the armed services,” said David Tuyo, project coordinator. “We can never repay the men and women in uniform for all of the sacrifices that they have made, but Operation Hope will create spaces that will help them feel comfortable in our community.”

The military is vital part of Pensacola’s heritage and economy. With a $5.1 billion impact on the Pensacola economy, the Department of Defense is the largest economic engine in the greater Pensacola area. The USO Flight Deck Lounge at the Pensacola Regional Airport has more than 30,000 visitors per year and is the first impression many of these service members have of Pensacola. The Hanger averages more than 54,000 visits annually from troops at NAS Pensacola.

A nonprofit, congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities. The USO is not part of the U.S. government, but is recognized by the Department of Defense, Congress and President of the United States, who serves as Honorary Chairman of the USO.

“We are excited and thrilled to be partnered with Leadership Pensacola,” said Heidi Blair, director of the USO of Northwest Florida. “The improvements made at our USO's will directly benefit our nation's heroes.”

Anticipated renovations to the space include expansion, updated electrical infrastructure, new furnishings and surfaces. Scheduled completion is May 2012.

Donations to the project are tax deductible and may be made payable to Leadership Pensacola, 117 West Garden Street, Pensacola, FL 32502.

Downtown Pensacola is bringing parking into the 21st Century with the Park First Plan, a comprehensive strategy that includes a customer-friendly meter system that utilizes solar-powered paystations to replace the current mechanical meter blight.

As the vibrant, downtown business community continues to prosper, automobile parking strategies have continually evolved to accommodate the increase in visitors, patrons, business owners, and the downtown workforce. Metered parking spaces have provided revenue to maintain the necessary turnover of curbside parking spaces used each day.

“Some of the old mechanical meters are more than 50 years old,” said Franklin Kimbrough, Executive Director of the DIB, “Many are an eyesore, function poorly, have no capacity to accept anything but quarters, and require patrons of the downtown area to constantly ‘feed the meter’ to enjoy the unique offerings or experiences in downtown,” he added.

Beginning around February 20, 2012, a contractor will be replacing approximately 200 old mechanical meters with 28 solar-power and wireless paystations along Jefferson Street, Government Street, and Baylen Street in the downtown area. With this installation, Pensacola will become the 54^th jurisdiction in Florida, and the first in the panhandle, to make this change. The paystations, which use the exact same technologies that were installed in Downtown New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, will also offer a wider range of payment options including credit cards and American coins, except pennies, and provide an extended range of available time allotment from 6 minutes to 5 hours.

Not only will the new paystations make payment and time options more flexible, they also give users the freedom to take their time with them. Because they employ “pay and display” technologies, once the user places their receipt in their window, they are allowed to park in any other paid on-street public parking space in the downtown district until their time runs out.

Additionally, while the mechanical meters on Government, Baylen and Jefferson streets are being replaced with paystations, the remaining electronic meters left on other downtown streets will be retrofitted to also take nickels, dimes and quarters.

Lastly, all curbside parking that is now free remains that way, with the exception of approximately five spaces on S. Baylen Street between Garden and Romana St.

For more information visit pensacolaparking.com

THE PETLAND SAFARI CLUB

An average weeknight at Petland Pensacola seems to include more squeals from happy children than from hamsters. It may also have more pets being fed by local youngsters than by trained Pet Counselors. This is due to the Petland Safari Club, a free program at Petland Pensacola, beginning last fall, running Monday through Friday from 6pm to 7pm.

The Petland Safari Club is open to children of all ages, and is hosted by Juliette Mascarenhas, Petland Pensacola's Community Service Manager. Each weeknight, kids learn about small animals, birds, reptiles, and more. They will take part in feeding and watering the pets, and in cleaning the environments. All Safari Club members get a wonderful opportunity to interact with the pets and even get to take home some great prizes. Over 200 area children have participated in Safari Club so far, and each day brings a few new additions.

"The kids have a blast learning about and playing with pets. Some like the bunnies and guinea pigs, while others think the snakes are really cool. The great thing is that they are learning about how to be a responsible pet owner, which will help them for the rest of their lives," said Mascarenhas.

Parents love the Safari Club, too. It is a great place to bring their kids and they get to have fun, too. Parents are encouraged to get involved, as the Petland Safari Club is fun for the whole family, and volunteers are welcome. Other Petland family and children's programs are happening every day, including expanded hours for Birthday Parties, in-school visits, and class trips to Petland Pensacola.

Anyone interested in the Petland Safari Club or any other Petland programs should stop by Petland Pensacola, or call 850-637-1123.

The Petland store in Pensacola is part of Petland, Inc., a franchise operation offering full service, retail pet centers across the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico and South Africa. Petland is consistently ranked among Entrepreneur magazine's "Franchise 500."

For over 40 years, Petland Pet Counselors have been dedicated to matching the right pet with the right person and meeting the needs of both. To its customers who already have pets, Petland is dedicated to enhancing their knowledge and enjoyment of the human-animal bond. For more information on Petland, visit www.petland.com.