National Blood Donor Month special offered
JACKSONVILLE – During January, which is National Blood Donor Month, YMCA of Florida’s First Coast has teamed up with OneBlood to support a healthy community.
Donors who give blood at any OneBlood Donor Center or Big Red Bus in St. Johns, Duval or Clay Counties in January and receive a free one-week guest pass good at any First Coast YMCA location, a wellness checkup of blood pressure, pulse, temperature and iron count, including a cholesterol screening and a long sleeve OneBlood t-shirt.
Call (888) 936-6283 to set a donor appointment, but walk-ins are also welcome.)
Generally healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. Photo ID is required. To learn more about the importance of blood donation and how donors can target the power of their blood type visit oneblood.org.
Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion. Blood that is donated today will likely be transfused into a patient within two to three days. The turn-around is that fast and the need is constant.

Nomination time for Golden Years Gala awards
ORANGE PARK – The Benton House Golden Years Gala will be presenting its ninth annual event next May to recognize senior adults for outstanding volunteer service in Clay County.
Nominations are now being accepted for the following categories: Volunteer Senior Man of the Year, Volunteer Senior Woman of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.
Senior adults are important to the community. The Golden Years Gala Awards are a great way to honor them for their strong work ethic, commitment, integrity, generosity and loyalty. Seniors are a wonderful example to all, showing that true fulfillment is to share their time and talents through serving. Nominees must be 60 years of age and volunteer in Clay County. Deadline is January 31, 2017.
For nomination forms, go to www.tscoop.org, email scoop2105@att.net or contact (904) 635-7351.
The 2017 Golden Years Gala will be held at Club Continental on May 3, 2017. Breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. with live auction.
The event will be hosted by ElderSource to benefit The Shepherd’s Center of Orange Park, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which provides services to improve the quality of life and longer independence of hundreds of senior adults in Clay County through award-winning educational programming and events focused on health and wellness.

Yesterday’s Festival this month at Gold Head
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, and the Gold Head Associates Inc., present the 13th annual Yesterdays Festival on Jan. 28 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the state park at 6239 State Road 21.
Come for the day and enjoy this unique, affordable, and family friendly event. The festival is free to attend with the purchase of park admission, $5 per vehicle, up to 8 people in a vehicle.
Meet hobbyists, collectors, and enthusiasts as well as professional museum curators, archivists, archaeologists and historians. Antique cars, tractors, tools, candle making, meat preservation, and historic weapons of all kinds will be on display in the picnic area. Also meet Colbert Sturgeon “Swamp Man” from National Geographic Channel’s new series “Live Free or Die.”
Take a tram ride tour of the park, guided by a park ranger. Churn butter, grind corn and watch cast iron cooking over a wood fire. Live music will be performed on stage throughout the day. The Camp Blanding Military museum will perform weapon firing demonstrations and the Tri-County Artillery will fire Confederate cannons. There will also be a variety of food vendors on hand.
A silent auction offering many unique items will be held throughout the day with proceeds going to fund projects in the park and along the Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail, which runs through the park.
If you are a collector, craftsman or hobbyist of historic re-creation or preservation and would like to exhibit, contact the park for more details.
For additional information, contact the park at (352) 473-4701 or visit www.FloridaStateParks.org/mikeroess/.

Students invited to apply for DAR scholarship
ORANGE PARK – Students graduating next spring are invited to apply for a $1,000 Sophia Fleming Scholarship, sponsored by Sophia Fleming Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Applicants must be graduating from either the Clay County Public School District, St. Johns Country Day School or a home school program. Students are eligible if they are going to attend any post-secondary program of study, including colleges, universities or vocational or technical schools. No GPA information is required.
Applicants are requested to write an essay, provide a list of their awards and recognitions and two letters of recommendation. Scholarship applications are due to Lynda Lewis, Sophia Fleming Scholarship Chairman, on or before the deadline of Feb. 24.
The scholarship documents will be available at each public high school guidance office in Clay County and St. Johns Country Day School on Jan. 4. The forms are also available by clicking on Sophia Fleming Scholarship at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flsfcdar/
The instruction sheet and application form provide all of the information a student needs in order to apply. The winner will be notified the week of March 27. Please do not mail applications via certified or registered mail. Each applicant will be notified once his or her application has been received.
Mail the application documents to Lynda Lewis, Chairman, Sophia Fleming Scholarship Committee,
Sophia Fleming Chapter, NSDAR, 316 Scenic Point Ln., Fleming Island, FL 32003.

Stewart retiring from Shepherd’s Center
ORANGE PARK – The Shepherd’s Center of Orange Park’s Board of Directors announces that long time Executive Director Cindy Stewart will be retiring on Jan. 1.
Stewart has been with the organization for more than 10 years and will be truly missed, according to a press release.
The Shepherd’s Center has grown under her leadership.
“Cindy’s commitment to relationship building, honoring volunteers and kindness shows in the day to day operations of SCOOP. Cindy Stewart’s goal during her tenure was to accomplish what the founders of the Shepherd’s Center of Orange Park had envisioned: reaching more seniors in the community by improving their quality of life intellectually, physically, spiritually and socially,” states the press release.
The board of directors invites the public to join in Stewart’s retirement celebration on Jan. 9 at noon at Orange Park United Methodist Church’s Family Life Center, 2042 Reed St. Lunch will be served along with a program celebrating Stewart’s accomplishments. Reservations are required, please call the office at (904) 269-5315 to RSVP.
The Shepherd’s Center will continue to offer “Adventures in Learning” classes covering a range of subjects taught by volunteers. Classes begin on Jan. 9 in Orange Park and Jan. 12 on Fleming Island.