Celebration News Dec 2013 - Rob Kaz featured on page 40

Veterans Club and Women’s Auxiliary
By Catherine and Bill Pelaia
The Veterans Club and Auxiliary held its third annual dinner and social event last month at the
Windmill Restaurant in the <strong>Celebration</strong> Golf Club. The evening commenced with the presentation
of the Service Flags followed by an MIA tribute for those who never returned home–yet.
Dinner ended with a cake to honor the birthday of the Marine Corps November 10, 1775.
Entertainment for the evening was provided by the
Starlites. Celeste Laurer Yanke, Maggie Hepworth and
Keri Michaud sang mostly standards from the 1940’s
as well as some contemporary music.
Commander Sal Negro closed the evening by thanking
everyone for their assistance and participation in this
annual event. Sal, whose term as Commander is ending,
was given a standing ovation for his leadership.
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CELEBRATION NEWS - <strong>Dec</strong>ember <strong>2013</strong>
It was a very active time for the men and women of this
organization – the Veterans Day Parade, the Veterans Day
Program at Founders Park, culminating with the annual
dinner.
Help Now of Osceola Receives Support from
Women’s Club of <strong>Celebration</strong>
Help Now of Osceola, Inc., a local women’s shelter serving Osceola
County, has received enormous support from the Women’s Club of
<strong>Celebration</strong> for many years. In observation of Domestic Violence
Awareness Month in October, The Women’s Club of <strong>Celebration</strong>
awarded $2,000 to Help Now to support survivors residing in the
safe shelter.
Family violence is a very serious problem, one of epidemic proportions
according to the Centers for Disease Control. Last year, 2,316 cases of
domestic violence were reported to local law enforcement agencies in
Osceola County. Help Now responds to the needs of the community
by providing crisis intervention. They received thousands of crisis
line calls on the 24 hour Domestic Violence Hotline and provided
safe shelter to hundreds of victims and their children, as well as
counseling and advocacy services for nearly 3,000 survivors in the
local community. Help Now is dedicated to ending intimate partner
violence and the social tolerance that perpetuates it.
According to Tammy Douglass, Executive Director of Help Now, the
agency relies heavily on the support of the community to provide the
life-saving services survivors domestic violence need in order to
escape a violent intimate partner relationship. “The support that
Help Now has received from the Women’s Club of <strong>Celebration</strong> has
been truly amazing,” said Douglass. “The many contributions that
this wonderful group of women have made to Help Now over the years
have been pivotal in enabling domestic violence survivors in Osceola
County to live in a pleasant, safe and healthy environment at the
shelter when fleeing from abuse.” In the past several years, the
Women’s Club of <strong>Celebration</strong> has made significant donations of
items necessary to maintain the shelter, such as a commercial freezer,
refrigerators, dishwasher, and items such as a large screen television.
Members of the group have also spent a great deal of time through
the years bringing fresh juice and milk to the shelter for the children
who call Help Now’s shelter home. “The dedication of these amazing
women has made a huge impact on the lives of countless individuals
in our community.”
For information on how you can contribute,
visit www.helpnowshelter.org.