WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2010

City To Host Egg Hunt At 13 Gables Parks

Celebrate the arrival of spring with the City of Coral Gables “Eggstreme” Hunt and Carnival taking place on Saturday, April 3, from 10 a.m.to 12 noon. The celebration kicks off with a simultaneous egg hunt at 13 of our city parks where prized eggs will be evenly distributed over park grounds. Keep an eye for valuable golden eggs to win a fabulous prize. Immediately following the Egg Hunt, join us at the War Memorial Youth Center, 405 University Drive, for a carnival full of games, rides, food and crafts. To find out a list of participating parks, click here.  

Census Assistance Center Is Open At City Hall

If you need help in filling out your census questionnaire form, a Census Assistance Center is now open at Coral Gables City Hall until April 19, from 2-5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  The Assistance Center will be staffed with Census representatives who can answer questions and provide questionnaires to people who may have not received one. Census representatives will also help people fill out their forms. The office is located at the first floor conference room at 405 Biltmore Way.  

Country Club Prado Entrance
To Receive Dade Heritage Award

The Dade Heritage Trust, the largest nonprofit historic preservation organization in Miami, has voted to honor the Country Club Prado Entrance with its 2010 Outstanding Restoration Project Award. The award will be presented at their annual meeting scheduled for April 28. On January, the City of Coral Gables held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the restoration of one of its most beautiful entrances, located on Red Road and S.W. Eighth Street. The $860,000 project restored all of the entrance’s columns, archways, balustrades, pool and the two pedestal fountains. Today, this famous historical landmark looks much like the original entrance which was completed in 1927.  

City Donated Car Helps Transport Seniors

A surplus police car donated to the Coral Gables Community Foundation is helping seniors get around town. CoralGables@Home, a foundation initiative available for residents 50 years and over, is using the donated car to take members to doctors’ appointments, grocery shopping, or to the airport when they are in need of transportation. The donated vehicle doesn’t look like a police cruiser anymore. It has been wrapped with CoralGables@Home promotional information, thanks to a grant provided by the Rotary Club of Coral Gables. CoralGables@Home is modeled after the nationally known Beacon Hill Village in Massachusetts and is the only program of its kind in Florida helping seniors to maintain independent living in their own homes.  

April Is Water Conservation Month

Over the past few years, South Florida has experienced one of the most severe droughts in recent history. The City of Coral Gables is urging residents to observe Water Conservation Month during April. In Florida, 90 percent of the state’s drinking water is supplied by underlying aquifers. South Florida residents consume 179 gallons per person per day - the highest water usage in the state. Now is the time to brush up on some of our daily habits and make them more water friendly. Don’t forget to shut the water off while brushing your teeth or consider taking shorter showers, efforts that can save gallons of water. By washing only with full loads of laundry or dishes and replacing old appliances with newer efficient models you can also help to save water. If each family member contributes to save 10 gallons a day, 365 days a year, each person will be saving 3,650 gallons of water every year.  

Ponce De Leon Middle Students
Organize To Help Children In Haiti

Students from Ponce de Leon Middle School’s 8th Grade class not only received recently a good lesson in geography and history, they also learned to address how the global community is affected by natural disasters. Their teacher Zudannie Nuñez-Hernandez assigned them to think critically as they researched the infrastructure and demographics of Haiti and how these contributed to the devastation after the January earthquake.  With that as the spring board, the students continued to help assess the credibility of charitable organizations in Haiti and then selected one charity that met their pre-determined standards. Throughout the learning process, Ponce Middle students created brochures, public service announcements, letters and posters to support the charity and solicit needed items. After voting based on credibility, they selected St. Helene Orphanage, a permanent home for more than 350 children and now caring for an additional 75 children who lost their homes in the earthquake. Students are now reaching out to the community to collect the following items that will help the orphanage’s needs: boys and girls’ underwear, socks, and sandals (all sizes), soap, shampoo, tissues, hand sanitizer, batteries, tooth brush with cover, toothpaste and baby wipes. Please bring any of these items to the Ponce de Leon Middle School Media Center, 5801 Augusto Street, when school is open, Monday through Friday until June 2, 2010.