Your Town: ‘Tootsie Roll Campaign’ helps those with special needs

Also in Your Town: ITMS students donate food to TSA workers during government shutdown.

By Paige Wilson
| 2:32 p.m. February 5, 2019

Flagler County TRAIL Transition Coordinator Dr. Kim Halliday and her staff members and student stand with Grand Knight Pat Mulvihill, 'Tootsie Roll' Chairman Ken Ledford and Council 10514 Treasurer Brian Taylor. Courtesy photo

Palm Coast Observer
Your Town

Notre Dame Knights of Columbus Star Council 10514 in Flagler Beach recently presented checks to three local organizations. All of the funds collected by council members during its annual ‘Tootsie Roll Campaign’ went to help locals who have mental handicaps.

The following organizations were awarded:

The TRAIL Transition Program: a part of the Flagler County School system that works to transition young adults with disabilities into real vocational opportunities in the local business community

Whispering Meadows Ranch: a volunteer-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of those with disabilities and special needs through recreational, educational and equine-assisted programs

Santa Maria del Mar Catholic Church Special Needs Ministry: a church program that offers specialized tutoring and mentoring in the church parish to those with special needs

Also in Your Town:

Waste Not Want Not

ITMS students Jackson Castañeda, Jack Petocz, Kevin Wolfe, Hannah Kurek and Cameron Driggers at the Daytona Beach International Airport with TSA workers. Courtesy photo

Waste Not Want Note is a Community Problem Solvers group made up of eighth-graders from Indian Trails Middle School. Their goal is to help decrease food waste around the local community. With the help of local business, including Dahlia Mexican Kitchen, Chicken Pantry, and Dunkin Donuts, the group collected food donations to feed the Daytona Beach International Airport TSA workers affected by the government shutdown in January.

ITMS students Jackson Castañeda, Jack Petocz, Kevin Wolfe, Hannah Kurek and Cameron Driggers visited the Daytona Beach International Airport to donate to the TSA workers.

Great Backyard Bird Count

The 21st-annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Studies Canada and the National Audubon Society, will be Feb. 15-18, according to a news release from Wild Birds Unlimited of Palm Coast.

The local backyard bird feeding and nature specialty store is an event sponsor. It’s encouraging the public to get involved in this international project.

Participating individuals, families, schools and organizations are encouraged to count birds at bird feeders and in backyards, local parks or other locations. Those tallies are then reported online at http://gbbc.birdcount.org. Scientists then use that data to analyze bird populations, migration patterns, habitat needs and identify birds at risk of becoming endangered. Visit the store in Island Walk Plaza or call 302-0100.

K9 visit BES for literacy week

Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jon Welker visited a Bunnell Elementary classeroom during literacy week. Photo courtesy of Carmen Stanford

Bunnell Elementary School student Emma Stanford thought it would be a good idea to invite Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Jon Sgt. Welker to her class for literacy week at the school. Welker and his K9 greeted the students on Jan. 30, for the day’s theme of “Be the change you want to see in the world.”