Ocala News
OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 28, 2020) – The Racial Harmony and Cultural Awareness Task Force hosted the annual ‘REACH Across the Table’ event on Thursday, Feb. 27 at Silver Springs State Park. Joined by 70 people consisting of community leaders and residents, the task force engaged attendees in defining what respect means within the community.
The event, now in its second year, welcomed honest discussions about stereotypes, barriers (both physical and geographical) and how we envision our community. A diverse group of members within the community came together to create goals and objectives for the year. The feedback and notes provided during the event will be developed into an annual report and action plan that sets the agenda for the upcoming year.
The Racial Harmony and Cultural Awareness Task Force is a City of Ocala initiative lead by retired City Councilwoman Mary Sue Rich. The REACH program allows for an open dialogue among community leaders and residents to encourage a unified existence. Membership on the Task Force is open to all individuals and organizations who are passionate about furthering the mission of inclusion and unity.
For more information, about the REACH Task Force, visit https://www.ocalafl.org/i-want-to/learn/reach/about.
OBL Ocala has been a premiere referral club for many years, founded by David Liner and many Charter members. The club takes pride in helping each other through doing business with each other, business referrals and helping the community in many ways: feeding the hungry, ringing the bell during Christmas, helping families in need at Christmas time and other holidays, supporting scholarships every year & more.
The picture is the group having fun at the Installation Banquet. They competed in games as well as doing business. Pictures by Walter Crumm and Kent Poimboeuf
OBL meets every Wednesday 7 AM for breakfast at the Elks club. Business people wanting to join, visit and membership will tell you if that could work. Some categories are available. Call 352-804-1223.
The Marion County Genealogical Society will meet Thursday, March 19, 2020 from 2pm – 4pm at the Marion County Public Library, 2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL. Kathy Stickney will give a live presentation on the topic “Pass It On: Sharing Your Genealogical Research”. For further information, visit www.mcgsocala.org or contact Joel Swanson at (352) 897-0840.
(OCALA, Fla.) Feb. 13, 2020 – Ocala Fire Rescue (OFR) donated a firefighting apparatus to a volunteer fire department in the Bahamas during a quaint ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 13.
After the destruction of most of their fire rescue equipment during Hurricane Dorian, the Marsh Harbour Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department (MHVFRD) in Central Abaco, Bahamas, was left with a dire need for everything from apparatus to bunker gear. Learning about their needs, OFR began an exhaustive search for potential equipment donations. The search led to a 1992 Titan Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) truck, which had been retired from OFR’s fleet in 2018.
Today, among a group of representatives from both fire departments, as well as city officials, the keys and title were presented to Marsh Harbour Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department. Equipped with separate tanks capable of holding copious amounts of water and extinguishing agent, the ARFF truck, which had been decommissioned in 2018, was a perfect fit for Marsh Harbour’s needs.
The donation of the ARFF truck will allow the MHVFRD to service areas, including Marsh Harbour International Airport, Treasure Cay International Airport, the North Abaco Port, and Port of Marsh Harbour. Additionally, the ARFF truck will aid with coverage of six area fire stations and the ability to fight fuel fires.
Kent Poimboeuf was the designated speaker at the Ocala Business Leaders breakfast last month. He was explaining how to update your OBL website so the marketing tools work, how to use the website, how to use the mobile directory and how to advertise in the OBL Directory. This was all video available on Ocala Business Leaders Facebook. Kent also talked about advertising on Ocala4sale.com. Kent has been a long time valuable member of OBL. See OBL pictures on page 10.
Many years ago David Liner started the Ocala Business Leaders. There is a core group that has been in the club for many years. What draws them to meeting for years? Friends / Business Associates that will help at the drop of a hat. David has been the leader in bringing new businesses in to the club and leads in the honor of best net worker!
The Marion County Genealogical Society will meet Thursday, February 20, 2020 from 2pm – 4pm at the Marion County Public Library, 2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL. Annette Burke Lytle will give a live presentation on the topic “Find Your Family History in Free Online Newspapers”. For further information, visit www.mcgsocala.org or contact Joel Swanson at (352) 897-0840.