- November 23, 2024
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The Florida Hospital Flagler Foundation raised nearly $9,000, during the inaugural Dr. Larry Burns Memorial Golf Tournament, at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Bunnell in October. The tournament benefits the Flagler County Free Clinic. Burns was a long-time pulmonologist at Florida Hospital Flagler, and held positions, including chief of staff and chief of medicine. He passed away on Oct. 4, 2015. The Grand Reserve Golf Club was the course Burns would often play at, after work.
“I was friends with Larry for over 30 years, before he was a doctor and before I was a nurse. Our families were friends and we grew up together in Palm Coast, which was then, an extremely small community,” said event organizer and Florida Hospital Flagler nurse Lisa Leonardo. “.He was a great man, a great friend and a great doctor.”
“Larry was a good friend and colleague, and I was honored to organize this memorial and golf tournament,” said Terry Ayres, Florida Hospital Flagler physician assistant and advance registered nurse practitioner, who helped lead the organizing committee. “This was a great cause for a great man.”
This year, Rotary Club of Flagler County's Fantasy of Lights display will have an addition to Santa's Village, thanks to students in Erin Weed's art class. and her after school "Building Careers" Club at Buddy Taylor Middle School. The "Building Careers" Club is a new club and the result of a successful partnership between Flagler County Education Foundation and the Flagler Home Builders Association that provide support for the club.
HBA debi Peterson and Jason DeLorenzo presented the idea, to build and decorate the home for Santa's Village, following a suggestion from the Rotary Club of Flagler County. Art teacher Erin Weed and Principal Nathan Lovelette enthusiastically approved the idea, and the students went to work. The new middle school club provides a bridge for students participating in elementary school builder's clubs and high school construction, power and energy classes, also supported by HBA and Flagler County Education Foundation.
Florida Hospital Flagler employees donated food, from Oct. 17 to Nov. 15, to support a local food pantry. An estimated $2,500 of food was donated and packed in 20 large boxes, and taken to Access Flagler First, the largest food distribution for underprivileged families in Flagler County.
“There is a real need in our community and many families struggle with hunger,” said Florida Hospital Flagler Chaplain Eddie Goncalves. “Our employees donated nonperishable foods like canned soup, fruits and vegetables, as well as pasta, rice, and so much more. To see their outpouring of support for their neighbors, it truly touches the heart.”
Youth Leadership Flagler toured Florida Hospital Flagler on Nov. 16, in conjunction with National Healthcare Month. The tour began with lunch in the education center followed by one-on-one interactions with various hospital departments and staff members. Youth Leadership Flagler is a program for students to learn and become stewards of the community. The program allows local juniors in high school to grasp a better understanding of career opportunities in the area.