Updated July 11, 2024
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- Local Artist Garners First Place Honors in Juried Show
- Pasco County Community Development to Lead National Board
- Melanie McCool and Shawn Bray Elected as President and Vice President of the HEA
- White Heron Tea & Gifts Awarded a $10,000 Backing Small Business Enhancement Grant
Local Artist Garners First Place Honors in Juried Show
Media Release | July 11, 2024
New Port Richey artist Susan Huskey was honored to receive First Place in The Sky’s the Limit juried competition for her watercolor painting titled ‘Main Street Bridge.’ Susan’s plein air watercolor captures the iconic Main Street bridge in downtown New Port Richey.
“This is a standout painting in the group show,” juror Shawn Dell Joyce said. “It is well-thought-out, presented, and gives a sense of place. There is a passion that shines in this painting showing the artist’s unique hand and vision. The perspective is spot on, the lost and found edges work exquisitely, and the brushwork is masterful. You deserve 1st Place!”
The Sky’s the Limit group show is on display at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road, Tampa FL through August 11th.
Pasco County Community Development to Lead National Board
~~Director to serve a one-year term with the National Community Development Association~~
PASCO COUNTY, FL —- Pasco County Community Development is thrilled to take our innovative initiatives on homelessness, neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing and community partnerships to the national level with Director Marcy Esbjerg’s recent selection as President to the National Community Development Association (NCDA).
“NCDA has been a huge factor in my professional career,” says Esbjerg. “The training I’ve received, along with the networking and relationships I’ve fostered, have allowed me to deliver quality programs in Pasco County. It’s an honor and privilege to serve NCDA in this capacity!”
Esbjerg joined Pasco County Community Development in 2018, bringing 22 years of experience working with other Entitlement Communities including Burlington, Vermont and Collier County, Florida.
Since joining NCDA in 2007, Esbjerg has served on several committees including the Executive Committee for the past three years. As President of NCDA, she’ll continue to share best practices on housing, homelessness and community development initiatives during annual and legislative conferences. Esbjerg will serve a one-year term for 2024-2025. NCDA is a premier membership organization consisting of more than 500 local governments that administer HUD community development, affordable housing and economic development programs.
Community Development’s mission is to improve the lives of Pasco’s citizens through homeless initiatives, neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing and community partnerships using state and federal funding. For more information, visit: mypas.co/CommDev
Related
Melanie McCool and Shawn Bray Elected as President and Vice President of the HEA and Aim to Take the HEA to an International Audience
Local business owners Melanie McCool and Shawn Bray of Mindworx Hypnotherapy have been elected as President and Vice President of the Hypnosis Education Association. Read about here – New Leadership at the Helm of the Hypnosis Education Association, Associated Press, June 20, 2024.
From the press release –
With an impressive track record as a Trauma-Informed Clinical Hypnotherapist and known for her innovative approach in assisting high achievers to overcome burnout and foster business growth without the stress, Melanie brings her unique experiences to HEA’s leadership. Melanie’s dedication to transforming lives through hypnosis is evident in her roles as the owner of Mindworx Hypnotherapy, where she’s known as The Entrepreneur’s Hypnotherapist and creator of Burnout Recovery Hypnosis™, Co-Founder of HypnoBiz-in-a-Box™ (an All-in-One software solution created specifically for hypnotherapy business owners) , and Certified Master Trainer of Hypnosis. Her leadership at HEA is set to inspire and facilitate significant growth within the hypnosis community.
“I’m excited and honored to accept the role of President for the HEA. I intend to expand its reach internationally while maintaining a family-type feeling for all members.”
The White Heron Tea & Gifts Awarded a $10,000 Backing Small Business Enhancement Grant Through American Express and Main Street America
Media Release | June 26, 2024
New Port Richey, Florida – On Tuesday, June 25, American Express and Main Street America announced the Backing Small Businesses Grant Program grant recipients.
They announced the 500 small business owners awarded $10,000 through the Backing Small Businesses grant program. The program’s 2024 grant recipients represent U.S. small businesses across all 50 states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico. Later this year, grantees will have the opportunity to apply for an additional $30,000 enhancement grant that will be awarded to 25 small businesses.
The White Heron Tea & Gifts, located in historic downtown New Port Richey, Florida was one of 500 businesses chosen to receive this grant.
“We are very excited to have been chosen to receive this grant from American Express and Main Street America,” stated Kelly Hackman, owner of The White Heron Tea & Gifts. “It’s no secret that small businesses have had a hard time over the past few years and that businesses haven’t survived. Those of us who did have had to put projects aside and become creative with how we manage our businesses. For us, this grant will allow us to do some behind-the-scenes projects in our kitchen and tearoom, as well as provide for some marketing, staff training, and inventory for our gift shop. These are all things that we have wanted to do for some time and now we can.”
The White Heron Tea & Gifts has been a staple of the historic downtown New Port Richey community since opening in January 2016. Over the past eight and a half years, The White Heron has worked to drive local, regional, and national tourism to the community, and has been the recipient of many “Best of Awards.” Two of their teas have received international recognition including Luscious Loquat Green Tea receiving the 2019 Global Tea Championship Silver Medal, and Lavender Vanilla White Tea receiving the “Highly Commended” tea recognition at the 2023 Leafies Competition hosted by International Tea Academy, England. The White Heron Tea and Gifts, and their tea brand, Driftwood Tea Company, was the only US-based tea company to receive recognition in 2023.
Since launching in 2021, Backing Small Businesses has provided over $9 million in grants to 1,180 small business owners nationwide. American Express and Main Street America initially created the grant program to help economically vulnerable small business owners recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grow their businesses. This program is part of American Express’ “Backing Small” initiative to provide financial support and resources to small business owners experiencing economic hardships. Other Backing Small grant programs include Backing Historic Small Restaurants and Backing International Small Restaurants. Backing Small is an extension of American Express’ longstanding commitment to support small independent businesses globally, including through its Shop Small movement and Small Business Saturday campaign, celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.
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