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BGWC announces community grant, scholarship awards

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.

At its April annual meeting, the Woman’s Club announced that 21 area organizations would receive funding through the BGWC Community Grants Program, for a total of $308,417. Grants were awarded this year to the following organizations: Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS); Boca Grande Art Center; Boca Grande Historical Society; Boca Grande Preschool; Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association; Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA); Gasparilla Island Maritime Museum; Lee County Parks and Recreation; Mote Marine Laboratory; Royal Palm Players; and The Island School. Grants will also be given to L.A. Ainger Middle School Band; Lemon Bay High School (LBHS) Band Boosters; LBHS Chorus; LBHS NJROTC; LBHS Project Graduation; LBHS Theater Guild; and Lemon Bay booster organizations for the school’s football, girls basketball and softball teams.

In addition to awarding community grants, the Club has awarded $236,856 in scholarships for postsecondary education (university, college, trade or vocational) this season. BGWC has committed to providing scholarships to 26 new scholars for the upcoming season. Scholarship recipients must qualify academically, display financial need via FAFSA, and have a verified island connection per the scholarship guidelines. The Scholarship and Community Grant Programs are funded through the Club’s annual fundraiser and proceeds from Boca Bargains.

A flooded causeway took precedence at latest GIBA meeting

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community, News.

Flooding on the Gasparilla Island Causeway after Hurricane Ian was the main topic of discussion for the spring meeting of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA), held Thursday, April 22. The long duration of the flooding has had many people wondering why, and what can be done to prevent a recurrence.

There was agreement that the flooding was a highly unusual happening, with the volume of rain generated by the storm a major factor. Nevertheless, if reasonable steps can be taken to prevent a recurrence of the situation in future storms, the Board is determined to take those steps.

Knight named new BGHS president, Blaha to serve as vice president

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, News.

Johns Knight is the newly-elected president of the Boca Grande Historical Society. The Knight family came to Florida in 1840, settling first in Manatee County and later in Charlotte County. Before arriving on Gasparilla Island in 1906 to work on the railroad trestle at the north end of the island, the Knight family members ranched cattle and had a store on the Peace River. In Boca Grande, several generations of the family have been caretakers, sheriff, boat designers, builders and salvagers, librarians and marina managers. Currently Johns is a realtor. 

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.

FIVE YEARS AGO The roster was filling up for Ladies Day, and the Boca Grande Historical Society elected Karen Grace to her second term as president. TEN YEARS AGO Capt. Charlie Coleman’s team took first place in the Whidden’s Back Bayu Tournament. Capt. Matt Coleman’s team took second.  FIFTEEN YEARS AGO It was announced that […]

POLICE, FIRE, EMS NEWS

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.

Firefighters responded to numerous calls so far in April: 31, to be exact The Boca Grande Fire Department responded to numerous calls so far this month, including the following: • 12 medical calls • 6 calls for service • 8 alarms • 1 active fire • 1 eletrical hazard • 1 watercraft in distress call […]

Local girl suffering from brain cancer hoping for lifesaving donations from Gofundme and social media campaigns

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

Lexi was a vibrant, soft-ball-playing, teenager. No one suspected that the blurry vision and headaches she started experiencing around the first of March this year could be anything terribly serious. Teenagers always have something new going on with their bodies. But Briana wanted to be on the safe side and took her to Dr. Tad Kosanovich, at Englewood Eye Center, where Briana was working.   

The optometrist discovered there was a serious problem and immediately referred the family to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, in St. Petersburg. There, doctors saw that a large tumor was present on the left side of Lexi’s brain. They acted quickly and operated, removing the entire tumor. With further examination, however, they found she still had cancer, and it was aggressive and was already at stage 4, meaning it had spread.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Coffee With a Scientist

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.

This week Mote Marine Laboratories wrapped up its 2023 Coffee with a Scientist series of presentations at the Boca Grande Community Center. The series took deep dives, so to speak, into some of the research going on by Mote scientists. Through this series, audiences have had the  opportunity to hear from the scientists, themselves, about their work and its value to the betterment of the Gulf, and the rest of the world.

The ‘Tiny Tarpon Tamer’ has been taken from us

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, Obituaries.

Elsie Bracken:  1933 – 2023 The one man who could tame Elsie Bracken, has done so. God took her on April 15, 2023, and probably had no idea what he was getting himself into. One perfect description was given by a friend of hers: “A jalapeno frosted in fondant.”  If the word “feisty” belittles her, […]

OBITUARY: Elsie Bracken

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, Obituaries.

Elsie Selden Bracken, 90, died April 15, 2023, peacefully at home in Boca Grande, FL. She was born in North Carolina. She lived in Sarasota and later moved to Boca Grande, in 1978.   She was famous for her prowess fishing for tarpon catching record numbers with pictures of fish that were bigger than she […]