Community Bulletin

Chamber of Commerce announces awards for holiday parade

On Saturday, Dec. 3, the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce hosted the 64th annual Winter Park “Ye Olde Hometown” Christmas Parade presented by Spectrum, making it Central Florida's longest continuously-running holiday parade. More than 100 marching units participated in the parade, spreading holiday cheer to thousands of spectators along Park Avenue. Throughout the event, a select panel of judges including Cynthia Gerkin, Woman’s Club of Winter Park; Fred McDonald, University Club of Winter Park; Debbie Komanksi, Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens; and Cynthia Hasenau, Mead Botanical Garden, evaluated each participant in order to present awards in four categories. The awards went to: Best Performing Group (non-band) – Victory Martial Arts; Best Band – Winter Park High School Marching Band; Best Float – Winter Park Lost Pets; and Judges Choice – Casa de Mexico. The Winter Park “Ye Olde Hometown” Christmas Parade is held annually on the first Saturday in December along Park Avenue.

Winter Park Memorial earns award for excellence

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, Aliso Viejo, Calif., recently conferred a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence on Southeast 1 Progressive Care Unit at Winter Park Memorial Hospital. The Beacon Award for Excellence – a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments – recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with gold, silver or bronze designations meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.