What’s Happening … February 2026
|  | President's Message
“Connecting with members, technology & community.”
Happy Valentine’s and Galentine’s Day!
Our Activity Leader & Service Coordinator Showcase was a fantastic success! We enrolled many new ladies so we now have 660 members. Thank you so much for visiting each table to learn about our many activities and services. Our Activity Leaders volunteer their time to organize great events for you. Please express your thanks to them at your next event. If you have an idea for a new group then please let us know. Go to our website and click on Documents>Forms>Application for New Activity. One member suggested Canasta as a new group so we are looking for someone to lead that group.
Our Board members also worked hard to help you navigate our website, upload profile photos, order name tags and register new members. Please email me with any feedback you may have regarding this Showcase event. How can we improve? Should we offer this every year or two?
The Men’s Group Sign-up was quite busy with 70 men interested in participating in various activities.
Please check out our Past President’s Page on the PPWA website. A big thank you to Risa Fogel and Cynthia Herbrandson for highlighting our past presidents and their achievements which benefited our members. Thank you to our committee of past presidents along with Deb Bevis and Susan Dolembo for reviewing content for accuracy. Go to our website and click on About Us then Past Presidents.
Save the Date for Monday, February 16th for a New Member Happy Hour at the clubhouse. This is a social hour for new members only to meet other newcomers. You will receive an invitation if you joined February 2025-2026.
Brenda Hankard
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Pelican Pointe Women's Association Board 2026
L-R Standing: Sharon Chapman and Risa Fogel Co-Communications, Karen Proctor; Membership, Deborah Bevis; Activity Leader Coordinator, Lisa Murphy Membership, Belinda Stovall; Activity Leader Coordinator, Mary McKay; Past President & Systems Administrator.
L-R Seated: Sue Ostoin; Treasurer, Brenda Hankard; President, Cynthia Herbrandson; Vice President & Historian, Diane Santoianni; Secretary. | Activity Leader and Service Showcase 2026 | | R-L: Risa Fogel Tech Support - Communications, Karen Proctor and Lisa Murphy Membership and Susan Dolembo - Name Tags next to Lisa. | | Liz Burns -Casual 9 hole Golf, Peggy Gerecke - Intermediate Tennis, and Diane Santoianni - Pickleball - Intro | | Lynn Mintz - Quilting and Molly Wellen - Mah Jongg | | Members and Guests sign up for activities and memberships and mingle. | |
We had a wonderful turnout for the Activity Leaders Showcase. You ladies Rock! We had 15 new members join during and after the event. Additionally, 5 ladies renewed their membership with PPWA after seeing all that there is to be a part of. Thanks to everyone for their part in making the AL Showcase a huge success.
To sign up for an Activity Group:
- Log in and hit the DOWN ARROW next to your name.
- Choose Profile.
- Choose Groups/Additional Members (bottom left)
- Click ACTIONS
- Choose your Group. Click SAVE.
- Scroll to the bottom and click SAVE again.
Lisa Murphy
Karen Proctor | |
Board Member Spotlight
Sue Ostoin - Treasurer
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My husband, dog, and I live near Lake Michigan in the Great Lakes State. It’s a great place for boating, short hikes, and being in nature.
We had visited his brother in Venice a few times, and when the time was right in 2012 we bought a modest condo. I was still working full time but when I retired from full time work in 2016 we started to snowbird for the winters. At some point we realize we wanted a little more space and a garage, and the search led us to Pelican Pointe. We purchased in Feb 2020, and then the world changed with Covid. I didn’t know anything about PPWA for another year because traditional lines of communication – chatting with neighbors – was shot.
Once I found out about PPWA I joined Core Workout, Lend-a -Hand, and Game Night. I’ve been adding new groups each year with Mahjongg as my most recent addition. Adding new things keeps me curious and fresh! I love the variety of interests the organization brings to this community of women, and love the support so many of us get in both PPWA and from wonderful neighbors in Pelican Pointe.
My career was largely spent in accounting in small and medium sized manufacturing companies in Michigan. I am certainly using that background as treasurer for Garden Club and now for PPWA, and I will do my best to support this organization.
|  | Service Coordinator Spotlight
Marlene Renz - Lend A Hand | 
I grew up in Southwest Ohio in a family of seven with two brothers and two sisters. My father was a physician in the small town of Tipp City. My mother was an RN, who alongside my dad, ran the only doctor’s office in town.
As a child I would help in my father’s office by counting out the medicine and placing them in small envelopes for the patients. There were no pharmacies in town at that time so this was my job. I also helped clean glass syringes, there were no disposable plastics back then!!
I met my husband Steve and it was love at first sight with a little encouragement from my mom!! We married one year later, originally living in Indiana where I attended nursing school in Indianapolis.
My mother passed away at 48 years of age from breast cancer. My two younger siblings at the time were six and eight years old. Steve and I moved back to Ohio to help my dad with raising the young ones.
Four years later, Steve and I were blessed with our first son Mark and then in another four years we had our second son Jeff. We raised our family in Holland, MI which was a beautiful place located on Lake Michigan. While raising our family we enjoyed hosting exchange students from many different countries. To this day we have remained friends with a number of those individuals. We now have five grandchildren who enjoy our home in Florida and we go back frequently to stay involved with their lives.
As a nurse, I worked in an OB-GYN practice for 27 years. While working as a nurse I also enjoyed volunteering at Nursing Homes in visiting residents who did not have family nearby. After my nursing career, I realized how fulfilling working with the elderly was for me. I began working as an Activity Director at an independent living facility in Holland.
Steve and I enjoy traveling, boating and experiencing all that Venice and Florida has to offer. With the PPWA I run the “ Lend A Hand” service which reaches out to residents in our community who need help while recovering from illness or grieving the loss of a loved one.
Click on link below for Service to Others
| Did you know that PPWA has an App?
If you use your cell phone for payments, it is much easier using the App.
- Download: Get the "ClubExpress App" from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
- Log In: Use the same email and password from your club's main website.
- Select Organization: If you belong to multiple Club Express groups, choose your club from the list.
CLICK DOWNLOAD 
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NEW MEMBERS-----SAVE THE DATE
Monday, February 16, 2026 4:00pm-5:30pm
Clubhouse Small Dining Room
If you joined PPWA anytime from February 19, 2025---February 16, 2026 you will be invited to a New Member Welcome. You can meet and mingle with other newcomers and learn more about PPWA. Details to come. | | |  | New Past Presidents Page
Have you ever wondered how PPWA got started? Do you know how many presidents we’ve had, or that Grandma’s Attic has been loaning items to our members since 2006?
We are excited to announce a new page on our PPWA website – Past Presidents. The page tells the story of our organization and highlights the accomplishments of each of our past presidents (there have been 10 for those of you keeping count!). You can find the page on the menu under About Us, or follow this Past Presidents for access.
The project started over the summer, focused on reviewing hundreds of old photos from various meetings and activity groups through the years and thinking about the best way of presenting the information for historical purposes. Many of the photos are low quality, and others are not compelling enough to provide value to the website. Therefore, instead of focusing on the photos we decided to highlight the accomplishments of Past Presidents of PPWA - enhanced with some of these historical photos. Using information gathered from PPWA scrapbooks and other sources we've created a page that contains a summary of each president's accomplishments. Their contributions to PPWA deserve to be memorialized, and we now have a compelling story about the evolution of our club.
Please take a look, learn something new, and let us know what you think.
Contact Risa Fogel about the PPWA website ppwawebsite@gmail.com. | 
Just a few new details regarding your PPWA name tag. You might already know Nanci Korman is no longer processing name tag requests. Please do not mail or leave your Name Tag request form at her house. Susan Dolembo is now responsible for Name Tags. As before a white basket is provided on her porch for completed name tags and name tag requests. Click on link below for name tag form.
Just a reminder, new name tags cost $5.00. If you already own a nametag but want the larger font (example of difference below) that will cost $2.00 and your present name tag must accompany the Name Tag request form. I have provided the difference in the two fonts. The first name font is larger in the updated version.
Susan Dolembo
Susan Old Size Font Susan New Size Font
Dolembo Dolembo
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To order a name tag click on link below
Name Tag Form
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The PPWA Foundation 3rd Annual Card and Game Party to Benefit the Scholarship Fund
We are about a week away from the Foundation’s Card and Game Party to be held on February 9th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Pelican Pointe Clubhouse in support of the Scholarship Program . Many thanks to all who have already registered and, as of this writing, we can accommodate a few more tables. The cost is $35 per person and includes lots of delicious refreshments and complimentary coffee, tea and iced tea. A cash bar will be available with Happy Hour beginning at 2:00 pm. There will also be a split the pot auction, beautiful baskets for silent auction and other fun prizes. A portion of your registration is tax deductible. The registration form 2026 Card and Game Registration Form for easy printing, and below or on the PPWA Bulletin Board outside the clubhouse. At this event we will be announcing the four Past Recipients who will each be receiving an additional $2000 scholarship to support their continuing education or career goals. We will also be presenting a $2000 grant to a past recipient who now teaches at Garden Elementary School to assist her in implementing a new program to her students. If you have any questions or need any assistance in completing the registration, due not hesitate to contact Luisa Goldman or Deb Parker. We thank you in advance for your support of this fun event and meaningful program.
Deb Parker, Foundation President |  | |
We thank the many new members who stopped by our table at the PPWA Showcase last month to learn more about our group and our established members to talk about all of our past and future events. If you couldn’t make it to the Showcase, check out the posters we had at the table: AotRShowcase22026.pdfAotRshowcase220262.pdf
On February 28th we will take our yearly trek to a National Art Festival. This year we will attend The 56th Annual Gasparilla Festival of the Arts located at the Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in Tampa. It is considered one of the top outdoor fine arts shows in the United States. There will be over 250 artists working in a variety of mediums including: ceramic, digital, drawing, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, watercolor and wood. In addition to featuring the works of nationally recognized artists, the festival includes works from up-and-coming emerging artists, select local artists, student artists and disabled artists. There will also be live entertainment and multiple food options to choose from. Motor coach transportation from and back to Pelican Pointe will be provided.
We have one more activity planned for March aboard the Sarasota Public Art Trolley. More to come on that next month.
Symphony O’Keefe
Deb Parker
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Professional actress Sheryl Faye returned as a CT presenter in January, delivering an inspiring performance as Abigail Adams. Abigail Adams (1744–1818) was the wife of John Adams, America’s second President, and mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President. Recognized as one of the most influential First Ladies, she advocated early on for gender equality and women's education. This engaging presentation marked a fitting start to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence's signing, coming up in 2026. Over 120 members attended and gave enthusiastic feedback on Sheryl Faye’s portrayal. We look forward to inviting her again for the 2026 season.
Our next event is highlighted below:
Wednesday February 25 – 4:00 pm
The circus played a defining role in Venice’s history after Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey established its winter headquarters here in 1960, bringing national attention, tourism, and jobs until its final season in 1993. Peggy Williams, a member of the Venice circus family from 1970 through the end, made history as the first woman to graduate from Ringling Clown College and perform in The Greatest Show On Earth, later becoming the first female Assistant Performance Director and Performance Director for Ringling’s international edition in Japan. Inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame in 2023, Peggy will share her personal stories and memories of circus life in Venice.
The event will commence at 4:00 pm at the clubhouse. A social hour will follow, for which no reservation is necessary. If you wish to remain for dinner, please contact clubhouse@pelicanpointeclub.com or call 941-496-4653 x23 to reserve your place.
Attendance will be limited to 100 participants, and advanced registration is required. Registration for this event will open on February 1.
The remaining events for the season are as follows:
Wednesday March 25 at 4 pm - Joanne McCree presents Grace Kelly - American Actress, Princess of Monaco, Philanthropist
Wednesday April 29 at 4 pm - Jenny Steindam - Hope in the Hardest Places: Faith and Transformation in Sierra Leone
More details about each event are available on the PPWA website.
Thank you for your interest in Current Topics. We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming events.
Please contact us if you have any questions or suggestions for future speakers.
Diane Celie
Martha Blandford
Becky Senter
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Theater Club’s last show of the season is now open to all PPWA members and guests:
A Beautiful Noise
Van Wezel, Sarasota, Wednesday, April 1, 1:30pm
Bus leaves from Pelican Pointe 12:05pm
Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A Beautiful Noise is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 120 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like "America," "Forever in Blue Jeans," and "Sweet Caroline," numerous awards, and sold-out concerts around the world, Neil Diamond's story was made to shine on Broadway - and head out on the road across America.
Deadline to reserve tickets February 10.
Cost per ticket in Section A and bus transportation $173.00
Diane Fischer
Holly Frost Brown
| | April 10, 2026 River Cruise to Amsterdam
Come experience tulips, windmills, Van Gogh museum, Anne Frank’s House, Belgian chocolates, Stella Artois beer and Gouda cheese as we sail along in the Netherlands and Belgium. Contact me for more information.
Brenda Hankard
Video Preview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s619jltDYqE
| | | | Game night will meet the third Tuesday evening in February at the clubhouse library. We start at 6:30. We will be playing a new game called BLANK SLATE. You can play with 3-8 players. It is one of the popular newer games and lots of fun. It is easy to learn. We will have plenty of games so everyone can play.
Be sure to RSVP so we can expect you. Any questions just email or call.
Nancy Susskind
Rosemary Rice
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The Scrabble players kicked off 2026 with two sociable and challenging games January 8. Join us in the Library on the 2nd Thursday morning of each month to play with the more flexible format of 8 tiles and lookup in the Scrabble Dictionary. High score word for January was “ZEKS “ by Cyndi Wcislo with 78 points! For questions please contact Lisa Murphy, Activity Leader.
Lisa Murphy | |
The PPWA Golf Group “Casual Golf” started early November. We don’t play games or compete. Scoring is against yourself and the emphasis is on fun and socializing afterward. We consistently have 24 golfers registering via the PPWA website calendar. Individuals sign up and requests for partners is honored. The group plays 9 holes twice a month on Saturday afternoons on Pelican Pointe courses. Registration is open the Sunday before. Check the “Calendar” on the website for dates.
Liz Burns
Gail Fairlie
Julie Harrington | Pelican Pointe Cyclers (PPcyclers) | December 26th bike ride of 25 miles to Wellen Park Gina-Monica- Marie- Karen- Diane-Sue
| Cold and windy 30.3 mile ride to Casey Key January 2nd
L to R: Chris Slater-Vohs, Gail Bartz, Cynthia Herbrandson, Gina Sangmeister, Anne Rechten, Mary Gorman, Marie Browne, Pam Miller, Pam L'Talien. Sue Ostoin, (photographer not in photo).
| | Pictured left to right: Pam L'Talien, Gail Bartz, Chris Slater-Vohs, Sue Ostoin, Marie Browne, Dawn Sumner, Pam Miller, Mary Gorman, Cynthia Herbrandson, Gina Sangmeister, and Anne Rechten. | Beautiful 30 mile ride January 9th on the Legacy Trail North Port Connector. Our group was so large we split in two groups.
| Second group on our January 9 ride.
Monica Stathers
Cynthia Herbrandson
Sue Ostoin
| The next Adult Coloring Activity will be on Monday, February 23, from 4 - 5 pm in the Pelican Pointe Library. Cathy and I will be there to greet you. We have supplies for you to use if you don’t have your own. Please join us for this relaxing activity and get to know fellow group members! Be sure to look for the reminder email.
Cathy Edwards
Janet Cozza | January Creative Crafts found our ladies creating a lotus flower tea light holder. This was created with painting and decoupaging plastic spoons. The spoons were then glued onto a teacup plate and a tea light was added. The end product amazed most people who saw them, some commented that they thought they were shells ( another idea!). I’m still waiting to see some ladies’ projects, as they needed to complete at home. Maybe those will show up in next month’s newsletter. Who knew plastic spoons could be so versatile. But again, The creative crafters continue to amaze with their creativity!!
Amy Desiderio
Susan Roberts Brennan
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From the garden...
What a privilege to have Greg Vine as our Guest Speaker from Venice Area Beautification Inc ( VABI).
Cynthia Herbrandson
Mary-Jane Bergman
| Garden Clubs' field trip to the Venice Urban Forest was informative with Greg Vine, a Florida native that knows well the Florida ecosystem we toured.
| | Garden Club January 21 fieldtrip walked from Urban Forest over to the Gunther Gebel Williams Statue located by the Venice Train Depot. Our own Kay Pierce explained how the Pelican Pointe Garden Club maintain the area around the Statue. | Our next Genealogy Meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 11, in the small dining room in the Pelican Pointe Clubhouse. Our meeting time returns to our normal slot of 10 am to 12. Look for the important reminder email. If you are attending you MUST RSVP or unfortunately I won’t have a handout for you. See you on the 11th!
Janet Cozza | The January meeting for Destination Dinner was held on Tuesday the 20th. 15 registrants gathered at the home of Inez and Stu Bowes for cocktails, conversation and appetizers. At 6:15 it was announced that the Goldrush Bar B Q restaurant on the Island was the secret "Destination". Everyone enjoyed the busy atmosphere and delicious food served at the Goldrush - especially the all you can eat baby back ribs - a feature on Tuesdays. We look forward to seeing everyone again on February 17th. If you would like to volunteer to be a hostess - please call Inez Bowes.
Inez Bowes |  | |
Kitchen Divas
Crepes in the Cul-de-Sac!
Join us on February 23rd for a fun and delicious neighborhood gathering!
Gustavo of Magic Crepes will be bringing his crepe truck to the Arbors cul-de-sac, serving up your choice of savory or sweet crepes from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Bring a chair, your favorite beverage, and a smile, and enjoy crepes in the cul-de-sac with friends and neighbors. We hope to see you there!
Registration will open for this event on February 9th.
Karen Proctor
Maureen Fairlie
| Lunch Bunch
The Lunch Bunch held their monthly luncheon on Friday, January 16th at Fin & Tonic in Sarasota. The gift certificate was won by Mary Jane Ritacco. There were 35 ladies in attendance.
Christine Street
Ellen Franzblau | On January 7th we had 38 people join our Italian Wine Tasting at BellaVino. Several commented that they enjoyed all 4 of the wines tasted. I know we found a new favorite white wine having tasted a Vermentino for the first time. If you have never been to BellaVino, stop by for the great atmosphere and a glass of wine before or after dinner on the island.
Shawn Grimes
Kelly Gaffney | |
Monday, January 19th we had a group of 40 enjoy another fabulous Wine Tasting Dinner at Chaz 51. There was lots of socializing while savoring each course. I thoroughly enjoyed the cilantro lime salmon, which is a great reminder that you do not always need to get steak at a steak house (although the filet was melt in your mouth tasty as well).
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Our next Wine Tasting Dinner will be on Sunday, February 15th at Hotel Venezia. Sign ups will start on Wednesday, January 28th at 8:00 AM. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Shawn Grimes
Kelly Gaffney | |
Women & Wine kicked off the new year with our first gathering at the home of Deni Ridgway. Deni was such a gracious hostess, and everyone had a great time sipping, smiling, and socializing. Women & Wine is held on the third Monday of each month from 5:00-6:30pm in a member’s home. It’s a casual “happy hour” that allows us a fun way to chat with friends and make new connections. Each guest is asked to bring a bottle of wine and/or an appetizer to share with the group. We always have a great time and that 90 minutes seems to go by so quickly!
Although Women & Wine has been in Pelican Pointe for several years, it has just recently become a PPWA activity. We are happily encouraging previous attendees, as well as new members, to join the group by adding Women & Wine as one of their activities. If you have any questions about W&W or need assistance joining, please contact Peggy Selvey or Chris Creswell.
As a courtesy to the hostess, please register for each event you plan to attend. Also, remember to bring your own glass and wear your nametag. We hope to see you at our next event on February 16.
Cheers!
Peggy Selvey
Chris Creswell |  |  |  |  | Pelican Pointe Women's Association
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