Hearing Loop Assistive Listening System

A Hearing Loop system is now available in the Sanctuary to assist those with hearing loss to hear more clearly during services. A Hearing Loop is an assistive listening system that transmits sound directly into one’s hearing aids or cochlear implants rather than depending on sound coming from the loudspeakers. To receive the Loop signal and hear more clearly, you will need to manually activate your T-coil or “telephone” setting on your hearing aid or cochlear implant. If you don’t know if you have a T-coil or whether yours is properly programmed, consult with your audiologist or hearing aid professional. If you don’t wear hearing aids, ask to use a Loop receiver to receive the sound. If you have further questions about Looping, please contact the installation company, Complete Hearing Solutions at

www.CompleteHearingSolutions.org or call 727-260-3488.

Reflections on Hurricane Irma - Art Quilters Unlimited Exhibit

Miller Sanctuary Narthex

Now-September 29, 2018

Art quilters create fine art wall hangings based on their experiences, imagery and ideas, rather than on traditional patterns. Art Quilters Unlimited is a group of fiber artists interested in expanding their knowledge and pushing the boundaries of their creativity. Our very own, Rev. Margaret L. Beard is a member of this group!

For more information, please contact Pam Richardson, Exhibition Committee Chair at pjrichfiberart@comcast.net.

To confirm access to the exhibit, please call the Church Office at (239) 561-2700. For more info, check out the public event page here.

UU Women's Retreat

Celebrating Sacred Places

9th Annual Florida Unitarian Universalist

Women’s Retreat

April 5-7, 2019

DaySpring Episcopal Conference Center Ellenton, FL. The retreat begins Friday at 5:00pm and ends Sunday.

DaySpring Conference Center is conveniently located off I-75 just north of Sarasota on Florida’s West Coast. The beautiful campus nestled under ancient oaks and located on a cove of the Manatee River offers a serene setting for our annual retreat. Take a look.

http://Dayspring.dioswfl.org.

$220 per person covers expenses for a semi-private room and meals. 8 women share a cozy cottage with 4 bedrooms and 4 baths, a screened porch and common area. A limited number of single rooms are available at $292 each.

A non-refundable deposit of $15 for a semi-private room or $25 for a private room will reserve your place. Final payment is due January 15, 2019. Come join us for an enriching and memorable weekend. Any questions? Contact Helen Leddy helen.leddy@gmail.com

Preventing Youth Violence: United Way Collaborative with UUCFM

UUCFM, in collaboration with United Way of Lee County, is excited to announce the launch of the Preventing Youth Violence: United Way Collaborative (PYV), a community funding initiative to encourage the youth of Lee County and SW Florida to develop and conduct initiatives that will reduce youth violence and the risk factors that contribute to it. We are taking this action in support of the students at Douglas High School in Parkland FL and all our students who are victims of youth violence.

Modeled on the STRYVE vision of the CDC, the PYV collaborative is a youth-based funding vehicle where multiple funding sources leverage their impact on SW Florida youth violence prevention. PYV focuses on grants to local youth-centric organizations or communities who propose youth violence prevention initiatives with clear and measurable objectives based on evidence of impact on victimization, perpetration, and risk or protective factors for youth violence.

Youth violence is a leading cause of death and nonfatal injuries in the United States. Homicide is the second leading cause of death among persons aged 10 to 24 years in Lee County. The majority of these homicides are from firearm violence. In 2016, 84% of homicides in ages 10 – 24 in Lee County were due to firearms discharge.

PYV will foster strategies and approaches intended to work in combination and to reinforce each other to prevent youth violence in a comprehensive and long-term way, such as:

Promoting family environments that support healthy development

Providing quality education early in life

Strengthening youth’s skills

Connecting youth to caring adults and activities

Creating protective community environments

Intervening to lessen harms and prevent future risk.

While research has demonstrated the preventive effects of many youth skill development programs to be important, approaches addressing relationships with parents, peers, and other caring adults as well as approaches that influence school and community environments are equally important to have the greatest public health impact.

A PYV review committee will be established based on community inputs; historically marginalized groups and student representation will be integral to the make-up of the committee. Through the United Way offices, proposals will be accepted based on established criteria focusing on strategies and approaches as outlined above. All grant applications will require matching funds by sponsoring organizations. Once awarded, grant recipients will be expected to document the effectiveness of their initiative. All accepted initiatives will require youth participation throughout the course of the initiative period. Completed initiatives will be presented by the grantees to community gatherings for acknowledgement and subsequent actions.

Consistent with our social justice history, UUCFM is expanding its community outreach through this prideful initiative, made possible by the love and generosity of our congregation. The Board of Trustees voted to fund this United Way collaborative with an amount of $25,000 (out of the proceeds from the sale of our cell tower lease) as an investment in the safety of our youth and in solidarity with those in the “March for Our Lives” movement. Other organizations in SW Florida will be approached to expand the initial UUCFM funding to help prevent youth violence. The PYV is intended to be an ongoing endeavor with UUCFM being at the center of the collaborative’s community impact. Please join the Outreach Ministry in celebrating UUCFM’s community engagement activism.

Holley Rauen & Gary Robbins, Outreach Ministry Team Leaders