Welcome to The Santiva Heartbeat... December 2023 Newsletter | |
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Welcome to The Santiva Heartbeat - News From the Santiva Islanders, our e-newsletter full of updates, event dates, and information for our members. The Santiva Islanders is an organization designed for all adults, offering exercise classes, special events, trips, health and wellness programs, social gatherings, seminars and lots of camaraderie.
We serve active adults on Sanibel, Captiva, and the surrounding area. Whether you are a year-round resident, part-time resident or visitor, please join us!
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Holiday Poem:
In the heart of the ocean, where the waves gently play, A tale unfolds on Sanibel, this Christmas day. A year has passed since the hurricane's might, Yet, hope and resilience shine ever so bright.
Amidst the palms adorned with twinkling lights, Sanibel emerges from stormy nights. The island, like a phoenix, rises anew, With the spirit of Christmas, pure and true.
The sea breeze whispers of stories untold, Of strength and courage, of hearts that hold. The shoreline, kissed by the sun's golden ray, Reveals a Christmas miracle on the bay.
Palmettos sway in a festive dance, As shells on the shore twinkle, a sparkling trance. Nature's ornaments, gifts from the sea, Adorning the island's Christmas tree.
In the village, where shops stand tall, The sound of joy, like a cheerful call. Neighbors and friends, hand in hand, Rebuilding dreams, like grains of sand.
Beneath the starlit, Floridian sky, Hope and love, like the seagulls, fly. A Christmas feast, with laughter and cheer, Celebrating the strength that brought us here.
As carols echo on the gentle tide, Sanibel's beauty cannot be denied. A Christmas tale of resilience and light, Guiding the island through the darkest night.
So, in the glow of this holiday season, Sanibel stands, a beacon of reason. Merry Christmas, dear island, may your shores, Be blessed with joy, forevermore.
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ANNOUNCEMENT OF MEMBERSHIP DUES POLICY AND DUES INCREASE
- Annual Membership Dues for Island Seniors, Inc. (DBA Santiva Islanders) will be increased to $25 beginning with the 2024 membership year. This is necessary due to loss of funding by the City of Sanibel and increase in expenses.
Note: There has been no increase of dues for nearly 20 years. Any person who feels they cannot afford to pay the dues may petition the Board for an exclusion from paying dues for one year by emailing us at [email protected] or calling (239) 413-7324.
- Members will be notified of payment of annual dues in November of each year. This notification will be by an announcement in the monthly Newsletter. An additional notice will be emailed directly to members.
- Payment is due January 1 of each year. There is no late fee or proration of dues if paid later in the year.
- Members who do not pay their dues by the due date may be placed on an inactive list after three months.
- Members who join and pay the full dues after November 1 of each year will be considered full members for the succeeding year.
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Members who are 90 years of age or older will receive free lifetime membership. Please email us at [email protected] if you qualify for this benefit so we can properly reflect your honorary status in our records.
Thanks in advance for your continued support!
Click here: Renew Your 2024 Membership
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Annual Membership Meeting
Thursday, December 7, 2023 at 11:00 AM
Please join us for our annual meeting on Thursday, December 7, 2023 at the Gathering Place. The meeting will start at 11:00 AM. Lunch will be served afterwards.
The Gathering Place is located at 2304 Periwinkle Way. Please enter at the rear of the prperty off Dunlap.
RSVP. The meeting and casual lunch are complimentary, but please let us know you’re attending by clicking this link: Click Here or visiting our website tab “RSVP to Annual Membership Meeting”. Alternatively, you can email us at [email protected] or call us at (239) 413-7324 and leave a message. We want to make sure to have plenty of lunch for everyone.
Hope to see you there.
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Introducing the Nominees for 2024 Board of Directors
Bernard Arroyo
I thank you all for considering me for a board position with Santiva Islanders. My wife Jenny and I have lived on island for 3 years, we very much enjoy living here and have a great time participating in various clubs and social gatherings. We are full time residents. I hope to provide assistance with my technology background. I also believe the Santiva Islanders is a vital part of the island community and I very much want to contribute in assisting with the continued growth of the Santiva Islanders.
Linda Hines
I am excited to be considered for the Santiva Islanders board. I am a newer member to the group and look forward to being a part of the journey as the group transitions and evolves. I have served on several non-profit boards in the past (Honor Flight Columbus, International Field Studies, Lower Lights Christian Health Center) as well as my former employer MedFlight of Ohio where I was legal counsel.
Laura Korn
Thank you for considering me for the Board of Santiva Islanders. My husband Bryant and I are full-time residents of Sanibel since 2021. I enjoy serving others and being involved in my local community. I am currently on the Activities Committee of the Santiva Islanders and I’m also a Board member of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) of St. Michael's, a ministry that brings women together for fellowship, service and outreach.
I have over 20 years of experience in serving on boards of various sports, church and women's social organizations both overseas and in Houston. I was also a long-time volunteer with the Amazing Place, one of the only facilities in the Greater Houston area that provides specialized programming for individuals with mild to moderate dementia. It was there that I witnessed the importance of socialization and engagement for enriching the lives of adults.
Robyn Moran
I am very pleased to be considered for a board position with the Santiva Islanders. My heart has always been on the island. I have lived here for 20+ years, enjoying the island and the people. I have been part of the SanCap Zonta Club for many years, serving as president in 2016. Also a board member for CHR serving as Landlord Tenant Chair for two years. Being a part of the Santiva Islanders will be an opportunity to bring happiness and togetherness back to the islands.
Katrina Wilhelm
I am very excited to have been asked to serve on the board of Santiva Islanders. As a full time resident of Sanibel, living in the Sanctuary at Wulfert Pointe, my husband, Dan and I, enjoy being involved with many island organizations. We hail from Nashville, Indiana where Dan retired from Cummins and I ran our small residential investment property company. We still perform some small business duties for our business KD Properties, LLC, in Columbus, IN.
We purchased our first property on Sanibel during our first visit here in 2012. We fell in love with Sanibel immediately and knew this would be where we would retire. When we were finally ready, we bought a bigger place and started forming deeper connections. I am an at-large board member for Zonta Sanibel-Captiva Club. I am looking forward to being an active member of the board for the Santiva Islanders and forming meaningful relationships moving forward.
Thank you for this opportunity.
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Activity Spotlight--Don’t Miss These December Activities!
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We have lots of fun activities going on at the Gathering Place during December from exercise on Tuesdays and Thursdays to bridge and Mahjong on Thursdays, but don’t forget our other fun events happening elsewhere on the island or via Zoom—
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Happy Hour at MudBugs. Don’t miss our weekly happy hour get togethers at MudBugs. We’re there every Monday starting at 4 PM. Look for the folks having fun by the downstairs bar. If you get lost or we’re not by the downstairs bar as planned, call our night’s host, Robin Christian, at (817) 975-7166.
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Page Turner Book Club. Join us at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, December 12, for a discussion of The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare. In December, the discussion will be offered solely via Zoom. We will resume meeting in person, as well as via Zoom in January. Contact us at [email protected], for questions, to be added to the Page Turners’ email list, and to receive the Zoom information.
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Christmas Leisure Lunch. Come enjoy a leisurely Christmas Lunch at Traders on December 13th from 12pm-1pm.. Stay around after lunch to enjoy some holiday shopping at Traders lovely gift shop! We will order and pay individually. Seating is limited. To reserve a spot, contact Deborah Butler at [email protected].
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Come Play With Us!
Bridge
Come join us for organized bridge play on Thursday afternoons from 12:30 to 2:30. Chicago scoring is used, and pairs rotate tables every 4 or 6 hands, depending on the number of tables that day. If you’re interested in playing or want more information, please contact Bryant Korn at [email protected].
Mahjong
Come join us for a friendly game of Mahjong on Thursday afternoons from 12:00 to 2:30. If you’re interested in playing or want more information, please contact Robin Christian at [email protected].
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Captiva Connection
Protect Captiva From Increased Density Disguised as Resiliency
Just over a year ago, Hurricane Ian slammed into Southwest Florida as a Category 4 monster, causing unprecedented damage and leaving its tragic mark on our community. Ian was the largest storm ever to make landfall here and the third costliest storm in U.S. history, causing more than $1.2 billion in damage.
In a period of just 15 days, Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration pulled off the seemingly impossible by reopening the Sanibel Causeway – reconnecting our battered, fragile barrier islands to the mainland and enabling us to begin the long journey of rebuilding our communities and livelihoods.
Now we are calling on the state again to help protect Captiva and save our island.
This summer, Lee County commissioners proposed amending the Lee County Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code to increase building heights and to remove density restrictions on Captiva, while granting special development benefits to Timbers Resorts on Captiva Island under the guise of “resiliency.” These proposals are not only unnecessary and potentially harmful, but benefit just one single property owner: Timbers Resorts, which operates the resort on South Seas.
Existing ordinances allow property owners to restore structures to the same size as before Hurricane Ian in compliance with updated federal flood elevation standards.
The amendments, quietly crafted without public input, would increase the density and intensity of use on Captiva and allow for hundreds of new hotel rooms at South Seas with increased building heights – up to 75 feet above base flood elevation.
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Dramatically increasing density in our island community, where evacuation routes were already stretched to the limit last year, is shortsighted at best and potentially life-threatening. Despite this, the proposed amendments are being pushed to a vote without any analysis of how they would impact infrastructure, evacuation routes, and the environment – seemingly in violation of Florida’s Community Planning Act. So why are these amendments being touted as a beneficial resiliency tool? Lee County residents have been asking this very question. The state conducted a required review of the amendments, and it appears the governor’s administration is also scratching its head.
The Florida Department of Commerce issued a firm rebuttal to the county’s proposed amendments, confirming our fears that the county, in the words of the department, is “flying a ‘false flag’ of ‘resilience’” in the name of increasing hotel rooms on the island. We applaud the state for recognizing the amendments for what they are – a backdoor maneuver to sanction increased development. The state also urged the county to have a transparent discussion with the community about the actual purpose of the amendments.
We hope our county commissioners will join the state in standing with Captiva and Sanibel residents. The county plans to host a hearing on this issue on Dec. 6, if the proposed amendments are adopted in the face of near-unanimous opposition, the fight to protect Captiva is not over.
We will continue to fight for the health and safety of Captiva and Sanibel residents first and foremost. We urge you to join us in voicing your opposition to these amendments. We must protect Captiva.
Lisa Riordan is chair of the Captiva Civic Association, a resident of Captiva and part of the Protect Captiva Coalition.
Dramatically increasing density in our island community, where evacuation routes were already stretched to the limit last year, is shortsighted at best and potentially life-threatening.
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Kindness Matters
Over the past decades our organization has reached out to its members, close friends, and family to acknowledge those who are facing the challenges of loss, illness, and other difficult circumstances, in an effort to extend messages of support. If you know of any members or their loved ones whose lives are affected by difficult circumstances, we would like to know. Please email [email protected] with the name of the person or family, along with their contact information and a general description of the type of challenge impacting their daily lives. Or please contact Ann Moeder directly at [email protected].
As many of us are aware, the holiday season can be an especially lonely and difficult time for many of us. Please do not hesitate to let us know about anyone who could use a little extra support at this time.
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Curiosity Corner
A Colombian court ruled that a dog should be considered a family member and treated as such when a couple divorces, the first such ruling in the Latin American country, the Washington Post reported.
The case centers on a dispute over the shared custody of a dog named Simona following the divorce of Colombian couple, Jader Alexis Castaño and his former wife Lina María Ochoa.
Court records showed that Castaño was left depressed after losing his pup because he was unable to play with this “dog child” – as he often referred to Simona. He alleged that he and Simona had been emotionally affected by the split and that the pooch was part of the “family’s nucleus.”
Ochoa had refused to allow frequent visits, which prompted Castaño to sue her, demanding scheduled time with Simona.
Last month, the Bogotá Superior Court ruled that Simona should be legally considered Castaño’s “daughter” and that she was an official member of a “multispecies” family before the divorce.
The court noted that Castaño is entitled to scheduled visits with the canine, describing the latter as a living creature with feelings who also suffered after the marriage ended.
The verdict was influenced by a 2016 decision that ruled that animals were not “cosas muebles” – a legal term meaning objects that humans could transport wherever they wanted – but rather living beings with feelings.
The Colombian court’s recent decision marks the first time an animal can be considered a family member, but the case is not the first in Latin America.
In 2018, a Peruvian court declared Petunia, a 3-year-old pig, as a member of a family in the central region of Junín. The decision came after the municipal government classified the animal as a public health risk and ordered her family to relocate her to a farm.
According to the online magazine ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, the region is “at the forefront of considering animals as family members.”
“In a global recent attitudinal change toward animals in Western societies, today, many people recognize themselves as part of a multispecies family,” it added.
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Click the calendar below to see activities happening in December. | |
"I was wise enough to never grow up while fooling most people into believing I had."
- Margaret Mead
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