CITRUS PARK
Center to offer class on portrait drawing
A four-week portrait-drawing class will have its first session from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Jewish Community Center & Federation, 13009 Community Campus Drive. Artist Ileana Prosper Holman will teach different portrait-drawing techniques using her preliminary sketches of Old Hollywood celebrities. In the class, participants will learn to layer, blend and burnish colors to create realistic drawings of some of your favorite "golden age" movie stars. The cost is $45 for members and $50 for nonmembers, with all materials provided including heavy weight sheet protectors to preserve your completed artwork. For information or to RSVP, call (813) 769-4724 or email marissa.rosenthal@jewishtampa.com.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Winn-Dixie to hold blood drives
Blood drives will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday at local Winn-Dixie locations, including 15692 N Dale Mabry Highway, 13016 Racetrack Road, 8424 Sheldon Road, 8837 N 56th St. and 8775 Temple Terrace Highway. Donors will receive a free $10 gift card. Generally healthy people who are 16 years old or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood, and a photo ID is required as well. For more information, visit oneblood.org/winndixie.
Department of Health has diabetes program
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County is offering a free version of the National Diabetes Prevention Program. The program's curriculum includes a 16-week course with a six-month followup support program that guides participants through healthy eating and physical activity, behavior change, techniques for achieving program goals, and problem solving. The program reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes in those who have prediabetes or are at high risk for prediabetes, a condition one in 10 Americans have and nine in 10 of those afflicted do not know they have. For more information or to register for the program, call (813) 307-8015, ext. 7111.
Mentors to offer money advice
Hillsborough County residents can receive free one-on-one advice on basic personal finance topics through the Florida Master Money Mentor program. Interested individuals can set up a meeting at a community location with a mentor, who will offer guidance on how to develop a spending and savings plan, manage debt, build a good credit history, and achieve financial goals. The program is provided by a partnership between the University of Florida Extension and Hillsborough County, thanks to a gift from Bank of America. For more information or to set up a meeting, call (813) 744-5519, ext. 54143.
NORTHDALE
YMCA to debut three new fitness studios
The Bob Sierra North Tampa YMCA will commemorate the opening of three new fitness studios with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. Monday at its 4029 Northdale Blvd. location. The group exercise studio features a new sound system, raised instructor platform and video monitors to track heart rate and calories burned; the cycling studio features video monitors, indoor cycling bikes and a Pedaling for Parkinson's program to help slow down the progression of Parkinson's; and the mind and body studio will offer yoga classes and new climate-control classes like hot yoga. The studios are part of a larger renovation project at the YMCA that will also include a locker room expansion, a new kids zone and an update of the coffee bar and lounge area, with the facilities open throughout the renovation. For more information, visit tampaymca.org/locations/carrollwoodnorthdale.
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Explore all your optionsTERRACE PARK
Busch Gardens opens conservation exhibit
The Rising Tide Conservation exhibit has opened at Busch Gardens, 10165 N McKinley Drive. The 270-gallon aquarium houses aquaculture fish, live coral and snails, and focuses on methods to successfully breed saltwater reef fish to provide alternatives to collecting them from the wild. The aquarium will display several marine fish that Rising Tide Conservation has successfully bred, including the first successful aquaculture of Yellow Tangs, done in conjunction with the Oceanic Institute of Hawaii Pacific University. Guests can visit the exhibit by the conservation windows located to the right of Jambo Junction in the Nairobi area of the park during normal hours, and help with the Rising Tide Conservation initiative by texting #HelpRisingTide #BGT to "21212," upon which Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will donate $1 to the fund. For more information, visit seaworldparks.com/buschgardens.
USF
Antidrug alliance to host adviser training
Hillsborough County Anti Drug Alliance will host youth adviser training from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the University of South Florida Gibbons Alumni Center, 4202 E Fowler Ave. The guest speaker will be Ty Sells, who has more than 22 years of experience in drug prevention and community service and has developed several workshops and trainings. Sells will speak on "Creating Connections That Count" from 9 a.m. to noon in a segment that is open to the public. The remainder of the training will be closed to the public and will be held for advisers to Youth Making a Difference and Students Working Against Tobacco. For more information or to RSVP, call (813) 238-4034 or visit hcada.com.
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