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January 2026
Inside: Invitation to join our 20th Anniversary celebration plus volunteer opportunities throughout Manatee County
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Happy New Year to all Lakewood Ranch residents! As we step into 2026, I want to thank our members for the time, energy, and heart you’ve invested in keeping our community prepared and resilient. Your commitment truly makes a difference.
This year is especially significant—LWR CERT is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Two decades of service, teamwork, and community impact is something to be proud of. Throughout the year, we’ll be marking this milestone with special events, activities, and stories that honor our history and the volunteers who built it. I hope you’ll join us in celebrating and help make this anniversary year our most engaged and memorable yet.
Here’s to a safe, connected, and inspiring year ahead.
Jim Emanuelson (KN4VMK)
President, LWR CERT
941.404.8606
| | We're celebrating our 20th anniversary! | | RECAP: End of Hurricane Season/Holiday Happy Hour | | We certainly had a great time at The Parrot Bar and Grill in early December celebrating the end to a quiet hurricane season and the beginning of the holiday season. Thanks to Events Manager Gloria Schroeck for coordinating the event, to Paulette Kessler-Westerman for creating the custom drink and handmade decorations, to photographer Rich Raymond and to Karen Emanuelson for publicity. Here's to a great 2026! | | | | |
Hosted by The Patterson Foundation's Community Preparedness, Recovery, and Resiliency initiative, the 2026 CERT Summit: Rising Resilience, Ready Together brings together neighbors, CERT members, emergency management leaders, and organizations from across Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties to share stories, strategies, expertise, and knowledge.
This day-long gathering is for anyone interested in disaster preparedness. Whether you're already involved or just beginning to learn, you're welcome to join.
RSVP at https://bit.ly/4aRcIvY
| | Trailer Estates CERT offers HAM (Amateur Radio) classes | | |
Trailer Estates CERT is offering HAM (Amateur Radio) classes to help prepare residents for the HAM examine. Classes will meet from 7 to 8 PM on February 10, 11, 18 and 20. The Amateur Radio License Exam is scheduled for Feb. 21.
The class is open to all residents interested in learning more about Amateur radio. We ask for $5.00 from each participant to cover the cost of the materials you will receive. To enroll, email smithdpjr44@outlook.com.
| | River Club CERT offers Basic Training | | |
River Club CERT has a spring Basic Training class scheduled for February 28, March 7 and March 14, 9 AM - 4 PM, at the firehouse. While the class is open to all area residents, River Club CERT will only run the class if a minimum of 8 River Club residents are registered.
Registration and details at: https://forms.gle/nbPzmeFK9ReM7B2H8.
Questions? Contact riverclubcert@gmail.com
| | Lakewood Ranch Country Club Legacy Main Gate | | |
The Legacy Main Gate actually has an address: 8225 Legacy Blvd., Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202. If your home address directs visitors, friends and vendors to the unmanned gate at The Masters Ave and Lakewood Ranch Blvd via GPS, you can give them the Legacy Main Gate address for GPS directions; then they can GPS your home address after passing through the main gate on Legacy.
| | SRQ seeks "victims" for 2026 Airport Disaster Exercise | | |
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The SRQ Passenger Aircraft Disaster Response Exercise (PADRE) is a unique experience will allow you to see how airport emergency operations work. You are helping the airport and local first responders test their capabilities and sharpen skills needed to respond to a real-world aircraft accident.
Families are welcome, All volunteers must be at least 12 years old.
Click here to volunteer: PADRE Volunteers: Passenger Aircraft Disaster Response Exercise 2026
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January Birthdays
Happy Birthday to members Ellen Bell (Team 32), Margaret Davis (Team 17), Deb Diven (Team 22), Greg Fielder (Team 9), Nicole Haralampoudis (Team 10), Sudi Hirmanpour (Team 25), Dennis Johnson (Team 26), Judith Johnson (Team 26), Pat Knowles (Team 17), Lori Martin (Team 10), John McInally (Board Member), Rick Owen (Team 10), Bill Rogers (Team 22), Steven Sadowski (Team 10), Daniela Dobrinova (Team 26), and Terry Speer (Team 23)
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January Service Anniversaries
We are thankful for our volunteer members. These members are celebrating their Service Anniversary this month:
20 years - Janis Ballard (Team 10), Tim Sherer (Team 10), and Robert Swiatek (Team 9)
17 years - Kathy Combs (Team 1)
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