Mayor Michelle J. Gomez
Dear Neighbors
Welcome to February! Hard to believe Winter is almost over, and Spring is just around the corner.
Black History Month has officially begun. Over the next few weeks and beyond, classrooms and communities around the country will highlight the struggles, breakthroughs, and victories of the African-American community. Our celebrations started early with last month’s Unity March in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. During these next few weeks, the City of Tamarac will be honoring Black heroes on social media. I invite you to follow along on their Facebook and Instagram pages to celebrate these trailblazers.
I’m honored to be a dignitary again at this year’s Fort Lauderdale Pride of the Americas Parade with Broward Mayor Dean Trantalis on Saturday, February 11. The parade steps off at 11:30 a.m. from the Las Olas Parking Garage, 200 Las Olas Circle, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316. This incredible event is open to anyone, so please join us!
Get ready to rock at the Rock N’ Ride Concert and Car show on Saturday, February 11, at the Tamarac Sports Complex, 9901 NW 77th St. The event takes between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. kicking off first with the car show and food trucks. There’ll be live music by the Hot Mess beginning at 3:30 p.m., followed by a trophy presentation. Be sure to stop by the Tamarac Historical Society table at the event to celebrate its 60th anniversary!
This Valentine’s Day marks the 5th anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and everyone affected by the tragic event.
Valentine’s Day is also National Donor Day, which raises awareness of life-saving donations like organs, tissues, marrow, platelets, and blood. Did you know that about 20 people die daily waiting for an organ transplant? Or that for patients in need of a bone marrow transplant, 70 percent of them do not have a matching donor in their family? One step you can take is becoming a registered organ and tissue donor. Another is joining the donor registry to become a living donor. To register, visit https://registerme.org.
February signals the start of National Cancer Prevention Month and American Heart Month. As a breast cancer survivor, I encourage you to take care of your body and reach out to your healthcare provider to monitor and discuss ways to improve your health. To learn more about cancer prevention, please visit the American Association for Cancer Research website at https://cancerprogressreport.aacr.org/progress/cpr20-contents/cpr20-preventing-cancer-identifying-risk-factors/.
According to the CDC, in the U.S. one person dies from heart disease every 34 seconds and is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people from a majority of every ethnic group in the country. For advice and tips to protect yourself from this deadly disease, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/prevention.htm. Health is wealth, and taking care of ourselves is one of the greatest acts of love we can carry out in this lifetime.
Want to make a positive impact on people’s lives? Please consider donating blood to help increase reserves at local health facilities for accident victims and those undergoing cancer treatments and surgery. To find a location near you, please visit https://www.aabb.org/for-donors-patients/give-blood or https://www.oneblood.org/donate-now.
Free Broward College courses are available beginning this month to Tamarac residents through the Broward Up program. This month’s free courses include:
To view the application and the list of available classes, please visit www.Tamarac.me/BCcourses.
If you’ve got unused, unwanted, or expired medicines you’d like to safely dispose of or essential documents you need shredded, then join Sheriff Gregory Tony and the Broward Sheriff’s Office for their Operation Medicine Cabinet and Shred-A-Thon happening from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 25 at Kings Point, 7620 Nob Hill Rd. Please note no needles will be collected, and there is a 2-box limit of shreddable documents per vehicle. For more information, please call (954) 831-8902.
Also, on Saturday, February 25, at 10:30 a.m., join me as we resume our monthly Move with the Mayor series, starting with Jazzercise led by Warren and May at the Tamarac Recreation Center Gymnasium at 7531 North University Drive. Stay tuned for more dates.
Local Reminders
Food distributions continue every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., or while supplies last, at the Korean United Methodist Church, 6501 W. Commercial Blvd.
New Hope Church will hold a food distribution on Tuesday, February 21st, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and every third Tuesday of the month at 545 E Campus Circle, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312.
Don’t miss Food Truck Fridays every last Friday of the month between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the Tamarac Community Center, 8601 W. Commercial Blvd. Stop by with the family and choose from an array of delicious food vendors. There’ll be lots of fun, music, and games for everyone to enjoy!
Happy Black History Month, Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, and Presidents Day!
Warm regards,
Michelle
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