WEEK FEBRUARY 19, 2025 FLIER INSIDE
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PINEISLAND-EAGLE.COM
VOLUME 48, NUMBER 42
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Jay Sanderson By PAULETTE LeBLANC pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com Island Tactical owner and Greater Pine Island Alliance co-founder Jay Sanderson said first and foremost he loves Pine Island. His father-in-law, Ted Festa, is a fourth generation Pine Islander and Sanderson said his own parents bought a house in Bokeelia in 2008. “I am a happy member of the Pine Island community. The island has done so much for me. What I do for the island pales in comparison to what the people of the island do for us and our business. It’s really inspiring to me, to see how great the community is together. That’s my inspiration,” Sanderson said. He went on to say that in his estimation, anything he can do to help the Pine Island community is worth his time.
Jay Sanderson
Having been a teacher in the Florida Keys, Sanderson is no stranger to island-type living. Shortly after his parents moved here, he said he got a job at Ida Baker High School in Cape Coral as an economics teacher and head basketball coach. He said the first time he came to visit his parents in Bokeelia, he realized just how special Pine Island is. “They had a catamaran out in front of their house and my brother and I were laying on it
and I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is life.’ My parents had just moved to the coolest place ever,” Sanderson said. As far as Sanderson’s love, sweat and tears for Pine Island, he admits that what the GPIA was able to achieve during the aftermath of Hurricane Ian says a great deal about his and the whole organization’s love for Pine Island. “What a lot of people don’t know is that we brought out thousands of gallons of diesel fuel to Pine Island Water so they could run their generators to keep their pumps going,” Sanderson said. In addition to helping to keep the island fueled after the storm, Sanderson said they were making boat trips with supplies and grocery runs every day. At the time, he said, most See SANDERSON, page 14
Beacon’s Herrera ready to assist islanders in need
Bi-lingual case worker has worn many hats at island organization
Squires receives Pine Island Chamber’s Alan Mills Award
By PAULETTE LeBLANC pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com Bobby Holloway Foundation and annual fishing tournament founder Ernestine Holloway Squires found herself completely surprised when she received the call about the Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce 2025 Alan Mills Award, honoring those with outstanding dedication to the Pine Island Community. Squires was told by a member of her board that there was going to be a recognition given to the Bobby Holloway Foundation. She later learned this was just told to her in order to keep secret the fact that she’d won the Alan Mills Award, which was presented on Monday, Feb. 10. What turned out to be admittedly
one of the highlights of her life was a mystery until the last moment. “I didn’t think much about it. I had no clue. I was so shocked,” Squires said, admitting that she understood the desire for secrecy completely. Receiving the award itself, Squires said, was a surSee SQUIRES, page 15 Ernestine Squires, above, with Steve Hook, left, of the Bobby Holloway Fishing Tournament and David Conner, president of the Chamber of Commerce. PHOTO PROVIDED
By PAULETTE LeBLANC pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com Many Spanish-speaking folks who have shown up at the Beacon of Hope in need of help have found themselves in front of Guadalupe Herrera. Fortunate to have someone who can communicate with clients who don’t know English, the Beacon of Hope hired Herrera approximately 12 years ago, she said. To date, she is the only bi-lingual case worker that she is aware of. The Beacon has tried to lighten her load by hiring others who are bi-lingual, but by her own estimation, it’s likely difficult to find others on Pine Island who are both competent and willing to do what she does. As of now, Herrera said there are many people on the island in need who can only speak Spanish. “Many people who come in live at The Palms. There are people from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Cuba,” Herrera said. Her work at the Beacon Guadalupe Herrera gets pretty hectic, she said, with appointments filling up for children and families. In addition to her position as a case manager, Herrera is also officially a notary public, which comes in handy whenever a client has a document which needs to be notarized. “I’ve also done bookkeeping here, and driving, I’ve even worked at reception — you name it and I’ve done it,” Herrera said. Often her work day finds her helping families find
See HERRERA, page 14
of the Week.........17 Cat of the Week.................15 Mahjongg Scores...............8 INSIDETODAY Athlete Bridge Beat........................9 Cribbage Corner................8 On the Water.....................13 Classifieds & Obituaries
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