VOL. 22 NO. 6
Community web site: http://hggcc.com
Community Channels: 901 and 902 on TV
JUNE 2024
Resident Spotlight – Tom Donoghue By Sue McCoy, Herons Glen Photo By Denise Johnson, Herons Glen Tom Donoghue is retiring from his long-held position as president of Hearts & Homes for Veterans (HHV). His letter to the residents of Herons Glen is included along with this article. The editorial staff of The Heron decided to find out more about Tom and the HHV organization. Tom and his wife, Mary, are originally from Milton, Mass., where Tom worked as a tech manager for the Buick Motor Division of General Motors. Tom and Mary have been married for almost 55 years and have four children and nine grandchildren. They built their house in The Glen in 2001 then moved here full-time in 2003. Tom enjoys golf, NASCAR, and jigsaw puzzles. He is also a longstanding member of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Veterans of the Glen (VOG), and a cohead usher at St. Therese Catholic Church. Tom originally became involved with Hearts & Homes for Veterans about 13 years ago when Don Payton, a fellow member of VVA, had the idea to do something to help veterans who were struggling to get back on their feet. He approached Tom about helping and he has been a key part of the organization ever since. The group is established as a charitable organization and their mission statement is:
“Hearts and Homes for Veterans Inc. assists homeless, and low-income veterans in South Florida. Our goal is to help veterans out of poverty and improve their quality of life.” HHV relies heavily on donated items, fundraising and individual monetary donors. The Glen has been involved with HHV almost since the beginning with individuals donating
How To Keep Up When You’re Away From The Glen
The King Of Instruments By Linda Lynch, Herons Glen Photo by Richard Hensler (son-in-law) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once said, “To my eyes and ears, the organ will ever be the king of instruments.” Herons Glen resident August (Augie) Spagnolo might appreciate the sentiment. At the age of 6 or 7, Augie would occasionally accompany his parents to a neighborhood bar in Pittsburgh, the city where he grew up. At the bar, Augie was mesmerized by the accordion player. Augie started piano lessons at 8 years of age and then took lessons for both piano and the accordion. At age 12 he began playing the piano for Sunday school at his Lutheran church and continued doing that until the end of high school. Augie also played in a jazz and pop combo with five other high school musicians. August (Augie) Spagnolo
their time, household goods and money. Eventually almost every group and club in The Glen became involved in helping this vital project with donations, fundraisers and more. Both Tom and the entire organization are incredibly grateful for all the assistance provided by residents of The Glen. If you are interested in volunteering, donating household goods or money, Tom Donoghue or sponsoring a fundraiser, please call the HHV main number at (239) 674-1719. HHV volunteers will pick up donated household goods and can include appliances, furniture, kitchen items, bicycles and electric scooters. They do not accept mattresses, sleeper sofas, or pillows. If you have a working vehicle that you would like to donate (and take a hefty tax break) please consider doing so; it can be life-changing to someone without any transportation.
Augie was exposed to a church organ at around age 17. While he took a few seminars for organ playing, Augie is mostly self-taught, and he played at his Lutheran church off and on. After college, Augie worked in the Pittsburgh public school system for 35 years, first as a science teacher and then as an administrator. He got married, and because his wife was a Catholic, Augie converted. When the pastor at his new church expressed interest in involving him in the parish, Augie’s wife suggested that the parish tap into his musical talents. Two weeks later Augie was playing the organ at Sunday services. The current church organist retired a month later, so Augie was given the job and was also offered the position of music director. Within five years he had built a 50-plus person choir. He played and directed at that church for 21 years. In the meantime, Augie got divorced from his first wife and met his current wife, Pat. Once he and Pat were married, Augie moved 30 miles away. He kept working at the original The King Of Instruments on page 3
If you aren’t in the Glen, you can still access an online version of The Heron, our monthly community newspaper. • Go to hggcc.com. • Across the top, place your cursor over “HG Links.” • Then scroll down to the second item, “Homeowner’s Assoc.” • From there scroll down the left side of the page, almost to the bottom, where it says “Electronic Newspaper (Archive of Past Heron Newspapers).” • Click on the image of the newspaper and you’ll be brought to the archives with a year’s worth of issues. • Click on whichever month’s paper you’re interested in and you can keep up with what’s going on in the community.
Important Notice! Door to door delivery service for The Heron monthly newspaper will stop for the foreseeable future. The newspaper staff is sorry for this unfortunate but necessary inconvenience. Until further notice, the newspaper will be available for pickup at the following locations (and electronically on the HOA website): HOA Office (on outside table) HGRD Office Pro Shop Library (Card Room B) Fitness Center