VOL. 35 NO. 3
The Villages at Country Creek, Estero, FL • www.seabreezecommunications.com
From The Master Board By Master Board Directors: Greg Bertke, Diana Burton, Dave Hoffman, George Lonergan, Ron Smoyer, Ron Stone and Steve Zielinski. Spring Ahead March 19 is the first day of spring this year, and the following day is our annual members meeting. Spring always represents new beginnings and the bursting forth of new life. Our Master Board (MB) will be changing as Diana Burton and Ron Stone leave the MB. We thank them for the hard work and diligence they have employed over the past months. Diana served as liaison to the Common Grounds Committee, Ron as liaison to the Volunteers, Bocce, and Community Service Award Committee. Another new beginning is our Golf Superintendent, Miguel Escobar. He was already observed on hole 16 instructing one of our employees in the proper way of executing a treatment to the golf course. We wish John Roberts God speed in his new assignment, and we welcome Miguel to our community. We do not know the outcome of our annual members meeting and election so we will not project the outcome. We as a MB wish to convey our deepest wishes that our VCC community come to a place of peace, beauty, and community
spirit. It is our desire that we work together to produce a clubhouse, common grounds and golf course of which we can truly be proud. VCC recently subscribed to Survey Monkey and sent out a brief simple survey of six questions. This is a learning process for our community in order to obtain important information regarding future plans and projects. We invite our community residents to submit questions for consideration by the MB for inclusion in future surveys. Also, there is of necessity a need to tweak the survey instrument, to be able to survey only those who are directly affected by the survey. There may be instances when renters opinions may be included. This MB spans a couple of generations, but we are reminiscent of the no man left behind concept. Perhaps the previous generation, the “greatest generation,” is even more mindful of that than we are. As a community it is a concept within our reach, as we consider other persons’ points of view, as well as our own. It is easy for all of us to fall into wanting our own desires without considering others. But may we all take the high road at this juncture, demonstrating cooperation, and a commitment to working together to build a brighter future.
Getting To Know Our Staff Sara Goffar By Lois Christensen VCC has a new Office Manager. Sarah Goffar (pronounced like golfer without the “l”) recently joined the VCC administrative team. She is a Michigan native who moved to Southwest Florida in 1989. Her background is in accounting. Previous to her VCC employment she worked for 10 years at Outback Steakhouse as the Front of House Manager and Administrative Manager and most recently 10 years at Bonita Bay as the Marina Services Coordinator. In that position she worked with the same management software that VCC uses. She enjoys spending time with (and spoiling) her three grandchildren. Other interests are cooking (if she has all the right ingredients and sufficient time), gardening, reading, and watching hockey. You will also notice that Jessica Bryant has assumed the front desk duties as Member Relations Coordinator. She’s there to respond to member questions and needs. VCC welcomes these new staff members.
Alvaro Martin By Margaret Farmar Alvaro Martin was born in St. Mary, Jamaica 44 years ago. He began his career there as a manager in the Food and Beverage industry in 2003. Alvaro has been living with his family in the San Carlos area since 2018. He and his wife share two daughters ages 16 and 19, along with their dog, a german shepherd lab mix, and an adorable rabbit. Before Covid struck and paralyzed the country, he was a server at Pelican Bay. He’s been with us at VCC for the past three years, which is also about the time he launched his business. Throughout his life he’s enjoyed participating in many recreational sports. Now, however, soccer, volleyball and Villages at Country Creek
MARCH 2024
Who Says Lightning Doesn’t Strike 3 Times! By Dan Chelenza On Friday February 16, I was playing in our monthly scramble/ meeting. My playing partners Pete Buechner, George Deckebach and Terry Burke were enjoying a really nice round of golf. We got to the fifth hole, which is called the longest par 5 on the course, (actually it’s a par 3), Terry stepped up to the tee and hit a shot that went straight to the pin. Pete and I thought “that ball went in the hole!” It was so bright we couldn’t tell if it went in. Well, we drove up to the green, I walked up to the hole, and sure enough, there it was, in the hole! It was Terry’s first career Hole in One! But, that’s not the end of the story. As we were driving back to the clubhouse for our luncheon/ meeting, Pete and I discussed having a free beer for that ace that Terry made! When I walked into the dining room, Greg Giovannetti informed me that there were two other Holes in One! I said, make that three! Tom Boos aced #11–his third, Ray Atherholdt did the same on #16 for his fifth career ace. I have never played in a tournament where there were three Holes in One, incredible! Congratulations fellas!
Alvaro and his Family tennis are taking a back seat to his burgeoning detailing business, the motto of which is “Making a Lasting Impression.” You may have seen him on your block power washing your neighbors’ driveways, sidewalks and lanais, along with detailing many a car. I can speak from personal experience that he does an excellent, thorough job!
Three Holes in One - From Left to Right Terry Burke, Tom Boos, Ray Atherholt
Cameron McKinley By Margaret Farmar Cameron McKinley, 23 years of age, is in his third season at VCC. He’s a native Floridian. He grew up on the east coast in Port St. Lucie, and now resides in the Fort Myers area. Cameron attended Florida Gulf Coast University studying business and computer engineering his freshman year. Covid arrived disrupting those plans. After things eased up, he decided being in an office setting was not for him. At this time, he’s unsure whether or not he will go back and finish school. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID FT MYERS FL PERMIT 751
Cameron McKinley Getting To Know Our Staff on page 5
Men’s Golf Friday Games 3/15 3/22 3/29 4/05 4/12
Four Man Scramble Man in the Box Three Clubs and a Putter–2 Man Team Member-Guest NO FRIDAY GAMES Four Man–One Low Net, One Low Gross
February Villager From the Villager Staff The Villager editorial staff apologizes for the mix up with the February issue that included some Grandezza material. Apparently, the publisher, Seabreeze Communications, prepared the appropriate material for the printer, but the printer picked up the wrong packet. To correct the situation, Seabreeze reprinted the issue with the correct information and mailed it to VCC residents at its own expense. Seabreeze has always been very responsive to our needs and a delight to work with. Thank you Seabreeze for your efforts to provide our residents with a new February copy of the Villager.