Boca Royale’s Golf Course And Restaurant Takeout Are Both Open!
Golf Carts Sanitized For Players On Boca Royale’s Links; Kitchens Maintain Superb Safety Standards And Food Quality
“We are committed to serving everyone in the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club family and the general public during this difficult time,” says General Manager Ian Fetigan. “Our staff and management team is working hard to get through this time safely and with an eye on better days ahead. We want our community to know that we are following health guidelines and making sure our staff, residents and guests all stay safe. Our golf course is open for play, we are sanitizing all club areas and golf carts regularly, and the golf carts are one person per cart. Our restaurants are open for takeout, and we are keeping our meal preparation and food quality standards as high as always, and always putting safety first. Here at Boca Royale, we have always been a family and we know we will all get through this together. Whether you reside with us, golf with us, or take away food from our excellent kitchens, you can count on Boca Royale Golf and Country Club to be there for you. Better days are ahead!”
Boca Royale Golf And Country Club
1601 Englewood Road, Englewood
941.475.6464
Contour Day Spa Made Hygiene And Cleanliness Critical Even Before COVID19
“At The Contour Day Spa, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional body fat reduction results in an elegant and comfortable setting,” explains owner Dave Bailey. “Lori, an RN, recognized that attention to hygiene and cleanliness were a critical aspect of customer and employee safety. Robust procedures were in place on day one that mimicked those used in hospitals. However, COVID-19 clearly required extraordinary measures to control its spread, so on April 3, we respected Governor DeSantis’s Safer at Home Order and suspended operations. The unexpected pause in business has given us time reflect on what we have accomplished and look for ways to enhance our customer experience. We also have a new respect for small business owners in Venice who endured the downturn from Red Tide in 2018 and now face further challenges with the Coronavirus. We are immensely proud of our community and look forward to the time when we can serve each other again!”
405 Commercial Court, Suite A, Venice. 941.777.4448. TheContourDaySpa.com
Village On The Isle Responds Quickly To Crisis For The Safety And Well Being Of The Whole VOTI Family
Village On The Isle has responded to this crisis with the utmost regard for the safety and wellbeing of residents and staff. VOTI's 16-plus acre campus on the island of Venice has become a haven during so much uncertainty as we continue to offer the best lifestyle experience and support possible. Residents, staff, and others have praised VOTI's early interventions for dealing with COVID-19. VOTI is home for over 450 older adults and 300 employees. The facility screens everyone at its main campus gatehouse, delivers in-home meals from its restaurant daily to residents, orders, picks-up, and delivers groceries and prescriptions. VOTI has also found a way to support local restaurants during this pandemic with take-out meals. Residents are using technology to connect with their neighbors and family. They also appreciate VOTI in-house television channels for in-home exercise by our fitness instructor and worship services by our chaplain.
“COVID-19 is a public health safety pandemic, and we know as a matter of fact that older adults
and persons with severe underlying health conditions are the greatest at risk,” explained VOTI CEO Joel Anderson in a statement. “Therefore, we have taken every action necessary to prevent the spread of the novel
coronavirus within our community and followed the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, and the state and local health departments, to ensure we are doing everything in our
power to protect residents.”
920 Tamiami Trail S, 941.486.5490, VillageOnTheIsle.com
Island Way Boutique Owners Give Back To The Community During The Crisis
Owners Emmanuel And Shauna Boichut Eager To See Friends And Customers
“On March at noon, I decided to close our store, Island Way Boutique,” says boutique owner, Emmanuel Boichut. “Traffic was already very slow, and I did not want to expose my employees nor did I wanted to possibly bring the virus home. We are hoping by the time you are reading this, our store will be happily open. Confinement and standing around are not my friends, but thankfully my wife Shauna had an extensive list of things to keep me moving. We also did our best to help anyone we could during the stay at home order, our neighbors in need, helping people less fortunate by paying for their purchase at the grocery store. We gave each mother attending the nonprofit Our Mother's House of Venice an Easter basket with something for the kids, too. Now it’s June, and we are looking forward to welcoming back the familiar faces of our customers, celebrating with sales and specials.”
225 West Miami Ave., Venice. 941.451.9668 Facebook.com/DownIslandWayBoutique
Keeping Strong And Healthy During Quarantine At Jacaranda Trace
Jacaranda Trace is actively protecting both the residents and employees during the COVID-19 crisis. All visitors and staff have their temperature taken daily. Employees wear masks when they come in contact with anyone. Those residents who can sew have been helping out making masks. Three meals a day are offered and can be delivered to their home. Transportation is provided for medical and financial needs.
Keeping residents occupied and keeping up morale with fun activities is one of the main goals. Many exercise classes are offered on the in-house television channel as well as lectures and special educational programming. Staff gladly volunteer to help residents figure out the latest technology so that they can stay in contact with family on Zoom, and Facetime. Trivia, bingo, door decorating, coloring, scavenger hunts inside their apartment and funniest joke contests are going on by text or video. Prizes and special gifts are being awarded out to the winners. Residents are handed out watercolors, knitting and coloring kits to create projects that will remind them of their time in quarantine. Everything is being done to keep residents healthy and mentally occupied and safe during this time.
Jacaranda Trace
3600 William Penn Way, Venice
941.584.5431
Sunbug And Twist Boutique Offer Online Sales and Private Video Styling Chats
“We’ve really missed seeing all our customers who couldn’t visit us these past weeks during the crisis and are so excited to reconnect once life starts to return to normal,” says Norhala Houck, a great friend of Venice Lifestyle and owner of Historic Downtown Venice’s Sunbug and Twist Boutique. “It has been such a blessing for James and I to be part of this beautiful, resilient, and vibrant community. We would really like to thank all of our friends and customers who went the extra mile for us during this recent crisis, and to all who continue to support our brands. Until we see you again in person, get your prescribed dose of our fashions, our team, and even some comic relief on our Instagram or Facebook pages. You can now shop our catalogues online at venicetwist.com and I would also love to visit and consult with you via private video chat!”
Sunbug
141 W. Venice Ave., Venice
941.485.7946
TheSunbug.com
Twist Boutique
137 W. Venice Ave., Venice
941.786.1025
Facebook.com/TheVeniceTwist
Follow Norhala on IG and FB @thesunbug and @thevenicetwist
Habitat for Humanity South Sarasota County Continues Its Mission During Pandemic
“Habitat for Humanity South Sarasota County is passionate about continuing our mission and caring for our homeowners, staff, and volunteers during this time of crisis,” says Development Coordinator Christina McCauley. “Currently, our corporate offices and ReStore are closed to the public. But our operations and mission continue electronically. Should you need to contact us, phone and emails will be attended to. We are hopeful that we will reopen as soon as possible, depending on the current situation at that time. For more information on our COVID-19 plan, visit www.habitatsouthsarasota.org/covid-19. It continues to be our goal to build safe, decent, affordable, energy efficient homes for those in need in south Sarasota County, FL and to educate our homeowners so that they may succeed in home-ownership and pass their newly acquired knowledge onto the next generation.”
Habitat for Humanity South Sarasota County
280 Alligator Drive, Venice
941.493.6606
Millions Could Lose Health Insurance Amid Pandemic
An analysis from Health Management Associates showed up to 35 million people could lose employer-sponsored coverage as unemployment rises amid the novel Coronavirus pandemic. If unemployment hits 25%, enrollment in employer-sponsored plans could fall to 128 million, Medicaid enrollment could reach 94 million, and 39 million to 40 million Americans would be uninsured. Can you or your family really ‘afford’ to not have health insurance at a time like this? This is where MJ Johnson can help. There are affordable solutions to keep your family safe. There is minimal wait time for your plan to be issued, you can enroll anytime and you can pick and choose what is best for your needs now.
Health coverage plans starting as low at $106.25. During this trying time MJ is providing free consultation and health coverage portfolios to those in need. Please call her at 941.286.5002 or register on her website: Mjjohnsonconciergecoverage.com.
Stylin & Design Studio Announces Plans For Dealing With COVID19
Lucy and Peter Becht at Stylin & Design Salon are looking forward to when they can get back to normal opening hours to meet their clients’ needs. Due to the ‘Statewide Stay at Home Order,’ their salon has been closed for the month of April, and they are looking forward—just like the rest of the community—for everything to return to normal.
“We know that moving forward we will be taking extra steps to protect our clients and staff,” explains Lucy. “Our plans are to have one client at a time in our salon until we overcome this virus. To all our clients and future clients, we will only take appointments with one client at a time in the salon to give us time to clean and disinfect all points of contact from prior clients before our next appointment. We will also not be taking any walk-ins until further notice.”
3980 Tamiami Trail S., Venice. Lucy 941.735.9852. Peter 941.735.9886. Stylindesignsalon.com
Bowersox Air Conditioning & Heating Following All Health Guidelines During Crisis
Firm Founded By Venice Native Bruce Bowersox Will Be There For You Whenever You Need Them
When he founded his company, Bowersox Heating & Air Conditioning in August 2018, owner Bruce Bowersox knew that he wanted to be his own boss, and that he wanted to provide Venice with a heating and air conditioning company that was truly committed to customer service. That commitment to service has become more important than ever to the young, Venice native, father to year-old Braylee and husband to Courtney.
“I have always believed that when the air conditioning goes out, here in Florida, that is a true emergency,” says Bruce. “Now more than ever, Bowersox Heating & Air Conditioning is committed to providing the best customer service in our region. When you call our number, I answer the phone. My staff is trained in customer service best practices, and now during the COVID19 pandemic, we come to your home wearing masks, gloves, and covering our shoes. We care for your health as much as we care for our own. We want our customers to know that we will be there when they need us, and that we will do our absolute best to follow health guidelines to keep everyone safe. With the summer months on the way, we want Venice to know that Bowersox Heating & Air Conditioning is always here to serve you when you need us!”
239 Center Court, Venice. 941.525.2194. Bowersoxair.com. Bowersoxair@gmail.com
Medicare Specialist Karla Blake Uses Zoom For Consultations During COVID
Karla Leans On Her Faith In A Time Of Crisis
“We’re definitely stronger together,” says Medicare Specialist Karla Blake. “United we stand, divided we fall. We’ve all been going through difficult times and handle stress differently. Both faith and fear believe in the unknown, one is positive, the other negative. I choose to lean on my faith. I continue to make myself available to my clients, answering questions as they arise. I’ve been able to pray with and for them, even on a personal level. I’ve connected with many on social media, having fun with cooking videos, Karla’s Kitchen. Laughter is good medicine! I’m blessed, referrals are steady as people keep turning 65 and need my help! I’m still able to service new and existing clients, just not in person. Not to lose a personal touch, I use Zoom for face-to-face consultations and screen sharing for new policies with an electronic signature. Uncertain times require flexibility. I hope to make a positive difference.”
Karla Blake Medicare Specialist
954.612.1754
karlablake.medicarespecialist@gmail.com
