WEEk of fEbruary 21, 2024 FLIER INSIDE
Donation to FISH Matlacha Hookers present $5,430 check to island organization — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 47, NumbEr 42
Local Elks Lodges support Army of Hope Picnic The Elks South-Southwest District Army Of Hope Picnic will be held at the Rotonda Lodge # 2710 Sunday, Feb. 25, from 12-4 p.m. The opening Flag Ceremony will begin at noon with music from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. The 10 lodges in the South-Southwest District have planned to serve pulled pork, hamburgers, hot dogs, Philly cheesesteaks and sausages with peppers and onions, salads and desserts. Attendees will have an opportunity to take part in the silent auction, games and raffles, as well as having an opportunity to learn about the Florida Elks and its many
charitable programs that are making a difference in communities within South-Southwest Florida. All proceeds from the picnic will go to support the Florida Elks Army of Hope. The Army of Hope is a program of the Florida State Elks Association established in 2007 that helps families of all branches of service. Its mission is to provide aid assistance to the families of deceased, disabled and deployed members of the military. The families of Florida active duty military personnel, military reservists, Coast Guard, the National Guard and/or their dependents are eligible. An active duty member stationed in Florida
with his/her dependents would qualify as a Florida resident. The help you give through the Florida Army of Hope allows the military member to safely concentrate on his/her duties without worrying about the family at home. The Army of Hope also assists returning veterans with costs to re-establish their civilian life after deployment. Examples of aid assistance include: ■ School lunches, medical and dental emergencies not covered by insurance, minor home repairs (plumbing, See ARMY OF HOPE PICNIC, page 16
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Hanley checking stress levels Aaron Barreda By PAULETTE LEBLANC
By PAULETTE LEBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
aving retired from a 20-year career in the Army and graduating from the Military Academy, Aaron Barreda took command of American Legion Post 136 on Pine Island just after Hurricane Ian. Having been in the military gave him experiences all over the country, he said. One of his favorite encounters was seeing the results of small-town folks who helped one another without being asked. “When I came down to Pine Island and I started to meet people, I realized these are the same type of people. This is where the salt of the earth is — where people enjoy their community, and support each other. I was coming down and continually interacting with the folks here and watching the community events and seeing how close the community was — that’s when I realized that’s what I was missing,” Barreda said. Living in the concrete jungle of Washington, D.C., he said, where it seems no one is friends with their neighbor, made him realize a close community was the only place for him. He shared that seeing the needs of Pine Island in the weeks and months directly following the storm, came with the realization that the island lacked access to county, state and federal government resources needed to begin long-term recovery. “Even though we could feed a lot of people from the Legion, and we had tons of supplies being given away, there was still more that needed to be done,” Barreda said. By creating a long-term recovery group, he said, Pine Island would be recognized by all the aforementioned government entities, as an organization dedicated to helping with preparedness as well as post disaster in the future. That was the catalyst for founding the Greater Pine Island Alliance (GPIA). “Really, the impetus was not having the resources coming to the island that we needed and looking into and understanding the processes of how to get those resources,” Barreda said. From the standpoint of commanding the American Legion, Barreda said he wanted to take what he did to help his community to another level where he could really assist those in need. Even now, 18 months after the hurricane, he said, there are still people living in trailers, proving Hurricane Ian has left Pine Island with
H
PHOTO PROVIDED
Islander Aaron Barreda. a continual need. “We’re very thankful for those relief organizations who came in, but we knew they were gonna be gone within a few months. In order to establish an organization that could continue to coordinate with other nonprofits and government entities to continue to bring in
According to Dr. Daniel Hanley of Ancuram Family Medicine in Bokeelia, stress is part of life we can’t control. He maintains that all we can control is our response to it. “Stress is good. It motivates you and gets you going. You achieve more than you thought possible. However, in general, you can only handle so much stress at one time before things can start going wrong. The toll stress can take on your body is cumulative over time,” Hanley said. The good news, he explained, is that human beings are resilient, possessing the ability to recover, heal and bounce back. In general, he said, try to think practically by Dr. Daniel Hanley using common sense. He utilizes medicines as much as the next doctor, but looks at them as tools. “As with any tool, when the job is done, you put the tool away. So, deprescribing wherever possible is a necessary part of my encounter. There are also numerous non-medication tools available, and some of them involve different professionals. Taking an active role in your personal health pays dividends over decades, and there’s nothing wrong with asking questions and coming up with the best answers you can for yourself – it’s your life, after all,” Hanley said. We must learn to think of stress as anything that gets us going, he explained. We have things to do, and not enough time to get these things done. From a basic biochemical standpoint, our hormones are activated in that “fight or flight” response powering our sympathetic system, which enables nerves to get us going. One such hormone, he said, is cortisol. Hanley said we should think of cortisol as a steroid (not to be confused with Cortizone — a common topical steroid cream sold over the counter). Cortisol helps to suppress your immune system, he explained. “That’s how it controls inflammation. It also comes at
See BARREDA, page 12
Athlete of the Week.........15 Dolphin Tales.....................6 Obituaries........................18 insidetoday Cribbage Corner..............20 Island Mahjongg.............16 On the Water......................9
See STRESS, page 17
Classifieds