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DECEMBER 2023 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA, LLC COMPOST PILOT A SUCCESS
WELCOME BACK SNOWBIRDS! School Begins
Free College starts Jan 11th
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LANDINGS RESIDENT PROFILE, KATHY LEIDEL
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HALLOWEEN COSTUME WINNER, GAYLE MARAVAL
Mark your calendars! Save the dates!!! The Landings’ Free College will commence its weekly presentations on Thursday, January 11, 2024, from 2-3 p.m. in the Lakeside Room of LRC. This year’s schedule (see below) promises to be one of the most diverse and interesting in the history of the program. On behalf of the Free College Nominations Committee (Mona Poyta, Teresa Manteiga, Frank Pipers, and John Bruno, Chair) I wish to thank members of the community for their interesting nominations and self-nominations. As a brief overview, the list of speakers represents a compelling combination of professionals from the Sarasota arts, medical, technology, and foreign policy spaces. At the same time, we have several fascinating presentations from our Landings’ residents, ranging from dispelling myths about brain function to senior dating! So, bring in the New Year with the reinforcing experience of learning something new! We hope to see you on January 11 th .
Landings Volunteers Who Work for You Eddie Goldstein
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WELCOME COMMITTEE ON THE MOVE
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TEEN SCENE: AVALON TESLA OTTESON-HURST, 15
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This is the fourteenth in a series of articles highlighting the special volunteers who help to make The Landings such a wonderful community. The Eagle interviewed Eddie Goldstein for this issue. B u s i n e s s wo m a n , s n o w b i r d , hospital administrator, swimmer, photographer, sailor, yoga student, gardener, dancer, hiker, actress, wife, parent and grandparent; all describe Eddie Goldstein. Eddie has spent most of her life in the Philadelphia area. She grew up in Overbrook Park, and attended junior and senior high schools in Havertown, PA. She went to summer camp in Maine where she further developed her interest in the outdoors, mountain climbing, hiking and the arts. After graduating Syracuse University with a liberal arts and psychology degree, Eddie took time off to hitchhike throughout the U.S. and Canada, ending up in Montreal. She stayed there for a year working odd jobs (on a sewing assembly line making leather pants, in a Polish restaurant) while learning French. After moving back to Philadelphia, she worked at The Academy of Natural Sciences in Development, and then for 5 years as On-Air Auction Director for the local PBS TV affiliate. The early 80’s saw Eddie embark on a 10-year career as a hospital administrator at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. During this time Eddie married, had her daughter Molly, and moved to Moorestown NJ, a close suburb of Philadelphia. After a brief pause as a stay-at-home mom, Eddie started her business as a Publishers’ Representative. Her focus was on getting related businesses to purchase print advertisements in
publications focused on parenting, style, and African American health, to name a few. Work i ng f i r st w it h one lo c a l newspaper, she expanded the business to representing a variety of regional, and national publications. With the advent of the internet, Eddie got involved with a dotcom company, BeyondWork, which was her first entry into the online world. That led to a 22+ year career (she is still working) as an independent sales and marketing professional representing Thomasnet.com, a company dedicated to supp or t i ng Nor t h A me r ic a n manufacturing. With clients that range from international valve manufacturers to local packaging companies, Eddie helps her clients grow their businesses almost exclusively with the use of digital marketing. Eddie’s second husband, Chris, a professor of mathematics at Temple University, have been together since 2003, when the family grew with the addition of Chris’ children Daniel and Romina. Eddie’s parents used to winter on Lido Key, so she and Chris had opportunities to visit Sarasota. Since they both were able to work remotely during Covid, they spent time on Siesta Key, fell in love with the area, and decided to look for a place. Eddie said that when she first entered The Landings, it was a “wow” experience. “The beautiful landscaping, the feel of the community, the diverse housing and friendly, interesting people were what attracted us to the community.” When in Fall 2021 they learned that a unit in Eagles Point Circle was available, they were finally able to purchase their home in The Landings.
Even as a part-time resident, Eddie soon got involved. While listening in on an LMA zoom meeting, she heard that there was a need for volunteers to help with the website. She met with Elida Ramberger and Joan Koplin, who immediately recruited her to chair the website committee. With a wink of her eye, Eddie told this reporter that in The Landings, “you need to be careful when you raise your hand”. She has since not only chaired the website committee but has also taken on the overall chairmanship of the Communications Committee, and recently filled an open seat on the LMA Board. “It has been a great experience for me. I have met and am collaborating with many wonderful and talented people. It’s rewarding to see that the work we do together can make changes for the benefit o f t h e e nt i r e community.” O u t s i d e The Landings, Eddie has taken adva nt ag e o f Selby Gardens, The Sarasota Museum of Art, Asolo Theatre, Va n We z e l , Florida Studio Theatre, and the Artists Concert Series. When asked what she hopes will take place over future years in The Landings, she said: “I hope more residents of all ages and skill sets will get
involved as volunteers. The Landings is like a little city and so of course that requires a focus on physical infrastructure. But we also need to improve our overall communications and systems, the “unseen” infrastructure that connects us all. Improving the website is an important piece of that, but there is also a lot of software that backs up our overall community that needs attention too.” Apart from The Landings, Eddie and Chris enjoy family (including new grandbaby Leo) and traveling. They’ve spent lots of time in Argentina (where Chris is from), as well as in France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland, where Eddie has joined Chris when he has taken sabbaticals throughout his teaching career. A big thank you, to Eddie Goldstein, one of our special Landings volunteers.