The villager - May 2024 by Seabreeze Communications

President’s Notes For The May Villager

By Denny Simonavice

Thank you, VCC! The turnout for the first meeting with the newly elected Master Board on April 8 was exciting and encouraging. We hope you enjoyed the coffee as we certainly enjoyed having all of you there with us.

This Master Board has big goals, and in its three short weeks of service to VCC it has already been putting in place the foundational steps to meet these goals.

All board members have accepted liaison positions with standing committees and many have already attended meetings. We are rewriting all committee charters to better reflect VCC’s mission statement, and to more clearly direct the workings of committee members. If you are not on a committee, consider joining one so you can be an integral part of what is going to be happening in your neighborhood. You’ll meet some pretty amazing people!

This board has also engaged a Parliamentarian, a Secretary and an Assistant Secretary to assist with appropriate operational procedures before, during and after meetings. We had a few bumps at our first meeting, but their assistance ensures we will improve.

We will be introducing the extensive team of volunteers and staff members throughout upcoming meetings so you can connect names with faces and positions. I bet you don’t

CCLGA News

By Karlene Reilly

“It’s Five O’Clock

Somewhere” was the theme of our spectacular Member/ Member golf event which was held on April 11. What a gorgeous day we had as we gathered at 7am in the clubhouse for a delicious breakfast! All of the items were prepared by members. There were

know even half of the dedicated volunteers and workers that make VCC what it is. They are a gift!

Our new Treasurer has started working with our new Finance Committee, and they are digging into the challenges of budget reconciliation and financial operations in the short and long term. They are committed to open communication about our financial situation that will allow us all to more easily understand where our money is now and where it will be going. You will be hearing from them often.

The summer will be busy here. We will have the new sound system installed in the clubhouse in May. Hooray! We are looking at having the exterior of the clubhouse painted, scheduling a deep clean of the inside of the clubhouse, and continuing work on the golf course. We are looking for ways to expand storage to allow for much improved use of space, and money saved on external storage units. We are searching for a company to conduct our Reserve Study, as well as an appraisal of VCC. Then we will contact insurance companies for appropriate coverage. We are updating our governing documents, committee charters, and staffing arrangements. We have reinstated the Ad Hoc Committee that was researching the updating of our clubhouse and will be in discussion with them about going forward. As you can tell, summer will see us fully engaged in moving VCC forward.

The Master Board is here to serve VCC residents. To that end, we have established multiple means for you to be heard. Please avail yourselves of the Comment Cards in the front lobby of the clubhouse, the monthly Board Meetings, the monthly Chat Meetings, and our VCC emails. We want to hear from each of you: What is it that you need? How can we help?

muffins, scones, yogurt and a variety of fruits. In the clubhouse lobby some of our early risers were selling 50/50 chances and others were offering a gift bag to help us improve our score on the course. The bag included a 15 inch ribbon to help with putts, three Mulligans,

CCMGA News

By Danny Chelenza 2023–2024 Recap

Here’s this season’s results of our Men’s League Major Events:

Ravis Preuitt Match Play

Champions: Sam Lewin & Stan Slingerland

MGA Member-Member

Champions: Tim Downs & Kevin Klotzbach

Elmer Rawson Match Play

Champions:

Blue Flight 1 Chris Migut

Blue Flight 2 Mark Deery

White Flight Phil Beloin

Chuck Hunkins MGA

Championship

Low Gross Champions: Garry Kraemer Blue Tees

Nick Neher White Tees

Low Net Champions: Pete Buechner Blue Flight #1

Bob Maguire Blue Flight #2

John Mowrey White Flight

Don Polulak Receiving the Fred McBride Award

We also sponsored a Masters Week Par 3 Tournament on Wednesday April 10. John Alfuth and I came up with the idea to make this a fundraiser for SWFJGA (Southwest Florida Junior Golf Association) and Suncoast Junior Tour. We were able to raise $1,450 for these Associations.

Our annual Gala was held on Friday April 12 where awards and recognitions were given out. Also, we now have a new President, Don Polulak, who is replacing me. I will now move to the Immediate Past President position and I thank everyone for their support!

From CCMGA President: Don Polulak

A special thank you to our past President, Dan Chelenza, for all of his hard work and dedication these past 2 years in making our league the success that it is. I would like to mention a few of the things that Dan did for our league during his time as President:

• Our Member/Member event is now a Member/ Member Memorial to honor those members who have passed during our previous league season.

• Dan led the way to update and change a handful of our By-Laws.

• Dan did a fantastic job of communicating league information via email.

I am happy to say that Dan will still be an integral part of our league.

I would like to thank all of our members and board members for their continued support. It is our goal to keep our Men’s league a great league to play in by continuing to have fun and make new friendships. I will do my best to keep our members well informed.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer.

Betsy McLeod Got a Hole In One on Hole #3 Left to Right: Diana Burton, Melissa Mowrey

Left to Right: Mary Anne Alicea, Colleen Moore, Mena DeMario, Shirley Perry

Left to Right: Mary Reid, Sherrie Araskog, Denise Sahly, Lynda Waltho

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

By The Country Creek Volunteers

The Volunteers wish to thank the Villagers at Country Creek for their continued support of our organization. The success of our annual golf outing is not only a tribute to all in our community that enjoy a great day of golf, but also their recognition of the many projects performed by the Volunteers.

This year we had a total of 192 golfers playing in the morning and afternoon sessions. Hole sponsorship/ donations increased to 45 contributors, and the Volunteers realized over $8,000 after expenses. The proceeds this year will be used to purchase needed tools and equipment that permit the Volunteers to perform their work. This year the bucket/backhoe that is shared with the VCC maintenance crew was in need of an overhaul so the outing will provide the monies necessary for the repair.

So once again, the Volunteers want to say “THANK YOU.”

Care Bears

By Karen Dougherty

Many of our residents will be leaving our community to go north for the summer. If you have been the recipient of any of our Care Bears medical equipment, please contact me ahead of time as I am not always available to receive your items immediately. This would be extremely helpful. Also, to our permanent residents, please remember that we are available for your needs throughout the summer. Again, it is always helpful to give a little notice when possible that you are going to be needing any of our equipment.

I have been asked lately if I have information on outside assistance for caregivers, or a loved one needing assistance of some kind. I have been made aware of The Dubin Center that helps with anyone involved in or needing help with any form of dementia. Their phone number is 239-437-3007. Their services are free of charge. I hope this is helpful.

If you are in need of Care Bears, contact either Pat Rosselli @ 216-832-5832 or myself (Karen) @ 217-220-0626.

Tennis News

By Kristen Salerno

In March the Tennis Committee met for their annual meeting. The conditions of the courts was a major topic. They were pleased to announce that the condo courts were refreshed in October and the pool courts are budgeted for 2025. The long awaited canopies at the condo courts are in development and delivery is targeted for summer 2024.

Many thanks to the various captains that kept the competitive matches scheduled. It was a challenging year due to many rainouts early in the season.

A new committee was established. It includes Faith Bauer, Rocky Blaschke, Larry Brush, Rod Cameron and David Smith. Many thanks also to Sylvia Allen and Barbara Wilson for their previous service. The saying, “It takes a village” is very appropriate when organizing the tennis community at VCC.

The women’s Sunshine League completed their season and ended with an impressive 2nd place finish out of 7 teams.

Bocce News

By Patti O’Connor

Safe travels to all those who are returning north and keep on moving and playing the game for those who are full-time. I will leave you with this saying…..YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE BUT YOU GET TO SERVE TWICE!

Annual Tennis And Pickleball Dinner Dance

March

11, 2025

Our VCC Bocce season rolled to a stop on March 22 with an exciting end. The first placed tied Rascals played against the 11th seated Blacksmith Forgers at the VCC court. The Rascals got there early and planted their flag to let the Forgers know they were ready to win first place. Rascals would take first place by winning all three games.

The Rascals were ahead most of game one; the Forgers got a few great rolls. The Rascals needed 1 point and the Forgers 4 points to win game one. The Forgers ended up getting 4 points and ending the game. The Rascals came back and won the next two games. Since the Rascals and the Bocce Bandits tied for the season, we had to look at when the two teams played each other to determine the overall season winner. Since the Bocce Bandits had more wins against the Rascals during their normal play, the Bocce Bandits won the 2024 Winter VCC Bocce Champions. The Rascals took second place. The Flamingos took third place.

On March 26, we had our annual award dinner at our clubhouse crowning the winners. Everyone had a great time.

Left to Right: Tom Whelan and Rocky Blaschke – 1st Place Winners of Lee County Senior Games Age Group 75-79 Men Defeated their opponents in a 3 set match

Joan and Rocky Blaschke – 1st Place Winners of Lee County Senior Games Age Group 75-79 Mixed Doubles

Rascals, 2nd Place Winners

Flamingos, 3rd Place Winners

Mike Halpin, Rascals Captain Bob Smith, Bocce Bandits Captain Bocce Bandits, 2024 Winter Champions

We start our 2024 fall season in mid October. If you wish to join a team, please email Patti O’Connor at buka@comcast.net.

The History Of The VCC Villager

By Lois Christensen

As we approach the end of the season with this May issue of the Villager, it might be interesting to note a bit of Villager history. A few weeks ago I received an email from Joan Meginniss, a Villager staff worker from years past, that she had a box of old copies of the Villager. In going through them, I found a number of interesting things. The first “Villager” was published in the Winter of 1988 as a quarterly newsletter “bringing you up to date on the latest developments at the Villages at Country Creek” which at that time featured only the Manor Home and Fairway Estate as model homes on Winterberry Way and Old Oak Place and the beginnings of the Clubhouse. Estero was just beginning to grow and to attract companies to relocate to Southwest Florida. The article goes on to explain the value of this community: “The Villages at Country Creek offers a product which is needed in our area . . . and offers unbeatable value . . . and available housing which is attractive to middle managers.”

It was also interesting to note that the first hole on the golf course to be completed at VCC was the 18th hole, “. . .

a grand finale to this challenging executive course.” Advice to golfers at that time was: “Reach into your bag for one more club than you think is necessary (possibly a five iron) and aim just a little left of the pin to ensure your safe par. Or, fire at the flagstick and be rewarded with a birdie, or . . .?” Is this still the case after all these years?

While I don’t have copies of every single past issue, it appears that the Villager assumed its current format in 1990 and its current publication design somewhere around 2010. To this day it has served the membership during the community’s growth as a vital communication tool still “. . . bringing you up to date on the latest developments at the Villages at Country Creek.”

The old documents I reviewed contained a plethora of articles written by residents of VCC expressing the pleasure they had in participating in events and being part of this community. This year we’ve tried to bring back some of that human interest scope and hope the residents have enjoyed it. As chair of the Communications Committee, I thank my current staff of Susan D’Alessandro, Margaret Farmer, Judy Lieske, and Board liaison Steve Zielinski for their efforts in that regard.

The Villager staff thanks all who have participated over the years in providing articles, photos, ideas and many hours of volunteer work so that the Villager may continue to keep the membership aware of all the happenings that make up life here in the Villages at Country Creek.

VCC Final Fashion Show

By Lois Christensen

The final fashion show of the season was held at the VCC clubhouse on Tuesday, April 2. The event featured clothing and accessories from Casual Connections and included everything from golf to evening attire–and in sizes to fit every figure. The models included Nancy Bosshard, Carla Bunger, Linda Duffy, Kristen Elliott, Sara Moskal, Lana Rogers, Michelle Suarez, and the always exquisite Bobbie Giannuzzi. There were numerous interesting effects present in the clothing; for example, front slits at the bottoms of

Villagers You Should Know

Ron Snyder, The Country Creek Volunteer Cleaner Extraordinaire

By Jack Arvold

the trouser legs, fabrics encrusted with “gems,” and several examples of crocheted effect in the tops - a feature to watch for this season..

Lunch was yummy as usual with a small broccoli and cheese quiche nestled next to salad greens with raspberry sherbet for dessert.

Thanks to Bobbie for organizing the show–she promises there will be more of them next season. A special thank you to the models and to the VCC staff for another lovely luncheon event.

April Prom Night Birthday Bash

By Judy Lieske

What a great night at the VCC Clubhouse. A large crowd of neighbors enjoying neighbors as they swept the dance floor with their prom dates enjoying wonderful music by Wendy Renee. Great food was prepared by new Chef Kwaze who went around to each table checking on the meals. The staff did an exceptional job ensuring great service to all. A prom King and Queen was randomly chosen, the Queen Maureen Anderson and the King Jared Powell. A very dapper Master Board President Dennis Simonavice

and his beautiful wife Sharon greeted many residents making everyone feel welcome.

A great time was had by all.

Ron and his wife BJ come from Norwalk, Iowa. They relocated their Florida vacation home of 15 years on Marco Island to the Villages at Country Creek because they had many friends living here and wanted to join them. When Ron joined the Country Creek Volunteers he saw a need to improve the beauty of our beautiful grounds. Imagine your day starting at 5:30AM Monday through Friday riding around Country Creek from the front entrance, and along Corkscrew Road to the rear of our property, picking up pieces of paper, cans, pet excrement, dead animals, vegetation debris and plastic junk. While doing this he would also check our street lights, photocells and sensors, replacing or repairing them when needed. After doing all this, he then returns to the Volunteer shop and joins the Volunteers working on their projects of the day. Following this, he works with the Country Creek Deadheaders cutting foliage and taking the carts full of the day’s trimmings to the dumpster.

Ron Snyder M.Ed, CIT, CET, CSP has 40 years of experience in training and education, and 18 years as Director of Programs in Environmental Health and Safety for Hazardous Materials under OSHA and FEMA. He is indeed a Volunteer Extraordinaire!

a lovely inscribed golf ball as a memento, plus food bars to keep us nourished as we played. Eventually we were called to the staircase for our traditional picture. At 8am we moved to our carts as we listened to Jimmy Buffett music. It was a “shotgun” start so we all then traveled to our respective holes. John Alfuth, our golf pro, helped each group on the 15th hole by hitting off from the top of the hill to the green. This not only speeded up play, but gave us an opportunity to lower our score. At other holes, we had a chance to putt through decorated salt shakers, have our pictures taken on hole #1 and chip into a float on hole #13. It was reported that very few ladies made the difficult chip. We also met the Margarita Fairy on hole #9 who had delicious Margaritas ready for us, as well as another photo opportunity.

As the day progressed, it became very windy so we were ready for lunch. The dining room was beautifully decorated, frozen Margaritas were offered and a superb lunch was prepared for us. We had cheese burgers or chicken burgers, with all the trimmings, coleslaw, broccoli salad, bacon and pineapple chunks. Homemade cupcakes were prepared by our committee members and were served for dessert.

During lunch, John Alfuth announced the eight winning teams for the event. There were numerous prizes including two groups who had the best costumes.

A big thank you goes to Diana Burton and Melissa Mowery for chairing such a fabulous event. A “shout out” goes out to everyone else who helped make the event so successful.

As our season comes to a close, we thank the CCLGA board members for all their leadership this season, and wish everyone a wonderful summer. We look forward to seeing all CCLGA members in November as our league begins a new season.

CCLGA News from page 1

Ron Snyder

Community Channel Updates

By Judy Lieske IMPORTANT

UPDATES ON COMMUNITY

CHANNEL

After a year of using the Community Channel a report shows what our residents are viewing on a regular basis and has warranted some changes. There are now 5 main sections on the Community TV screen, ADMINISTRATION, CLUBHOUSE, GOVERNANCE, VILLAGE OF ESTERO, MESSAGES. Under each main section are subtitles with important information. What’s new?

1. CLUBHOUSE now has all VCC events whether social, tennis, golf, or bocce.

2. CREEKSIDE now has hours, menus, bar and restaurant information only.

3. GOVERNANCE now has messages from the Master Board.

4. VILLAGE OF ESTERO (new section) shows updates and local events.

5. MESSAGES will continue with updates, but will add messages from the Board.

If you are going up north for the summer, make sure you download the app on your phone and regularly check your messages so you can stay informed with what’s happening here at VCC.

If you need instructions on how to download the phone app or use your remote, send an email to VCChotwiretv@gmail.com.

Hotwire Common Areas Password

Wii Bowling

By Karen Dougherty

The Wii Bowling season has come to an end with a wonderful banquet held on April 8 in our clubhouse. All teams were awarded some prize money for their great participation. The committee thanks everyone for their assistance in making this a great community event.

Three bowlers were awarded for their perfect 300 games. They were Gary Burris, Dana Prange and Lana Rodgers. They were each given a plaque plus a cash award. Our first place team this year was Wii Will Rock U with members Dennis and Karen Dougherty and Bob and Dana Prange. Their team name was added to the Wii trophy kept in the clubhouse. The highest scratch women scorers were Teri Fuller, Karen Dougherty and Lynne Rogers (tied) and the highest men’s scratch scorers were Dennis Dougherty and Don Polulak (tied).

As per each summer, we have bowling beginning June 12 with play times being 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00. Anyone can bowl; there is no league play and also no team required.

The fee is $2 per game and all money collected each week is returned in prize money that day to the score that matches the secret number for the highest and lowest scores. Enjoy the summer and happy bowling!