Mayor Fields said, “Accessibility is one of the keys to local government and Mornings with the Mayor provides the opportunity for our citizens to share their views, ask questions and provide feedback on issues that are directly affecting them.” He added, “Our first event was very successful with about 40 residents attending. This valuable time with residents allows face to face dialogue regarding their concerns on matters that are facing our community.”

Those attending will have to pay for their own breakfast but the Apostle Henry Ross Family Life Center will feature two plated meal choices with a beverage for $7.50. The premise behind the Mornings with the Mayor program is to make elected officials more accessible to residents in the community and to promote one-on-one communications.

This program allows residents an informal and comfortable forum in which to meet with the Mayor to talk about issues, ask questions, voice concerns and offer comments or suggestions. Mayor Fields said, “It’s also an excellent way for us to gather candid feedback about how people feel things are going in our City; what amenities they particularly enjoy, areas they feel could use improvement, or what they’d like to see in the future.”

Established in 2005, the Florida League of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of mayors in Florida. A comprehensive association for all mayors, the primary goal of the organization is to provide a platform and outreach for this powerful and influential tier of municipal leaders to speak out on issues of urgent interest to the citizens of their cities.

The Florida League of Mayors is governed by a 21-member Board of Directors—10 serve one-year terms and 11 serve two-year terms. The organization is staffed by the Florida League of Cities.

“I am honored to have been selected for this position,” says Mayor Fields “I am excited about this leadership opportunity and having another way to serve the citizens of this community and Florida.”

The organization provides the mayors of Florida with the ability to explore and advocate for areas of mutual concern and opportunity. Collectively, the Florida League of Mayors forms an effective network of strong, resourceful and prominent leaders working together to champion issues on behalf of cities, towns and villages in the state.

Mayor Fields was elected to the Lakeland City Commission in 1992 and became Mayor in January 2010. He is Chairman of the Utility and Airport Advisory Committees. He is a member of the Lakeland Area Mass Transit District Board, the Transportation Planning Organization and the Polk Transit Authority Board. He is on the Board of Directors of the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, the Tampa Bay Partnership, Florida League of Mayors, and a member of the MyRegion.org Board of Advisors. He is a member of the Downtown Lakeland Kiwanis, plus several other organizations. He has been inducted into the Kathleen Sr. High School Hall of Fame and received their Distinguished Alumnus Service Award. He has also received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Polk Community College.

Mayor Fields was born in Lakeland, Florida. He is married to Kay and they have three children; Dorian, Leslie, & Jasmine. He graduated from the Kathleen Sr. High School, Polk State College (formerly Polk Community College), the University of South Florida and holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University. He is the President & CEO of Fields & Company, Inc., doing business as Fields Insurance & Financial Group.

1845 E Memorial Blvd

Thursday, September 16, 2010 | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

$10 Members | $30 Guests

TO: Chamber Members

FROM: Amy Wiggins, Vice President, Communications

SUBJECT: 2011 Buyers’ Guide

DATE: August 30, 2010

RETURN BY:  Friday, September 10, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

The Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking quotes for the design, layout and printing of the 2011 Buyers’ Guide.

Description of proposed directory:

Job Title:

Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce 2011 Buyers’ Guide

Services:

The Layout, Design and Production, Cover to Cover, of the 2011 Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce Buyer’s Guide.

To include but not limited to Cover Design, Editorial Sections, Chamber Info Section, Member Listing sections, Pagination, Coordination of ad placement, Coordination of Photography, Printer Coordination. Photo budget will be set and all photography must remain within the set budget. Outline of production schedule including specific deadlines must be completed at the start of the agreement.

Size: 8.5” x 11”

Extent: Guide – approximately 160 pages plus cover (40 page 4/4 – 120 page B/W)

Quantity: 5,000 Books

Section Descriptions:

Case/Cover: 100# gloss cover, 4 page, 4/4 plus varnish on front

Text/Body:70# gloss Editorial, 40 page, 4/4

60# Chamber Info/Alphabetical Membership section (white), 60 page, B/W

60# Categorical Membership section (ecru), 60 page, B/W

Binding: Perfect bound

Proofing: Blue line, cromalin or match print on color

Packing: Bulk in cartons not to exceed 50 lbs.

Delivery: No later than Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Based upon the above specifications, you are invited to submit a proposal outlining the successful publication of the Chamber’s 2011 Buyers’ Guide. Quotes may include services only, printing only or both, but design/layout must be quoted separately from printing.

Contractual responsibilities and obligations of both the publisher and the Chamber will be incorporated into an agreement that will be executed upon contract award.

If you would like a copy of our 2010 Buyers’ Guide to familiarize you with the scope of the project, please email us per the information below.

We look forward to reviewing your proposal and working with you on this significant Chamber project.

If you have any questions or concern please contact

Amy Wiggins, Vice President, Communications

awiggins@lakelandchamber.com

(863) 688-8551, Ext. 229

or

Revena Thomas, Administrative Assistant, Communications

rthomas@lakelandchamber.com

(863) 688-8551, Ext. 242

Proposals should be mailed or delivered to:

Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce

Attn: Amy Wiggins

35 Lake Morton Drive

Lakeland, FL 33801

or emailed to awiggins@lakelandchamber.com.

On Saturday, September 18, Polk Museum of Art will once again host Family Day. Admission to this annual event is free, and the theme this year is “Going Global.” The hours for the event are 11:00am – 3:00pm.

In addition to the free activities and entertainment, the Museum will also be giving away bags of art supplies to the first 500 school age children to enter the building. Supplies will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last.

Family Day will include performances by Didgeridoo Down Under, magician Luis Campaneria, Tampa Taiko Japanese drumming, and the Kuumba Dancers & Drummers. Visitors can also find balloon bending, face painting, a community sculpture project, a global stick game, portrait sketches, a bake sale, and tables about countries from all over the world.

Art activities will include African masks, origami lanterns, Japanese kimono dolls and carp kites, Moroccan good luck hands, Australian didgeridoos, and Chinese good luck door hangers.

Family Day is sponsored by an anonymous donor, BCI Engineers & Scientists, Inc., MIDFLORIDA Credit Union, and Mosaic. Additional support is provided by The Ledger.

The event is appropriate for children of all ages, and everyone is invited to attend. For more information, please call 863-688-5423 or visit www.PolkMuseumofArt.org.

InnerAct Alliance and StandUP Polk, the coalition for a Drug-Free Polk, are proud to present the 1st Annual Prescription Drug Summit on Monday, September 20, 2010, at 7:30 a.m., at Highland Park Church of the Nazarene in Lakeland, to raise awareness about the alarming trend of abuse of prescription drugs and how it affects Polk County schools, businesses and families.

The Keynote Speaker will be Sharon Kelley, MS, PMD, and CEO of Alliance for Global Narcotics Training, who will address attendees from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.

Solution-planning group sessions led by Ms. Kelley and local experts in the field will take place from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

• Public Policy- What changes do we need to make to our policies to prevent and fight this epidemic?
• Kids/Parents/Teachers- What roadblocks can we clear when it comes to helping students, parents and school personnel avoid the pitfall of Rx Drug Abuse?
• Risk Management/Human Resources- What are ways to increase efficiency and decrease costs by preventing Rx abuse and addiction in the work place?

The first 100 registrants to R.S.V.P. to InnerAct Alliance at (863) 802-0777 will receive free breakfast at 7:00 a.m.

Due to the nature of the presentation content, no one under 18 will be permitted to attend.

StandUP Polk and its partners in The Coalition for a Drug-Free Polk are also planning a second Purge Your Pills Rx Drop Off event, in conjunction with the DEA’s National Take Back Initiative, on Saturday, September 25, 2010, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., for citizens to turn in unused, expired, or unwanted medications for safe and proper disposal. The first countywide medication collection held on March 20, 2010 resulted in an estimated 245.5 lbs. of recovered pharmaceuticals.

Locations for the pill drop off are: Auburndale Police Department (2 Bobby Green Plaza, Auburndale, FL); Florida Department of Transportation (801 North Broadway Avenue, Bartow, FL – Hosted by Bartow Police Department); Haines City Police Department (35400 Highway 27, Haines City, FL); Lakeland Police Department (219 N. Massachusetts Avenue, Lakeland, FL); and Winter Haven Police Department (125 North Lake Silver Drive NW, Winter Haven, FL). All medications should be secured in a clear, air-tight sealed plastic bag.

The 1st Annual Prescription Drug Summit is supported by:

Clark & Daughtrey Medical Group, P.A.

Lakeland Police Department

Watson Clinic Foundation

Panelists Include:

• Morgan McGrath, head of international banking for JPMorgan Chase
• Sandra Campbell, director, Tampa Bay Export Assistance Center U.S. Department of Commerce
• Karen Holbrook, vice president of research at USF
• Jorge Astorquiza, president of Flayco

Economists all agree that businesses need to adapt to the growing international market now. Attendees will be presented a wide range of nuts and bolts practical advice on how the U.S. Department of Commerce helps develop international trade.

Community Conversation: International Trade

September 16, 2010 | 7:30 – 9:15 a.m.

IKEA Tampa

tickets $40

Lakeland Chamber members call for a special offer.

For additional information, or to register, please contact Alyssa Rhodes at (813) 342-2491.

The Polk County School Board is holding an E-Town Hall for parents, community members and staff to get questions answered pertaining to school district budget and class size amendment concerns.

The school board is soliciting questions to be answered during the E-Town Hall. The event will be held 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 31. The E-Town Hall will be broadcast live on Polk County School Board Television (Bright House channel 614, Comcast channel 7 and Verizon FiOs channel 45) and PGTV, the county commission channel (Bright House channel 622, Comcast channel 5 and Verizon FiOs channel 20). The E-Town Hall will also be streamed live via the Internet at www.polk-fl.net and www.polk-county.net.

Parents, community members and staff can submit questions beginning at 10 a.m., Tuesday, August 31 by instant message below or via email at polkschoolse-townhall@polk-fl.net.

Click here to email Leah Lauderdale, APR, CPRC, or call (863) 534-0699 for further details and information regarding the E-Town Hall.

The schedule for the E-Town Hall, Tuesday, August 31:

5:30 to 5:45 p.m. – Opening remarks by School Board Chairman Kay Fields

5:45 to 6:15 p.m. – Budget and financial presentation by Mark Grey, assistant superintendent of business services

6:15 to 6:30 p.m. – Questions answered on budget and school district finances

6:30 to 7 p.m. – Class size amendment presentation by Dr. Bruce Tonjes, associate superintendent of operations

7 to 7:25 p.m. – Questions answered on class size amendment and other topics

7:25 to 7:30 p.m. – Closing remarks by Superintendent Gail McKinzie, Ph.D.

Presentations will be given on the specific topics and questions will be answered live on cable television and web stream at 5:30 pm. You can also visit your local library to participate if you do not have access at home. Click here for a list of libraries in Polk County.

PGTV is Polk County’s Government Television channel on

• Brighthouse Channel 622
• Verizon Channel 20
• Comcast Channel 5

PCSBtv on

• Brighthouse Channel 614
• Verizon Channel 45
• Comcast Channel 7

<a href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=2068607015″ mce_href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=2068607015″ >Polk County Schools e-Town Hall</a>