Pinellas teen wins Tampa JFS scholarship

TJFS scholarship winner Jeremy Wernick with Tampa City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena, left, and Trifecta event chair Stacie Linsky. Safety Harbor 17-year-old Jeremy Wernick, was named the winner of an $1,800 scholarship from Tampa Jewish Family Services at its second annual Trifecta event in May.

Jeremy, son of Tiffani and Jeff Wernick, is a student at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa and a member of Temple Ahavat Shalom in Palm Harbor. He competed with seven other service-oriented teenagers for this year’s scholarship.

Jeremy made his contributions largely through NASTY, Ahavat Shalom’s temple youth group, where he served as president for two terms.

Through NASTY, Jeremy also volunteered for Watson House for the Blind and Camp Jenny, an overnight camp for underprivileged elementary school students from Atlanta.

The seven other finalists for the Senior Care Group Community Excellence scholarship were Sam Bobo and Clayton Faulk, both of Congregation Rodeph Sholom, Michael Aaron Kanter of Congregation Kol Ami, Mikaela Harris of Congregation Beth Shalom in Clearwater, Mollie Schick of Congregation Beth Am, Victoria Tannenbaum of Congregation Schaarai Zedek and Lindsey Weiss of Temple Ahavat Shalom in Palm Harbor.

The evening, a Trifecta of Chefs, offered further treats as well, with a silent auction, wine tastings and a chance to sample the wares of popular, local restaurants and caterers including Ceviche, Datz Deli, Doormet, Bailey’s, the Columbia Restaurant, the Lime, Lynn’s Catering, A La Carte, Alessi’s and Zudar’s.

TJFS is a non –profit social service agency offering a vast array of services and programs for people of all ages and walks of life, including senior services, counseling and programs for families of children with special needs. For information about TJFS, call (813) 960-1848.