The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Avalon Applauds Celebrate Birthdays

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Congratulations to Celebrate Birthdays, a nonprofit based in Tampa, for being applauded by Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

Celebrate Birthdays’ mission is to ensure that every foster child and all children, ages 1 through 18, regardless of personal or financial circumstances, has the opportunity to celebrate their birthday. The nonprofit services Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Celebrate Birthdays’ Co-founders Celina Saunders and Belinda Leto

Co-founders Belinda Leto and Celina Saunders are full-time nurses by trade who met 18 years ago. They discovered in 2017 a need to help children celebrate their birthdays when they delivered Christmas presents to children of incarcerated individuals.

A recipient’s grandmother asked Leto and Saunders if they knew anyone who could help her celebrate her grandson’s birthday, as she did not even have the means for a cake.

Heartbroken and eager to help, Leto and Saunders immediately started calling local places and couldn’t find any reliable resources.

“In our area there’s over 6,000 children in foster care and over half of them have never celebrated a birthday,” says Leto. “We realized we had plenty of room right here in our own backyard to make an impact.”

Leto and Saunders officially founded Celebrate Birthdays in 2019.

“We didn’t go into this intending that it was going to be a nonprofit, but we just realized a need that was out there in our community and we wanted to make sure that we could help fill that void,” says Leto.

Due to the COVID pandemic, Celebrate Birthdays now hosts a limited number of in-person parties a month, as well as offers a ‘Birthday in a Box,’ which it created out of necessity.

“It’s a 10×10 box filled with 16 different items that includes everything a child would need to celebrate their birthday, wherever they’re at,” says Leto.

Leto and her team try to cater the boxes to what that particular child likes, and has about 19 different themes to choose from such as sports, movies, etc.

Items include streamers, candles, cake mix, etc. The nonprofit also sends a gift valued at $25 and a free book to help promote literacy.

Celebrate Birthdays delivers up to 100 boxes a month, and each box costs about $50.

“When you see the joy on a child’s face when somebody remembers them on their special day, I almost feel like this should be a basic necessity,” says Leto. She hopes these small moments will give them long-lasting memories.

Celebrate Birthdays also launched a program in August called Classroom Birthday Bins, for title one and low income schools, that include items like stickers, a birthday crown, notebooks, pencil, wristband, and more.

“We want to make sure that the child is celebrated…and it helps the teachers who don’t have a lot of resources,” says Leto.

Leto says there are numerous ways to volunteer, whether it’s packing birthday boxes, hosting a gift drive, or donating monetarily.

Stay up to date with Celebrate Birthdays at CelebrateBirthdays.org or follow them on Facebook (@celebrateBirthdays19) or Instagram (@celebratebirthdays). Donations can be dropped off at 611 N. New Jersey Ave., Tampa, FL 33609.

Published September 22, 2021

Remembering a day in history

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(Courtesy of Patricia Serio)

Members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club gathered and formed an assembly line to put together gift baskets filled with snacks, fruit and other treats, for first responders. Doris Ramaglia handcrafted thank-you notes to be included, too. The baskets will be delivered to stations in the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes area, in advance of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The club itself will have flag-wavers along U.S. 41, in front of the Old Lutz School, on Sept. 11, which is something the group has done every year since 2001. Members Joan Young and Darlene Choe are shown here with some of the filled baskets.

 

Who says sharks have to be scary? They can be fun, too.

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Shaina Smith, right, a youth services assistant at New River Library, welcomes those attending Story Time. Smith joined library associates Steven Rosen and Laura Covillon in reading fun shark stories to the children. (Fred Bellet)

Whether they were riding in strollers, amped up with excitement or just ambling along — those gathered at New River Library, 34043 State Road 54, were asked to turn on their imaginations and to listen to some stories about sharks.

Bubbles bobbed about them, in the library staff’s attempt to create the sense of an underwater adventure.

And, library staffers gave lively readings of stories featuring sharks as the main character.

Unlike the common stereotype, these sharks weren’t frightening. They were fun.

The people who came to Story Time seemed to be having fun, too.

Library staff has been looking forward to having in-person events, after a long hiatus, due to a massive makeover of the branch library, as well as shifting to virtual programming because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In keeping with safety protocols, registration was taken for these programs, too, to avoid crowding.

For information about library programs, visit PascoLibraries.org, or call 813-788-6375.

Four-year-old Jesse Snyder, of Wesley Chapel, makes a big entrance into the bubble-filled, special events room at the New River Library. The bubbles were intended to create the effect of being in the ocean — just the right mood for hearing stories about sharks.
With words displayed on the screen behind him, Steven Rosen, a youth services associate at New River Library, reads to toddlers and preschoolers in two sessions of Story Time.
Two-year-old Sunny Rae takes a closer look at the shark books that will be featured during the second session of Story Time for preschoolers, at the New River Library. She was there with her mom, Dayna Jenkins, of Dade City.
One-year-old Hadley Kiefer, of Zephyrhills, makes a move toward other toddlers during Story Time at the New River Library. Hadley didn’t get very far from her mom, Heather Kiefer, and 2-year-old sister, Carly.
Seven-month-old Joyelle Schultz catches a few winks in the special events room, at the New River Library, in Wesley Chapel, before Story Time festivities begin. Joyelle was there with her mom, Sarah Schultz, of Wesley Chapel. The little girl’s great-aunt, Nancy Hoskins, and her grandmother, Nancy Dunlop, were there, too. They were both visiting from Michigan.
Evan Snyder, 1, clings to his mom, Haruka Snyder, of Wesley Chapel, while his 4-year-old brother, Jesse, heads into the bubble-filled room for Story Time at New River Library.

County office building in Land O’ Lakes to get upgrades

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The Pasco County Commission has awarded a task order for slightly more than $1.78 million to Bandes Construction Company LLC., to complete interior renovations at the David “Hap” Clark Jr. Building in Land O’ Lakes.

The work will be performed in two phases, on the first and second floor of the building referred to as the Hap Clark building, at 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

Details of the project were included in the county board’s agenda materials for its Aug. 24 meeting.

Phase one will be done on the northern side of the building on the first floor, and will accommodate building construction services, veteran services, human services and conference suits.

The general scope of work shall be approximately 6,027 square feet of existing space,

including the surrounding restrooms and corridor.

Phase two of the renovation will be on the southern side of the building on the second floor, and will consolidate the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources team into one suite of approximately 6,250 square feet.

Published September 08, 2021

Pasco and Hernando work out joint funding for road improvement

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Pasco and Hernando counties have approved an interlocal agreement relating to improvements on County Line Road and the intersection of Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard.

The total estimated cost of the project is $645,198.00.

The intersection improvements are programmed and funded for construction in Pasco County’s fiscal year 2021 capital improvements program, according to materials in the Pasco County Commission’s Aug. 24 agenda materials.

“Since these improvements also benefited Hernando County, they shared the cost of preparing the design plans, which were completed by Coastal Design Consultants Inc., and will be sharing in the cost of construction of the project,” the agenda materials say.

“The scope of work for the project will include the construction and construction engineering inspection for a new traffic signal on County Line Road and Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard, signal interconnection conduit and fiber along County Line Road from East Road/Cobblestone Road to the Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard intersection, street lighting along County Line Road within the project limits and a new right-turn lane on Waterfall Drive at County Line Road (CR 578).

“The request for this new right-turn lane on Waterfall Drive at County Line Road is being made by Hernando County and will be fully funded by them, the agenda materials say.

The project costs will be split 50/50 between Pasco and Hernando, except for the cost of the right-turn lane being paid for by Hernando.

Hernando will pay Pasco its share of the costs at the commencement of the work.

The Hernando County Commission had already approved the interlocal agreement, subject to approval by the Pasco County Commission.

Published September 01, 2021

Just in time for Labor Day, labor-saving tools for the kitchen

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Labor Day — a holiday devoted to workers — celebrates strides that have been made to reduce harsh working conditions.

Remember, the 8-hour workday and 40-hour workweek weren’t always standards.

Breaks during the workday weren’t required, either.

While workplace requirements have eased, there’s still a fair amount of work that goes into preparing, serving and cleaning up after meals.

It’s not just a matter of the work you do at home to prepare meals, there’s also menu planning, a shopping list and putting away your groceries — before you even start to prepare your meals.

The electric pressure cooker is versatile and also can act as a rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, and more, plus has lots of programmable and automatic features that make it easier to use. However, stovetop pressure cookers cook faster. (Shari Bresin)

A U.S. Department of Agriculture study, done through the Economic Research Service, revealed that in 2014 it took 51 minutes for the average American adult to prep and serve a meal, then clean up after it.

That varies, too, based on the demographics. Those without children spend 50 minutes on average, and those who are employed, spend 45 minutes.

Those with children spend 74 minutes, and those who are unemployed or retired spend 72 minutes, on average.

Men tend to spend less time, 37 minutes a day, while women spend 66 minutes a day, prepping meals.

Those surveyed who said they purchased carry-out, delivery, prepared foods, and so on, said they saved about 30 minutes a day in meal preparation.

Of course, there’s a price for that convenience.

There are tools you can use that can reduce the work you do in the kitchen — while stretching your food budget, too.

Here’s a look at some of those tools:

  • Pressure cookers: These trap the steam, creating pressure, and increase the temperature beyond the boiling point (212°F). This higher temperature shortens the cooking time.

Electric pressure cookers (think Instant Pot), are widely popular. However, stovetop pressure cookers, another option, cook faster because they reach even higher temperatures and pressure.

The electric ones automate many of the steps and, for that, many find them easier to use.

  • Slow cookers: These can be used to make meals that are assembled into the cooker, then cooked slowly over a period. (I will usually make a slow cooker dish early in the week so I can prep for it on a Sunday and then make it Monday or Tuesday. I add in extra food to get a second dinner out of it later in the week.)
  • Electric vegetable chopper: Chopping foods to prep them for dishes, to cook in the pressure cooker or in a slow cooker, takes a considerable amount of time. The electric vegetable chopper is much smaller and less complex than a food processor and chops foods much faster than doing it by hand.

If you don’t want an electrical vegetable chopper, you can use veggie dicers, which work manually, as another option.

Another way to save time is to use a meal-planning calendar.

That will help you to know what you need to prep in advance and you can do prep work in batches.

When planning meals, always start with taking inventory of what’s currently in your fridge and pantry. Also, check the weekly grocery ads to  help in planning.

You can get the kids involved, too, so they have a say in the meals. They also can remind you of events, such as a baseball game, that can help you in your planning.

A weekly template for meal planning can be found online from Iowa State University Extension: https://spendsmart.extension.iastate.edu/plan/menu-planning/.

By Shari Bresin

Shari Bresin is the Family & Consumer Science agent for the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Pasco County.

Recipe
Here’s a recipe for honey garlic chicken you can try, using your electric pressure cooker. It’s from the Mississippi State University Extension Service:

Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
⅓ cup honey
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
½ cup no-salt ketchup
½ teaspoon oregano, dried
2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons sesame seed oil (or vegetable oil)
4–6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skinless
Salt and pepper to taste
½ Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (for garnish)
Green onions (optional, for garnish)

Directions:
Wash your hands with soap and water.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the honey, onion powder, minced garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, oregano, and parsley. Mix until well-combined and set aside.
Heat your pressure cooker in sauté mode. Add the sesame oil to the pot.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and arrange so they are close but not touching in the cooker.
Wash your hands.
Cook the chicken thighs for 2 minutes to 3 minutes per side.
Add the prepared honey garlic sauce to the pot; cover and lock the lid.
Cook in poultry mode for 20 minutes.
Turn off the pot and allow it to release the pressure about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken thighs to a serving plate and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions.

Published September 01, 2021

Keeping a tradition alive, even during a pandemic

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Twenty-one-month Cecilia Mathes, along with her 4-year-old brother Zachary and her 6-year-old brother Connor, on Connor’s first day of kindergarten. (They’re the children of Andy and Erin Mathes, of Appleton, Wisconsin, and the grandchildren of Diane Kortus, publisher of The Laker/Lutz News.) (Courtesy of Andy and Erin Mathes)

Schools across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area have rung in another school year  — with children breaking in their new shoes, sporting new haircuts and hauling nearly empty backpacks to classes on their first day of school.

Oh, of course, there were those traditional First Day of School Photos, too.

Here are some that families within our newspaper’s coverage area shared with us, so we could, in turn, share them with you.

There are a couple of photos, as well, of children from outside our coverage area: Publisher Diane Kortus shared the photo of her grandchildren, who live in Wisconsin, and contributor Doug Sanders shared the photo of his granddaughter, who attends prekindergarten in New Port Richey.

Rachel Kocsis is a second-grader at Denham Oaks Elementary.(Courtesy of Shelley H. Roth)
Rishaan Nair is in second grade at Sanders Memorial Elementary School. (Courtesy of Manpreet Kaur)
Rebekah Miller, on her first day as a junior at Sunlake High School. (Courtesy of Sally Miller)
Nykolus Di Roma marks his first day of third grade at Denham Oaks Elementary. (Courtesy of Sabrina Di Roma)
Nileah Rodriguez, on her first day of fifth grade at Sanders Memorial Elementary. (Courtesy of Jeff Rodriguez)
Nicholas Miller on his first day of eighth grade at Rushe Middle School. (Courtesy of Sally Miller)
Freedom High School English teacher and department head Megan Lewandowski on her first day of the 2021-2022 school year. (Courtesy of George O’Connor)
Second-grader Margaret Lewandowski, on her first day at Chiles Elementary. (Courtesy of George O’Connor)

 

Luna Stoltz on her first day of preschool at Mary’s House in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Jan Crowley)
Kindergartener Liliana Stephenson on her first day of school at Sanders Memorial Elementary. (Courtesy of Juliana Stephenson)
Julia O’Connor celebrates her first day of fourth grade at Sand Pine Elementary. (Courtesy of George O’ Connor)
Jonah Miller, on his first day as a second-grader at Oakstead Elementary. (Courtesy of Sally Miller)
Eleven-year-old Isabella Wilson on her first day of sixth grade at Rushe Middle School. (Courtesy of Billie Jo Wilson)
Sixteen-year-old Devlin Frost, a junior, and 14-year-old Griffin Frost, a freshman, on their first day of the 2021-2022 school year at Cypress Creek High School. (Courtesy of Vanessa Frost)
Four-year-old Derek Fillingham heading to his first day of prekindergarten at KidsRKids, in Wesley Chapel’s Meadow Pointe community. (Courtesy of Frank Hult)
Nine-year-old Daphne Fread, on her first day of fourth-grade at Pine View Elementary. (Courtesy of Jennifer Trimble)
Christopher ‘CJ’ Muniz, on his first day of kindergarten at Connerton Elementary. (Courtesy of Stephanie Muniz)

 

Cannon Frisco, 17, is a senior at Sunlake High School. (Courtesy of Tammy Frisco)
Brielle Leonard and Brandon Leonard attend Countryside Montessori. Brielle is in fifth grade and Brandon is in third. (Courtesy of Krystin Leonard)
Four-year-old Tensely Hannah Collito, on her first day at prekindergarten at Beacon Community Church, in New Port Richey. (She is the granddaughter of Doug Sanders, the contributor of Knowing Your History for The Laker/Lutz News.) (Courtesy of Alanah Jean Sanders)

Where were you, Sept. 11, 2001?

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Some events clearly stand out from others.

They etch a permanent image in our minds, of where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news.

The day July 20, 1969 was like that for millions. Neil Armstrong walked on the moon that day.

When the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, it touched the collective soul of the nation.

And then, there was Sept. 11, 2001.

On that morning, 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes and deliberately crashed two of them into North Tower and South Tower of the World Trade Center. They smashed a third plane into the Pentagon. Passengers on the fourth plane overtook the hijackers and forced that plane to slam into an empty field in Pennsylvania.

While all of this was happening, most of us were simply going about our daily routines.

Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001, when you heard about the terrorist attacks?

How did you find out?

How did you react? How did it affect you? Has it had lasting impacts?

As the nation marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we want to pause to share the personal side of the story — as told through the memories of our readers.

We will be publishing a collection of essays, which will be edited for brevity and clarity.

Please be as concise as possible. Include your first and last name, and the community where you live, which will be published with your submission.

Please also include your email and telephone number, so we can reach back for additional information, if we need it.

If you have appropriate photos that you can scan and email, we’d love to consider those for our tribute, too.

Deadline for submissions is Sept. 10. Our planned publication date is Sept. 15.

Please send your submissions with the words — Sept. 11 Tribute — in the subject line,  to .

Published September 01, 2021

See What Some Of Stephanie’s Past Clients Have To Say

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Congratulations to Stephanie Meid for 30 years of providing real estate service to the Tampa Bay area. A native of Tampa and resident of Land O Lakes, Stephanie offers her years of experience to buyers and sellers looking for someone to guide them through the complexities of the current real estate market. She can be reached at 813-695-0234 or stephaniemeid1@gmail.com.

“I have known Stephanie Meid for over 10 years. I have used Stephanie’s expertise in real estate in both the buying and selling of my homes. She will ALWAYS be my agent of choice in all future deals.” – Lisa and Alex

“Stephanie has represented us in buying and selling multiple properties over the last 25 years. We appreciate her professionalism, experience, and attention to detail. We highly recommend Stephanie as an agent for any size real estate transaction. Her integrity and discretion is an asset whether you are in the market to buy or sell.” – Dan and Tonya

“We have known Stephanie for over eight years as a friend and professionally.  Over the years she has helped us in many ways and we worked closely together on multiple real estate transactions.  Stephanie is truly a genuine and caring person! Her expertise in the field and her professionalism has made buying and selling real estate seamlessly.  She delivers prime service and her love for her clients are one of the many reasons we will continue to utilize Stephanie in the real estate business.  Congratulations Stephanie on 30 years in the real estate profession!” -Krystle and Patrick

“As a repeat client of Stephanie’s, I highly recommend her as one of the most knowledgeable and professional agents in this market. She was very responsive throughout the entire process and always had my best interest at heart. I would never use anyone else when buying or selling!”  -Paula

“I have been using Stephanie as my Realtor for 28 years (with my first purchase in 1993). Since then I have sold 4 homes and purchased five exclusively through her. Stephanie is professional and knowledgeable in her field and, as long as she is practicing real estate, I will continue to work with her. I am ecstatic to be able to call her my Realtor and friend.” – Tim

“Stephanie, congratulations on 30 years in real estate. Thank you for the wonderful buying experience. You helped us negotiate a deal that allowed us enough time to sell our house and lock in our home of the future. The closing process was painless and you’re always available for questions. Thank you.” – The Crow Family

Are you ready for some football?

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(Courtesy of Cypress Creek High School athletics)

Under head coach Mike Johnson, the Cypress Creek Coyotes could surprise some teams this year, given a deep offense laden with experience. See the Pasco County Fall football preview to get the team rundowns, in Sports.