Special to The Laker/Lutz News

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

In a local version of the cable television show “Overhaulin’,” a group of men from Grow Life Church are overhauling a military serviceman’s 1998 Honda Prelude.

The car repair work is being done for Master Sgt. Matt Feldhouse, now deployed to Kyrgyzstan.

Ironically, the Grow Life Warriors men’s group approached Feldhouse’s wife, Brooke, with their idea the same week she applied online to “Overhaulin’” seeking to have her husband’s car overhauled on the program.

Matt purchased the car several months ago, and it broke down when he was driving home from MacDill Air Force Base, Brooke said.

“It just shut off. He drifted into a little pizza sub place,” she said, and gave her a call.

When the men from Grow Life told Brooke they wanted to do a makeover on Matt’s car, she was so touched that she cried, she said.

Tim Harvey, a member of Warriors, said he’d heard about Matt’s car and was talking about it with David Bailey, another member of the group.

After praying about it, Harvey said, “I felt pressed to rally people and businesses and our church to overhaul the whole car.”

Sam Hassan, another member of the group, said they have been asking businesses and the community to help with the project by supplying parts needed for the job.

Harvey estimated the total cost of the project – not including group members’ volunteer labor – at around $8,000.

Some group members were recently at Matt’s house, in Land O’ Lakes, working on the car. Most of the work will be done at a location where the car can be put on a lift, said Noah Schultz, a relatively new member of the church, who just happens to be an ASC certified master technician.

Group members said they wanted to help Matt, who also belongs to Warriors, because he’s been in projects to help others.

“Matt is a servant,” Harvey said.

The car repair project will be a big job.

“We’re going to completely overhaul it,” Harvey said. “We’re going to take care of the engine. Our intentions are to have the motor running like a top.

“The car is very hard to drive. It has no power steering,” he added. “We’re going to put the power steering back in.

“We’re going to restore the outside. It’s going to have all of the bodywork done. It’s going to have a whole new paint job. It’s going to be black with some red accents.

“It’s going to get new tires. It’s going to get new rotors. It’s going to get a new header,” Harvey said.

The previous owner had the car so low that the bottom scraped whenever the car went over a speed bump, Harvey noted. “We’re going to raise the car back up to where it is supposed to be. That entails getting new springs and new struts.”

They’re also going to replace the interior.

“It’s got two different kinds of seats in it. We want matching seats,” Harvey said.

Bailey made it a point to note that Matt didn’t ask for help.

“Matt is a very private kind of guy,” Bailey said.

Bailey said he wanted to get involved because he wants to repay Matt, in some small way, for his commitment to the military.

“I have a great appreciation for people who serve,” Bailey said.

“He’s my brother. He might not be my last name, but he’s my brother.”

“The whole idea behind what we do is relationships and being there for each other,” agreed Tony Scotto, another member of Warriors.

Matt has been in the Air Force for 21 years, with 18 overseas deployments, including stints in Iraq, Brooke said.

She and Matt live in Land O’ Lakes with their 15-year-old son Seth. They’ve been attending Grow Life Church, which meets at Veterans Elementary in Wesley Chapel, for about a year and a half, Brooke said.

She can’t wait to see her husband’s reaction when he gets home in October.

“He’ll be just thrilled. Thrilled and grateful,” she said. He’ll be even more pleased that his friends – rather than a cable television show – stepped up to take on the project.

“Those guys are wonderful,” Brooke said.

For his part, Harvey is delighted to be part of the effort.

“This is Kingdom stuff. I get great joy out of being a part of this type of stuff,” Harvey said.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

 

Jackie Lawson, this year’s valedictorian at Gaither High, achieved the highest grade point average in the school’s history and gives much of the credit for her success to her mom and her sister.

“My mom, when we were little, she was a stay-at-home mom, so she helped us develop cognitively.

“She was playing classical music when we were babies. She read to us all of the time.

“We’d sit there, my dog would be up there, and we’d listen to, “The Wizard of Oz,” — a bunch of classics.

“In kindergarten, I could read, so my teacher would pick me up, she would sit me on the table, and I would read to the class.

“In first grade, we’d (she and her mom) go to the library, and we’d get a stack of books. She would make sure that I just read as much as possible.”

Lawson said her older sister Jessica – who was Gaither’s valedictorian in 2010 – also has provided enormous support.

“By the time she’d graduated, she’d gone through everything that has happened to me.  She understands what it’s like to be a valedictorian, and it’s really not for the weak-hearted.

“There’s pressure. During AP exams it’s like, ‘Jackie’s gonna get a 5. Jackie has to get a 5.’ Just a lot of pressure from peers, expecting you to know everything.”

But Lawson added, “Being valedictorian isn’t really about being a super genius. It’s about working hard.”

It’s also about being willing to tackle rigorous courses and perform well, said Lawson, whose grade point average of 8.76 was more than double the 4.0 average that can be attained by achieving straight As in traditional classes.

Lawson earned the additional points by taking on challenging Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses and doing well.

Despite those academic accomplishments, Lawson said she has never liked to think of herself in terms of being smarter than her peers.

“I’ve always felt different, not different in a weird, strange way, but I’ve had different interests and different priorities,” she said.

Lawson said she set herself up for tackling more rigorous work in high school by completing some of her general education requirements for her freshman and sophomore years while she was still an eighth-grader at Ben Hill Middle. She said she took those classes online through Florida Virtual School.

She had to learn to set her priorities, Lawson said.

“I know freshman and sophomore year, I wanted to do everything. I wanted to be in every club,” she said.

“Probably halfway through sophomore year I realized I can’t be the president of every club at school.

“There comes a time when you realize your health and your sanity are more important than a college application.”

She said one of Gaither’s math teachers gave her a tremendous piece of advice.

The teacher saw Lawson crying, when she was sleep deprived.

The teacher told her: “Jackie, I see that you’re overwhelmed. Just prioritize. Worry about the short run, you’ll eventually get there.”

Lawson took the advice to heart.

She passes that along to other students who may be feeling stressed out.

“For homework, at least, if you’re taking a million AP classes and you’re just drowning in homework … Figure out what’s due next and do that. Don’t slack off. Just get it done. You’re going to be so much happier after it’s all done, and you can go to sleep, and you can do things with your friends,” Lawson said.

It is hard to know where to focus one’s energies, while trying to figure out what it takes to be competitive for different colleges, said the young woman, who lives in Carrollwood, and is the daughter of Lisa and Joseph Lawson.

“My parents and I, we went to these little college fairs and they tell you ‘Do this, do that, but do everything, and make sure you’re good at it.’ It’s all just confusing.

“It came down to picking and choosing what I liked and what was most important to me. I felt like if I want to do something, I want to do it because I like to do it. You get so much weird advice coming from all different kinds of college counselors.”

Lawson said she knows it sounds like a cliché, but students do need to pursue what they love.

“It turns out that the college that fits you is going to accept you,” said Lawson who will be attending Columbia University on a full scholarship as a John Kluge Scholar.

Besides appreciating the help she’s received from family, Lawson is also grateful for teachers who have helped along the way, especially Louisa Ogle, her journalism teacher; Danielle de Gregory Sweet, her AP psychology teacher; Teresa Trumbach, her AP United States History and AP Government and Comparative Politics teacher; and Karen Haag, her Honors Anatomy teacher.

She said Haag’s class was one of the best she ever experienced.

“She was a fantastic teacher. She really knows her stuff. She makes it interesting, and she makes it so every kid is engaged,” Lawson said.

Besides being valedictorian, Lawson is a national Advanced Placement Scholar, was editor-in-chief of the school’s award-winning paper, The Pony Express, and was president of Quill and Scroll Honor Society. She wrote for the Tampa Bay Times’ student-led newspaper, *tb-two, as well.

Lawson also kept busy with a part-time job at the Bob Sierra YMCA as a camp counselor and a nursery attendant.

While she’s finished her high school career, Lawson is excited about what lies ahead.

She plans to study neuroscience and aspires to become a neurosurgeon.

Occasionally, she said, she’s missed having a more traditional high school experience. But those feelings are fleeting.

“Honestly, it’s all been worth it,” Lawson said. “I’m going to be living in New York City, at 18, for free.”

 

 

By Marie Abramova

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

 

Sam and Chad raced across the pasture of My Dog’s Diggin’ Dog Park, without an apparent care in the world.

The rat terrier and Labrador mix seemed to be enjoying their freedom without leashes in the hot, humid weather on this Sunday afternoon, as their owners chatted in the shade and kept a close eye on their pets.

The dog park, at Price Park on Meridian Avenue and 12th Street in Dade City, features an open grassy area, enclosed by a black metal fence. It has a bright red fire hydrant, several black wooden tables and matching benches, and a small water spigot where dogs can get a drink. It is next to a large playground and two tennis courts.

The dog park, which is the first of its kind in Dade City, opened on May 9.

The demand for a dog park became evident during the annual Dade City dog events that took place at Agnes Lamb Park for the last three years in March. Local residents would come with their dogs for dog parades, costume contests, talent shows and other fun activities.

“During this event, we heard people talking about: ‘We need a dog park here in Dade City. We never had one,’ ” said Lucy Avila, a dog event organizer who was instrumental in getting the dog park built.

Avila said the dog park is a vital necessity for the community because a safe fenced-in area makes it easy for dogs to run freely without getting hurt by cars. The residential area around the dog park also contains many apartment complexes that have limited space and no yards. Dog parks also offer a way for dog owners to get to know each other, while spending quality time with their pets.

It took about 2 1/2 years for Avila, Mayor Camille Hernandez and other local officials to plan the dog park and to get it up and running.

Avila, however, doesn’t intend to stop there. She wants to get additional equipment, such as tunnels, poles and dog bone-shaped benches for the dog park, to create a playground of sorts. The goal is to make the park as dog friendly as possible.

Joseph Cillo and his wife, Spoon, brought their rat terrier, Sam, to the dog park, and their neighbors, Jerry and Loey Grader, accompanied them with Labrador mix, Chad. The couples sat together, maintaining a steady stream of light-hearted conversation under a large oak tree, as their dogs nibbled on grass and sprinted, exploring the grassy terrain for the first time.

Sam and Chad’s lives, however, weren’t always so pleasant.

Sam is an acronym for Sour Apple Martini.

“We were at a restaurant in Tampa,” Joseph Cillo said. “I had had one or two – maybe three sour apple martinis. And there was a pet store next door, and I walked in.”

Cillo took an immediate liking to the rat terrier and bought him for half of the initial asking price of $1,000. But at that moment, Cillo didn’t know Sam had a massive lung infection and would have been put to sleep at a puppy mill the very next day because no one wanted to pay for his $800 medication.

When Cillo learned of this, he demanded his $500 back.

“They gave me my money back, and (Sam) became my best friend,” Cillo said. “But he lost 20 percent of his lung capacity.”

Now, every time Sam runs and plays at the dog park – or anywhere else – he’s out of breath. Still, Cillo thinks of Sam as “not a dog, but a little man.”

Loey and Jerry Grader share Cillo’s fondness for canines and felt a major loss when the dog they owned before Chad passed away. The couple resolved to never get another dog again, but every night, Loey would visit websites like petfinder.com and labradorrescue.net, where she eventually found a picture of Chad.

“He had been previously in northern Florida, where he was just roaming free, and someone tied him up to a shelter,” Loey said. “You can see his leg is all damaged and his ears, and that’s from being caught in barbed wire.”

Chad stayed with a woman in New Port Richey who cared temporarily for 12 homeless lab mixes before he found a stable home with the Graders in Dade City.

It might have been Chad’s first time at the dog park, but he goes on two- to seven-mile walks with Jerry about three times a day every day. Cillo and Jerry also walked the dogs to a wide open field in Lake Jovita, where they live, three or four times a week. There, the dogs can roam, lie on the grass and watch a nesting pair of bald eagles.

“They’re a major source of love, affection and family,” Cillo said of the dogs.

Debra Piankowski and her two children, Joshua, 11 and Sarah, 8, also brought their two fluffy black Pomeranians to the dog park. Little Bit and Abigail are brother and sister who’re very close to each other.

They’re two of five siblings from a purely white father and completely black mother. Debra said that out of the five puppies, Little Bit and Abigail always worked, ate, played and stayed together.

“The other three never even went around them,” she said. “These two have a bond, so I bought them together.”

Now Joshua cares for Little Bit and Sarah for Abigail. Joshua chased the two dogs around the park, and the two dogs chased each other, stopping only to drink water from the spigot next to the entrance by the side of the fence.

Safety was an important concern with the Dade City residents. The fence lessened any anxiety that children and dogs might get hurt, and the dog park generally seemed like a calm quiet area to meet and mingle without the dogs running off and getting lost.

 

Other public Pasco and Hillsborough dog parks include:

–Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex 3032 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

–Meadowood Paw Park – Meadowood Loop and Alston Avenue in Zephyrhills

–Carolyn Meeker Dog Park, 122 First Ave. S.W., Lutz, FL  33548

 

 

 

Chairman Ted Schrader to negotiate contract terms

 

By B.C. Manion

 

The Pasco County Commission has opted for Tomas “Tommy” Gonzalez — the city manager of Irving, Texas – to be the county’s new top administrator.

Now, it’s up to Commission Chairman Ted Schrader to negotiate a contract with Gonzalez and bring it back to commissioners for their approval.

In selecting Gonzalez, commissioners passed over Michele Baker, chief assistant county administrator, who often has been credited by retiring County Administrator John Gallagher as playing a pivotal role in helping Pasco move forward.

Commissioner Pat Mulieri spoke highly of Baker’s work ethic and said promoting the chief assistant could provide a smooth transition for the county. “I do think we need a bridge. Gallagher is leaving.”

Other commissioners, however, said the county needed to seize the opportunity to hire Gonzalez.

“He’s looking for something great to do,” said Commissioner Jack Mariano. “He likes what he would be able to accomplish here.”

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said Baker is intelligent and a good leader, but the commissioner said she couldn’t ignore Gonzalez’s track record. “I’m very impressed by him,” Starkey said. She noted that during the city manager’s tenure the city of Irving won the 2012 Malcolm Baldridge Award, which honors excellence and is not easy to achieve.

Commissioner Henry Wilson agreed with Starkey’s assessment: “Michele is a great asset,” he said. However, he added, “I do believe that Mr. Gonzalez could bring us to the next level.”

Mariano added: “I think he can make it happen. I sense a strong sense of confidence. I think he’s a results-driven person.”

Starkey also noted that she believes that Gonzalez’s strengths will play to the county’s weaknesses. “I’m looking to be a model of efficiency and excellence in government,” she said.

With the recent passage of the Penny for Pasco sales tax referendum, Starkey said, “We’re teeing up for someone like him (Gonzalez).”

Commissioners voted to select Gonzalez as their No. 1 choice to fill the post being vacated on June 1 by Gallagher, who has been at the county’s helm for 31 years.

Gonzalez said he was invited to apply for the position by a headhunter, and after spending time in the county, he sees a great deal of opportunity.

“It’s a very diverse county as far as development goes,” Gonzalez said.

He noted that Pasco has some very nice neighborhoods, and he thinks Pasco has an opportunity to sell the idea of being a very good place to raise families.

Gonzalez said he also thinks that job growth in the county will stimulate more residential development.

In choosing Gonzalez, commissioners authorized Schrader to negotiate a compensation package and bring it back to the board for approval, subject to Gonzalez clearing a background check.

Compensation could prove a sticking point, since Gonzalez’s base salary in his current job is $246,000. He also has a generous package of fringe benefits, which puts total compensation at more than $400,000.

Gonzalez said he expects his compensation will be less than it is in his current position.

“We need to start the discussion on that,” Gonzalez said.

Gallagher’s salary was $180,000, plus a car allowance.

If Gonzalez joins the county, Schrader said the earliest he would assume the post would be Aug. 1 and perhaps, more realistically, Sept. 1.

Meanwhile, the board voted to appoint Baker to serve as interim county administrator at a salary of $150,000 – a bump of $25,000 from her current salary.

John Long students take second

The sixth-grade advanced math team from John Long Middle School finished in second place at the Pasco County District Mathematics competition May 2 at Saint Leo University. Justin King finished first in the individual awards for sixth-grade advanced math. Pictured from left to right are Andrew Arnold, Daniel Gonzalez, Justin King and Lisa Grey, the sixth-grade math bowl coach. (Photo courtesy of Christie Zimmer)

 

Scott appoints trustees to PHCC board

Gov. Rick Scott has announced the appointment of Edward C. Blommel to the District Board of Trustees for Pasco-Hernando Community College. Scott also reappointed Judy R. Parker, who has served on the board since February 1999.

Blommel, 64, of Dade City, is a retired regional manager for the Tampa Electric Company and had served in the Florida National Guard. His appointment as a trustee began May 21 and ends May 31, 2015.

Parker, 64, of New Port Richey, is District Office Manager for Sen. Wilton Simpson. She is a member of the Association of Florida College Trustees, the Association of Community College Trustees and the American Association of Community Colleges. She is reappointed for a term that ends May 10, 2014.

The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

 

PHCC open houses

Pasco-Hernando Community College will host an open house at each of its four campuses in June.

Visitors considering attending PHCC in the fall will learn more about admissions, financial aid and student support services.

Tours of campus grounds, classrooms, the Teaching-Learning Centers, libraries and computer labs will be available. Activities vary at each campus event. Open house dates and locations include:

–June 18 at West Campus, New Port Richey, 10230 Ridge Road, R-151, from 1 to 4 p.m.

–June 18 at East Campus, Dade City, 36727 Blanton Road, A-240, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

–June 20 at North Campus, Brooksville, 11415 Ponce de Leon Blvd., B-104, from 3 to 6 p.m.

–June 27 at Spring Hill Campus, 450 Beverly Court, Building B, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

For details, visit phcc.edu/openhouse or call (877) TRY-PHCC.

 

Corbett Prep donates shirts to Haiti students

Corbett Preparatory School of IDS, formerly known as Independent Day School, sent the first of several planned shipments of school shirts last month to students in L’Ecole du Village in Haiti.

L’ Ecole du Village is a small community school on Ile-A-Vache, a small primitive island south of the mainland of Haiti that serves prekindergarten through fifth-grade.

Ile-A-Vache is accessible only by a half-hour’s ride in a small motorboat, so supplies are scarce and the school system struggles to meet students’ needs.

 

Land O’ Lakes band scholarships

Rene Van Hout, owner of LOL Transport & Moving, surprised some graduating seniors in the Land O’ Lakes High School Band program during the band’s annual banquet.

Van Hout presented checks to all the seniors who will be majoring in music education in college.

 

Education Foundation honors co-chairs of Cinderella Ball

The Pasco Education Foundation recently honored Diane Heiler and Kathryn Starkey, members of the foundation’s board and co-chairs of the Cinderella Ball since 2006. For the past eight years, Diane and Kathryn have dedicated countless hours to lead the Foundation’s annual signature event, The Cinderella Ball. This black tie gala is in March each year and has become the premier event in Pasco County.

 

Anti-Bullying T-shirt Contest

Submit the Documentary is taking action to raise awareness about cyberbullying, and is sponsoring a T-shirt contest to help spread the word.

The shirt will be spread across the world in conjunction with promotion of the film, “Submit the Documentary,” which offers solutions to the increasing trend of cyberbullying.

The design must emulate antibullying or cyberbullying. It does not need to be literal. The design can be conceptual, but must make the connection that the concept is standing up to bullies.

The prize includes contest winner’s bio and picture featured on the website and promoted on social media networks. Have your design featured worldwide at our film screenings and film festivals.

The contest is open to all age 16 and older. The contest ends at midnight on July 1.

For more information, visit www.submitthedocumentary.com/antibullycontest

 

Early Learning Coalition finalist in nonprofit of the year

The Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties, Inc., is a finalist in the 2013 “Nonprofit of the Year Awards” sponsored by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

The coalition is competing against a number of other local organizations for the education award, including the Hillsborough Education Foundation.

For more information about this award, including a list of finalists, please visit the TBBJ website at http://www.bizjournals.com/Tampabay. For more information about the learning coalition and its services, visit www.phelc.org or call (727) 233-8291.

 

Saint Leo online program honored

Saint Leo University’s Master of Business Administration degree with a specialization in Sport Business has again been ranked an international leader by the London-based publication Sport Business International.

The current issue of the trade publication lists Saint Leo’s M.B.A. with a Sport Business specialization among the top online programs globally.