Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Celebrates 10th anniversary

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

For 10 years the Zephyrhills Pregnancy Center has helped women and families through life’s most difficult times.

Robin Kohler came to the center three years ago pregnant with her daughter, Nevaeh, now 2 years old.

“I was having medical complications and the doctors suggested an abortion,” Kohler said. “The volunteers at the pregnancy center gave me guidance and were there for me to talk to. They helped me make the decision to have my daughter and I’m so glad I did because she was born without anything wrong with her.”
When the center opened in 2000, as a ministry of First Baptist Church of Zephyrhills, the idea was to counsel pregnant women on options other than abortion. Through the years, its mission has broadened to include family education and support services.
“We have seen some families through two or three pregnancies and our services don’t end when a baby is born,” said Terry Luna, center director.
The pregnancy center, now an independent nonprofit organization, offers services ranging from parenting classes to GED tutoring. More than 250 new clients have been helped in the last year, ranging from teens to 40-year-olds.
Moms and dads can take advantage of the programs for as long as they’d like.
“We are always here to help,” Luna said. “I had a woman come in recently that we’d helped six or seven years ago. She was having problems at home and needed a place to turn. She remembered us.”
Luna is one of the pregnancy center’s founders and its only paid employee. She relies on volunteers to keep the organization running. Currently, there are 10 to 12 regular volunteers.
Sami Sykes has been a part of the group since the beginning. The Zephyrhills resident is a former foster parent and counselor for runaways. She has seen many lives changed at the pregnancy center.
“It’s very rewarding to watch the families you’ve helped grow mentally and spiritually,” Sykes said. “We don’t just give people things to help them, we become a part of their lives.”
Three weeks before Nevaeh’s birth, Kohler’s husband passed away. Volunteers from the center stood by her side.
“They were very supportive,” Kohler said. “Some volunteers even came out and painted my house. They really do go above and beyond. I don’t have family, but they’ve become like family.”
Kohler attends the center’s weekly Tuesday afternoon Bible Study. The study includes lunch and is open to moms and dads. It is a Christian outreach but is not affiliated with a particular church. Churches throughout Zephyrhills volunteer time and support to the center.
When clients become involved with center programs, they earn points to take home free baby items.
“They have everything you could possibly need,” Kohler said.
Luna said the center relies heavily on donations to fill its baby store. Financial gifts are also accepted.
“The community has been so generous,” she said. “We are entirely nonprofit so donations are the reason we’ve been able to stay open. ”
The center will celebrate its anniversary beginning with a BBQ dinner from 5 to 7:30 p.m. April 30. Families are invited to pick up a take-out dinner for $6.50. Volunteers will cook up a meal that includes chicken, baked beans, potato salad, a roll and dessert. Families can also participate in a bowling tournament fundraiser beginning at 3 p.m. May 1 at Pin Chasers. The cost is $10 per person and includes three games, pizza and soda. Children can play too.
To close out the celebration festivities, the pregnancy center will host an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. May 2. Anyone in need of service or interested in volunteering can stop by for a tour. The center is located at 38021 8th Ave. For information, call (813) 780-6885.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

Since they were children, the technicians and manager of the newly opened Repair Zone have been taking electronics apart to see how they work.

Their skills are paying off now at the one-stop-shop for repairs at 24724 SR 54 in Lutz. The business repairs cell phones, computers, laptops, game consoles and sells, trades and buys used games.

Jose Baluarte, manager of the store, said they can fix just about anything.

“If you need advice, we can help since we know a little about everything,” Baluarte said. “Even if we don’t know how to fix it, we will find a way.”

Baluarte fixes computer software and hardware. He went to school for technology while living in his native Peru and he is currently enrolled at ITT Technical Institute in the electronic engineering program.

“When I was a kid I used to open stuff and see inside,” Baluarte said. “I used to try to open up my TV and see where Superman was. I always wanted to figure out how things work.”

Baluarte said he is willing to go to companies and to people’s houses to fix their computer problems.

“I can help with networks, installation and maintenance,” Baluarte said. “I can also give advice. I want to try to explain everything to make it easy for people to understand. If I don’t know something, I will find the way to fix it.”

Rinaldo Hoyte, technician, has an associate’s degree in computer science from Remington College and a bachelor’s degree in business technical management from DeVry University. His specialty is fixing game consoles and cell phones.

“I went through 10 Xboxes before I got one that worked right,” Hoyte said. “Now I know when something goes wrong exactly how to fix it.”

Ryan Aumiller, technician, has an associate’s degree in electronic engineering from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. His specialty is computers and audio/visual equipment.

“I was always fascinated by electronics,” Aumiller said. “All electronics are millions and billions of switches working in tandem. I always wanted to figure out as much as I can about it.”

The store also has a game room featuring a high definition projector with 5.1 surround sound. The consoles available are Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360. People can pay a fee to play in the game room or use the room to check out the used games for sale at the store.

“The game room will be nice for kids who want to come out with the idea of trading or selling games,” Baluarte said. “It is nice because the kids will be able to test the games before they buy them. Kids will also be able to bring in a game and play it with their friends.”
Vanessa Myers of Lutz is a mother of three children. She said she called Repair Zone when her computer got a virus.

“They came to my house and picked up my computer which was a big help,” Myers said. “They were able to get rid of the virus and save everything I needed. They were very knowledgeable and they went above and beyond to help me. It is the best repair place I have ever been to.”

For more information call (813) 406-4835 or visit www.RepairZonecenter.com.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Staff Writer

When father Dino and son George Constantinou opened The Hungry Greek in Tampa four years ago, they were sure it was going to be a hit.

Since then they have opened their Wesley Chapel location, 2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., and now the co-owners are looking to offer franchise opportunities.

“We are getting the paperwork approved,” said George Constantinou, the owner who runs the Wesley Chapel location. “We had so many people come to us that want to own one so we figured why not. We want to make sure it is run the proper way with the freshest food and the best quality.”

The most important thing to the co-owners is the quality of the food.

“All the Greek food is homemade with my Grandmother’s recipes like the baked mousaka and the baked pastitsio,” Constantinou said. “We don’t care about the price of the food, it is more important to us that we have the highest quality ingredients. I even go to the market myself to get the vegetables.”

The fresh food is not the only draw according to Constantinou. He said many people also love the family-friendly atmosphere.

“We treat everyone here like they are family,” Constantinou said. “We also serve big portions at good prices. Everyone who sees the portions is always surprised.”

The restaurant serves Greek meals like Greek salad, chicken soulvaki, gyro’s, avgolemono or lemon-rice chicken soup and spinach pie. The restaurant also serves desserts like baklava, rice pudding, tiramisu and a variety of pies.

Brigitte Langford of Zephyrhills is becoming a regular at the restaurant and she said she likes to bring people with her to try it out.

“Everybody I have brought here loves it,” Langford said. “Every time I come I get something different and I have never had anything I didn’t like. The help is super nice and the service is fast.”

Peggy Baker of Zephyrhills joined Langford.

“It is my first time and I loved it,” Baker said. “I love Greek food and this is good.”

Joseph Dipippo of Lutz is a retired psychiatrist. He said a part of enjoying his retirement is to come to The Hungry Greek every week to have chicken Greek salad and other delicious Greek food.

“The people here are very friendly,” Dipippo said. “When I look for a restaurant I look for friendly staff and quality food which is why I come here every week.”

For more information, visit www.thehungrygreek.com or call (813) 345-8526.

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

An incurable disease has spread to 33 of Florida’s citrus-producing counties and threatens the long-term health of the industry in the Sunshine State.

It is called the huanglongbing (HLB), but is also known as yellow dragon disease or citrus greening. The disease was first recorded in the Tampa Bay area in 2007. There have been more than 1,900 confirmed cases of HLB in Florida as of the end of 2009, with at least 36 in Pasco and Hillsborough counties combined. The only citrus-producing counties not affected are in north Florida.

“It is the most serious citrus disease out there,” said Florida Citrus Mutual spokesman Andrew Meadows.

While all citrus plants are vulnerable to HLB, sweet and mandarin oranges are the most affected. Sour oranges, grapefruits and lemons are only moderately susceptible, as are plants related to citrus such as the limeberry.

George Neukom III, of Zephyrhills, runs one commercial grove in Pasco and is on the board of directors for the mutual.

“We’re just starting to see the shirking of the fruit and the other symptoms of the greening,” Neukom said. “We expect to see more next year…I’m very fearful of it. I’ve seen groves down south that have had the disease longer and it can get very bad.”

Neukom has had to remove 10 to 15 trees this year because of HLB. The disease plus the extreme cold from last winter could have destroyed the next crop, but his grove has been able to dodge both bullets to this point.

“We would have lost some of the smaller trees if we hadn’t used the water to protect them,” Neukom said. “We were really lucky because it was cold enough to do a lot of damage…Our next crop will be ready in November and I expect it to be a good one as long as we don’t see problems with the disease.”

HLB causes leaves to develop yellow blotches, poor flowering and stunted tree growth according to Florida Citrus Mutual. Fruit from infected trees are usually misshapen or shrunken, remain green when ripe and taste either bitter or very sour.

Trees may not exhibit symptoms for six to 18 months and by that time much of the grove is usually infected. Citrus plants generally die within two years of contracting HLB.

The disease was first detected in the United States in September 2005 in Dade and Broward counties. HLB is spread by two species of psyllid, a flying insect. Only the Asian variety has been seen in this country.

Psyllids carry the bacterium that causes the greening and pass it to the trees while feeding on the sap. HLB is not spread by wind, rain or contact with contaminated tools.

While HLB poses no threat to people, animals or plants that are not related to citrus, the disease is a risk to the $9.3 billion citrus industry. There are no projections of how much HLB will hurt the industry this year.

The best way to prevent the spread today is to remove infected trees from a grove as soon as it starts to display symptoms. Generally trees near the infected ones are also removed in case they have caught the greening.

In addition, the Florida Department of Citrus is researching more effective pesticides to reduce the number of psyllids and developing strains of citrus that are resistant to HLB.

A smaller grove in Zephyrhills is the one owned by Charlie Proctor. He has grown all naval oranges on the land for seven or eight years.

“I haven’t had problems with that yet,” Proctor said of HLB. “I have a guy who takes care of the grove for me and he hasn’t said anything about it getting to the trees.

“Last year was the first time I lost money on the grove, but that was because we didn’t get enough water until too late in the season so we only got a few oranges,” Proctor continued. “It wasn’t because of the greening.”

The Florida Department of Agriculture is encouraging anyone who has a tree infected with HLB to remove it as soon as possible to prevent the spread of the disease. For more information on HLB, visit the mutual’s Web site, www.flcitrusmutual.com.

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

Lutz Elementary School and the old train depot will get a fresh look when Lutz paints the town April 24.

For 11 years, the Sheriff’s Office has sponsored Lutz Paint the Town to coincide with Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful and the Great American Clean-up.

This year the Sheriff’s office didn’t have the funds or resources to manage the event, so Idlewild Baptist Church stepped up to help. The church has 40 volunteers scheduled to participate, most from its singles ministry.

“We didn’t want the event to die so we picked up the tab to keep the community active,” said Jonathan Boyette, local and national missions coordinator for Idlewild.  “We invite everyone to come help out.”

The event begins at 8 a.m. at the Old School House on 41 with a quick orientation meeting. Anyone interested in volunteering can grab a brush and join in. The event will last until 1 p.m. Hot Rod’s BBQ & Grill will supply lunch for the volunteers.

Last year, volunteers painted Hot Rod’s restaurant, 18430 Livingston Ave., as part of the project. Owner Rod Smith was overwhelmed with gratitude. Having been diagnosed with cancer, he was unable to do the repairs himself. Having the community step up to help gave him hope in a difficult time.

“It was just wonderful,” Smith said. “Making the food this year is my way of reciprocating. As of now I am doing good and beating the disease.”

Prior to 2009, Paint the Town projects were usually private homes of the elderly.

This year, volunteers will paint picnic tables, fences and doors at Lutz Elementary. The second project site is the Lutz train depot at Lutz Lake Fern and US 41, where in addition to painting, cross signals will be repaired. The train depot is a replica of the original built at the turn of the 20^th Century.

“The train depot is something the community worked on for many years to build,” said Eleanor Cecil, member of the Lutz Civic Association. “It is very significant to the community. Having it renovated is a very good thing.”

The Paint the Town project sites were chosen by community members and Idlewild volunteers.

“We’ve always been involved with this event,” Boyette said. “This year we went around to local establishments to see where there was a need.”

Both sites are supplying the paint themselves. Idlewild is supplying additional materials.

Boyette said giving back is important.

“At Idlewild, we are always looking for opportunities to serve,” he said. It’s important to feel a sense of ownership and take personal responsibility for one’s community.”

Boyette isn’t sure what the future holds for Paint the Town but said Idlewild will be there to head it up for as long as is needed.

“It’s an important tradition,” Boyette said. “We definitely want to keep it alive.”

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

A 1981 motorcross accident left Randy Neiswender partially paralyzed from the waist down, reliant on a wheelchair and walker.

The accident didn’t stop Neiswender from becoming the top salesman at Jarrett Ford in Dade City, where he has worked for 30 years.

“I could have sat at home and collected a monthly check from the government but that would have been a waste,” he said. “I’ve had a productive career.”

Neiswender moved with his family to Zephyrhills in 1972. He and his brothers, John and Mike, were interested in motorcross and the area was a perfect place to race. Their father Winfield owned Pasco Motor Sports, a local bike shop.

Neiswender graduated from Zephyrhills High School in 1977 and went to work as a motorcycle mechanic for Yamaha in California. He traveled the United States attending bike races. In 1980, he returned to Zephyrhills and was offered a job working with his dad, a manager then at Jarrett Ford.

In October 1981, Neiswender earned his first salesman of the month award. It was the same month he went bike racing with friends at the Pasco County Fairgrounds and woke up in intensive care at University Community Hospital.

“It was October 29,” Neiswender said. “My friends had gotten some new bikes. I crashed. I wiped out. The crash wasn’t really worse than the other crashes I’d had racing through the years, but my body hit a tree.”

Neiswender had three crushed ribs, a broken arm, internal bleeding, a bruise on his brain and a bruise on his spinal cord, which resulted in paralysis.

“I was never expected to walk again but with some good doctors and the help of the good Lord I can walk with a walker and have some feeling in my legs,” he said.

Neiswender was in physical therapy from 1981 to 1984, when he decided it was time to go back to work. He received an unexpected response.

“I went to the government office and said, ‘I want to discontinue my disability,’” Neiswender said. “The man said, ‘What, nobody ever does that?’ ”

Jarrett Ford welcomed the salesman back without hesitation and Neiswender has since earned the salesman of the year title 13 times. The company stopped handing out awards in 2000, or he would probably have many more.

Neiswender’s co-workers attribute his success to a genuine desire to help customers.

“Randy truly worries more about the customers’ needs than he does about just selling a car,” said Michael Kline, new car manager. “He is probably one of the most compassionate salesmen I’ve ever met.”

Neiswender’s brother, John, is general manager of Jarrett Ford in Winter Haven.

“Randy’s a great salesman because he’s tenacious and he never misses work,” John said. “He never has a bad day because he always has a positive frame of mind. ”

The two brothers support one another in good times and hard times. They lost their older brother Mike to cancer, also in 1981. Their father passed away a decade later and their mother, Mary Lou, is currently struggling with Alzheimer’s disease.

Neiswender, now 51, doesn’t believe in dwelling on the negative. In his opinion, it is a blessing to get out of bed everyday and drive his Ford Explorer to work. His biggest complaint is able people who park in handicap spaces.

“I can honestly say there’s never been a morning I’ve woken up and thought I didn’t feel like going in to work that day,” he said. “I really like what I do.”

Neiswender loves chatting with customers to get a feel for what type of car they need.

“I sit them down and talk to them because I want to sell them something that fits,” he said.

Jarrett Ford receptionist Ruth Johnson loves Neiswender’s approach to sales.

“It’s his honesty, and if he sees someone come in, he’s always right there, ready to take care of them,” she said.

When he’s not working, Neiswender spends time with his wife of almost three years, Carolyn. The couple likes watching sports, especially Bucs games.

Neiswender also follows stock car racing. He keeps a signed lettered from driver Richard Petty on his wall at work, and he hasn’t forgotten his love for motorcross. He watches the races on television and keeps in touch with old racing buddies. He doesn’t fault the sport for what happened and wouldn’t tell any young man not to race.

“Some of my fondest memories are of waking up, going out into the woods and racing with friends,” he said. “Accidents happen. You can always fall off a horse, or off the sidewalk for that matter. You can’t stop living.”

Contact Randy Neiswender at (352) 567-6711.