Special to The Laker/Lutz News

WESLEY CHAPEL—From humble beginnings in the Long Leaf Community, the Suncoast Arts Fest has grown to become an event so big it is drawing artists from all over Florida.

This year’s event will have more than 100 fine artists displaying and selling their work. The fest will be at the Shops at Wiregrass Saturday and Sunday.

Pamela Marron, co-director of the event this year, is one of the original organizers. She said about 70,000 people attended last year. She is hoping for even more this year.

“The first time we had the art show it was named Fine Arts on the Village Green and it was inside the Long Leaf Development in New Port Richey,” Marron said. “We had 1,500 visitors, so we decided the development wasn’t big enough for the art fest. That is when we moved it to SR 54 and Starkey and renamed it. We had it there for a couple years and then when they opened the Shops at Wiregrass we decided to move it there.”

Marron said visitors can expect a great mix of mediums including ceramics, clay, drawings, graphics, fiber, leather, wood, photography, glass, jewelry, metal, sculpture and mixed media.

“All the artists are creating fine art,” Marron said. “Nobody is using kits, every artist either makes everything by hand or a good portion of it. The jewelers are making their beads or the pottery artists are throwing their own clay by hand. This will not be an arts and crafts fest, it is for fine artists only.”

Pauline Atkinson of Zephyrhills will be selling the jewelry she makes using her handmade glass beads.

“I make the glass beads and then I put together bracelets, necklaces and earrings,” Atkinson said. “I like to work with a lot of color, which is why I use 150 different colors. Then after I make the glass beads, I like to add swarovski crystal and sterling silver.”

The event will benefit Art for Kids in Pasco County. Marron said money raised will be used to create a Web site that will help students in the 10^th through 12^th grade who are interested an art-based career.

“We want to help students and parents find the careers and colleges out there that are available,” Marron said. “We have been working with colleges like the Ringling College of Art and Design. We are trying to let people see that art is not just something you do in school or not just for an art show. Art can be used in a job too like architects and web designers. We want to be able to help kids who are passionate about art.”

In addition to building a Web site, the non-profit organization will also have an Emerging Artist show for sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school in Pasco.

“The show will be a juried art show just like a professional show,” Marron said. “The students artwork will have to be accepted and in the end prizes will be awarded.”

Nanette McLain, of Land O’ Lakes, will be displaying her stained glass artwork at the Fest. She said when she creates pieces; she is inspired by nature’s wonders, things like butterflies, birds and dragonflies.

“I make small sun catchers all the way up to large panels,” McLain said. “I also like to do custom projects. I like to use a lot of different colors and textures. Everything I do is handmade and done in kind of the old-fashioned way where I hand-cut each piece and put them together. It does take longer, but I think it is worth it because it is so pretty.”

In addition to the art show, the fest will also have entertainment from local schools including The Contempo Dance Group and the Mitchell High School Jazz Band. WMNF 88.5 FM, a public radio station, will be broadcasting regional music.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT Suncoast Arts Fest 2010
• WHERE The Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive, Wesley Chapel
• WHEN Jan. 23 and 24 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday
• MORE INFORMATION visit www.suncoastartsfest.com

Victorious Life Church hosts concert and women’s conference

By Sarah Whitman

Senior staff writer

WESLEY CHAPEL — The Watoto Children’s Choir travels the world singing to inspire change in Africa’s most war-torn and disease-affected countries. The group, made up of Ugandan orphans aged 8 to 12, will perform Jan. 29 at Victorious Life Church.

The performance is part of the Reflections Women’s Conference, a two-day event to address the plight of children in the developing world. Marilyn Skinner, co-founder of Watoto, and Lisa Bevere, author and child rights activist, will speak.

“Reflections is about letting women know what’s going on in other parts of the world and what they can do to help,” Victorious Life co-pastor Janis Russo said. “We invite them to come be inspired.”

Founded in 1994 by Marilyn and Gary Skinner, Watoto Children’s Ministries rescues kids affected by the AIDS epidemic and war atrocities. The ministry currently provides more than 1,700 children in Uganda with housing, holistic care, schooling and spiritual guidance.  The choir serves to spread the word and show children a life outside their villages. Each year auditions are held and different children are given an opportunity to go on tour.

Sherri Hanson, U.S. tour coordinator, contacted Victorious Life with the idea for Reflections, a concert complimented by great speakers.

“Lisa (Bevere) has been involved with Watoto and she has done a lot of work in the fight against child sex trafficking,” Hanson said. “I thought her and Marilyn together at one event would be exciting.”

Bevere’s latest book “Nurture” focuses on the nature of women and their willingness to help others. In it, the author says God predestined women to be caregivers to people in need.

Russo agrees with the message.

“When women see people suffering, they become passionate about making a difference,” Russo said. “They will get behind a cause with all the time and energy they have.”

Victorious Life member Toni Barsness said she is excited to learn more about Watoto and what role she can play in saving lives.

“It’s amazing what they do at Watoto,” she said. “They literally raise these children to be future African leaders.”

Hanson remembers the first time she traveled to Uganda.

“I went expecting to go and bless some children,” she said. “When I arrived, I realized it was them who would bless me. They have suffered so much but they are so humble and grateful. The rest of us can learn a lot from them.”

The music of the Watoto Choir brings Russo to tears.

“I saw them perform a couple years ago and they were so incredibly dynamic,” she said. “Their energy was contagious, so contagious that our church sent a missions group to Uganda last summer. I jumped at the chance to bring the children here.”

Russo hopes conference attendees will walk away feeling more connected to people in the third world.

“People hear stories about what’s going on over there but that’s as far as it goes,” she said. “When you meet people face-to-face, the message really hits home.”

Skinner, having lived in Uganda for more than fifteen years, plans to speak candidly about her experiences with pregnant AIDS victims, starving children and children victimized by widespread violence. Some of the stories are difficult to share, but Skinner does so in hopes of creating a better world.

“She will speak about faith, justice and humanity,” Hanson said. “I truly believe this conference was God ordained. Women need to be made aware.”

The Reflections Conference is open to all women. Registration can be done on-line at www.maximizedwomanhood.com or at the church.

• WHAT Reflections Women’s Conference
• WHEN doors open 6:30 p.m. Jan 29 8:30 a.m. Jan 30
• WHERE Victorious Life Church, 6224 Old Pasco Road
• HOW MUCH $39 for both days $29 for one day
• MORE INFORMATION (813) 973-2230

LAND O’ LAKES —More homes for low income families are expected to be built in the Land O’ Lakes area as a result of a pending merger between the Central Pasco and East Pasco chapters of Habitat for Humanity.

In the past 10 years, the all-volunteer Central Pasco Habitat has built four homes compared to 73 completed by the East Pasco Habitat, which has eight employees and two VISTA volunteers.

“We expect to accelerate home construction in central Pasco to two or three homes a year,” said John Finnerty, president of the East Pasco organization. “It’s gotten to be a lot more difficult to get grant monies, and by combining our resources we will be able to build more homes.”

On Jan. 16, the Central Pasco group dedicated its fourth home, built for Jasson and Ashlie Neeley and their three young sons — identical 3-year-old twins Christian and Cayden, and 6-month-old Gabrielle. The 1,400 square foot home in Pasco Lakes Estates has a wide front porch, three bedrooms and a bath. The subdivision is located in north Land O’ Lakes on US 41, about five miles north of SR 52.

“We moved in on Dec. 19, which was Jasson’s birthday and just in time for Christmas,” Ashlie said.

Work began on the family’s home 18 months earlier, when they were still a family of four. Jasson, who works at All Phase Electric in Tampa, did much of the work with the help of Habitat volunteers.

Next door to the Neeley home, another Habitat home is being built by the Central Pasco group. Board member Gary Williams said the selection committee is currently reviewing applications to choose a family for the group’s fifth home.

“The board is really proud of what we’ve done and the merger steps up and allows us to build more homes,” Williams said.

The merger of the two local Habitat chapters is expected to be formally approved by the national Habitat for Humanity organization in March, Finnerty said.

The merged organization will be called Habitat for Humanity of East Central Pasco. Three members from the current Central Pasco board —Danny Coleman, Randy Gailit and John Westfall — will be appointed to a combined 22-member board.  Central Pasco will continue to be represented by a 12-member advisory group made up of current board members and new volunteers.

Finnerty said the two chapters have been working on the merger for six months. They are currently searching for a location in the Land O’ Lakes area to open a Habitat Restore to accept donations of new appliances and building materials. If donated items are not needed in a local Habitat home, they are sold at Habitat’s Restore at significant discounts to the public. The store is just one project made possible by the merger.

Laziness comes in handy for Land O’ Lakes teenager

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

LAND O’ LAKES — At just 16-years-old, Hunter Morera already has his first patent pending invention, and he can thank it all to unusual inspiration.

“I have to say I’m lazy,” Morera said. “So to try and do as little work as possible I try and think of ways to make things easier.”

Morera, who lives on the Pasco County side of Lutz and goes to Sunlake High, won a national invention search last November. Morera was one of six people who earned a spot on season two of the Discovery Channel show “Pitchmen.” He will appear with his invention, the “Select-A-Wrench.”

Morera came up with his invention while trying to save time looking for tools. He and his father, Eddie, were using a tree trimmer when they realized it had some loose bolts. After several unsuccessful trips for the right wrench, Morera had a brainstorm.

“I said this is just stupid,” Morera said. “There has to be an easier way to find the right tool than to run back and forth.”

The Select-A-Wrench is an open-ended tool with multiple wrenches that fold down to fit in the palm of someone’s hand like a pocketknife.

Morera and his invention were featured at the Museum of Science and Industry’s Kid’s Invention Day Jan. 17. The young inventor has volunteered at various MOSI stations each Saturday for the last two years.

“We decided to have the day because Hunter has volunteered here for years and we wanted to honor him on National Kid Inventor Day while teaching other children more about science and invention,” said Cathy Crowder, MOSI spokesperson. “He could be what inspires hundreds of other inventions by kids.

Morera easily impressed Crowder.

“I’ve met Hunter a few times and everyone here loves him,” she said. “He is always on time when he’s volunteering and he’s a great ambassador for MOSI.”

There was more than just the usual MOSI crowd in attendance to see Morera. Anthony Sullivan and Sullivan Productions were also there filming for season two of “Pitchmen.”

Morera said of the film crew coming to the event, “When they said there’d be cameras, I was like ‘I don’t like cameras. No cameras please.’ But it wasn’t really that bad.”

On Jan. 16, Sullivan Productions also allowed other young inventors to bring their own inventions and best sales pitches. This children “pitch-a-thon” may be used during season two of the show.

“It’s great because it’s giving kids a chance to show their ingenuity,” said Sarah Burns, assistant producer for “Pitchmen.”

Morera is the youngest person ever on the show. A 17-year-old named Kyle from California was on the first season.

“Kyle from season one e-mailed me when he learned I’d be on the show,” Morera said. “He told me he was glad they picked another kid to be on the show.”

One-on-one filming with Morera for the show has not started yet and not even the local star knows when it will.

“I’ve learned that working with a film company is really crazy and all over the place,” Morera said. “One day they call you like 10 times and then I you don’t hear from them for weeks. I say that everything is always ‘hurry up and wait’ because things have to always be fast even though nothing is really planned.”

Thing might be crazy with filming, but Morera is still coming up with ideas in the interim.

“I was thinking I might want to do something with Q-tips because I can never grab just one,” Morera said. “I thought of trying to do something with a Q-tip dispenser a few days after the competition because I always grab like 20.”

Morera said someone at the competition last November had an invention involving Q-tips.

“Maybe it is something I can work on over the summer,” Morera said. “Maybe I can get on season three (of “Pitchmen”) with this one. I don’t know if there is going to be a third season, but that would be really cool.”

By Suzanne Schmidt

LAND O’ LAKES—For two years, Sarapage Bauguss has been growing her home-based business, Baby Girl Products.

It all started when Bauguss became a stay-at-home mom to Brinly, 4, and Bradyn, 2. She said she used to clean up all the time because she thought that was the way to keep her daughters safe and healthy.

After seeing all the safety recalls for the toys because they had lead, she decided to do some research on all the other things she thought were safe including cleaners. What she discovered made her decide to not only change her ways, but to also help others out there who were just like her.

“When I was doing research, I could not find anything that was 100 percent safe enough,” Bauguss said. “The chemicals in cleaners have been lab tested and have been found to cause the growth of cancer cells and cause reproductive difficulties. There is also the presence of neurotoxins which have been found to cause brain abnormalities.”

The Baby Girl products are certified organic with ingredients like vinegar, organic essential oils, olive oil and lemon juice. All of the products are non-toxic and some are even safe enough to eat like the wood polish and the glass cleaner.

“Most of my products use vinegar because it is a natural disinfectant,” Bauguss said. “I don’t like it to smell like vinegar so I use organic essential oils that I saponified, which means I turned them into soap.”

In order to reach more people, Bauguss has been attending moms groups and community events. She said she originally started creating Baby Girl products to educate people, but now that her business is growing she is excited.

“Educating is my main thing,” Bauguss said. “I never thought I would make a profit.”

Through word-of-mouth, Bauguss has been able to grow her business. She started out just mixing the cleaners in her kitchen and selling them on-line. She now has 14 stores carrying her products as well as four women working for her.

“I have been going to events and speaking at Mom’s groups,” Bauguss said. “I have been talking to a lot of people who were just like me. There are a lot of people who just don’t have that awareness. The main way my business has grown is just because when people buy my products, they get so excited they want to tell everybody.”

Through her Web site, Bauguss distributes a newsletter every month where she gives helpful cleaning tips like using her glass cleaner for flat stove tops or using cooking oil spray to clean stainless steel. She said it is important to her to help others and most importantly her family.

“If there is anything in my life I can do to protect me or my family from having cancer, then I will do it,” Bauguss said. “I figure if a product is safer and works just as well, then why not use it.”

Jennifer Agustines, a stay-at-home Mom in Tampa, said when she met Bauguss recently, she changed her life. Agustines said she loves Baby Girl products and uses them all the time instead of traditional cleaners.

“I used to have a germ phobia,” Agustines said. “I was actually a bit of a bleach-aholic because I thought it was good to be clean and sanitized. I didn’t pay too much attention to what I used to clean, but then I met Bauguss at a mom’s event. I like that the Baby Girl products clean really well and they don’t smell bad.”

The next event Bauguss will be attending will be the Smart Baby Expo at the Quorum Hotel, 700 N. Westshore Blvd., Jan. 31 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit babygirlproducts.com.

Carol Morsani earns Women of Distinction award

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

LUTZ — Those who have been to Carol Morsani Hall at the David A. Starz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, formally the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, probably don’t wonder too much about who the hall is named after.

Carol Morsani has lived in Lutz for the last 20 years and was recently named one of four winners of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s 2010 Women of Distinction award.

“I was kind of surprised when I heard I won the award from the local girl scout council because I haven’t been really involved with scouts for years,” Morsani said. “I had two girls, Tulsa and Suzanne, who where in Girl Scouts, but that was in New Jersey a long time ago. I guess you could say I was shocked and honored all at once.”

The hall was renamed after Morsani in 1996 when she and her husband, Frank, donated $5 million to the center through the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. It was the largest single donation given to the center at its time. The 2,610-seat hall was previously named the Festival Hall.

The two have established the Frank and Carol Morsani Foundation Inc., which donates money to several causes in the Tampa Bay area.

“My husband and I have done very well over the years and we want to try and give back as much as possible,” Morsani said. “We just love the whole Tampa Bay area and want to make it a better place for everyone.”

Frank owned several automobile dealerships while Morsani raised their family.

There are four recipients of the award each year presented by the GSWCF, which is the governing body for all Girl Scout troops in Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Hernando, Sumter, Citrus and Marion counties.

“Nominations from the community are accepted all year, however a special call for nominations is posted on our Web site (www.gswcf.org) each fall,” said Lora Hulse, Women of Distinction Selection Committee chairwoman. “A selection committee of three volunteers reviews all nominations and ranks them.”

To be eligible, a woman must show community philanthropy, be a positive role model for girls and make the community a better place according to GSWCF. Nominees must also live within GSWCF boundaries.

Winners will attend a luncheon on March 23 at La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa, where they will receive a pin designed by Tampa Bay area artist Karen Arch.

“Since 1992, more than 230 women have been honored with the designation of a Woman of Distinction by GSWCF,” Hulse said. “Each of these honored women has contributed extensively to the communities they live in and served as outstanding role models for girls.”

Other award winners this year included Maruchi Blanco, of Tampa, Susan Churuti, of St. Petersburg, and Seretha Tinsley, of Winter Haven.

Morsani’s giving does not stop with the performing arts. She has also helped the University of South Florida.

“Carol and Frank Morsani have established a legacy of making their community a better place,” states the USF Web site. “In addition to their leadership gift, which created the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Health Care, the Morsanis’ generosity has created the Robert L. Anderson professorship at the College of Business Administration, and a women’s softball stadium and a football practice complex.”

Frank has been quoted in past years as saying, “It doesn’t matter if you’re donating $10 or $10 million. It’s the act of supporting your community that’s meaningful and priceless.”

Morsani has also made contributions in Pasco County by giving to the Gulfside Regional Hospice in Dade City.

“Those people with the hospice are great and give needed support to families struggling with their health,” Morsani said. “They are nonprofits, so they can use all the help they can get.”

While Morsani is no longer active in Girl Scouts, she has not ruled out helping them in the future.

“I stopped being involved in Girls Scouts because my girls were all grown up and I didn’t think I could keep up with the kids anymore,” Morsani said jokingly. “But if the scouts told me they could use some help I would do what I can. Girl Scouts is great (help) for young women to become better adults.”

Businesses partner to host family friendly event

By Sarah Whitman

Senior staff writer

LUTZ — The Hound’s Meow, Careme’s Market and Java Tinto have partnered to host “Pirates, Pups and Pastries,” a day of food and fun from noon to 4 p.m. Jan. 23 at Lake Chapman Plaza in Lutz. There will be a raffle, free food, games and free beads in the spirit of Gasparilla.

Business owners hope the event will attract people of all ages from Lutz to Tampa.

“We’re hoping people will stop by, have fun and see what’s great about our businesses, ” said Hound’s Meow owner Sarah Harrison.

Careme’s owner Bill Wiener is excited to cook up delicious treats for people to try. The restaurant will be open for lunch while free samples are handed out outside.

“We’ll have cheesecake and carrot cake for everyone to taste,” he said. “We’re also going to have a wine tasting.”

Java Tinto, which adjoins to Drytech cleaners, will provide the coffee.

“We’ll have samples of our latest flavors,” said assistant manger Rachel Hammond. “Events like this are a great way to meet people living in the area and let them know what we offer.”

Hound’s Meow, a pet-supply shop especially for dogs and cats, will offer up treats for the pups.

“If you have a pet, bring them along,” Harrison said, “And if you’re looking to adopt a pet, we’ll have adorable dogs and cats waiting to find homes.”

Harrison said she’s glad she opened her business at Lake Chapman, because all the owners are friends.

“We get along well and we help each other out,” she said. “Like with the costs of this event, just one business couldn’t have afforded to put it together.”

Weiner said, in a struggling economy, three minds are better than one.

“We can brainstorm and come up with ideas to bring customers to the plaza,” he said. “We plan to do a group event once a month.”

Weiner thinks people might be surprised by how many locally owned businesses there are in the area.

“We aren’t corporate America,” he said. “When you shop or eat here, you are supporting your neighbors.”

Saturday’s event is free and open to all. Bring the pets, bring the kids and celebrate local commerce.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT “Pirates, Pups, and Pastries”
• WHEN noon to 4 p.m. Jan 23
• WHERE Lake Chapman Plaza, N. Florida Ave.
• HOW MUCH Free
• MORE INFORMATION (813) 960-6111

By Sarah Whitman

Senior Staff Writer

LAND O’ LAKES — Cancer is a word no one wants to hear. For many, the possibility of unexpected illness leads to worry and frustration. John Suits’ business is helping to ease those anxieties. Suits owns New Born Blood Banking, Inc. a cord blood storage facility in Land O’ Lakes. The business safely stores infant cord blood to use in case of a health emergency. The blood can be used to fight diseases ranging from Leukemia to Sickle-Cell Anemia.

“Cord blood is filled with stem cells and stem cells can be used to save lives,” Suits said. “We help parents collect and store their children’s cord blood so its there if the families need it.”

Suits, a former math teacher, learned about cord blood storage when his wife was pregnant with their first child in 1996. Prior to the pregnancy, she had battled lung cancer.

“It just happened so suddenly,” he said. ” She was fine one day and the next she could die. It was unnerving.”

Soon after Suits’ wife went into remission, the couple heard about cord blood storage and grew fascinated. They began reading up on the subject around the time they began trying for a family. They found that cord blood can prevent the need for bone marrow transplants, a difficult and dangerous procedure.

“With a stem cell transplant, there is a greater chance for a match, meaning the body won’t reject the new cells,” Suits said, “And with cord blood, a match is there waiting for the donor.”

After learning this, the Suits found out they were expecting a baby girl.

“When we got pregnant, we decided we definitely wanted to do it,” Suits said, “so we went in search of someone who could help us.”

The couple found Dr. Yenhui Chang at All Children’s Hospital. Chang helped them purchase the right equipment, which includes collection kits, complete with special storage bags, and a liquid nitrogen freezer. The Suits then converted their garage into a hygienic lab.

“We got everything we needed, learned from Dr. Chang and prepared for our daughter’s birth,” Suits said.

Unfortunately, when Suits daughter was born, they weren’t quite ready and were unable to store the blood.

“It was a disappointment but we believed so much in the process, we decided to try and help others,” Suits said.

Knowing the good they could do, the couple helped a friend, Obstetrician Dr. Steve Greenberg, store his son’s blood. After the collection was successful, the Suits began helping more and more people. In 1999, they turned the operation into a full-time business. At the time, the only licensing required was for the liquid nitrogen. Today, the FDA regulates all storage facilities.

Jerlyn Shaw was one of New Born Blood Banking’s early clients.

“I had read literature on cord blood storage and I thought it was a good thing to do,” Shaw said.

While pregnant with her son, Shaw contacted Suits and began the process. She paid the $200 required deposit and put her name on the list.

“It was simple,” she said. “John (Suits) came to the hospital when I delivered, took care of everything and that was it.”

New Born Blood Banking makes a promise to make it to the hospital with a collection kit, rain or shine.

“We collected during the 2004 hurricanes,” Suits said. “We bring the kits, get them to the obstetricians and then take them back with us right away.”

The blood is kept safe at a facility on Carson Dr. in Land O’ Lakes.  The first year storage cost is $1095. An 18-year storage plan is $3095.

“Its worth the cost,” Shaw said. “I’ve been lucky so far but I can rest easy knowing my son has a resource waiting if he were to get sick, or even if something were to happened to me or my husband, we could use it then too.”

Suits said many of his clients work in the medical profession.

He encourages anyone interest in cord blood storage to research the topic and contact him.

“If you have the funds to do this, you should,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen. It could save a life.”

For more information, call (813) 948-2673.

New editorial team brings more local news and community stories

By Diane Kortus

Publisher

When I became publisher of The Laker and Lutz News last July, one of my staff’s first goals was to give readers more stories about people, community groups, local businesses and recreational sports.

We wanted stories that readers would not find in the daily papers or anywhere else. We believed our stories should make readers feel good about their community and be reflective of the people living in their neighborhoods. We wanted stories that were informative and useful to people living here.

One of the first changes we made was to reduce our coverage of crime news, especially crime that occurred in outlying areas. We saw no purpose in reporting on incidents in Hudson, Lacoochee and north Tampa —areas where we had few readers.

By comparison, there was little crime to report in our primary coverage areas of Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills. We still cover pubic safety, but only if it happens in our readership area, and only if we can report it differently. Local TV news, radio and daily newspapers report crime news aggressively and we didn’t want to repeat this same news in our community papers.

Another decision we made early on was to discontinue obituaries. Like classifieds, obituaries have migrated to the Internet because of the immediate need people have to learn about someone’s death and memorial service. Because we publish only once a week, we were publishing obituaries with services that had already happened.

Eliminating crime briefs and obituaries freed up a lot of space in our papers to publish stories we cover best — grassroots news that is found deep within our neighborhoods.

Stories about people who make a difference, clubs that help others, local arts and entertainment events, stories about student achievements, profiles on churches and their outreach programs, profiles about people behind our businesses, prep sports that focus more on people than scores, and adding recreational sports like kickball, golf and adult soccer.

We began to implement these changes and by the first of the year wanted to accelerate our plan to give readers more diverse and better-written stories.

We were fortunate to find two experienced journalists living in the heart of our readership area who hold the same vision for community journalism. Sarah Whitman and Suzanne Schmidt joined our staff last week after several years at The Tampa Tribune.

Sarah is heading up our news operation as senior staff writer. A USF graduate, she most recently wrote stories about northeast Hillsborough County for The Tribune.

For us, Sarah is focusing on news from Lutz and Land O’ Lakes, as well as stories about people, community organizations and churches throughout our coverage area.

Suzanne Schmidt is a name many readers may recognize. She wrote for In The Loop, The Tribune’s weekly paper in central Pasco, until it folded last year. Suzanne is a graduate of Southern Illinois University and is focusing on news from Wesley Chapel and writing about schools and businesses for all coverage areas.

In January, Kyle LoJacono became a full-time writer covering sports and news from Zephyrhills. A 2009 graduate of Florida State University, Kyle started with us last summer as a part-time sports writer.

Rounding out our team is editorial assistant Mary Rathman, a talented and versatile employee who is described by her colleagues as “the glue who holds us all together.”

With so much new talent in our newsroom, last week was a very good week for our company.

And it was an even better week for Suzanne Schmidt. Not only did she land a full-time journalism job at a paper just 15 minutes from her Land O’ Lakes home, but she also became engaged to her boyfriend of two years, David Jackson.

Our congratulations to Suzanne as she begins her journey as a reporter for Community News Publications, as well as that of a future bride