Lutz News

Hot cars and spicy chili coming soon to Lutz

August 28, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Organizers of the Lutz Centennial Cars & Chili event hope that classic and exotic car lovers will want to show off their vehicles at the Nov. 2 event. (Photo courtesy of Bob Moore)

Chili aficionados and classic car buffs can compete for bragging rights on Nov. 2 at the Lutz Centennial Cars & Chili event.

The event is one in a series of celebrations this year to mark the 100th anniversary of Lutz, which has a rich history of bringing people together for community gatherings.

“The main thing I’m hoping for is a good day,” said Bob Moore, chairman of the centennial committee. “What I’m trying to do is involve people from Lutz. I know there are a lot of people in Lutz that have classic cars.”

Car buffs and motorcycle enthusiasts are encouraged to take part in the show, which will feature classic cars, exotic cars and motorcycles.

“Come show off your Harleys,” Moore said.

The chili cook-off will have two categories: Families and individuals will compete in one, and clubs and organizations will square off in the other.

Steve Otto, a widely known columnist for The Tampa Tribune, has vast experience in judging chili contests and will lead the team judging this cook-off.

Suzin Carr, the honorary Guv’na of Lutz, will also get to choose her favorite chili.

Centennial Committee member Janet Hardy said the committee wants to put the word out early, to encourage people to take part. The deadline for registration to compete in the cook-off is 5 p.m. on Oct. 25, and there is a $25 team entry fee.

She hopes chili cooks will pull out their deep pots, long-handled ladles and special recipes to test their skills against other chili lovers. She also hopes that they’ll show off their team spirit, because organizers are trying to promote good old-fashioned fun.

The idea, she said, “is just to celebrate the fact that Lutz is a great place.”

Chili cook-off teams can consist of one chef and two assistants. The chili must be cooked on-site. Since there’s no electricity, teams must provide their own LP-gas cooking appliance. They must also supply their own ingredients and cooking utensils.

Patrons will be able to purchase official centennial chili cups for $5 each, which they can carry around from team to team to sample different kinds of chili. The tastings will begin at noon and will end when the chili runs out, or at 2 p.m.

The celebration will be on the grounds between the old train depot and the Lutz Community Center, between US 41 and the Lutz Branch Library.

To find out more about the chili cook-off, email . To learn more about the car show, email .

Local woman sees world through new lens

August 21, 2013 By Michael Hinman

For two years, longtime Lutz resident Linda Reynolds found her home in a country whose population is about the size of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties put together.

The Republic of Macedonia, formed in the early 1990s following the breakup of Yugoslavia, was never a place Reynolds thought she’d ever found herself in. But that trip changed her life.

Linda Reynolds makes her way across a rickety bridge not far from her host family’s house in the Kratovo area of Macedonia. Reynolds, a 34-year resident of Lutz, served two years in the Peace Corps. (Photo courtesy of Linda Reynolds)

“I was a business manager, and one of the original employees of Transitions Optical back in 1992,” Reynolds said. “I helped to grow the business from a very small company to a worldwide leader in optical lenses.”

But after 18 years on the job, Reynolds knew it was time for something different. It was exactly when she found the Peace Corps.

“It’s something that I wanted to do ever since I was a child,” said Reynolds, who turned 57 last weekend. “I truly believe that the way the world gets to be a better place is by people connecting, and I think the Peace Corps is a fabulous way to serve the country.”

It takes a village
After a lengthy application process and extensive training, Reynolds found herself on a plane to Eastern Europe in 2011. While traditional Peace Corps jobs are thought of as doctors and language teachers, Reynolds was taking a different path: community and business development.

She set up shop in Kriva Palanka, a small town in the northeastern part of Macedonia, not far from the Bulgaria border where more than 14,000 people live. Reynolds connected with community leaders there to find out what the small town needed, and how she could make a difference.

One of her first targets was a fire station that probably hadn’t been touched since the 1950s, Reynolds said. It was in desperate need of renovation, so with the help of a $4,000 grant she obtained, Reynolds worked with the firefighters to spruce up the place.

“I got board, and they made cabinets,” she said, “I got PVC pipe, and they built a bathroom. I bought laminate floor, and they laid it. At the end of all of it, these firefighters had a professional place to work and to live, and every single firefighter contributed their time to make it happen.”

Even more, Reynolds was able to gel a team of loosely affiliated firefighters separated by political and other social differences.

“We are just talking about 13 firefighters, but this project turned them into a real team,” Reynolds said.

The right stuff
Peace Corps volunteers like Reynolds are really diehard individuals, said Alethea Parker, public affairs specialist for Peace Corps in Atlanta.

“It’s a large commitment to be away from your family and friends for two years,” she said. “But from our perspective, it’s very rewarding and impactful … and it is important work.”

The only requirements to become a Peace Corps volunteer are being at least 18 years old, and a U.S. citizen. But getting selected, that is a much more daunting process.

“Our application process is quite competitive,” Parker said. “Most of our programs do require at least a bachelor’s degree, and we are typically looking at several years of full-time professional work experience.”

But the number of applications doesn’t mean the Peace Corps isn’t in need of good candidates. With a little more than 8,000 slots available around the world and an annual budget about the size of an oil company’s daily profits, the Peace Corps must be very selective. That means background checks, physicals, and various tests to determine what kind of skillsets an applicant has.

Yet, being a Peace Corps volunteer has its advantages beyond just helping out overseas. Medical expenses are covered at 100 percent, and a decent stipend is offered to cover day-to-day living expenses.

“I served in Cameroon, and my stipend there was $230 a month,” Parker said. “That was a pretty good salary for where I was, and as long as you live a modest lifestyle, that kind of money can cover a lot.”

Life back home
Reynolds had a small apartment in Kriva Palanka where she adopted two cats — not a very common pet in that part of the world.

“People thought it was very, very odd that I had cats in my apartment,” Reynolds said. “There, cats are outside animals. So it was very hard to go to the supermarket in my little town and find the supplies I was looking for to take care of my cats.”

Reynolds has only been back in the United States for about four months, and after 34 years living in Lutz, has now settled in Atlanta closer to her children. Reynolds hasn’t quite decided what she wants to do with her life now that she’s back, but she’s definitely a much different person than when she left two years ago.

“I find myself less frantic,” she said. “I don’t have a job, but I’m not frantic about it. It’s too early for me to retire, and I’m too old to start a new career. But I would like to find something that will allow me to contribute to something in a meaningful way.

“I’m just trying to get my sea legs back and not rush into anything. And I’m fortunate that I don’t have to.”

The Peace Corps currently has 36 volunteers from the Tampa Bay area serving overseas, and more than 850 volunteers from the region have participated since President John F. Kennedy founded the program in 1961.

Right now, however, the Peace Corps needs 1,000 volunteers, and it is recruiting now. Details can be found online at www.PeaceCorps.gov.

“If a young person from any community could go and spend time in a village some place in the world and come back to use everything they learned, we would be a better country as leaders,” Reynolds said. “We would definitely have a more worldly viewpoint that would make us more sensitive in our roles as leaders of the world.”

Pasco adds new virtual school, while state sees its operations suffer

August 21, 2013 By Michael Hinman

They didn’t like it, but the Pasco County School Board earlier this month approved the application of a virtual charter school that was once under state investigation.

In a 3-1 vote, with Alison Crumbley dissenting, the board allowed the Southwest Florida Virtual Charter Board to open a virtual charter school in Pasco County — as long as the school meets stringent quality guidelines.

Science teacher Stephanie Carter prepares to give a virtual class through her laptop and tablet computer setup as part of the first day of school for Pasco eSchool last year. Joining Carter are, from left, Chinese language teacher Kim Giorgio, English and language arts teacher Heather Kline, and music and physical education teacher Kristi Duffy. (Photo courtesy of Pasco eSchool)

It turned a rather significant page in the evolution of virtual education with the expansion of such services in the county. But then the landscape shifted significantly when the state-run Florida Virtual School announced massive layoffs after an enrollment drop and changes to how the state funds it.

The future of educating students no matter where they are is at a precipice, and virtual education must find a way to not only survive, but thrive, says Pasco eSchool principal Joanne Glenn.

“It’s a great choice option for a variety of families in a variety of circumstances,” Glenn said.

Virtual schools are typically done through a computer and Internet connection, and were designed for students who were geographically challenged to get specific coursework from a bricks and mortar operation. Today, however, these types of schools are being used more and more by students looking to supplement what they’re already doing in an actual school classroom.

“Students in kind of a traditional setting began to supplement their instruction through virtual schools,” Glenn said. “They can take courses to recover credits, or even take courses that can accelerate their workload, to help them complete graduation requirements in their off time, so they can free up space to do a dual enrollment court or advanced placement.”

Pasco started its eSchool in 2009, and last year serviced 5,500 semester courses for 2,300 students. And that’s just for middle school and high school. The elementary eSchool has about 100 students — a smaller number because it requires not only the regular involvement of the student and teacher, but a parent as well.

Although interest in virtual schools continues to grow each year, the charter operation offered by the Southwest Florida Virtual Charter Board was met with so much skepticism from the board when it was first introduced last spring that they denied the request.

Southwest Florida Virtual appealed that decision to Florida’s Department of Education, prompting school board members to reconsider without risking a lengthy legal battle.

An investigation concluded Southwest Florida Virtual hired only certified teachers in Seminole County, but concerns remain.

“Student achievement, or the lack thereof, is something we are very worried about,” said Nancy Scowcroft, supervisor of charter schools for Pasco County. “Their school grades are not being posted on the Department of Education’s website, which means they are appealing. I don’t know what these scores look like, but apparently they are not where they want to be.”

The county maintains oversight of charter schools to make sure they are meeting specific criteria. With bricks and mortar schools, it means just traveling to different parts of the county when needed. However, to see what’s happening with Florida Virtual Academy of Pasco County, as this new school will be called, it will require regular trips to Daytona Beach.

“That means spending more money just to keep an eye on everything,” Scowcroft said.

Jeff Kwitowski, a spokesman for Virginia-based K12 Inc., which calls itself the “vendor” for the charter school operations in Florida, points to the fact that the previous claims against the school were unsubstantiated. And even if there was an issue of teachers lacking certification for their particular subject matter, it’s not against the law.

The state department of education reports more than 8,700 teachers in Florida’s schools are teaching courses outside their subject certification, Kwitowski said in a statement. He added that Seminole County, which made the complaint, admitted to having 100 teachers without proper certification in the 2011-12 school year alone.

“K12 had only three teachers whose certifications were ‘out-of-field,’ and they were quickly corrected,” Kwitowski said.

Some of the demand for virtual schools will now be shared by both Florida Virtual Academy and Pasco eSchool. And that alone could very well create a strong future for this newer type of learning, eSchool principal Glenn said, especially since taking at least one virtual course is a graduation requirement for the Class of 2015.

“This is the way a lot of employers are delivering on-the-job training now and professional development, and it’s also something that is happening more and more in post-secondary schools, colleges and universities,” Glenn said. “This gives all of our students a chance to have that first experience in a supported environment. So once they get out there in the real world, they’ll be ready.”

Watch for bikers: They’re honoring local heroes on Sept. 7

August 21, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Firefighters and first responders are known for making house calls when they’re needed the most. But on Sept. 7, they’ll get some visitors of their own: Hundreds of motorcycle riders, just wanting to say thanks.

Pasco County Choppers are hitting the road once again for its annual Gratitude Ride, a 50-mile trek from station to station honoring the heroes that don’t get thanked enough. At the same time, these more than 300 bikers raise money for the Pasco County Fire Benevolent Fund, which helps families of firefighters when they need a helping hand of their own.

Motorcycle riders from Pasco County Choppers and other groups line up to take off on its Gratitude Ride last year, visiting firefighters and first responders, to thank them for their service. (Photo courtesy of Dan Turner)

It’s no coincidence this ride happens around the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that killed 412 emergency workers in New York City alone. Local Realtor Dan Turner is originally from New York, and visited the World Trade Center towers many times before the tragedy. While that fateful day is now 12 years in the past, Taylor wants to make sure it’s always remembered.

“Some people have forgotten about 9/11; the whole thing has worn off a bit,” said Turner, who is now in his fourth year organizing the event. “We try to bring as much attention to it as possible.”

For the second year, the Gratitude Ride goes beyond just a gathering for hog enthusiasts. It’s expanding into a public afterparty at the Quail Hollow Country Club beginning at 1 p.m. There, visitors can enjoy the many motorcycles on display, eat food, enjoy drinks, and hear music from the Greg Billings Band.

Funds raised through a raffle and 50-50 will go to the Benevolent Fund.

“We’ll be passing some boots around to try and raise a little bit more money,” Turner said, referencing the boot campaigns conducted by firefighters to raise money for the New York City victims on street corners immediately following the terrorist attacks.

While the party begins at 1 p.m., the chopper riders will be up much earlier, gathering at the government center at 4111 US 41 in Land O’ Lakes around 9:30 a.m. There, Turner will host a dedication ceremony, and just after 10 a.m., the bikes will start heading out to their first destination.

This year’s stops begin with Station 15 at 11538 Trinity Blvd., in New Port Richey. Station 14 follows at 7800 River Ridge Blvd., also in New Port Richey, before wrapping up the trip at Station 20 at 15900 Little Ranch Road in Brooksville.

“We remember the events and honor the lives that were lost,” Turner said of the terrorist attacks. “Closer to home, I wanted to make sure that we recognized our own emergency services, not just after the fact, but all the time. They are the ones that always say it’s just a job, but we all know that they run into danger as we are running away from it.”

While there might be stigmas assigned to large groups of motorcyclists thanks to portrayals of them in the movies, the chopper community is actually quite the opposite.

“It is a community that gives back,” Turner said. “There’s always some kind of benefit we’re participating in, a lot of toy runs and food drives and things like that. It’s a broad spectrum of people that ride, and they always have an eye for doing something special.”

The rain date for this year’s event is Sept. 8. For more information, visit www.PascoCountyChoppers.com.

Pasco residents expect 9 percent tax hike

August 21, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Sheriff’s budget won’t grow

Pasco County commissioners spent hours whittling away at different portions of the county’s $1.16 billion budget last week, but didn’t make a dent in a proposed tax hike.

Based on the county’s proposed millage rate, officials say the owner of a $100,000 house, assuming a $50,000 exemption, would pay $33 more a year.

Scores of taxpayers have contacted commissioners voicing opposition, but commissioners continue to move forward with the proposed increase.

The proposed property tax rate is 7.49 mills, up from last year’s rate of 6.86 mills. The proposed municipal fire rate is 1.71 mills, up from 1.54 mills last year. Each mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

Commissioners did not reduce the proposed rates, despite rejecting a request by Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco to increase his $91 million budget by $500,000.

The sheriff initially proposed a $93 million budget. County officials recommended a $91 million budget, then Nocco came and asked commissioners for $500,000 more. However, commissioners noted the sheriff’s budget has continued to go up, while other county departments absorbed cuts.

“I think he’s got to learn to live within his budget,” Commissioner Pat Mulieri said. “I just think there is a limit.”

While rejecting the half-million bump, commissioners agreed to Nocco’s request to use Penny for Pasco funds to purchase unmarked detective cars and other sheriff’s office vehicles.

While they didn’t lower the proposed tax rate, commissioners made about $700,000 in cuts in the proposed budget to plug an unexpected revenue gap. The changes were needed because Mike Fasano, the county’s newly appointed tax collector, informed the county that it had overestimated the amount of money his office would return to the county by about $720,000.

Fasano recently assumed the office that was held by Mike Olson, who died suddenly in June.

To help balance their proposed budget, commissioners trimmed an allocation for a master facilities plan, eliminated a proposal to beef up code enforcement, reduced the amount of funding for a communications office among other things. They’re still about $52,000 from where they need to be.

Commissioner Henry Wilson, who voted against the tentative tax rate in July, remains opposed. “I still can’t support this,” he said.

Commission Chairman Ted Schrader told Wilson that he’s being disingenuous, unless he can recommend specific budget cuts.

“I have not completed looking at the book,” Wilson said. “I’m still trying to figure out places to cut.”

Commissioners are set to have their first public hearing on the proposed budget on Sept. 10, with a second and final hearing on Sept. 24.

First Fridays aim to raise funds, build fellowship

August 21, 2013 By B.C. Manion

The Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club is known for the community’s Fourth of July parade. The Lutz Civic Association is known for its annual Lutz Guv’na campaign.

And now the Lutz Citizens Coalition wants to kick off its own signature event.

Beginning Sept. 6, the coalition will sponsor Lutz First Fridays, a food truck rally on the first Friday of each month, aimed at helping to raise money for the community organization and to give residents a place to eat and mingle.

This is one of more than two dozen food trucks that will selling food at the Lutz First Fridays events, to get people together and raise money for the Lutz Citizens Coalition. (Photo courtesy of Generation Food Truck)

The rally, which will be professionally managed by Generation Food Truck, will have at least 26 trucks, said Jeremy Gomez, who owns the company along with his wife Candy.

The food trucks will offer diverse selections, including everything from kangaroo to gourmet popsicles, Gomez said. He thinks it’s safe to estimate that the monthly event will draw a couple thousand people out for dinner.

Food truck rallies are popular because people like to try new foods, he said.

“People like the variety. They know the trucks aren’t storing stuff in a freezer,” Gomez said. “I don’t even know a food truck that owns a microwave. Most of the foods are locally sourced.”

He also thinks the rally is a natural fit for the community.

“Lutz has always been good for outdoor events,” Gomez said.

Sam Calco, vice president of the Lutz Citizens Coalition, said the monthly gathering will help the coalition raise not only money, but the organization’s profile in the community as well.

“We’ve been an organization for about a year. We derive most of our money from family memberships, $25 a year,” Calco said.

The organization also receives donations from businesses.

The best way to raise money is to get the community involved, Calco said, like the coalition did with its Lutz Biggest Yard Sale in May.

“We learned a lot of things of what to do and what not to do,” Calco said.

With the food truck rally, the coalition will receive a fee from each participating truck and it will handle the drink concessions, Calco said.

He thinks the food truck rally will be a popular community event. It gives people a chance to mingle, to take a break from cooking dinner and to enjoy themselves at a family-friendly event.

Final details are still being worked out, including what time the event will begin, but would likely start around 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., Gomez said. It will end around 10 p.m., unless people come over after a local football game and it needs to stay open longer, Calco said.

The location for the event is still being pinned down, too, but both men expect that to be determined soon.

The Lutz Citizens Coalition was formed about a year ago. Its mission is to preserve Lutz and protect it from unwanted growth, Calco said.

Business Digest

August 21, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Local tourism on the rise
Tampa Bay tourism is showing improvement, according to new data for Hillsborough County.
Occupancy rate, room rate and revenue per available room rate grew between October 2012 and June 2013, according to Smith Travel Research.
Occupancy rate was 66.2 percent, up 1.5 percent over the same period last year. The room rate was $91.85, up 0.4 percent, while the revenue per available room was $61.34, up 1.9 percent.
Tourist development tax paid by visitors to Hillsborough County is also up by 6 percent over the previous nine months, bringing in revenue of $16.8 million.

Britten appointed to Board of Dentistry
Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Leonard L. Britten to the state Board of Dentistry. Britten is a general dentist with Britten Dental Associates. He succeeds Carl Melzer and is appointed for a term that began in July and ends on Oct. 31, 2015.

Jewelry store opens in Dade City
Sparking Stacy’s Jewelry & Accessories will host a grand opening from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 31, with a ribbon cutting at noon.
The shop is at 14123 Seventh St. in Dade City.

Do-it-yourselfers get thank you
Home Depot will show its appreciation to professional builders and do-it-yourself customers with a two-day event at stores across the region.
It will feature special deals on top products, free delivery on products purchased during the event, the launch of a new loyalty program, discounts with new credit card accounts, free food and giveaways.
The event is on Aug. 27 and Aug. 28 from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m.
For more information, visit www.homedepot.com/pro.

Daniel Jeanneret named to life insurance council
Daniel Jeanneret has been selected to serve on the 2013 Executive Council of New York Life Insurance Company.
Jeanneret, of New York Life’s general office in Tampa, has been with the company since 2009. He lives in the Oakstead community in Land O’ Lakes.

Music school grand opening in Lutz
Claudia’s School of Music will host its grand opening on Aug. 24 at 11 a.m. in Lutz.
The school is at the Ballantrae Professional School at 17915 Hunting Bow Circle. It offers private music lessons in piano, violin, guitar, drums, and voice for all ages and of all ability levels.
The school also offers music history and music theory group classes for home-schooled students and music camps and recitals. Claudia’s School of Music is an authorized dealer of Casio keyboards and digital pianos.

Free women’s financial seminar
Women of Pasco County are invited to attend a free women’s financial seminar hosted by Gulfside Regional Hospice.
The workshop, led by Christine Cooper of Cooper Financial Services, will provide information and practical tools and techniques for organizing and taking control of a family’s personal and financial paperwork.
The workshop will be on Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. at Gulfside’s Lutz Thrift Shoppe, 1930 Land O’ Lakes Blvd in Lutz.
Seats are limited. RSVP to Jen Chianella at (727) 992-8984.

Dr. Santosh Potdar joins Oak Hill’s hospital staff
Dr. Santosh Potdar, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons), has joined the staff of Oak Hill Hospital. He is board certified in surgery and his general surgery practice is located at 8367 S. Suncoast Blvd. in Homosassa.

CABA award winners
The Carrollwood Area Business Association announced its 2012-13 award winners. They are:
Rookie of the Year: Diane Stoddart, Significant Insurance Solutions
Member of the Year: Larry Manning, Innovative Mortgage Solutions
Business of the Year: Ocean Blue Sushi Bar
Jay Mauk Memorial President’s Award: Anthony Brooks, Capital Finance Advisors
The group’s new board of directors:
President: Wendell Hock, Primerica
President-elect: Kristin Votta, Fitness-Tek
Immediate past president: Lea Orchard, Great Clips
Treasurer: Tim Castle, Bay Cities Insurance
Secretary: Erin Hesbeens, PNC Bank
The group’s directors are:
Diane Stoddart, Significant Insurance Solutions
Jean Fuller, Premier Bookkeeping Services
Nick Spurlock, do You IT
Dr. Tommy Lane, Lane Family Chiropractic
Lynda Damiata, Kabay Graphics
Jeff Ryder, Carrollwood Copy Center & Printing

PHCC offers career services
Pasco-Hernando Community College recently partnered with the College Central Network® to provide students and alumni access to an online career and job search resource. The new services can be accessed at www.collegecentral.com/pascohernando. Registration is required, however there is no cost to students, alumni or employers.
“The job search feature houses jobs, internships and employers approved by the Career and Testing Services department at PHCC. Students and alumni can be confident the local job opportunities listed are legitimate and relevant,” Rick Casey, Director of Career and Testing Services, said in a release.
Job seekers may create resumes and career portfolios to apply to open jobs or post to a database searchable by employers. Job seekers also gain access to career announcements, podcasts, videos, and articles to assist with job searching. In addition to the College Central Network, PHCC offers other career development resources including interest and personality assessments, resume reviews, interviewing and job search strategies, along with career advising.
For more information, call (727) 816-3381, or visit tinyurl.com/n32gs5r or www.collegecentral.com/pascohernando.

Keeping the Balance moves to Lutz
Cindy MacRitchie of Keeping the Balance LLC has moved her office to a new location to live closer to work. Her new home is 1519 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Suite 202.
MacRitchie is a certified QuickBooks Pro Adviser. She specializes in teaching small businesses how to use QuickBooks to track their finances. She also offers bookkeeping services such as accounts receivable, accounts payable, data entry and payroll.
She shares space with two other businesses. They are licensed clinical social worker Crystal MacRitchie as well as Liane Caruso of Limelight Marketing Consultants.

Showering others with kindness

August 14, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Every year, like clockwork, members of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club throw a luncheon and shower to benefit women and children living in two area domestic violence shelters.

Club members come to the event bearing clothing and other gifts to give to the shelter residents. They tend to be practical items, such as diapers, children’s toys, children’s clothing and personal hygiene supplies.

The woman’s group also has a boutique and a flea market, where club members and the general public can shop to raise money for the shelters.

Rosie Heim, president of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, works with member Jeannie to sort donations. (Photo courtesy of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club)

The event also features a $6-a-plate lunch of lasagna, salad, bread, a drink and dessert, which is open to the public.

“Last year, we fed 75 people,” said Joan Collins, chairwoman of the luncheon for the woman’s club.

The items provided through the woman’s club luncheon lifts the spirits of the women and children who live at Sunrise of Pasco Inc.’s domestic violence shelter, said Trish Kley, the center’s development director.

They appreciate that people who don’t even know them are willing to help them, and they marvel at the items that are donated, she said.

Shelter residents get excited as “they are unloading and unloading and unloading” the vehicles that deliver the items that were donated at the shower, Kley said.

“What they do is fantastic. So many of these things, we’d never be able to supply,” Kley added.

The shelter is grateful for any donations and particularly need practical items, such as toilet paper, toiletries and bigger-ticket items such as highchairs, car seats and strollers.

Sunrise is seeing a growing demand, and is addressing that by adding 15 new beds, Kley said.

The woman’s club event offers a chance to do a bit of shopping and to mingle at lunch, Collins said. Before lunch, there’s a boutique and mini-flea market, where club members and the general public can purchase goods.

The money raised is donated to Sunrise and to the Pasco County Salvation Army Domestic Violence Shelter in Pasco County.

Collins said once the boutique is over, the club will also donate those gently used items — if the shelters want them.

The woman’s club gets satisfaction from the annual event because they know that the shelters need the help, Collins said.

“They’re very appreciative of everything we give them,” Collins said.

Abuse shelter benefit luncheon and boutique

Aug. 22: 10 a.m. shopping at the boutique, followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m.
Lunch is $6 a plate for lasagna, salad, bread, dessert and a drink
Where: Lutz Community Center, 98 First Ave. N.W.
Questions? Call Joan Collins at (813) 855-7254.

Steinbrenner High student wins modeling competition

August 14, 2013 By B.C. Manion

When Courtney Reed hits the runway, she has a singular goal: To put whatever piece of apparel she’s wearing in its best light.

Recently, the 17-year-old Steinbrenner High School student proved that she knows how to work a runway by capturing first place in Old Navy’s “Next Top Model” competition at a mall in Sarasota.

Courtney Reed,17, recently won Old Navy’s ‘Next Top Model’ competition at a shopping mall in Sarasota. She will go on to compete at the Florida level of the Miss Teen U.S.A. competition. (Photo courtesy of the Reed family)

She modeled black jeans, a black tank top and a white jacket, along with accessories — and came out on top among a field of about 60 competitors.

As a result of winning that competition, she now advances to the Florida competition for Miss Teen U.S.A.

The young woman from Lutz said she was first introduced to modeling when she was 13.

Reed was at a Jonas Brothers concert at the amphitheater at the Florida State Fairgrounds when someone approached her and asked if she’d ever considered modeling.

She said she was interested, so she went to an audition and ultimately began working with a management company called N8 Talent, based in Sarasota.

N8 Talent is a management company for actors, models, vocalists, comics and bands in Florida and Los Angeles. The company’s clients have been involved in numerous widely known films and television programs including “Spider-Man,” “Dolphin Tale,” “ER” and “Hannah Montana.” N8 has also done commercial work for clients like T.J. Maxx, MTV, Publix Super Markets and McDonalds.

Reed said she attended the International Presentation of Performers, or iPop, in Las Vegas, and received callbacks from several agents in Los Angeles. But she was unable to pursue those opportunities.

At the time, her dad, Steve, was laid off from his job as an information technology manager after 23 years with the company.

“It was really tough,” said her mom, Debbie. The agents were interested, but the family couldn’t swing it financially. Things just got put on hold for a little bit.”

Steve said he’s pleased by his daughter’s commitment and her ability to maintain a level head.

“I’m proud of how she’s stuck with it throughout the years,” he said. “She has a good outlook. She works hard at it.”

Despite the family’s economic setbacks, the young woman has taken it all in stride.

Reed said she enjoys modeling and would love to pursue a career in modeling and acting. At the same time, she’s also interested in studying psychology and becoming a licensed cosmetologist.

She can easily picture herself doing hair and makeup for other models.

Courtney knows that psychology and cosmetology may seem like an odd combo to some, but that doesn’t bother her a bit.

She also has a variety of other interests. Courtney carries a 3.76 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, as she enters her senior year at Steinbrenner.

She also plays piano and violin.

She was an altar server at St. Timothy Catholic Church for four years, and hopes to attend college in New York while pursuing modeling opportunities there.

But rejection is part of the business when it comes to modeling and acting, and Steve Roberts from N8 has worked with Courtney to make sure she doesn’t take it personally.

“If I don’t get a call back, I’m not what they wanted at that moment,” Reed said.

Honoring the 50th anniversary of The March on Washington

August 14, 2013 By B.C. Manion

If you were there when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream Speech,” Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries would love to hear from you.

The library staff is looking for people like Bill McCloud, a resident of Odessa, who was there at the pivotal event on the mall in Washington, D.C.

“I was a private in the Army,” recalled McCloud, now 68. “I think there was all this concern that there was going to be a riot,” he said.

Instead, the Aug. 28, 1963 event was a nonviolent demonstration, which attracted about 250,000 people to demonstrate their support for economic and racial equality.

“It was overwhelming for me to see such a number of people,” McCloud said.

“It was just a great event that really helped change some of the dynamics of America,” said McCloud, who noted that he had no idea at the time how significant it would be.

The library system is creating a video history of local residents, like McCloud, who participated in the historic 1963 March on Washington.

From now through Aug. 16, library personnel will be available to digitally record the memories of local residents who attended the event that drew 250,000 people to Washington, D.C. The system decided to collect the stories and to have a special event to share them because, as staff member Stacey Jurewicz put it, “we didn’t want to lose this opportunity.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the 1963 March on Washington. (Photo courtesy of WEDU PBS)

The video histories will be featured along with an afternoon of freedom songs at the West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 Union St. in Tampa, on Aug. 24 at 2:30 p.m.

Those wishing to share their story are asked to call Jurewicz, so she can arrange a time and place for the recording. She can be reached at (813) 273-3652.

The library system isn’t the only local organization honoring the half-century anniversary of that historic day. West Central Florida’s primary PBS station, WEDU, is holding a film screening to honor the event.

The station is hosting a special preview event on Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St. in Tampa. Doors will open at 7 p.m.

Visitors will be able to view a gallery of photos from the 1963 march, meet local residents who took part and see a free preview screening of “The March.”

Seating is limited and reservations are requested. Reservations can be made online at www.wedu.org/themarch.

The program will also air on WEDU-TV on Aug. 27 at 9 p.m., with a block of related programming.