Local News

Forgiveness brings freedom, genocide survivor says

February 3, 2016 By B.C. Manion

There was a time when Immaculee Ilibagiza didn’t think she’d live to see another day.

Now, she rejoices for each new day because it gives her a chance to share her faith.

Ilibagiza, author of “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” was at St. Timothy Catholic Church on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28, sharing her story of survival — which she attributes to God’s immense love.

The church invited her to speak, as part of its celebration of the Jubilee year of Mercy.

Immaculee Ilibagiza signs copies of her book, ‘Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.’ (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo) — Immaculee Ilibagiza signs copies of her book, ‘Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.’
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee of Mercy, which began Dec. 8 and runs through Nov. 20, 2016, according to the National Catholic Reporter. The pope has called on Catholics around the world to use the ongoing Jubilee year of mercy to “open wide” the doors of their hearts to forgive others and to work against social exclusion.

Ilibagiza’s message fits perfectly with that theme.

She grew up in a small village in Rwanda and had been attending the National University of Rwanda to study electrical and mechanical engineering.

She was home on Easter break in April of 1994 when the assassination of the Hutu president sparked months of massacres of Tutsi tribe members throughout the country.

To spare his daughter from rape and murder, Ilibagiza’s father told her to run to the home of a Hutu pastor, who was a family friend. The pastor hid her and seven other women in a cramped 3-foot-by-4-foot bathroom for 91 days.

“We stayed in that bathroom three months. We never spoke to each other those three months,” she said.

During that time, her faith was crushed and challenged.

She knew that any tiny noise could lead to her death.

The Hutu killers stormed into the pastor’s house and searched through it. They looked on the roof, under the beds and in the ceiling.

As she feared for her life, she asked God to give her a sign. She asked him to keep the intruders from finding the bathroom door.

In a 60 Minutes interview, the pastor said one of the intruders put his hand on the doorknob, but didn’t turn it.

That’s when Ilibagiza said she knew, without doubt, that God is real.

It took her quite some time, though, to reach a point where she could forgive the murderers.

She said she used to pray the “Our Father,” but couldn’t sincerely ask God “to forgive” those who had trespassed against her, so she skipped that part of the prayer.

Eventually, though, she realized that the prayer was instituted by Jesus, so she had to find a way to forgive the people who brutally killed her family, friends and other members of the tribe.

That’s when she began praying for the ability to forgive.

She then realized that would require true surrender. So, she prayed for that.

The words that Jesus spoke, as he was dying on the cross, provided guidance, she said.

During his agony, he uttered, “Forgive them Father, they don’t know what they do,” she said.

And, it occurred to her that the people wielding machetes were like the people who killed Jesus.

“They have been blinded by hatred, selfishness, all of those things have taken over, blinded them,” she said.

And, it also reminded her that everyone is capable to choosing the wrong path.

“All of us we become blind, when we go into hatred, when we become selfish,” she said.

Forgiveness, however, frees those who have been harmed to move away from the hatred and to choose peace, she said.

Her change of heart did not come overnight and did not come easily, she said.

When she went into that bathroom, she said, she weighed 115 pounds and when she came out, she weighed 65 pounds.

“Every bone was out,” she said. “People were running away from me when I came out, ‘Look at her, she became a skeleton.’

But, that wasn’t her only or most important transformation.

“Inside my heart, I felt so beautiful. Inside my heart, I was smiling,” she said.

“I knew who I was. I’m a child of God. I’m not going to hate. I’m going to pray.”

February 3, 2016

Festival offers face-painting, food and fun

February 3, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Thousands headed to Dade City on Jan. 30 to the 19th annual Kumquat Festival.

Thousands flocked to Dade City to enjoy the activities and displays at the annual Kumquat Festival. (Fred Bellet/Photos) — Thousands flocked to Dade City to enjoy the activities and displays at the annual Kumquat Festival.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

The traffic coming off Interstate 75 was moving slow, as cars stacked up on the way to the festival.

The fairground’s lot filled quickly, with lines of festival-goers waiting to be shuttled to the event in historic downtown Dade City.

Even as late as 2:30 p.m., people were still arriving and forming lines at the shuttle stop, gearing up for an afternoon of music, shopping and kumquat pie.

They also had a chance to sample kumquat salsa, check out a car show, grab a bite to eat and enjoy many other activities.

An army of volunteers help to ensure that the event — which attracts people from the Tampa Bay region and beyond — runs smoothly.

For many people, the event is their first introduction to downtown Dade City.

Lanette Sharp, 8, of Spring Hill is a walking work of art.

More than 400 vendors set up booths with arts and crafts, handmade quilts, knitted caps of alpaca, locally harvested honey, soaps and jewelry.

Local antique shops, restaurants and delis saw a steady stream of people as well. Miss Pasco County walked past Lunch on Limoges where guests inside dined on pecan chicken and crab cakes.

Outside Dade City’s historic courthouse, downhome country musicians entertained a toe-tapping crowd resting in fold-out chairs.

More lines formed at the Kumquat Growers tent for free samples of everything kumquat – jams, jellies, marmalade, chutney, and vinaigrette.

Kumquat pie and kumquat ice cream were favorites. Some people walked back to their cars hugging planters with kumquat trees to plant in their yards.

And, another festival in celebration of the sweet and tangy citrus fruit put Dade City and St. Joseph in the spotlight, again.

Published February 3, 2016

Miss Kumquat Festival Kathleen Switzer shows off her climbing skills in the children's games area of the Kumquat Festival. — Miss Kumquat Festival Kathleen Switzer shows off her climbing skills in the children’s games area of the Kumquat Festival.

Bartenders at the open air drinks and T-shirt sales of Kokopelli’s Restaurant. Kelsey LaBarbera, left, of Odessa and Michelle Jenkins, of Tampa, staffed the counter with Sue Queen, Kokopelli owner.

Joke books raise money to help families

February 3, 2016 By B.C. Manion

They’re little books, but they’re packed with jokes.

The idea is to make readers laugh, while raising money for a good cause.

One book offers riddles.

The other features knock-knock jokes.

Both books have been written by kids and are intended for kids.

These little joke books are meant to entertain and help raise money at the same time. The books help families in need to take care of a variety of medical expenses. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo) — These little joke books are meant to entertain and help raise money at the same time. The books help families in need to take care of a variety of medical expenses.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The “Little Book Big Laughs Knock-Knock Book” has more than 350 jokes. The “Little Book Big Laughs Riddle Book” has more than 500 riddles.

Proceeds from book sales support medical grants for the United HealthCare Children’s Foundation.

Since 2007, the foundation has awarded 10,000 grants, totaling more than $29 million. The grants go to children and their families across the United States.

The grants typically are used to help pay for medical services, such as physical, occupational and speech therapy, counseling services or surgeries; for prescriptions; and for equipment, such as wheelchairs, orthotics, eyeglasses and hearing aids.

The books include jokes and riddles written by children all over the country. There’s even one from Bryant H., a boy from Zephyrhills.

Here’s his riddle:

What type of bull doesn’t have horns?

A bullfrog.

Here are some more excerpts from the Riddle Book:

From Gage T., Cheyenne, Wyoming:

Where do sheep like to vacation?

The Baaaaaahamas. –

Varnika L., Maplegrove, Minnesota:

Where did the elephant put his clothes?

In his trunk.

Sawyer G., St. Louis, Missouri:

How did the broom manage to get a great girlfriend?

He swept her off her feet.

Brady C., Fort Sill, South Carolina:

How did the egg get up the mountain?

It scrambled.

And now, a few selections from the Knock-Knock Book:

Lyla B., Princeton, Minnesota:

Knock-knock.

Who’s there?

Baby bee.

Baby bee, who?

Baby bee a doll and bring me a snack.

Johnny B., New Richmond, Wisconsin:

Knock-knock.

Who’s there?

Dewey.

Dewey who?

Dewey have to eat liver and onions for dinner?

Hunter T., Port Ewen, New York:

Knock-knock.

Who’s there?

Woo.

Woo who?

Don’t get so excited, it’s just a knock-knock joke.

Ethan E., Big Lake, Minnesota:

Knock-knock.

Who’s there?

Handsome?

Handome who?

Handsome candy through the keyhole and I’ll tell you.

The joke books are available at Amazon.com, for $5.99 each.

“The inspiration behind these books is to bring smiles and laughter to children, whether in a hospital, in the car, or just hanging out with friends and family,” Matt Peterson, foundation president, said in a news release.

The first Little Book-Big Laughs joke book was released April Fools’ Day 2014 and was a Mom’s Choice Gold Award recipient for juvenile books. The success of the first book propelled the idea to create two additional books for a joke book series.

For more information about UHCCF, visit UHCCF.org.

Published February 3, 2016

Finding hope, in the heart of darkness

January 27, 2016 By B.C. Manion

Immaculee Ilibagiza boards an airplane nearly every week to travel to a speaking engagement, where she shares her message of hope and forgiveness.

That’s the primary theme of her book, “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.”

Ilibagiza grew up in a small village of Rwanda and had been attending the National University of Rwanda to study electrical and mechanical engineering, when she came home during an Easter break.

Immaculee Ilibagiza survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and believes she was spared to share a message of faith, hope and forgiveness. (Courtesy of Immaculee Ilibagiza) — Immaculee Ilibagiza survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and believes she was spared to share a message of faith, hope and forgiveness.
(Courtesy of Immaculee Ilibagiza)

That’s when the April 1994 assassination of the Hutu president sparked months of massacres of Tutsi tribe members throughout the country.

To spare his daughter from rape and murder, Ilibagiza’s father told her to run to the home of a Hutu pastor, who was a family friend.

The pastor hid Ilibagiza and seven other women in a 3-foot-by-4-foot bathroom for 91 days.

“My faith was crushed and challenged, when I was in that bathroom,” said Ilibagiza, who will be giving two talks at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Lutz this week.

“I felt there’s nothing out there. I’m dying and life is over, and how can this be?”

“Any tiny noise could have been the end of our life,” Ilibagiza said.

The Hutu killers heard that some Tutsi women had been seen near the pastor’s house, so they stormed in and searched through it.

“They went in the ceiling of that house. In the roof of the house. Under the beds.

“Every reasonable thing said, ‘It’s over,” Ilibagiza said.

She held onto the rosary her father had given her, and had her Bible, too.

As she feared for her life, she prayed God: “If there’s anything beyond this, please give me a sign. Don’t let them find the door, just today, in this house.”

In a 60 Minutes interview, the pastor said the intruders put his hand on the doorknob to the bathroom, but didn’t turn it.

Ilibagiza recalls that moment: “You are literally counting, on the grace of God, for them not to open that door,” she said.

She believes they were saved by God’s grace.

When she went into hiding, she weighed 115 pounds. When she emerged, she weighed 65. “We were like bones,” she said.

When she was able to escape, she learned that her family, with the exception of a brother who was abroad studying, had been murdered.

She said the faith that she discovered through prayer during her ordeal, enabled her to let go of the anger, resentment and hate, and to instead feel hope, forgiveness and peace.

She emigrated to the United States in 1998 and shared her story with some co-workers at the United Nations, who encouraged her to write it down, she said.

Just a few days later after she finished writing her story, she said she met internationally known Wayne Dyer at a conference and book signing.

That meeting led to Dyer’s involvement in the publication of her book.

The two became friends, frequently sharing the stage during Dyer’s inspirational talks.

The story of Ilibagiza’s life is expected to be made into a movie, with filming slated to begin this year.

“Realistically, my prayer has been, I hope they do a good job — something that will inspire people. I don’t just want a movie to make noise,” Ilibagiza said. Rather, she hopes the movie will help people to have better lives.

Her talks on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28 at St. Timothy Catholic Church, 17512 Lakeshore Road, will be “sharing from one human heart to another,” she said.

“I will share what I have lived,” she said. “I will speak about forgiveness.

“I want to share with people with the way I met God, how I came closer,” she said. She also wants to help people embrace “forgiveness, prayer and the power of prayer.”

She wants to encourage people to get closer to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

“Talk to her as a mother,” she said.

Ilibagiza said she also wants to share the lesson that her life and faith have taught her: “If you love one another, if you forgive one another, you will have peace.”

What: Immaculee Ilibagiza speaks on “Faith, Hope and Forgiveness.”
Where: St. Timothy Catholic Church, 17512 Lakeshore Road in Lutz
When: Jan. 27 at 7 p.m., and Jan. 28 at 10 a.m., a Mass will precede each talk
How much: Admission is free

Published January 27, 2016

Neonatal services now available in Pasco County

January 27, 2016 By B.C. Manion

The Medical Center of Trinity has opened a neonatal intensive care unit, providing a service that previously was unavailable in Pasco County.

The $7 million project is an expansion of the existing obstetrics program at the hospital, at 9330 State Road 54, in Trinity.

Leigh Massengill, CEO of Medical Center of Trinity, left, stands with Cheryl Sherrill and Lynn Smith in the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the hospital. Sherrill is the hospital’s director of women’s and neonatal services, and Lynn Smith is neonatal services manager. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo) — Leigh Massengill, CEO of Medical Center of Trinity, left, stands with Cheryl Sherrill and Lynn Smith in the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the hospital. Sherrill is the hospital’s director of women’s and neonatal services, and Lynn Smith is neonatal services manager.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The unit, which opened on Jan. 4, is commonly called a NICU. It serves a market area including Pasco and Hernando counties, and the northern portions of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

The 4,718-square-foot NICU offers advanced levels of care for babies born as early as 32 weeks and weighing at least 1,500 grams.

The project is the latest addition to Medical Center of Trinity, which opened four years ago.

“As this facility was being planned, all along it was contemplated to add neonatal intensive care unit services,” said Hospital CEO Leigh Massengill.

Even before the resurgence of residential growth along the State Road 54 corridor, and the young families that will come along with it, the hospital saw the need for the services, she said.

The hospital saw how many infants and mothers had to be transferred out of the facility for a higher level of care, and it knew it could create a safer and more satisfying visit, if it could manage those services in-house, she said.

“Sometimes pregnant women would come in at 32 weeks, and they weren’t in active labor, but they required in hospital services, and we had to transfer them out because delivery could occur at any time,” Massengill said.

In the past, if a baby arrived at around 32 weeks, it was better for it to be in a facility where the care the baby needed could be immediately provided, said Lynn Smith, neonatal services manager. “The sooner you can get them to definitive care, the better,” Smith said.

Before, Massengill said, the baby had to be transported, which was not ideal.

“It really kind of breaks your heart when you take a newborn baby and pack him up in this scary-looking transporter, and stick him on a helicopter to go flying off to another county, and leaving mother and family, and the rest of the extended family behind, worrying,” she said.

Now, the CEO said, “they either go one way, to the newborn nursery, or they come in for more intensive care.”

Cheryl Sherrill, director of women’s and neonatal services said: “It is a wonderful service to the community, to keep these families together.”

The Medical Center of Trinity has opened a neonatal intensive care unit to provide services to newborns as young as 32 weeks and weighing as little as 1,500 grams. This is a look at one of two NICU bays. (Courtesy of Medical Center of Trinity) — The Medical Center of Trinity has opened a neonatal intensive care unit to provide services to newborns as young as 32 weeks and weighing as little as 1,500 grams. This is a look at one of two NICU bays.
(Courtesy of Medical Center of Trinity)

The new NICU expansion includes 12 Level II NICU beds and an overnight room for families transitioning to taking their babies home.

“We understand, that for us, the birth experience is an event. It’s not like acute care. People have been planning this event for a very long time, and we want to make sure we do everything we can to make this a special event for them,” Sherrill said.

“When sometimes things happen, and babies come a little bit earlier than they were planning on, then, that’s why we have this beautiful NICU down here,” Sherrill said.

The hospital has a relationship with All Children’s Specialty Physicians from All Children’s Hospital, who are providing neonatology services, Massengill said.

“So, they’re always on call to support us. They’re in the facility on a daily basis. They take care of our babies. They interface with the families, with the pediatricians, with the obstetricians, to make sure those babies get the best care possible,” she said.

When there’s enough notice, Sherrill said, “We get the neonatology team involved and the NICU charge nurse, and we start that relationship from when the mom is hospitalized.

“The neonatologists work with the OBs (obstetricians) for the best plan of care, of when to deliver this baby, so we can be prepared, and the team and the family is comfortable, already knowing kind of what’s going to happen at the time of delivery. So, it doesn’t become such an emergent event when it happens,” Sherrill added.

The center uses a family centered approach to care.

“We want to make sure that the family is included in everything,” Sherrill said.

Along those lines, the hospital has extended visiting hours. Two approved visitors are allowed at bedside at all hours, except for 6:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., and 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“We want the family to be here more often than not, because we know that with giving family centered care, they are an important team member in promoting this baby’s growth and wellness,” Sherrill said.

She’s excited about the hospital’s new services. “I came here specifically for this project,” said Sherrill, noting she moved to the area from Austin, Texas.

The hospital pulls together numerous services that will help premature babies and their families, Sherrill said.

“We have our own speech pathologist, we have our own dietitians, we have our own NICU pharmacists, so we have a lot of support services that you traditionally find in much larger facilities,” Sherrill said.

The hospital also has a licensed clinical social worker dedicated to NICU babies and families, and a family centered care committee. It has educational opportunities for parents and siblings, too.

In addition to its relationship with All Children’s neonatologists, the hospital has registered nurses who are experienced in neonatal intensive care.

By choosing to use a family centered model, the hospital puts the mom in contact with her baby as much as possible, Sherrill said.

“We let the baby tell us what they’re ready for, then us trying to make the baby be ready for,” Sherrill added.

The hospital also works with All Children’s network of providers to help families plug into care in the community after they leave the hospital, helping families to make a smooth transition once they leave the hospital, Sherrill said.

Published January 27, 2016

Sunny times at SunWest Park

January 27, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Sandy white beaches and crystal clear water may not be what comes to mind when thinking of Pasco County.

But, SunWest Park is all about changing minds with a little fun in the sun.

These women take advantage of the recent warmer weather while they tan in a remote spot away from the splashing of the main swim area at the SunWest Park.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

“I think it’s a phenomenal addition to the county’s tourism,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano. “I think it could be considered the focal point. I see a lot of people come here, because everyone loves the white sand we have here.”

They might also love beach volleyball, wakeboarding, paddleboarding, sand soccer, kayaking or tumbling through floating inflatables in the aqua park.

SunWest opened on the Fourth of July weekend off U.S. 19, at 17362 Old Dixie Highway in Hudson.

Portions of the park remain under construction, and an official grand opening is anticipated in spring.

The county acquired the property in the mid-1980s when it was the site of a former limestone mine with a spring-fed lake. More than a decade of discussions and planning preceded the construction of SunWest.

A lifeguard sits atop the floating gym featured at the SunWest Park.

The park provides a beach experience without traveling a great distance, said Mariano, adding that it can be a “staycation” for local residents and a tourist destination for others.

“It’s a lot easier to get here from anywhere in the county, than going to Clearwater,” he said.

On a recent weekend the Ballard family, from Reston, Virginia, took a detour from Weeki Wachee to check out SunWest. Trent Ballard, 16, adapted his snowboarding skills for acrobatics on SunWest’s wakeboarding course.

Closer to home, the Bartosch clan, from Port Richey, took turns snapping family photos in a gigantic rainbow-colored beach chair.

Gianni Finley, 5, gets help from wakeboard instructor and general manager, Dusty Stone of New Port Richey. Finley, with her parents Jake and Jacki Finley, and brother Nathan Myers, 14, were visiting from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In November, the park hosted the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament with teams from the Florida State University, Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University.

More tournaments are in the works.

About 20 volleyball courts are open, but Mariano said park operator Patrick Pakanos is adding more courts, as well as upgrading an aerial cable system for wakeboarding enthusiasts.

Pasco County broke records for tourism in 2015, and, as SunWest grows, the hope is that the park will be a major attraction.

“His (Pakanos) goal is to turn it into a destination with tournaments for wakeboarding, volleyball and soccer,” said Ed Caum, Pasco County’s tourism director. “The county supports that all the way.”

Published January 27, 2016

Hillsborough libraries seeking public input

January 27, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative wants to hear the thoughts of area residents to help it develop its five-year plan.

The cooperative has scheduled a series of evening open houses at nine regional libraries, where residents can voice their thoughts about improving the library system, as well as changes or additions they would like to see over the next few years.

The next two open houses will be at the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library on Feb. 2 and the New Tampa Regional Library on Feb. 16. All open houses take place on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative had an open house session at the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Public Library on Jan. 19. Approximately 45 residents attended to provide feedback on the county’s library system. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Public Library) — The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative had an open house session at the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Public Library on Jan. 19. Approximately 45 residents attended to provide feedback on the county’s library system.
(Courtesy of Hillsborough County Public Library)

“The way our open house works is that for each of our five major service programs of the library, there’s a station where we’re collecting input and interacting with folks to get some feedback specifically about how we’re doing stuff, and what they want,” said Andrew Breidenbaugh, director of library services for the Hillsborough County Public Library system. It’s a little too early to know what the overall picture is going to be, but the kind of things we’re trying to get information about is the things that are changing about libraries.”

Accessing more books and items in digital format appears to be one of the main changes in the habits of local library users, which includes 53 percent of all Hillsborough County residents.

From October of 2014 to October 2015, library visits decreased 11 percent, and the circulation of physical items decreased by 9 percent.

Conversely, the circulation of virtual items (e-books, e-audiobooks, magazines, streaming music/movies and full-text downloads) increased by 22 percent for the 20th largest library system in the country.

“Libraries have been going through rapid change,” Breidenbaugh said. “We are looking at those types of things to make sure the direction we’re going is what meets our customers’ needs.

“Our customers in Hillsborough County have been strong adopters of the digital format. This year, we circulated over 1 million e-books for the first time ever. So, there are some trends we’re looking at.”

In addition to possibly expanding the library system’s digital collection and other technologies, Breidenbaugh is also looking into how the library system can make a more meaningful impact in community building.

“We’re looking at how we support entrepreneurs and startup businesses,” the library director said. “We’re also looking at how we support new Americans, and how we support school-age children — people who are advancing from one level to the next.

“I would love to do a promotion of reading as an activity. We’ve been focused on our technology side for the last few years, and we’ll continue to do that, but one of the things the library offers…is literacy, and the access to information and reading.”

On the whole, the strategic plan will be a “very customer-driven process,” so the county’s library system can best serve its users for the future.

“There’s lots of ideas of things I’d like to do, but we really do need to filter that by what our customers want, because we know that no matter what we put in place, we’re going to be most successful, if we’re doing what really matters to the residents,” Breidenbaugh added.

In addition to the open houses, the library cooperative will begin offering surveys for library users in the spring. Then in the summer, the cooperative plans to create focus groups for specific segments of the library user population — teenagers, seniors, Spanish speakers, and teachers — to ensure the library is meeting their needs.

Once all the data is compiled from the open houses, surveys and focus groups, the cooperative will team up with the Hillsborough County Public Library Board to craft its five-year plan, which they hope to have in place by October, which is the beginning of fiscal year 2017.

Hillsborough County Library Cooperative
What: Open houses at regional public libraries to seek input from residents
Where: Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library and New Tampa Regional Library
When: Tuesday, Feb. 2 (Jimmie B. Keel) and Tuesday, Feb. 16 (New Tampa) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, visit hcplc.org.

Published January 27, 2016

Carolyn Forche shares her poetry at Saint Leo

January 27, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Poet and human rights advocate Carolyn Forche learned a lot about life and language from her paternal grandmother, Anna, an immigrant from the former Czechoslovakia.

Her grandmother spoke five languages, said Forche, but her English was inventive. She described a colander as “macaroni stop water go head.”

Forche paid attention.

“I thought, ‘Oh, you can play with language, make things up.’ It helped with my writing,” she said.

The poet was a scribe at an early age, composing her first poem at age 9.

She didn’t write her first serious poem until she was 20.

Her grandmother and relationships among family and friends often are reflected in her poetry.

Poet Carolyn Forche read her poetry to a crowd of about 100 people at Saint Leo University. She shared both new and old works. (Courtesy of Jonathan Shoemaker/Saint Leo University) — Poet Carolyn Forche read her poetry to a crowd of about 100 people at Saint Leo University. She shared both new and old works.
(Courtesy of Jonathan Shoemaker/Saint Leo University)

But, it was a second book of poems, drawing on her experiences in war-torn El Salvador in the 1980s, that first brought her renown.

“The Country Between Us” became a national bestseller, a rare occurrence for a book of poetry.

During her long career, Forche has garnered acclaim as a poet, a translator and a human rights advocate.

She gave a reading from her works on Jan. 21 for about 100 people at the Student Community Center at Saint Leo University. The university’s Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library sponsored the event.

Forche currently is working on a new book of poetry, and a memoir about her personal experiences in El Salvador, Lebanon, South Africa and France.

Some of her poems are about witnesses or victims of the brutality suffered during wars, torture and imprisonment.

In her poem, “The Colonel,” she describes an encounter with a Salvadoran colonel who angrily dumps a bag of severed human ears onto a table – his trophies from people put to death during the civil war that began in the late 1970s.

Forche dedicated that poem to Oscar Romero, the Catholic priest who was assassinated during the Salvadoran civil war.

One week before his death, he helped Forche get safely out of the country.

Forche had gone there on a Guggenheim fellowship, as an observer for Amnesty International. She helped in efforts to find out what happened to people who had “disappeared” or who were imprisoned.

Some observers, she said, would go to “body dumps” to match faces of the dead with photos.

She recounted her visit to try and map the interior of a prison by visiting a prisoner she pretended to know.

She has been called at times a political poet, but Forche doesn’t accept that label.

Instead, she describes what she writes as a “poetry of witness,” regardless of whether the subject is political or not.

Her themes are personal ones reflecting on how events, memories or relationships shape and give context to how people live.

“I’ve never been a political person. I’ve never been in a political organization,” she said. “I think artists and writers tend to be too weird for political organizations.”

Responding to a question about how to make the world better, Forche said people can learn a skill that people need.

Doctors without Borders, for example, might need a dental hygienist.

Volunteer service in the community can help, too.

“Get a project,” she said. “Look at a small problem and solve it.”

Marketing student Amanda Topper, 19, asked about Forche’s creative process.

Forche said the creative process isn’t easy to define. She does keep a moleskin notebook handy. “I’m writing in it all the time.”

Inspiration can’t be forced, she said, noting she doesn’t choose a subject and then start writing.

“If you overthink it, you can screw up your inspiration,” she said. “But, you do have to sit down and work, even if you aren’t inspired,” Forche said.

The poet said she does at least 20 minutes a day of free writing.

While she read her poems with assurance, Forche said reading for an audience took practice.

“I’ve always been terrified of standing up and giving poetry readings,” she said. “I was a shy kid. I learned to do this. It wasn’t natural to me.”

Her poetry books include “The Angel of History,” “The Country Between Us” and “The Blue Hour.”

She also edited two anthologies, “Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness” and “Poetry of Witness: The Tradition in English, 1500-2001.”

Her translations include the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s “Unfortunately, It Was Paradise: Selected Poems,” and Central American poet Claribel Alegria’s “Flowers from the Volcano.”

She currently is director of the Lannan Center for Poetry and Social Practice at Georgetown University.

Published January 27, 2016

Recycling and fun are major themes at Learning Gate

January 27, 2016 By B.C. Manion

The seventh- and eighth-graders were so revved up, it seemed like they were competing for a big cash prize.

But, they were battling for something that has no price tag.

Plastic trays, garden hose, plate liners and tin molds are used to bring life to the side of a storage shed at Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos) — Plastic trays, garden hose, plate liners and tin molds are used to bring life to the side of a storage shed at Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

They were going after bragging rights during a physical challenge at Learning Gate Community School, at the school’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus at 207 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The kids were clearly having a blast, as they crab walked, kangaroo hopped, buzzard circled, salamander slithered, inch walked and piggyback rode through a relay race in the school’s auditorium.

The place was rocking with cheers and laughter, as teams raced back and forth.

The relay race is just one of the challenges that students have participated in this year, said Principal Michelle Mason said.

The challenges vary. Sometimes they’re physical. Other times they’re academic or have another focus.

“We make sure everybody has a chance to be the star and use their natural gift,” Mason said.

The students are competitive, she said.

But, points can be earned in other ways, too, the principal said.

Teachers can reward students that they notice are going above and beyond — academically, socially or behaviorally.

“We try to make sure that we encourage them in all different ways,” she said.

Although the elementary school and the middle school are on two different campuses, the school makes it a point to build on the curriculum, to give students a seamless education, she said.

The school places a heavy emphasis on environmental education and has won national recognition.

It received a 2014 Best of Green Schools award from the U.S. Green Building Council for the annual EcoFest that the school organizes.

Originally held on the school’s campus in Lutz, the event became so popular that it was moved to Tampa’s Lowry Park.

The event brings together businesses, organizations and individuals from Tampa Bay dedicated to the principles of sustainability.

The elementary campus has a sizable garden, and the seventh- and eighth-grade campus will be adding one.

This is the first year that the seventh- and eighth-graders have been housed at the Lutz Lake Fern Road campus, in a building that previously housed Hand in Hand Academy.

The seventh- and eighth-graders had been attending classes in an office building on Florida Avenue, but that was always intended as a temporary location.

At Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus, the words ‘upcycle’ and ‘recycle’ are part of the school’s daily life. They’re reusing an old building for their school and are using ingenuity to create outdoor décor. Spray paint and hubcaps can be transformed into outdoor whimsical décor.

The charter school had been seeking to build a school for grades six through 12 off U.S. 41, but those attempts were abandoned after community opposition to the proposed site.

The Lutz Lake Fern Road location gives the students what they need, Mason said.

“We spent all summer getting this in shape for the kids to come in. We made it work for us,” she said.

“We’ve kind of been using the whole theme of recycling,” she said. “We’ve recycled and reused this older building.”

Outside, spray-painted bicycle rims and old hubcaps have been transformed into flowers, and a shack is decked out with flowers, featuring recycled items and green garden hose.

This campus has 176 students and can accommodate up to 205.

The school originally wanted up to 250 students, but agreed to compromise with community representatives for a maximum of 205.

“I think it was a good compromise,” Mason said.

Published January 27, 2016

Pasco administrator set to retire in 2017

January 27, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker expects to be very busy over the next year and a half.

She’ll be crossing off a to-do list, one by one, before leaving in 2017 to go on a lengthy road trip with her husband.

The couple will hit the road with their recreational vehicle and their motorcycles, on a tour of as many baseball parks and national parks as they can squeeze into a year.

“That’s been our dream,” Baker said, so letting her contract lapse in July 2017 makes sense.

But, don’t expect a lame duck administrator.

“There’s no kicking back here,” Baker said. “This isn’t me slowing down.”

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker has much work to do before her planned retirement in 2017. (File Photo) — Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker has much work to do before her planned retirement in 2017.
(File Photo)

Baker has told Pasco County commissioners she won’t seek renewal of her current two-year contract, which makes her last day July 9, 2017.

By then, Baker will have worked 35 years in public service, 24 of those years with Pasco County.

Her to-do list, in short form, includes:

Completing master plans and updates for storm water, solid waste and tourism
Funding and building a diverging diamond road design to ease traffic congestion at State Road 56 and Interstate 75
Completing the State Road 56 extension
Nurturing SunWest Park, the county’s fledgling aqua park
Replacing and repairing aging infrastructure and roads damaged by the summer flooding
Making progress on the expansion of the jail and construction of new fire stations
Relocating more government offices to central Pasco

Baker also plans to fill vacancies for a few key leadership positions that remain, including an assistant county administrator for public safety and administration.

Progress has been made, Baker said, but government services still could be more customer-friendly.

A culture that was decades in the making is being changed, she said. “You don’t get to turn a canoe. You’re turning a ship.”

Public service wasn’t Baker’s first career choice.

Over the years she worked as a waitress, flight attendant and a theater manager. She also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

Her undergraduate degree was in business administration.

It wasn’t until she accepted a secretarial position with Miami-Dade County’s emergency management office that she discovered her passion for public service.

“I see that it was the hand of God, a bit of destiny with doors I went through and doors I didn’t go through,” Baker said. “But, I fell in love. I am not a competitive, money-directed person by nature. Public service allowed me an opportunity to make a difference.”

She was an emergency operations officer in Miami when Hurricane Andrew devastated that city in 1992.

Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher hired her away the following year as Pasco’s emergency management director. She interviewed for the job the day before the “No-Name” storm (also known as the “Storm of the Century”) slammed Florida’s coast and flooded west Pasco.

Baker cut a vacation short to take on the new job.

Over the years, Gallagher showed his confidence in her, tapping Baker as program administrator for engineering, and for nearly six years as his chief assistant county administrator.

As head of engineering, she oversaw the launching of the county’s Environmental Land Acquisition and Management Program, which buys and manages environmentally sensitive land throughout the county.

She also got the Penny for Pasco program off the ground. Funds from a penny sales tax are shared with the county, cities and the school districts for building projects.

“We had a new program to seek stewardship of at its birth,” Baker said.

She took the helm as interim county administrator in 2013 when Gallagher retired after more than 30 years in the job. County commissioners initially offered the administrator’s job to a candidate from Texas who unexpectedly walked away during contract negotiations.

When Baker was appointed, she was the first woman to hold the county’s top administrative job.

She took over as the county struggled with deep budget cuts and staff layoffs, following the nation’s deepest recession in history.

Baker credits Gallagher for initially steering the county safely through a new era of leaner budgets and fewer staff members. Even as Gallagher prepared to retire, about half of the county’s departmental managers indicated they also planned to retire.

“He empowered me to begin the transition,” she said. “We saw the handwriting on the wall. There was going to be a substantial correction. We didn’t know how bad it was going to be. But, we knew our revenues would be tightening.”

Baker also shared with Gallagher a vision of reorganizing county government and putting an emphasis on customer service.

“You have to operate more efficiently and keep level of service residents want because government has less money,” Baker said.

Baker routinely provides county commissioners with a quarterly report updating them on her progress for the projects on that to-do list.

Discussions are expected to begin soon on how the board will search for a replacement. That typically takes about seven to nine months, Baker said.

She would like to have that person on board before she leaves to help with the transition.

“I am, by nature, an organized planner,” Baker said. “I want to hire and mentor that person. I will have been successful if my successor is successful.”

Once the ignition key is turned on the RV though, it’s a new adventure ahead.

Published January 27, 2016