The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

New charter school aims to help children with autism

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Children with autism often are unable to say what they need or want, said Carrie Walker.

She’s the director of Florida Autism Center of Excellence, a Pasco County charter school that opened this year in Zephyrhills.

“They’re hungry. They’re sleepy. They can’t express when they’re hurting,” Walker said.

Carrie Walker is the director of Florida Autism Center of Excellence, which is located at 39375 Chancey Road. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Carrie Walker is the director of Florida Autism Center of Excellence, which is located at 39375 Chancey Road. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

That inability to communicate can cause frustrations, which boil over into behavior problems, Walker added. So, it’s essential to help them learn that their voice is a tool to help them get what they need or want.

“You want to focus on the language first,” said Claire Stanford, a board-certified behavior analyst who works with children at the charter school for prekindergarten through fifth-grade students.

Although public awareness about autism has improved, stereotypes about it still exist, both women said.

Some people lump all children with autism into the same group, failing to distinguish their individual differences. Others assume that children with autism must have low IQs because of their inability to verbalize. Others brand children with autism as being bad kids.

“Autism is a spectrum,” Walker said. Each child faces individual challenges.

By helping children develop and use language skills, problems with behavior often are resolved, Stanford said.

The Florida Autism Center of Excellence aims to help students gain academic, social and behavioral skills needed to be independent in later life. The center uses the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis — a research-based strategy that has been proven to be effective for teaching students with autism.

“We break the goals down into small, discrete, observable steps,” Stanford said. Students are given praise and reinforcement for exhibiting those steps.

While many schools use a stoplight system to regulate behavior, the charter school does not. At those schools, all of the kids will start on green, Stanford said.

“There’s nothing they can do but go down,” she said.

The charter school teaches children to substitute unacceptable behaviors with acceptable choices, Stanford said.

“We do not use punishment,” Walker said.

The school uses individual language assessments to pinpoint gaps. Stanford then helps teachers write a teaching plan, and a data sheet is used to monitor how a student is faring. Parents receive monthly progress reports.

The idea is to tailor instruction to meet an individual child’s needs.

The charter school, on Chancey Road, operates out of a number of portable classroom buildings. It has an enrollment of 18, and is continuing to accept new students until it reaches this year’s cap of 38. Once that happens, new students will be admitted through a lottery system.

Next year, the school hopes to add middle school classes. Ultimately, it would like to have 110 students, Walker said.

To be eligible, students must have a diagnosis of autism by a medical doctor or an Individual Education Plan issued by a school that states the student has autism, Walker said.

She encourages families to take quick action if they believe their son or daughter has autism. The sooner a child is diagnosed, the sooner he or she can get help.

“You want to get them enrolled as early as possible,” Walker said. “Early intervention is the key.”

The charter school also wants to give parents support and help. Parents often feel they are being blamed for their child’s behavior, Walker said.

“For some of them, they feel they’re being pointed at, they’re the cause,” she said. “This is a safe environment for them. They don’t feel judged.”

Walker said the work she does is rewarding.

“I like to see the gains,” Walker said, referring to the progress that students make. “I like to give hope to the parents, because there is hope.”

What: Florida Autism Center of Excellence is a Pasco County Schools charter school providing services for children with autism. It serve prekindergarten through fifth grade, and hopes to add middle school classes next year.
Where: 39735 Chancey Road, Zephyrhills
Web: www.FACEProgram.org
Phone: (813) 395-5952

About autism
As a spectrum disorder, children and adults with autism can exhibit any combination of these behaviors in any degree of severity.
Some examples of behaviors a person with autism may display are:
• Communication: Children may have difficulty in verbal and nonverbal communication. There may be a lack of language development. Speech may be limited or disordered, or they may engage in one-sided conversations. They may have challenges with body language, facial expressions, gestures and signs.
• Social Interactions: Children may exhibit highly inappropriate behaviors and may show indifference to others. They may avoid affection, eye contact, and may play by themselves.
•
Imagination: Play may be limited to one or two activities, involving repetitive actions.
• Playing: Children may use toys inappropriately and not for their intended purpose.
• Repetitive Behaviors: Children may develop ritualistic behaviors and obsessions.
Autistic behaviors may include rocking, spinning, flicking hands or fingers in front of their eyes, tapping objects and mouthing objects.
Source: www.FACEProgram.com

My son becomes a husband

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It was just two months ago that I wrote about my son’s engagement over Labor Day weekend. I shared with you that Andy and Erin were planning to marry next November after Andy returned from his upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

Well, a lot has happened since then. As you can see by the accompanying photo, Andy and Erin decided not to wait until 2014, and were wed earlier this month in a chapel on the base at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

It was a lovely wedding on a beautiful autumn day, with fallen leaves carpeting the walk from the church, and branches laden with red, orange and yellow foliage perfectly framing their photos.

Diane 1113The bride was gorgeous in a classic satin dress, and the groom stunning in his formal officer uniform. Andy proudly wore his white cover (as U.S. Marines call their hats) and playfully plopped it on his bride’s head after the ceremony — a bit like Richard Gere and Debra Winger in “An Officer and a Gentleman.”

Witnessing this joyous event was immediate family only — mothers, fathers, sisters, brother, sister-in-law and one first cousin. Between both families there were just nine of us — 11 including the bride and groom.

The wedding was intimate and deeply personal, with Andy and Erin focusing 100 percent on each other and their vows. There was none of the stress usually associated with getting married because there were no guests to greet and no reception to worry about.

Andy and Erin shared their commitment with their closest family members, those who have loved them since the day they were born, or younger siblings who never knew life without them.

Everyone else — grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends — will have to wait until Nov. 8, 2014. That’s when Andy and Erin will renew their vows in the church where Erin grew up in Appleton, Wis. Together we will celebrate their union with a traditional Midwestern reception in a spacious hall overlooking the Fox River.

I’m still not sure exactly how this accelerated wedding came to be. Shortly after becoming engaged, Andy left for a month of training in southern California. While still out West, he called to tell me that he and Erin had decided to get married before he deployed instead of waiting another year.

So with the blessings of their priest and their parents, Andy and Erin began planning their wedding, and were married four weeks later. It was surreal how the wedding details fell into place so easily and beautifully. Even the weather was perfect.

As I write this column, I’ve been back in Land O’ Lakes for three days and am still getting used to the idea of a married son and a new daughter-in-law. Of course I am thrilled, but it is an adjustment — one of those transitional times most parents experience as their child embarks on a new life path quite separate from their own.

And, of course, this is the way it is meant to be: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh,” Ephesians 5:31-33

I never gave much thought to this Biblical verse until Andy’s wedding. But now it resonates loudly, as it does undoubtedly for all parents who have witnessed their son become a husband, or their daughter become a wife.

Fun Feeds Pasco festival kicks off annual food drive

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Adrienne Castens signs her emails with a phrase of inspiration from Metropolitan Ministries: “Hope starts with a meal.”

Castens’ church, Keystone Community Church on State Road 54 near Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, provided a lot of hope already with its annual holiday food drive for Metropolitan Ministries. But Castens and other members of Keystone knew they could do more.

Gaynor Dietz poses with some of the turkeys donated during last year’s food drives that helps Metropolitan Ministries feed hungry families during the holiday through Keystone Community Church. (Photo courtesy of Adrienne Castens)
Gaynor Dietz poses with some of the turkeys donated during last year’s food drives that helps Metropolitan Ministries feed hungry families during the holiday through Keystone Community Church. (Photo courtesy of Adrienne Castens)

Last year, Castens and her team started Fun Feeds Pasco, a food drive kickoff event that turned making a donation into a festival. And thanks to the success of that event, Keystone will do it again this Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.

“I don’t have the exact number in front of me, but we brought in three times as much food as we normally do during the festival last year,” said Castens, who has attended Keystone with her family for the last six years. “So we decided to do it again this year, and this time we’ve got even more activities for children, vendors, and some great entertainment lined up.”

Castens works by day as a substitute teacher, and sees firsthand more often than not what hunger can do, especially with young minds wanting to learn.

“Hunger is one of the things that breaks my heart,” she said. “I see children who come in and say their tummy hurts because they hadn’t eaten. But at least in school, they can get lunch and maybe even breakfast. But it’s during the breaks, like holidays, where they can really go hungry. Where they don’t have breakfast, lunch or dinner.”

Metropolitan Ministries looks to serve just under 590,000 meals during the holiday season in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. To achieve that, the organization is going to need literally tons of food, and every drive — including the one at Keystone — is essential to make that happen.

The tent for Keystone’s food drive will go up this weekend, and it will accept donations through Thanksgiving week, primarily of frozen or nonperishable, nonexpired food items.

But those not wanting to clean out the pantry or hit the grocery store on the way can also bring other donations like gift cards, personal checks, new toys and new clothes. One popular donation is frozen turkeys, which could help make a needy family’s holiday truly special.

“It’s about bringing the community together, and helping those in need,” Castens said. “This isn’t just a Metropolitan Ministry thing. It’s not just a Keystone Community Church thing. This is a community event to bring awareness of the needs in our community, and to help our neighbors when they need us the most.”

The event will also include live music, face painting, clowns, inflatable bounce houses, free hot dogs and cotton candy, and even a Florida Blood Bank Bloodmobile unit.

If you go
WHAT: Fun Feeds Pasco
WHERE: Keystone Community Church, 21010 State Road 54, Land O’ Lakes
WHEN: Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
COST: Free, with suggested donation of nonperishable food, new toys or monetary donations
INFO: FunFeedsPasco.org

Old car, pay phone booth perfect for this garden

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Maryhelen Zopfi gets a kick out of finding new uses for old stuff.

The avid gardener’s green thumb is on glorious display at her North Mobile Villa Drive home in Lutz, where she grows roses, orchids, crotons, fruit trees, orchids, grapevines and all sorts of other plants.

But her enthusiasm for gardening is perhaps outdone by the funky stuff she has all over her place.

Maryhelen Zopfi has added another point of interest to her eclectic collection of yard art that embellishes her garden and koi ponds at her home in Lutz. This 1997 Buick front end makes a perfect waterfall, she said. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Maryhelen Zopfi has added another point of interest to her eclectic collection of yard art that embellishes her garden and koi ponds at her home in Lutz. This 1997 Buick front end makes a perfect waterfall, she said. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

Recent additions to her eclectic outdoor décor include the front end of 1997 Buick that she’s converted into a waterfall for her koi pond in her backyard. The pond, by the way, is a former swimming pool, which is partially covered by a deck.

The deck, it turns out, is the perfect cover for the koi — should a hungry bird swoop down to try to grab a quick bite to eat.

The Buick’s front end is raised up on blocks, spilling water through its grill into the pool below.

Meanwhile, out front, Zopfi has added an old-fashioned telephone booth amidst her plants, just for fun.

She also has a smaller waterfall in her front yard, which, by the way, she thinks would be a perfect candidate for the front end of a Smart car.

Zopfi, who describes herself as a “stay-at-home gardener,” always is thinking up stuff she can do to keep adding interest to her yard. Besides being full of whimsy, her yard also is environmentally friendly, too.

She won Hillsborough County’s 2012 Florida-Friendly Landscape Water-Wise Award for the many water-conserving practices she observes.

For instance, she catches rainfall in a barrel to water a portion of a garden. She diverts runoff from her rooftop and pipes it into areas of her garden. She also uses landscape beds to keep storm water from spilling out of her yard. And, she uses micro-irrigation to apply water where needed without wasteful spraying.

Zopfi gets a kick out of showing off her handiwork. She welcomes garden clubs to come take a tour of her yard. She’s also been known to set up tables in her driveway, to let garden club members have a meeting and eat lunch.

Her generosity does have its limits, though.

The garden club members have to bring their own lunch.

If your garden club would like to schedule a visit to Zopfi’s garden, you can email the request to .

Meeting first chance for residents to change Gall Boulevard

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It won’t be long before Zephyrhills gets full control of Gall Boulevard, a road that has served as the primary artery through the city for decades.

But the transformation of the road from a highway to a main street has its challenges. Which is why city officials have scheduled a group of four community workshops, the first one coming up Nov. 14.

Right now, Gall Boulevard is the main artery through Zephyrhills. But with the state taking over the one-way streets on either side, the city is set to get control of Gall with plans on making it into a main street. (file photo)
Right now, Gall Boulevard is the main artery through Zephyrhills. But with the state taking over the one-way streets on either side, the city is set to get control of Gall with plans on making it into a main street. (file photo)

“The city kind of feels that we’re standing at the crossroads over an upcoming future transformation of our urban core,” said Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg. “There are a lot of things going on and have been going on, and we want to update everyone on that, and get their input as well.”

The overall project has been called “(Re)Imagine Gall Boulevard,” and will focus on the road between North Avenue and South Avenue. As through traffic shifts to the one-way pairs, which opened in the 1990s on Sixth and Seventh streets, the plan is to turn Gall Boulevard into a destination where residents and visitors can live, work and play.

How to approach that will be up to the community, Vande Berg said. City officials already plan to work on sidewalks, signage, landscaping, and an overall style plan for businesses. But what happens beyond that is going to require a lot of ideas, and then some decisions.

“It’s one piece of the pie, but it’s a pretty big piece,” Vande Berg said. “We are establishing the framework for the future of the whole (U.S.) 301 corridor, not just how it’s going to function, but at the development side of it as well.”

Thursday’s meeting could probably be better described as a charrette. These are intense planning and designing sessions, typically where every idea is put on the table, and bounced off different people for feedback.

City officials have some ideas of their own, and they’ll present those first. But then it will open up to the audience, bringing everyone into the discussion. Even more, the city is setting up electronic polling technology that will allow everyone to see real-time what the crowd thinks of ideas, which could fast-track popular plans, and set aside ones that may not have a lot of support.

The city recently expanded its Community Redevelopment Area to encompass the Gall Boulevard stretch. This move not only will allow the city to keep tax revenue collected in that specific area, but it also allows officials to set up development standards that can help define a community.

The City Council will be called upon to make final decisions on the project at some point after the community workshops, but there might be some challenges in making the transition along the way.

Primarily, some businesses like fast food restaurants on Gall Boulevard are designed as stops for through traffic more than community pedestrian traffic. If the primary through traffic shifts more to the one-way pairs, there is a chance some could turn around and face the other way — putting their back to Zephyrhills’ new main street.

“We are a little unique here where some of the fast food and other businesses control frontage on both streets,” Vande Berg said. It will be up to officials to encourage alternatives for those businesses, however, maybe even finding a way to serve both streets.

And that’s where workshops like Thursday’s will help in the city’s efforts to expand its main street beyond Fifth Avenue.

“We want to make 301 more multi-modal and more pedestrian friendly, but after that, it’s up to our residents,” Vande Berg said. “This is a great way for us to get a feel from the city, to get their input, and help us make this a success.”

If you go
WHAT: (Re)Imagine Gall Boulevard community workshop
WHEN: Nov. 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Alice Hall Community Center, 38116 Fifth Ave., Zephyrhills
DETAILS: Call Todd Vande Berg, (813) 780-0006, or email him at

One-time CiCi’s Pizza location has new owner

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The former home of CiCi’s Pizza in Zephyrhills now has a new owner.

NW Evergreen Opportunities IV LLC, a real estate investment fund out of Portland, Ore., purchased the 12,600-square-foot Zephyr Place plaza for $1.9 million, primarily assuming nearly $1.7 million in loans borrowed against the property.

The former home of the CiCi’s Pizza location in Zephyrhills now has a new owner in what has been the city’s second-largest real estate transaction this year. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
The former home of the CiCi’s Pizza location in Zephyrhills now has a new owner in what has been the city’s second-largest real estate transaction this year. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

The purchase was in lieu of foreclosure from Synovus Bank, according to Pasco County property records.

Zephyr Place LLC built the 6830 Gall Blvd., location near the Pin Chasers bowling alley in 2008. The company was owned by CiCi’s franchisees Giorgio and Lisa Bertrand, who operated a CiCi’s there until earlier this year, when it closed its doors. The center has been mostly vacant ever since.

NW Evergreen Opportunities IV is a part of Red Hills Acquisitions LLC in Oregon, and focuses primarily on distressed and foreclosed real estate, according to the Portland Business Journal. It provides an alternative to lenders, who otherwise would have to foreclose on a property owner who is not making the mortgage payments.

NW Evergreen has not announced its plans for the property. A request for comment to one of Red Hills’ principals, Mike Parthasarathy, was not returned.

This is only the third major commercial real estate transaction in Zephyrhills this year. National Retail Properties LP of Orlando bought two parcels in June: the SunTrust Bank location at 5435 Gall Blvd., for $3.5 million, and the Arby’s restaurant location at 7446 Gall Blvd., in June for $1.5 million.

 

Experiencing the sites and sounds of Georgia

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By Lee Heffelfinger

We have certainly survived the summer heat and the daily summer rains. It really made the flowers beautiful and the grass cutting was a weekly job, or I should say every five days a clipping was due.

Russ and I, along with Joe and Ann Casey, motored to the Oktoberfest festivities in Helen, Ga. We did a lot of visiting local landmarks such as Babyland General, home of the original, and still going strong, Cabbage Patch Dolls and all their accessories. We got to see firsthand how the Cabbage Babies are born. Everyone should see this at least once, and I think it’s about the 14th time we have seen it.

We visited the gourd place where they grow all the different kinds and shapes of gourds, clean and dry them, and design everything imaginable, from dessert dishes to candle holders to musical instruments.

The day we spent in Dahlonega, Ga., was great. We ate our noon meal at the Smith House, a Gold Rush-days boardinghouse, and saw the gold mine shaft that started the gold rush craze way back before the gold rush in California of 1850.

We tramped through at least 15 antique shops, and Ann did find a few missing pieces to a set of dishes she had.

On the way back to Helen, we stopped at three different wineries, and by the time we got to the Oktoberfest, where we unwound with a beer garden brewski and tried our version of the chicken dance, listened to the genuine German polkas, and smelled the fresh wurst and sauerkraut. We were glad to get out in the fresh air and walk back to our motel.

What a wonderful vacation that was. If only Helen was not so far from Zephyrhills.

The attendance for our coffee and doughnut social was strong all summer, certainly not back to full capacity, but picking up. Hosts for October were Janet Clarks, Richard and Dea-Ann Burgess, Al and Deanie Bennett, Sy and Mabel Budzinski, John Raab, and Russ and myself.

We’ve had our share of bad luck. Madeline Macomber had a bad fall with surgeries and bruising to her face. John Phillips had surgery on his legs. And his daughter, Judy, has been here from Belfast, Maine, to help take care of him.

John’s son, John Jr., also is spending some time with his father. Vernita Perdue is struggling with chemo for multiple myeloma and kidney problems. Hopefully she will be able to come to her home here for the winter since we are so much closer to medical facilities here.

We lost several of our members: Sally Cavanaugh, Rosemary Leibrook and Harold Palmer. Our sincere sympathy to their spouses and families.

Harold Palmer’s family had a memorial service at the Faith Baptist Church for him, and his wife Bessie was brought from the rehab center where she is recuperating. Also in attendance were his four children: Denise, Roy, Mary and Kathy, all from western New York. A luncheon was served at our clubhouse for those that wanted to honor his memory.

Harold was a helper with so many projects during his 20-plus years as a resident of our park. He helped with shuffleboard, card games, coffee and doughnuts, and served on the board of directors. We are going to miss seeing him riding his lawn tractor down the street as he was heading to mow the many lawns, during the heat of the summer for the people from the north, even though he was having health problems and advancing age.

Our bus trips are once again on the go. We’re looking forward to our trip to Branson, Mo., for nine days of music, shows and entertainment. We will be there at the time you are reading this.

On Dec. 7, we go to the Early Bird Dinner Theater in Clearwater to enjoy “Boeing Boeing,” and Dec. 17-18, we go to Fort Lauderdale to enjoy the Christmas lights along the Jungle Queen Cruise route. Plus we can’t miss going to a casino, or two.

What a great way to participate in the holiday excitement. If you want to go along, call me at (813) 780-1012.

Good hauntings at Grand Horizons for Halloween week

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By Helene Rubenstein

As more and more people return to Grand Horizons, so many activities seem to start up once again.

We just returned from Connecticut, and we find more new neighbors to get to know and to socialize with. Yes, our community is certainly growing in leaps and bounds.

On Oct. 26, there was a pancake breakfast in the community center hosted by Terry and Mim Gardner. I spoke to Mim and she mentioned that about 65 people attended this breakfast, which had good food, much laughter and loads of friendship.

Mim also went on to say that Paul and Norma Oi, David and Joyce Billig, and Rosemary Semian helped out with the serving and cooking. They did have a drawing and there were two winners who went home with a smile.

In addition to this, Chuck Carlson volunteered to help out in future pancake breakfasts.

So you see, there are always people to help out in any way that they are asked for. There is a definite pride within our community.

Bob and Sandi Blais portrayed a German couple and earned honors as the best-dressed couple at a Halloween potluck on Oct. 31. (Photo by Marty Rubenstein)
Bob and Sandi Blais portrayed a German couple and earned honors as the best-dressed couple at a Halloween potluck on Oct. 31. (Photo by Marty Rubenstein)

On Oct. 31, we had a Halloween potluck party at the community center hosted by Robbie Lockard. She had loads of help but “special” thanks go out to Ken and Barb Holzapfel, and Ron and Joyce Bell.

There were many more helpers who pitched in to make this party a success and there were about 90-95 people. There was a variety of music by Gary Wilcox.

It was difficult to pick out the best costume as all the witches, goblins, ghosts, and a variety of other costumes, were out in full force. A prize was awarded for the best costume and, let me tell you, it was one tough decision. I didn’t envy the judges.

Best costume for a woman was Marie Paolantonio who was dressed as the merry widow, while Ernie Rice won for best male costume as he dressed as Columbo. Finally, the best-dressed couple was Bob and Sandi Blais dressed as a German Oktoberfest man and woman.

On Nov. 1, there were 77 people who filled the community center for the first “egg n’ bag” of the season. We all had a fun time, and like last year, the eggs were fantastic and the potatoes were delicious.

Then, on Nov. 2, there was a fashion show sponsored by Bon Worth and hosted by Kathy Cribbs. I can just see Kathy, along with a group of women, getting ready to model their clothes. Behind the stage, I am sure you would find hectic moments and so much talking.

I spoke to Kathy and she told me that she got six models and they donned three outfits each. A terrific job was done by one and all. They also had door prizes won by some lucky people. After the show, they served some cookies and coffee.

Let us not forget the Nov. 16 yard sale at each individual house. In addition to this, there will be a book sale, bake sale, and lunch will be served at the community center. Who knows, you may be able to find the exact trinket that you have been looking for, so please circle the date on your calendar and come and see.

Young girls keep smiling … through pain of arthritis

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At first blush, Lindsey and Ashley Valenti look like typical preteenage girls.

They enjoy doing typical preteen things: Going to Disney theme parks, attending birthday parties and playing.

But doing even these simple things is difficult for the Wesley Chapel girls, as they both suffer from juvenile arthritis.

Ashley Valenti, left, and her sister Lindsey have been selected as the child honorees for the Tampa Bay Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Walk/Run event in December. Both girls have had to curtail many of the activities they enjoy because of the pain they suffer from juvenile arthritis. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Ashley Valenti, left, and her sister Lindsey have been selected as the child honorees for the Tampa Bay Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Walk/Run event in December. Both girls have had to curtail many of the activities they enjoy because of the pain they suffer from juvenile arthritis. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

Still, they keep an upbeat attitude, which their mom, Mary Valenti, said is probably one of the reasons they’ve been chosen as the child honorees for Tampa’s Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run/Walk. The event is set for Dec. 21 at the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough County Community College. Besides a 5-kilometer and one-mile run, there also will be activities for kids, a silent auction and awards.

Valenti is pleased that her daughters were selected for the honor because she thinks it’s important to spread the word about juvenile arthritis, a condition she believes is often misunderstood. Both girls — who also require a monthly infusion of antibodies because of an immune system condition called specific antibody deficiency — were diagnosed in 2010, but Valenti suspects that they had the condition much longer.

Lindsey, 12, said she began noticing problems with her knees about two years before she was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. She was taking a dance class and one part of a routine required dancers to spring up from the floor.

“All of the girls were able to get off the floor with ease,” Lindsey said. All except for her. She had to push herself up.

When Valenti reported that Lindsey’s knees were swollen, it was explained away as “growing pains,” she said. Lindsey had back pain, which doctors said could be kidney infection. She had severe fatigue that was chalked up to her immune system condition.

“It took us a very long time to come to this diagnosis,” Valenti said.

But it didn’t take as long to recognize Ashley’s condition, her mom said. When Ashley complained that her foot hurt, they initially thought she had turned her ankle.

When that wasn’t the problem, Valenti wondered if Ashley also might have juvenile arthritis. A rheumatologist confirmed her suspicion.

Many people have never even heard of juvenile arthritis, Valenti said. Often, they trivialize the condition, saying things like their grandmother or grandfather has arthritis.

“They don’t get it. They don’t understand it. This is a life-altering diagnosis,” Valenti said. “They look so normal and healthy, that’s why we have trouble getting across to people how serious this is.”

The arthritis they have is aggressive and lifelong. It affects organs. It affects their heart. It causes blindness.

“These are things we constantly having to get checked,” she said. “We have a team of about seven specialists.”

Lindsey remembers that recently she saw her neighbors playing outside.

“We used to be out there with them, and now we can’t,” she said. “It hurts to run. We’d go and play tag. We live in a lot of pain.”

When Lindsey wakes up in the morning, she has at least an hour of stiffness “with every joint, my neck, my knees, everything.”

The arthritis has prompted Lindsey to be home-schooled, taking classes through Florida Virtual School. But it can be hard, because Lindsey is at an age where having a social life is important. Being out of sight means being out of mind, she said, noting she doesn’t attend many birthday parties because she’s not invited.

“I have a wheelchair that I use off and on during flares, and sometimes I think kids are almost scared of what to say, so I’m avoided,” Lindsey said. “Ashley will go and play with the Barbies and she’ll need help getting up. And, I’ll sit down on the floor, and I’m pulling on the chair to try to get myself up. Even getting up from a chair is sometimes hard.”

Ashley attends Wesley Chapel Elementary School, but is frequently out of school to attend doctor’s appointments and get treatments.

Valenti and her husband Tony try to keep things as normal as possible for her girls. When Ashley’s school had a Halloween parade, for instance, Valenti pushed her daughter around in a wheelchair so Ashley could take part.

“She’s fifth grade, it’s her last one. We’re fighting to make it memorable for her because fifth grade is a big deal,” Valenti said. “I don’t know how much more schooling she’s going to be able to attend. We have some decisions to make for next year. We’re probably going to have to do the virtual school as well. But it’s a tough choice. She’s a very social kid.”

Besides robbing her children of their childhood, the disease has posed challenges for the entire family, Valenti said, especially when it comes to finances. There’s the cost of medical treatment, doctor visits and medication. There’s also the cost of just driving the girls to their medical appointments, which include trips to St. Petersburg and Gainesville.

“We bought a brand new car in May just because we travel so much, and I already have 12,000 miles on it,” Valenti said.

They’ve formed a fundraising team they call the Valient Valentis, and they’ve had some local events to raise money to help battle arthritis. They’re determined to do what they can to help their daughters and others who suffer from juvenile arthritis.

WHAT: Jingle Bell Run/Walk
WHO: Tampa Bay Arthritis Foundation
WHEN: Dec. 21, with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m.
WHERE: Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough Community College, 4001 W. Tampa Bay Blvd.

New Lutz water line will close two wells

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One more Lutz subdivision is coming off well water with a new pipeline set to connect the Crystal Lakes Manors with Hillsborough County’s water distribution system.

The 4.5 miles of pipeline will take a year to build, beginning next year, and may disrupt traffic on U.S. 41 and Lutz Lake Fern Road. But in the end, the $4.8 million project will not only improve water for Crystal Lake residents, but could set up the rest of Lutz for connection to the main water system in the near future.

“I’m happy with what’s being proposed,” said Kim Foster, a resident of Crystal Lakes Manors who attended a recent informational meeting at the Lutz Community Center. “The water we have now is adequate and good, but we live right next to the chlorination facility, so we’ve always had concern with having high-chlorinated water.”

Whether that’s an issue or not will be eliminated with the new pipeline, which will mean the closure of the chlorination facility and two wells, which currently serve the nearly 200 homes in the community.

The project will be constructed in three phases, first beginning on the west side of U.S. 41 from West Chapman Road past Lake Drive. Then it’s Crenshaw Lake Road along the west side of U.S. 41 to Crystal Lake Road. Finally, the project will end once the county connects from just south of Fourth Avenue Southeast on the east side of U.S. 41 to First Avenue Southeast.

A lot of the project will coincide with a resurfacing project planned by the Florida Department of Transportation in 2014, allowing the two projects to piggyback, said Charles Cullen from the engineering design firm behind the project, CDM Smith.

“With the resurfacing of U.S. 41, that impact would’ve been felt regardless of the pipeline project,” he said.

That could mean some lane closures along U.S. 41, but Lutz Lake Fern Road should remain mostly clear since work there would take place in the right of way. Most of the construction will take place during the day beginning at 7 a.m., with some overnight work when needed.

The only communities and homes being connected to the new line right now are those immediately adjacent to the construction site. That left some unanswered questions for one resident.

“They didn’t explain anything that would happen to the existing water lines, or if other people would be able to connect to it,” said Tom De St. Jean, who also lives on Crystal Grove Boulevard. “It doesn’t make sense to bring that water line out there, and not let people connect. If you are not adjacent to the line itself, you cannot connect.”

That’s because the county’s comprehensive plan for the area only allows for connection by communities that are immediately adjacent to it, county water officials said during the meeting.

Construction is set to begin in March, and wrap up sometime during the spring of 2015.