Wesley Chapel/New Tampa News

Boothe kicking cancer for herself, unborn child

October 9, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Ashley Boothe has been engaged in a battle with breast cancer for the last seven months, but she wasn’t just fighting it for herself.

The Wesley Chapel woman was also battling for her unborn child.

On Oct. 4, at 10:17 a.m., she won part of the fight. She delivered her son, Scott Gregory Booth III. He weighed 4 pounds, 8 ounces, and was 18.5 inches long.

“Mom and dad and everything is fine,” said Lilly Fontanez, a family friend, shortly after the baby’s birth.

Ashley Boothe is not your typical mom. Not only did she deliver a healthy son on Oct. 4, but she had to fight breast cancer as well. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

But the little boy’s birth was hardly a sure thing.

When Boothe was just a couple weeks into her pregnancy, she found a lump in her left breast.

“I was putting lotion on to prevent stretch marks and I felt it. It was like, ‘That’s weird,’” the 26-year-old said.

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had to make a decision. The doctor had informed her that her pregnancy was still in the early term and she could have an abortion.

Boothe, however, was determined to have the baby.

“I was like, ‘That word is not in my vocabulary. It’s not an option. God didn’t give me this baby for me to terminate him.’”

Boothe, 26, said she made that decision even before she talked to the experts at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute who told her they could work around her pregnancy.

The decision still carried increased concerns about her health and about the pregnancy. So, Booth told her husband Scott she would understand if he couldn’t support her decision.

“I gave him an out card,” Boothe said. “He said, ‘Are you kidding me? You’re crazy. I’m not going anywhere.’”

Boothe made the overture, she said, because she understands that some people just aren’t built to handle these kinds of challenges.

“They can’t,” Boothe said. “It’s not that they’re not a strong person and it’s not that they’re not a good person. They just can’t bear to see people go through something like that.”

But her husband stood strong.

Choosing to have the baby has affected her cancer treatment and the baby’s birth date.

“I had a total, radical modified mastectomy,” she said, noting it had to be done in the second trimester of her pregnancy.

She has also undergone four sets of chemotherapy, where she received strange looks from people when they saw a pregnant woman on her way to treatments. While both Boothe and her husband had doubts, experts told her the type of chemotherapy she received during her pregnancy would not harm the baby.

She had to have her baby delivered at around 33 weeks, instead of the typical 40, in order for her to stay on track for her treatments. That early delivery could cause complications, but Boothe said his development is now in God’s hands.

Yet, her faith hasn’t always been this rock-solid.

Boothe struggled with it after her mother, Donna Mullens, was struck by cancer for a second time.

“I kind of had a falling out with the Lord when my mom was sick,” Boothe said.

She was a teenager when her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer the first time.

“When she got sick the first time, she didn’t even want to tell me because she didn’t want me to get upset and she didn’t want to hurt me,” Boothe said.

Her mother’s cancer returned in 2007, and by then Boothe had married and moved to Hawaii with her husband. Her parents had planned to visit her there, but had to cancel the trip when her mom got her diagnosis.

Instead, Boothe returned to Lutz to help her mother.

“She had a rough time,” Boothe said. “It was hard for me to watch her go through that.” After Mullens recovered once again, Boothe got involved in Relay for Life. She also became heavily involved in the Land O’ Lakes Sun Rays Concert for a Cure.

And now friends are getting together to raise money for Boothe with the Kicking Cancer for Ashley fundraiser. The event takes place on Oct. 12 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Fraternal Order of Police Grounds, at the corner of Bell Lake Road and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

If anyone deserves help, it’s Boothe, Fontanez said.

“When she found out that I had a (Relay for Life) team, she baked her heart out,” Fontanez said. “She went ahead and she did seven or eight cakes. She did chocolate-covered strawberries, candies, cookies.”

In fact, Boothe made so many goodies that they were giving them away at the end of the event.

“She’s done baking every year. She’s been on our team for five years,” Fontanez said.

While Boothe is grateful for the help, she wishes she were on the giving, rather than the receiving, end.

“I want to be independent. I want to do it on my own,” she said. “This time, I just can’t. I don’t have the resources. I don’t have the money. I don’t have the energy.”

Boothe is humbled by the support that others are showing her.

The Fit Body Boot Camp is having a fundraising event for her with a two-week boot camp pass to its gym for a $33 donation. A personal trainer there also will match the money raised up to $3,000, and is giving away prizes to existing or new clients that participate in the fundraiser.

Firefighter Charities of Pasco Inc. and the fire chief are also helping.

“We are now allowed to wear pink duty shirts as we work,” said Jesus “J.J.” Martinez, president of the charitable organization. “The money we raise from the shirts will be going to Kicking Cancer for Ashley.”

Boothe said she is in awe by the kindness of others.

“So many people are so giving. All of these businesses that are willing to donate, I’m just very grateful,” she said.

She knows the road ahead will be challenging.

She must undergo additional chemotherapy treatments and surgeries. And, it’s too soon to tell if her newborn son, who has been receiving special care since his birth, will face future medical challenges because of his premature birth.

Despite the uncertainties, Boothe said she feels fortunate.

“People are still worse off than me,” she said. “They’re still dealing with worse things than I’m dealing with. As long as I have my family and my husband and my God, I don’t worry anymore.”

New festival celebrates the joys of flight

October 9, 2013 By B.C. Manion

A festival debuting in Lutz this year celebrates the joys of aviation.

The Festival of Flight, presented by American Balloons and Tampa North Flight Center, will feature hot air balloons, kite-flying demonstrations and aircraft ranging from vintage World War II airplanes to state-of-the art flying machines.

Festivities begin at 7 a.m. on Oct. 19, with a hot air balloon launch and wrap up that day with a night hot air balloon glow at Tampa North Aeropark, 4241 Birdsong Blvd. in Lutz.

A hot air balloon operates over Land O’ Lakes. (Photo courtesy of American Balloons)

Activities will resume at 7 a.m. on Oct. 20, with another hot air balloon launch and activities will conclude around noon.

Those wanting to watch the balloon launches are advised to arrive early and should bring chairs to sit on, according to the event’s website.

“There will be balloons flying in and out,” said Jessica Warren of American Balloons, a company based at the flight center.

Besides the hot air balloons and airplanes, Kiting Tampa Bay will also be there flying kites. And children will be able to make kites, Warren said.

Other plans that are pending include paratroopers dropping in and tethered balloon rides, Warren said.

The event celebrates the renovation of the private airport and the grand opening of The Happy Hangar café.

Various vendors will also be there, offering wares for sale or dispensing information about their businesses. Live music is planned, too.

“We’ve been trying to bring the balloon festival in here for a really long time,” Warren said. “We really need something local. We want to share our love of aviation.”

The Pasco County area is fortunate to have hot air balloon flights, Warren said. The only other place in Florida that offers hot air balloon rides is Orlando. Many people come from around the world to go for rides in her company’s balloons.

“There are only about 5,000 hot air balloonists in the United States,” Warren said, and while they’re spread out around the country, their shared interest in aviation makes them a tight-knit community.

Chuck Norris, a flight instructor at the Tampa North Flight Center, said aviation enthusiasts will have a chance to see some interesting aircraft. They can also purchase rides on a 1942 Boeing Steerman.

Norris is excited about the event.

“This airport has been a very sleepy airport for years. We want to wake it up,” he said.

Organizers intend to make this an annual event, Warren said. In fact, planning for that already has begun, she said.

For more information about this year’s festivities, visit FestivalOfFlightWesleyChapel.com.

They are coming, will Pasco be able to build it?

October 9, 2013 By Michael Hinman

For decades, the population center of Pasco County has been on its western, coastal side. Areas surrounding Port Richey and New Port Richey have always been the focus of activity thanks to their proximity to Pinellas County.

But by 2025, that could all change. The southern portion of Pasco County, which as late as 1990 had population rivaling only the northern rural parts of the county, will not only overtake the New Port Richey area, but will become the most populous in Pasco.

The population of Pasco County is shifting from the western side, which officials have called ‘The Harbors,’ to the southern side. By 2040, areas like Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch could have 309,000 people, a population jump of more than 900 percent since 1990. (Image courtesy of Pasco County)

The area, which includes Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch, could reach as high as 309,000 people by 2040, putting Pasco on the path to 1 million residents. And the county will have to be ready.

“We have a big responsibility in the Tampa Bay area,” Melanie Kendrick, senior planner in Pasco County’s economic development department, told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce late last month. “As companies are looking to come to this area, and companies in Hillsborough and Pinellas are expanding, they don’t have the room. And great cities grow north.”

In 1990, the southern portion of the county — which officials are calling “Gateway Crossings” — had just 30,500 residents, compared to the nearly 142,000 on the western side. In 2010, Gateway Crossings expanded to a little less than 120,000, a jump of 293 percent, while the western side grew just 28 percent to 182,000.

By 2025, Gateway Crossings is expected to grow to 214,000 people compared to 194,000 on the western side, according to numbers provided by Pasco County officials.

Already, 94 percent of Pasco’s population resides in the unincorporated areas.

“If the Pasco County Commission were a city commission, we would be the 12th largest city in the state,” Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said at the chamber meeting. “It’s an interesting challenge for us as commissioners as we have to act like a city commission, while other commissions like the one in Pinellas actually controls very little with so many incorporated areas there.”

Pasco is one of the fastest growing areas in the state, but still exports 90,000 people a day to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, while importing just 40,000.

“If we could get people to work here in the county, we could bring our wages up,” Kendrick said.

To make that growth work, planning had to start a long time ago, and the county is getting its act together, Starkey said. One of the first major issues the commission had to address once Starkey arrived was the permitting process, which she described as a “disaster.”

“We were known as a difficult place to do business,” Starkey said. “We still are, but we are working on that.”

Permitting has been streamlined, removing a lot of red tape that existed before, with the hopes that smart growth will be encouraged by the private sector. That does mean, however, building up rather than out. Density is going to be key, but Pasco will need the infrastructure to support it.

Already, key areas like U.S. 41 and the Suncoast Parkway junctions with State Roads 54 and 52 have more than 2 million people living within a 40-minute drive time. Wiregrass Ranch already is not far behind with 1.92 million people within a couple gallons of gas.

Yet, Pasco still wants to keep its community spirit with aspects like sidewalks and neighborhoods. Yet, some traffic arteries must remain arteries.

“State Road 54 will not be a main street,” Kendrick said. “It will not be walkable, ever.”

Communities are springing up on either side of State Road 54, which are pedestrian-friendly, but the county is going to need a much expanded road system to carry the incoming population and avoid traffic gridlock.

“You can see the numbers coming into the area, and they are not going to fit on (State Road) 54,” Starkey said. “You could walk faster.”

The county, however, will have to find ways to pay for it. Property taxes already are lower than 60 other counties in the state, Kendrick said, and the recent failure of the additional gas tax by the county commission is going to make it nearly impossible to build more roads in the foreseeable future.

“We’ve had to build $8 million out of the budget to fund roads, and we are going to have to do something to fill that gap,” Starkey said. “It’s going to be a challenge.”

Representatives from the Urban Land Institute, which is helping Pasco County officials with long-range economic development plans, are visiting this week to follow up on recommendations made five years ago. Further suggestions on how to enhance and support growth in the county will be made in the coming months.

Browning parts from Scott, stands by Common Core Standards

October 2, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning is standing by the Common Core State Standards, despite a recent decision by Gov. Rick Scott to put the kibosh on the state’s participation in a consortia developing assessments for those standards.

Scott sent a letter to federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Sept. 23 telling him that he would ask the State Board of Education to end Florida’s fiscal relationship with the Partnership for Assessment Readiness for College and Careers.

Scott said the move was intended to protect the state from federal intrusion into education policy, and a parade of lawmakers and educators applauded Scott’s action.

Browning did not.

“It’s all political,” Browning said. “He’s getting a lot of pressure and he’s running for re-election.”

Browning added that Scott is trying to make sure that he has the support of the tea party, a populist movement within the Republican party that opposes the Washington political establishment. Scott was backed by the tea party when he won the governor’s office in 2010.

Florida needs a different way to measure its students’ progress, Browning said.

“Florida cannot afford to go back to another homegrown assessment,” Browning said.

The superintendent’s comments followed a talk he gave about the Common Core State Standards to more than two-dozen members of the Republican Club of Central Pasco.

Browning made it clear that he stands behind the Common Core State Standards.

“We need to be able to have a set of standards that engages kids, that gets them to think and not only to get them to give the right answer, but how they came up with that answer,” Browning said. “That, in large part, is what Common Core is.”

There’s a perception that Common Core is being driven by the federal government, Browning said. But that isn’t true. The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers led the effort to develop standards, he said.

There are three basic components to Common Core State Standards, Browning said. Those components are the standards themselves, the assessments to measure student performance and the data collection.

Critics are lumping all three of those elements together.

“The standards are the standards,” the superintendent said.

There’s also a misconception about what the standards are, he said. The standards are not curriculum. Curriculum is developed and delivered at the local level.

The standards provide the foundation for the curriculum and establish what students need to learn. They do not prescribe how students should be taught, Browning said.

A new set of tests will be used to measure student performance. Regardless of what test is used, there will need to be some sort of assessment.

Common Core State Standards are intended to raise the bar for students and prepare them to compete in a global economy.

“Gov. Bush just made a comment this week that summed up exactly the way I feel about Common Core,” Browning said, adding he echoed those statements in a letter he sent to Scott. “Gov. Bush said, ‘If you’re ok with mediocrity, fine. I’m not,” Browning said.

“What our current standards really encourage our kids to do is memorize and regurgitate. Common Core is calling for kids to think critically,” Browning said.

Pasco County needs improvement.

“Look at our FCAT scores. Look at our reading scores. Look at our math scores. Look at our science scores,” he said. “They’re abominable. They really are.”

Pasco is ranked 34th out of 67 school districts, and that’s something that has to be improved, he said.

“I am tired of the Pasco district playing second fiddle to other districts in the state,” Browning added.

Teachers have a difficult job, he said.

“We’re getting kids in school that don’t know their alphabet. They don’t know simple words. We’re having to get these kids up to grade level,” Browning said.

About 450 third-graders each year are held back in Pasco County because they cannot read at grade level. Some of those students are held back twice, Browning said.

“When a third-grader is retained two times, you can pretty much write them off,” he said. And while the district doesn’t actually write them off, those children face an uphill battle.

“They’re older, they see their peers moving forward. They begin to think that they’re stupid, they can’t learn,” Browning said. “They’re taller than other third-graders. They don’t fit.”

Common Core State Standards are not a new idea, Browning said.

“This has been going on for like six years,” he said. “There were public hearings. There was time for input. There was all this time for public involvement.”

People who want to learn more about Common Core should research the issue, he said. But when they do, he advised that they make sure the websites are reliable.

“With all due respect to radio talk show hosts, that is not a good place to get information from,” Browning said.

Hugh Townsend, who was attending the Republican club’s meeting, said uniform standards are a good idea, particularly in a mobile society. The military has already demonstrated that.

“They’ve already proven that this system works, migrating children around and getting the same outcome of a well-educated, thinking student,” Townsend said.

Alison Crumbley, a Pasco County school board member, said she knows from personal experience about different standards used in different school districts.

“I moved from Chicago in the third grade. I came into third grade. I was put in the sixth-grade reading classes at the time,” Crumbley said.

The disparity in educational opportunities was one of the things that motivated her to seek a seat on the school board, Crumbley said.

Pasco Schools’ five-year building plan gets OK

October 2, 2013 By B.C. Manion

When Sanders Memorial Elementary School reopens in 2015-16, the Land O’ Lakes campus will have an entirely new look. It’s undergoing a $16.9 million renovation.

Quail Hollow Elementary School in Wesley Chapel is undergoing a $10.5 million makeover. It, too, is expected to reopen in 2015-16.

Quail Hollow Elementary School was closed at the end of last school year to enable the school district to renovate the school. The school was built at a time when open classrooms were in vogue. Classrooms will have windows, walls and doors when the project is completed. It is expected to reopen for the 2015-16 school year. (File photo)

Work already is underway on a new gymnasium at Stewart Middle School in Zephyrhills. That $4.6 million project is slated for completion in time for next school year, said Chris Williams, director of planning services for Pasco County Schools.

Those are just three of the scores of projects contained in the $192 million five-year work plan approved by the Pasco County School Board on Sept. 17.

One big-ticket item on the list is an $18.8 million elementary school planned in Wiregrass, which is earmarked for the 2014-15 school year.

The district also expects to spend $10.7 million to acquire school sites and $10 million on school buses within the next five years.

One of those sites is on the south side of State Road 54, across from the Ballantrae subdivision, in Land O’ Lakes.

Another elementary and high school are also expected to be needed to serve the Land O’ Lakes and Trinity areas in the future, Williams said.

It typically takes about 12 to 15 months to build an elementary school, about 18 months to build a middle school and about 18 to 24 months to build a high school, Williams said. That’s not counting all of the other work that must be done to get a school ready for construction, including design, site work and so on.

The district’s five-year work plan includes money to build or renovate schools, add classrooms, acquire new sites and complete sizable maintenance projects.

Some other notable projects on the district’s five-year plan include:

• West Zephyrhills Elementary School, a major renovation between 2014 and 2016, at an estimated cost of $8.2 million.

• Cox Elementary School, a $6.8 million makeover including a new cafeteria, removal of concrete portables, replacement of its old windows, parking and traffic improvements, and a new security system, slated for 2016-17.

• Pasco Elementary School, a major makeover in 2017-18, for an estimated $5.9 million.

• Woodland Elementary School, a $4.8 million upgrade to the school’s air-conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, anticipated in 2016-17.

• John Long Middle School, eight additional classrooms at an estimated cost of $4.4 million, expected to begin in 2017-18.

• Pasco High School, new bleachers, a concession stand, public restrooms and lockers, for an estimated $2.6 million in 2015-16.

• San Antonio Elementary School, upgrades in the heating, air-conditioning and ventilation systems estimated at $1.25 million, expected in 2014-15.

Dozens of schools in east and central Pasco will also get facility improvement under the district’s five-year plan.

More than $11.2 million in roofing work is scheduled over the next five years, including projects at Land O’ Lakes High School, Moore-Mickens Education Center, Pine View Middle School and West Zephyrhills.

The district has also allocated more than $9 million for technology infrastructure upgrades, including projects at Centennial Elementary and Centennial Middle schools.

District plans also include nearly $7.4 million on heating, ventilation and air-conditioning work, including projects at Pine View, Stewart and Weightman middle schools, and Sunlake, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills high schools.

More than $4.5 million in athletic improvements are also planned across the district, including projects at Centennial, Rushe, John Long, Pasco and Weightman middle schools, and Land O’ Lakes, Sunlake, Wesley Chapel High, Wiregrass Ranch and Zephyrhills high schools.

Cafeteria renovations totaling more than $6.4 million are planned, including work at Chester Taylor, Fox Hollow, Lake Myrtle, Cox, West Zephyrhills and Woodland elementary schools; Pasco, Pine View and Weightman middle schools; and, at Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills high schools.

Dozens of schools in east and central Pasco will be getting safety improvements, parking improvements, electrical upgrades, alarms, telephone and intercom repairs and closed-circuit television projects. A slew of painting projects are planned, too.

The district also plans to do playground renovation projects at about two-dozen schools in east and central Pasco, out of the $1.1 million the district has earmarked for projects in that category.

The district has also allocated $527,080 for energy retrofits, which will include two-dozen schools in east and central Pasco for those projects.

Some projects made it onto the district’s list, but have not yet received funding.

• $4.4 million to add a classroom addition at Wiregrass Ranch High

• $20.6 million to renovate Land O’ Lakes High

• $22.4 million to renovate Zephyrhills High

• $4.1 million to renovate San Antonio Elementary

Some projects on the district’s list are not funded, but sales tax proceeds from Penny for Pasco are expected to cover it, Williams said.

Joseph Grimaudo leads Dancing with our Stars winners

October 2, 2013 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

All Smiles Tampa Bay were all smiles when it came to awards at this year’s Dancing with our Stars competition.

The company won overall star at the competition, hosted by the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 21, as well as best costume, most original and most entertaining honors. Taking part in that winning effort for All Smiles were Dr. Joseph Grimaudo, Nicole Eppers and Sonia Salazer.

Robert and Edda Gilbert from Mind Your Business Now won most-committed dancers, while Tiffany Yip from Get a Group Total Fitness sold the most tickets for the fundraising event.

David Gainer of DigitalBrainz and Ann Poonkasem of AnnPonline.com were tied for most congenial, while Dr. John and Melissa Mertz of Mertz Orthodontics were selected as the people’s choice.

The best dance award went to Elisabeth Shaner-Flach with Scott Parlett from BallywhoSocial, while Kelly Mothershead of A Focus on Fitness was named a shining star.

The event was put together with a team of volunteers as well as stage manager Shelly Acevedo of Broadway Dancesations, and Meredyth Censullo, who served as the mistress of ceremonies.

The dance professionals who helped choreograph and teach the dancers included Wendy LaRosa, Terri Dusek, Gina Marchica, Grace Badillo, Roberto Lira, Tamesis Cruz, Leo Florin, Stacey Enyart, Nicole John, Acevedo, Hector Quiles, Frank Sliwa, and Richard and Laurie Collett.

Backstage artists were Jane Case, Ellen Castellani, Lisa Rogers, HairStyle Salon and Star’s Organic Spa.

For more information on how to become a dancer in next year’s event, call Carla Collier at (813) 345-8580, or email .

On your marks, get set, wobble

October 2, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Runners who enjoy starting their Thanksgiving Day with a Turkey Trot will have a new option this holiday season.

Instead of driving to the Turkey Trot in Clearwater or the FishHawk Turkey Trot, area runners will be able to do a 5-kilometer or a one-miler at the first Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel. The race will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 28.

A look at some of the participants of a weekly Thursday night run at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel. The Thursday night runners inspired the idea for the Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot, scheduled for the first time this coming Thanksgiving. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

Brian Brink, the race director, came up with the idea for the Wiregrass Wobble. However, he credits his wife Erica with coming up with the name and dreaming up the prize that winners will receive — an engraved carving board for use at their holiday gatherings later in the day.

Besides giving runners a new race, the event is raising money for Feeding America Tampa Bay and the New Tampa YMCA.

Brink, who is general manager of Fitniche at The Shops at Wiregrass, said the idea for the event came out of the weekly run he organizes at the mall every Thursday night.

There are two groups of runners who run at the mall with one heading out at 6 p.m., and the second at 6:30 p.m., Brink said.

Since they always meet on Thursdays, they decided to do a morning run last Thanksgiving.

They announced that plan about a week before Thanksgiving, Brink said. Much to his surprise, roughly 150 people showed up.

Brink figured if that many people turned out with just a week’s notice, the event could draw substantially more runners with more lead time. Thus began the planning for this year’s event, which Brink believes will attract at least 1,000 runners.

“We have Seven Oaks and Meadow Pointe and all of these giant neighborhoods within a few miles of here that are (homes to) young families,” Brink said.

He expects runners to come from such communities as Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Zephyrhills, Dade City, Land O’ Lakes and Lutz.

Lutz resident Jonathan Bosque, 18, said he plans to be there. The Freedom High student has run at the Turkey Trot in Clearwater for the past three years.

“I just love running,” Bosque said. “This is a great community place for running.”

Brink said he expects the Wiregrass Wobble to become a premier event for the area because the other Turkey Trots are so far away.

“The Clearwater one is the biggest one. They have about 15,000 people doing four different races,” Brink said. “To get down there, to get parking, to get registered, everything like that, it’s going to take over an hour to do all that.

“There’s so many people in the North Tampa area that have no desire to wake up that early on Thanksgiving morning. So, really the area needed something like this. I think we’re going to have a huge turnout,” Brink said.

He also noted that once the county gets a planned park built on adjacent land in Wiregrass Ranch, organizers can add a 10k run.

The route of the Wiregrass Wobble’s 5k will go around the mall and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, ending to the top of the mall’s parking garage.

“Doing 3.1 miles takes some maneuvering,” Brink said, noting the idea is to keep the race off busy roads. “Luckily we have a really big parking garage over there — that will give us some distance.”

The race director thinks the event will be a popular choice for families who want to take a walk or run before settling down later to their Thanksgiving meals. He also thinks it will be a nice option for people who are having family in for the holiday.

“People are traveling on Thanksgiving to be with family. They’re looking for something to do together,” Brink said.

Runners who register early enough will receive a T-shirt that’s designed to keep them dry and cool while they race. The 5k will also be a chip-timed event, Brink said. The chip ensures that racers are timed from the start line to the finish.

Registration is $25 for the 5k and $20 for the one-miler.

Runners who sign up in person at any Fitniche location or the New Tampa YMCA can get a $5 discount if they donate five nonperishable goods for the food bank, Brink said.

Registrations are also being accepted online at signmeup.com.

Runners will also be able to register on race day.

Pumpkins and scarecrows and face paint, oh my!

October 2, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Thousands of people are expected to head to The Grove at Wesley Chapel during the weekend of Oct. 12 and Oct. 13 to check out the live music, food beverages, entertainment and vendors at The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce’s 2013 Fall Festival.

The event will include a Little Miss Pumpkin Patch 2013 and Little Mr. Pumpkin Patch 2013.

Festivities will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 12, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 13 at The Grove at Wesley Chapel, 6105 Wesley Grove Blvd. in Wesley Chapel.

On that same weekend, the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village in Dade City is hosting its first Scarecrow Festival on Oct. 12. The event, which previously was in downtown Dade City, is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Organizers are hoping to attract about a thousand people to the event, similar to what the downtown festival drew in previous years, said Jessica Budin, front office manager for the museum.

Children will be able to play games, visit a pumpkin patch and ride behind a tractor. There will also be a tractor-pull event for spectators to enjoy, she said.

Other highlights include a petting zoo, crafting and other vendors, as well as refreshments for sale.

Those attending will also be able to stuff scarecrows, Budin said. People can bring their own clothes from home to make into a scarecrow, or they can buy clothes to stuff at the event. Admission is $3 for those over age 3.

Veterans Elementary School, 26940 Progress Parkway in Wesley Chapel, will be the setting for a fall festival hosted by the school’s PTA. The festival, dubbed “Owl at the Moon,” will be on Oct. 25 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The event will include carnival games, inflatables, a dunk tank, a photo booth, a pumpkin decorating contest, disc jockey and music, marketplace vendors, and concessions.

To keep the fall festival affordable for families in the community, the PTA is seeking donations and sponsorships from businesses in the community.

For more information, contact , or visit www.veteranspta.com.

A number of regional events are also planned for the Halloween season, including ZooBoo at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, “A Nightmare on Franklin Street” at Tampa Theatre, Guavaween in Ybor City, and Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens.

Wesley Chapel hospital, Focus on Fitness win top awards

September 25, 2013 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

There were smiles and tears as the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce honored businesses and volunteers at its annual banquet Sept. 14.

Kelly Mothershead, the owner of A Focus on Fitness, accepts the Small Business of the Year award at the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce annual banquet at Hunter’s Green. (Photo courtesy of Tony Masella, OurTownFla.com)

The awards acknowledge the accomplishments of small businesses, larger businesses, volunteers, civic organizations and business leaders for the contributions they make to the regional economy. They are nominated and voted on by their peers.

This year’s winners were:

• Small Business of the Year: A Focus on Fitness
• Large Business of the Year: Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel
• Business Leader of the Year: Greg Lenners, The Shops at Wiregrass
• Volunteer of the Year: Cathy Bickham, Chapel Home Health
• Civic or Non-Profit of the Year: Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers
• President’s Award: Dean Smith, Quest National Services
• Board Member of the Year: Maureen Moore, Saint Leo University

Bickham of Chapel Home Health was elected the 2014 honorary mayor of Wesley Chapel, and won through a fundraising competition. Mary Ann Yaney will serve as the deputy honorary mayor.

The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1998, and now has nearly 500 members.

Make a choice to stay alive, speaker says

September 25, 2013 By B.C. Manion

“I’d like you to imagine the most important person in your life,” Cara Filler told the crowd in Gaither High School’s auditorium.

“With your eyes closed, imagine what your life would be without them.”

That’s how Filler began her talk during a motivational speaking appearance in front of Gaither’s senior class.

The most important person in Filler’s life was her twin sister, Mairin Johnston. But she died the day after they shared their 18th birthday, not long after they graduated from high school.

It was a car accident just three miles away from the mall where both had just been hired to work at a Disney store. Mairin left the mall with her boyfriend driving, allegedly hitting speeds of 110 mph in a 35-mph zone. He lost control of the car and crashed.

The boyfriend sustained some minor injuries. He paid a $150 speeding ticket and spent 15 days in jail. Mairin lost her life.

This was Filler’s best friend. The person who was going to be her maid of honor. The one who would be hanging out with her when they were in their 80s.

Now Filler shares her story through the “Drive to Save Lives” tour, talking about the importance of making smart choices to stay safe.

She made similar stops at Wharton and Steinbrenner high schools, too, which were among the 10 schools in Florida she visited to spread her message.

Students Against Destructive Decisions, better known as SADD, and the Florida Department of Transportation sponsored Filler’s appearances.

“FDOT, for the first time, has put teen safe driving as part of their strategic plan,” said Danielle Branciforte, SADD’s state coordinator. These kinds of presentations remind students “that there are consequences for every action,” Branciforte said.

At times during Filler’s hour-long talk, one could hear a pin drop in the auditorium. At other times, the place rocked with laughter. In the end, students gave Filler a standing ovation.

Many said they appreciated her candor, her humor and her practical advice.

Filler, who grew up in Vancouver, B.C., now lives north of Portland, Ore.

She travels around the country, coaxing audience members to keep themselves safe and avoid becoming statistics. She gives about 150 talks a year and has been doing that for 18 years.

“I can tell you the second my sister died,” said Filler, who was driving behind her sister and witnessed the crash. She could only watch as emergency workers at the scene were unable to save her. “She died because she made a bad choice.”

Filler said she continues to give the talks because she wants her sister’s death to have meaning.

“I’m sick and tired of car crashes being the No. 1 killer of youth,” Filler said. “I watched them rip the car apart to try to get my sister out. There was nothing they could do for her.”

While recounting her sister’s death was dramatic and poignant, Filler’s talk also painted a portrait of the joys and hassles of life as a twin.

She used self-deprecating humor to build connections with the audience, believing that if she can make the kids laugh, she can also make them listen.

Gaither principal Marie Whelan told students that she is always concerned about their safety, and she encouraged them to look out for themselves and their friends. She wants to see them walk across the stage on graduation day next June.

“I want you to be able to be that maid of honor or best man in your best friends’ weddings,” Whelan said. “I want you to be there for them, when their children are born and all of those special moments in life.”

Sharon Hall, program manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, knows too well the depth of Filler’s pain.

State troopers knocked at Hall’s door at 11 one night five years ago to tell her that her 26-year-old son, Louis B. Hall, was killed in a wreck on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. He was a passenger.

“The driver was speeding, and impaired, and lost control,” Hall said.

Some members of Gaither’s SADD chapter said they think Filler’s comments will hit home with their peers.

“I think she gave great tips on how to prevent accidents,” said Autumn Riedy, 17. “Every day teenagers go to parties and you can prevent stuff (from) happening.”

Brad Smith, 17, said he thinks Filler’s talk “really opened the eyes of a lot of students who think, ‘It’s not going to happen to me.’

“We’re all going to college next year. This is a good message to keep in the back of your heads, to make good decisions. Sometimes just saying, ‘No,’ is all you have to say,” Smith said.

It’s also important to intervene, to help friends avoid foolish actions, Smith said.

“If you don’t say something and something happens, you’re going to regret it,” he said.

Distracted driving is a big issue, said Brittany French, 17.

“My dad is always telling me not to text and drive,” she said. “You’re looking down. You’re not really paying attention.”

French connected when Filler asked the crowd to imagine the person closest to them.

“Personally, mine would be my little sister,” French said. “She’s my everything. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.”

There are times when teenagers know it’s not safe to get in a car with friends, but might not know how to say no. Motivational speaker Cara Filler offers these four approaches:
• Don’t get in the car — There are always other options, Filler said.
• If you’re already in a car, and it’s dangerous, get out of the car — “Speak up for yourself,” Filler said. “My sister didn’t. That’s why she’s dead.”
• Lie if you have to — “Tell the driver you have to pee,” Filler said. Or tell the driver “you think you’re going to puke.”
• Call your parents — Not popular, Filler said, but it’s a move that can save lives.
Teenagers not driving can also volunteer to be the “designated texter,” to make sure the driver doesn’t do that.
And if all else fails? “Hide the car keys,” Filler said.

— B.C. Manion