Lauren’s Kids
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s offices have raised $24,399 for Lauren’s Kids, through donations and the promotion of the Lauren’s Kids specialty license plate. 
Lauren’s Kids works with local school districts to prevent childhood sexual abuse through education and awareness. It also helps to heal survivors with guidance and support. To learn more, visit LaurensKids.org.
In addition to the funds raised, there are now 30 new Lauren’s Kids tags on the roads of Pasco County.
For information about the tax collector’s charitable giving programs, call Greg Giordano, assistant tax collector, at 727-847-8719.
Future Business Leaders
Steinbrenner High School’s FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) students recently attended the 2023 State Leadership Conference in Orlando and walked away with the most wins in Steinbrenner history:
- Jacob Salmon and Tabur Salmon, juniors: first place, computer game programming
- Kartikeye Gupta, senior: first place, cybersecurity
- Katrina Lippert, sophomore: first place, economics
- Alyssa Hayman, freshman, and Ryan Sumiantoro, sophomore: first place, mobile application development
- Rahul Boggavarapu, junior: second place, advertising
- Louis Li, senior: third place, impromptu speaking
These students will now go to Nationals. Alyssa Hayman is the only freshman and the only one in the state of Florida who was selected from hundreds of applicants as an intern at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Piano Festival
The Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF) will launch its 11th season at the University of South Florida School of Music, now through July 17. The festival’s continuing theme is “Legacy of Piano and Planet.”
Founded by Rebecca Penneys in 2013 as her legacy project, RPPF boasts a multi-generational, internationally renowned faculty together with the most talented students from across the globe.
The public is invited to enjoy the festival including Master Classes, Soirées, and Satellite Concerts at various venues throughout Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, plus two live WUSF radio performances and the “2 Piano – 8 Hand Extravaganza Event” on July 15.
All events are free and open to the public. To learn more about the festival, visit RebeccaPenneysPianoFestival.org.
New partnership
Covenant Journey Academy (CJA), a Christian online school for kindergarten through 12th grade, announced a new partnership with America’s Christian Credit Union (ACCU), to provide families with education-related financial services, according to a news release.
The partnership will allow all families enrolled with CJA to access such resources as: flexible tuition financing; Biblical financial literacy training materials; and student checking and savings accounts.
CJA is a full-service online Christian academy offering more than 150 courses, all taught by certified teachers — its programs designed to ensure students have the knowledge and ability to apply God’s truth to make sense of …the cultural issues facing the world today, the release said.
Founded by pastors in 1958, ACCU currently serves more than 75,000 Christian ministries and individuals across all 50 states. From basic checking accounts to adoption loans to church construction financing, ACCU gives Christians a high-quality alternative to financial institutions that champion causes contrary to biblical values, the release said.
To learn more about the academy, visit CJ.Academy, or call 407-875-1967.
For more information about ACCU, visit AmericasChristianCU.com, or call 800-343-6328.
Summer Reading Challenge
Pasco County Libraries has launched its Summer Reading Challenge, “All Together Now,” at all Pasco library locations, now through July 31.
Requirements include 600 minutes of reading and record-keeping in the Beanstack app.
Readers who complete the challenge will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift card, courtesy of Friends of the Library.
Other individual prizes also will be up for grabs at all Pasco library branches.
To learn more, visit MyPas.co/SummerRead2023.
Summer Haul Bus Pass
Students can ride Pasco County Public Transportation (GoPasco) buses all summer through Aug. 31 for just $20.
The special student-rate passes can be purchased at these places:
- GoPasco Administrative Office, 8620 Galen Wilson Blvd., New Port Richey
- Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s Office, East/West Pasco Government Centers
- Pasco-Hernando State College bookstores – New Port Richey, Dade City and Wesley Chapel
- County libraries, various locations
For more information on the pass and GoPasco bus routes and schedules, visit MyPas.co/SummerBusPass.
Library reading program
The Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library will host its summer reading program with interactive events, reading challenges and prizes for all ages.
Join the Reading Challenge, through the registration portal of Beanstack, to log reading and activities to unlock digital badges and prizes. The portal includes themed suggestions for kids, tweens, teens and adults.
Reading during the school-year gap can help critical thinking skills and the ability to retain information, as well as encourage an interest in reading for pleasure.
Children can participate simultaneously in the Reading with the Rays program, too.
Pick up a Reading with the Rays game card at your library to be eligible for more prizes.
Once a game card is completed, participants can turn it into their local library for a chance to win Tampa Bay Rays prizes, including tickets to a home game.
Visit MLB.com/rays/community/reading to download a game card.
