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Lutz Patriots

Building the community, one check at a time

October 11, 2017 By B.C. Manion

After the race for the Lutz Guv’na wraps up every year, the money raised is doled out to local groups and causes.

Kori Rankin is the 2017 winner of the Lutz Guv’na’s race and she has the plaque to prove it. She’s shown here with Paul Vahue, emcee of a celebration held to pass out checks from the annual race’s proceeds. (B.C. Manion)

This year the race drew candidates Greg Gilbert of Beef O’ Brady’s Lutz, Jessica Sherman with Pinch A Penny, and Kori Rankin, of Kori Rankin Photography. Ultimately, Rankin won the Guv’na’s sash. Her stepmother, Jennifer Rankin, won the sash in 2015.

The 2017 campaign for the honorary title generated more than $7,000 in contributions and the checks to local groups were handed out in a ceremony on Oct. 3 at the Old Lutz School.

This year’s recipients included the Old Lutz School, the Lutz Chiefs, the Lutz Cemetery, Girl Scout Troop 2717, Boy Scout Troop 12, Books for Troops, the Lutz Patriots, the Little Woman of Lutz, The Lutz/Land O Lakes Women’s Club, Steinbrenner High School Student Ambassadors, and Martinez Middle School, Learning Gate Community School, and the North Tampa/Lutz Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.

Suzin Carr, a two-time Lutz Guv’na, said the good that the funds help to generate goes beyond sheer dollars.

“All of these little nonprofits, we’re keeping them healthy and whole,” Carr said.

“A candidate gets to decide where 10 percent of their money goes,” she said.

“The Girl Scout Troop, for instance, this year they were recipients of Jessica Sherman’s 10

Paul Vahue hands a check to representative of the North Tampa/Lutz Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. The group received a portion of this year’s proceeds from the Lutz Guv’na’s race. (B.C. Manion)

percent,” she said.

“That group can also apply for more money,” Carr noted.

“That scout group is going to go for an overnight at NASA. That’s something they could not afford, if this had not happened,” she said.

“You don’t know the impact that that will have, even if it’s just on one of those girls, what their future could be as a result of that trip,” Carr added.

The Civil Air Patrol cadets were there and they talked about their mission, she said. When a disaster hits, they’re among the first people on the ground to analyze what’s needed in an area, she said.

“It’s a tremendous feeling to be able to watch the money come in one hand, and immediately within a matter of a month or two go right back to the community,” Carr said.

The night the funds were being distributed a group from Learning Gate Community School arrived early, Carr said. “They helped set it up.

“This is a night to celebrate them, and here they are setting up tables and chairs, bringing stuff in from the cars to get it ready for everyone else,” she said.

Published Oct. 11, 2017

Filed Under: Local News, Lutz News, News Stories Tagged With: Beef O' Bradys Lutz, Books for Troops, Boy Scout Troop 12, Civil Air Patrol, Girl Scout Troop 2717, Greg Gilbert, Jennifer Rankin, Jessica Sherman, Kori Rankin, Kori Rankin Photography, Learning Gate Community School, Little Women of Lutz, Lutz Cemetery, Lutz Chiefs, Lutz Guv'na, Lutz Patriots, Martinez Middle School, NASA, North Tampa/Lutz Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, Old Lutz School, Pinch A Penny, Steinbrenner High School Student Ambassadors, Suzin Carr, The Lutz/Land O Lakes Women's Club

Local groups benefit from Guv’na cash grab

October 7, 2015 By Michael Murillo

The candidates running for Lutz Guv’na spent months with their hands out.

The person who raised the most money was declared the winner of the ceremonial title, so they were all focused on filling their coffers throughout their campaigns.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, Jennifer Rankin was declared the winner and earned the Lutz Guv’na sash. But, the real winners were announced Oct. 1 at Learning Gate Community School, 16215 Hanna Road in Lutz.

After raising more than $18,000 over the course of the campaign, it was time to hand that money out to nearly 20 worthy organizations.

As candidates, KarenSue Molis, left, and Guv'na Jennifer Rankin helped raise more than $18,000 for area groups. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
As candidates, KarenSue Molis, left, and Guv’na Jennifer Rankin helped raise more than $18,000 for area groups.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

The funds raised went to local groups, and last week’s event allowed each of them to pick up a check to help them with their goals.

For the Lutz Patriots and Support the Troops, that means more care packages going to soldiers overseas.

For the Old Lutz School, it means continuing improvements, which include remodeled bathrooms and a new, lighted flagpole.

And, for the Lutz/Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, it means taking all of their money and helping out other local groups.

“We always give it away,” said Kay Taylor, president of the GFWC Lutz/Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club. This year the club’s Guv’na money went to Boy Scout Troop 12 and the Old Lutz School. The club spends much of the year raising its own funds to help others.

Being part of the Lutz Guv’na race is special for the group and for Taylor, who was a previous candidate herself.

“It’s a feeling of community. It’s a wonderful thing. You’re just thankful to be part of it,” she said.

The club runs its own Guv’na candidate each year, and even though KarenSue Molis didn’t win the title, she was all smiles at the distribution ceremony and happy to have been involved in the fundraising process.

“It was really fun,” she said. “The camaraderie was great.”

A portion of her funds will go to groups such as the Lutz Branch Library, the Old Lutz School, and Canine Companions, which provides assistance dogs to people in need.

Attendees such as Bruce Hockensmith of the Lutz Patriots appreciate the funds they received.

“It’s been phenomenal, the support that we continue to get,” he said.

The Lutz Patriots works with Support the Troops, and the money will go toward postage costs to send the care packages across the globe, which can run around $55 each. It’s a lot of money, but Hockensmith said the feeling soldiers get when they see a package — and know they haven’t been forgotten — is worth every penny.

And, they remember where it came from, too.

“There are troops all around the globe that have heard the Lutz name,” he said.

For Rankin, winning the title meant handing out the money, shaking hands and taking photos with grateful recipients. It also meant, like all candidates, designating 10 percent of what she raised to the cause of her choice.

Rankin picked the Steinbrenner High School cheerleaders, noting her stepdaughter was a part of the group when she attended the school.

This was Rankin’s way of giving back to them, and helping them fund a trip to their national competition if they qualify.

The third candidate, Cheryl Lynn Ayres, wasn’t at the event, but it was announced that Boy Scout and Cub Scout Troop 212 would be the recipient of her designated funds.

Now that the money has been distributed, the reigning Guv’na will go about her ceremonial duties, which includes attending events, cutting ribbons and spreading Guv’na good cheer when she gets an invite from a local group.

And, Rankin hopes it will be a busy year.

“I am so excited. I hope that people ask me to come to stuff. I hope they invite me to be there to represent what we all worked hard to achieve by raising money,” she said.

Published October 7, 2015

Filed Under: Local News, Lutz News Tagged With: Boy Scout Troop 12, Bruce Hockensmith, Canine Companions, Cheryl Lynn Ayres, Cub Scout Troop 212, GFWC Lutz-Land O' Lakes Woman's Club, Hanna Road, Jennifer Rankin, KarenSue Molis, Kay Taylor, Learning Gate Community School, Lutz, Lutz Patriots, Old Lutz School, Steinbrenner High School, Support the Troops

Lutz Patriots continue making every Friday a flag day

May 23, 2014 By Michael Murillo

Every Friday afternoon, drivers on U.S. 41 near the Old Lutz School are making hand gestures and honking their horns.

But they aren’t frustrated residents stuck in a traffic jam. The hand gestures are waves and thumbs-up, and they’re honking their horns at the Lutz Patriots, who line up American flags by the former school once a week.

Jim Russell, left, Bill McCray and Bruce Hockensmith of the Lutz Patriots wave to drivers along U.S. 41, who honk their horns in return to show support. The group has been setting up flags near the Old Lutz School on Fridays for more than a decade to show support for the military and their families. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Jim Russell, left, Bill McCray and Bruce Hockensmith of the Lutz Patriots wave to drivers along U.S. 41, who honk their horns in return to show support. The group has been setting up flags near the Old Lutz School on Fridays for more than a decade to show support for the military and their families.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

The Patriots are not a political organization, but they do want to remind drivers that troops remain in harm’s way, and that military personnel and their families still need support.

According to member Bruce Hockensmith, people are getting the message.

“If you stand here and watch us, you’ll hear the horns honking and see the lights flashing,” Hockensmith said. “It’s like a silent majority, people who support the troops.”

The Lutz Patriots have waved to drivers almost every Friday since 2003. The group was founded by two sisters, Karen Williams and Barbara Mueller, who wanted to show support for a family member at a time when there was public anti-war sentiment during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

Now, a core group of about 10 make up the organization, who still line up flags by the school and still get a strong showing of support from the drivers who see them on their Friday afternoon travels.

The Lutz Patriots is mostly made up of retired military, and they recognize that their weekly message is seen by those who serve and their families, as well as the general public. Sometimes members of the military will stop and say hello and thank them for their display.

For Jim Russell, a Lutz resident who was in the U.S. Navy, it’s especially important that members of the military feel appreciated for their service. Russell was in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War, and received a negative, disrespectful reception when he came home.

“I got off the ship in San Francisco in 1967. Does that tell you anything?” he said. “I don’t want to see things get back to that. It’s part of the reason I’m out here.”

While the Lutz Patriots can be found waving their flags every Friday, it’s not the only place they make their presence felt. When the remains of a fallen soldier are returned via MacDill Air Force Base, the group sets up their flags along Bayshore Boulevard in South Tampa to let the grieving family know their sacrifice doesn’t go unrecognized.

They also send packages to troops stationed across the globe. Hockensmith, who served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany during the Vietnam War, said the group recently spent more than $700 in postage to send out a series of packages.

Hockensmith has been with the group since they began their weekly event, and said it feels strange on the rare occasions when bad weather prevents them from being there. They want to make sure drivers take a moment to remember those who are around the world serving in the military.

“We just want to keep them aware that we do have guys and gals serving that are in harm’s way every minute of every day,” he said. “We don’t want those people serving out there to be forgotten.”

The Lutz Patriots start setting up flags around 4:30 p.m. every Friday. To contact the group or make a donation, visit LutzPatriots.com, or e-mail Hockensmith at .

Published May 21, 2014

Filed Under: Local News, Lutz News, Top Story Tagged With: Bruce Hockensmith, Jim Russell, Lutz Patriots

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