Safety First At Lake Myrtle Elementary School

Posted May 31, 2007 by Carole Dickey

Updated May 31, 2007 at 08:16 AM

SCHOOL PUTS AED UNIT ON SITE

By CAROLE DICKEY
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Three minutes. That is the critical window of opportunity to restart a person’s heartbeat after cardiac arrest.

According to the American Heart Association, brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs during that time. The chances of survival decrease by 7 to 10 percent for every minute of delay.

That’s why Lake Myrtle Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes recently installed an automatic external defibrillator on site. In the event a student or adult should lose consciousness, the AED unit can be quickly attached to the person and its readout will tell the user if the person’s heart needs to be shocked or not. Then, if necessary, shock can be administered using the AED unit.

“We want to be well-prepared,” said the principal, John Abernathy. “Getting the AED says we are thinking about people and the well-being of people.”

The unit, purchased from S.A.F.E. (Safety and Fitness Educators) in Land O’ Lakes, retails for about $2,700, but public schools get a 30 percent discount, said Lonnie Clark, who is a co-partner of S.A.F.E. with Val Thomopaloa. S.A.F.E. also provided the training for 13 teachers at Lake Myrtle to use the unit in an emergency situation.

For more information on S.A.F.E. or AED units in school, home, business or public access areas, call 784-0381 or visit http://www.swimsafebesafe.com.

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Private School Contract Causes Woe

Posted May 31, 2007 by Carole Dickey

Updated May 31, 2007 at 07:59 AM

READ BEFORE YOU SIGN

By CAROLE DICKEY
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Semyya Cunningham of New Tampa is in a world of hurt. She’s in a spot because she signed a contract for a private school when things were going right – and is now stuck with the terms of the contract after things fell apart.

It all started in 2005 while Cunningham, an emergency department and critical care registered nurse, was caring for a patient at University Community Hospital. The patient was proud of the top-notch education his daughter was receiving at Academy at the Lakes in Land O’ Lakes, Cunningham said. Cunningham was so impressed she enrolled her daughter Ryyana there for the 2006-07 school year.
“She’s very bright and precocious,” Cunningham said.

After Ryyana was tested and accepted by the school, Cunningham signed a contract, paid a $400 registration fee, and was all set to start her daughter at the school in August 2006, Cunningham said.

In April, Cunningham’s situation started to unravel.

First the family of five, consisting of parents Semyya and Ryan and their three children, moved from a rented apartment to their own home in Live Oaks Preserve. Then Cunningham got pregnant, which turned into a high-risk pregnancy, she said, and in July she was forced to quit her high-stress job in the emergency department.

Realizing she hadn’t heard from Academy, she contacted them in July, she said, and at that time was given information about the cost of uniforms, lunches, before/after school care and busing.

“Things that I did not know would not be included in the tuition. I hadn’t factored in all that,” she said. Also, the before/after care hours would not accommodate a nurse’s 12-hour shift schedule, she said.

Although the before/after school care hours and some additional fees are covered in the contract, she admits she was too eager to hold her daughter’s spot in the school to fully understand what she was signing.

So, in July she wrote the academy to tell them Ryyana would not be attending the school, she said.

But on the first day of school, she received a call from staff at Academy wondering why Ryyana wasn’t there. When Cunningham mentioned the letter she had sent, they said they had never received it. They reminded Cunningham she had signed a contract and had not opted out of it before school started, and that a place had been held for Ryyana, and they would be in touch with her, Cunningham said.

The contract specifies when the parent returns the signed contract to the school, the child will be enrolled for the entire school year, responsible for the entire year’s tuition. Cunningham did sign and return the contract with the enrollment fee.

The contract allows a 75 percent reduction in tuition costs due to certain changed circumstances if the school is notified in writing by June 1 or a 50 percent reduction if notified before the beginning of the academic year.

Cunningham said she wrote a letter, but Dorie Burnham, financial officer at Academy, said there is no record of the letter.

Because Academy is an independent school, it establishes its budget for the coming school year on enrollment commitments made in the spring of the proceeding year, according to Richard Wendlek, the school’s founding head. The school had three parents on a wait list who could have filled Ryyana’s spot, had the school been notified in time to enroll one of them, he said.

“I used to tell parents this: ‘Well, which teacher do you want me to go to and say you’re not going to get your paycheck this time because we couldn’t collect tuition to support it?’ That’s basically the bottom line,” Wendlek said.

Today Cunningham is plagued by calls from a collection agency. Her attempts to work out a payment plan she can afford have been denied, she said. The school refuses to talk to her, she said, since the matter is out of their hands. The collection agency demands that the bill, now exceeding $9,000, be paid in full with a maximum of three payments, she said.

“I wish to God I had never signed that contract,” she said. “I was stupid, naïve and hasty, but they did not handle this situation like professionals either. If the lady I spoke with on the phone had told me on the first day of school when she called how serious this was, I would have sent my child there, just to avoid this fiasco.”

She is now working as a nurse for the James A. Haley Veteran’s Administration Center in Tampa.

Meanwhile, Ryyana graduated from kindergarten at Primrose School at Cross Creek May 22 with honors, she said.

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Growth Drives Need For Public Transportation

Posted May 25, 2007 by Carole Dickey

Updated May 25, 2007 at 11:47 AM

By CAROLE DICKEY
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Concerns over exploding growth in the Wesley Chapel area prompted the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce government relations committee to call for a meeting of minds.

On May 14 the committee met with Michael Carroll, transportation manager of Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT), and William Ball of Tindale-Oliver & Associates, Inc., a planning and engineering firm.

The topic under discussion was bus routes to serve the needs of residents and businesses. To those present, it wasn’t a question of whether or not to go the bus route, but when and how many. With congested traffic, spiraling gas prices and escalating costs of owning and operating a car, all seemed in agreement that busing seemed a logical and inevitable way to serve the needs of residents and businesses alike. The increasing amount of bus riders over the past few years seems to support that conclusion. In the year 2000, PCPT made 136,000 trips, Carroll said. They expect to exceed a million trips this year.

Demand for bus services is expected to accelerate even more over the next several years.

“We have three major shopping centers coming on line in the next five years,” said Peter Hanzel, a director at the chamber. “There’s Wiregrass, the Groves and Cypress Creek, we’re going to have a major hospital, we already have about 15-20 major communities. So we’re kind of looking at this large concentration of people here.”

He also reminded the others of service industries – several hotels and restaurants – in Wesley Chapel.

“So they have a requirement to bring employees in,” Hanzel said, adding that many of those employees would be dependent on public transportation.
Carroll reported PCPT is ready to go into an agreement with Cypress Creek Town Center for an easement that would provide for several buses to be there simultaneously.

“They will build the facilities and we will use them,” Carroll said. “They don’t want a park and ride, they made that very clear, but it does help the service make, possibly, a transfer center.”

Carroll also talked about proposed cross-county busing from New Port Richey along State Road 54, that might extend to State Road 56. He also said they are talking with many new community developers in terms of what public transportation amenities they’d like to see the developers provide.
“It could be as small as a bus shelter at bus stops in your area or as large as a transfer facility where you allow five-six-10 buses to pull in and people can make transfers between routes,” he said.

Ball pointed out some of the obstacles to providing services for the Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes areas.

“The struggle that we always have when you have a smaller transportation system that is evolving and growing is do you do a better job of those services you already have out there today or do you expand to new service areas,” Ball said. “It’s a tough balance, a tough tradeoff, when do you expand the services.”

For the past six to eight years Carroll has focused on increasing the quality and level of existing services, Ball said. Bus trips have reached the 1 million plateau and bus services are more efficiently used, he said.

“I think it’s now time to start looking at that service expansion,” he said.

Committee member Sharon Rogers will be working closely with Ball as they develop a transportation plan. A part of that will be determining the primary rider profile, such as people going to work or shopping or having access to medical facilities and planning bus services to meet those needs.

“My idea is to start small, but have a five-year projection with all these communities and the growth of the shopping centers, employees, maintenance, all that,” Rogers said.

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Girls Place First In World Championship

Posted May 9, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated May 9, 2007 at 12:56 PM

FULMER, RODRIGUEZ WORK OUT IN TAMPA
By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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The moment Pride Elementary School fifth-grader Molly Fulmer locked an arm bar on her opponent, she knew she was going to win the match.
Fulmer, along with her coach Christina Rodriguez, went to the North American Grappling Association 2007 World Championship April 21 in Jersey City, N.J. Fulmer and New Tampa resident Rodriguez both won first place in their weight and experience category.
At the NAGA competition, Fulmer and Rodriguez participated in submission and grappling matches during which no striking, kicking or punching is allowed.
“The round lasted three minutes and we started standing up,” Fulmer said. “We would get points for a take down, an attempted submission or getting a dominant position. If we submitted someone and made them tap out, then we would automatically win.”
Fulmer won one of her matches with a submission hold called the arm bar.
“Whenever I have a submission hold on someone and I have them locked down, I can imagine winning the match and having my arm raised,” Fulmer said. “Going to the competition helped to teach me what I need to learn to become a better fighter.”
Fulmer has been studying martial arts since she was 4-years-old and has been doing ju-jitsu for the last year-and-a-half at Gracie Tampa, 13709 N. Nebraska Ave.
“I like studying martial arts,” Fulmer said. “I like to always be moving and you are always moving in martial arts. I like to punch and kick.”
Fulmer won first place in the intermediate no gi competition for girls 10 to 14 and won the expert gi competition for girls 10 to 14. A gi is an outfit worn for various martial arts.
“I started learning ju-jitsu because most of the time I was learning stand up fighting in kickboxing and tae kwon do,” Fulmer said. “I wanted to learn the ground fighting.”
Rodriguez, 22, won first place in the no gi expert division fly weight, which was for women 120 pounds or less. Rodriguez has been studying mixed martial arts for 14 years.
“My mom used to train in judo,” Rodriguez said. “One day when she picked me up from school, she asked me if I wanted to try it and I said yes. You couldn’t keep me off the mat ever since.”
Rodriguez said she enjoys mixed martial arts enough to keep her training every day.
“I am good at it and it is a lot of fun,” Rodriguez said. “It is a great workout and I like the social aspect of it. I meet a lot of people. I also like how small I am and how I can beat a lot of the guys.”
Due to Rodriguez’s stellar performance at the match, she is now invited to try out for the U.S. World Grappling Team that will be competing in the Olympics. The next tournament is in Las Vegas in June; if she wins, she will go to Turkey for the next tournament. The winner of that tournament will be eligible to compete in the Olympics.
“There is a lot of hard work ahead,” Rodriguez said. “I am not a huge fan of competing, but I love grappling. It is a good way to get known and if I want to start my own school one day, I will need that.”
Even if Rodriguez does not get onto the Olympics team, she still plans to compete in the RFC in November. The RFC is a mixed martial arts fighting championship in Tampa.
“I think ultimate fighting will never be for girls what it is for the guys,” Rodriguez said. “It is a very rough sport and it is so male-dominated that I don’t think there will ever be that many women in it,” Rodriguez said. “I always watch the UFC matches.”
While training every day, Rodriguez and Fulmer did a lot of circuit training, weight lifting, running, plyometrics, agility drills, ju-jitsu and judo.
“Everybody likes to win,” Rodriguez said. “I did not expect to win. I have a real sense of accomplishment because of who I beat. I beat Patricia Miranda, the only girl to ever place in the Olympics in wrestling.”
Robert Fulmer said he takes his daughter to learn mixed martial arts because it is a more realistic and comprehensive type of fighting.
“If she had to defend herself against someone, this is the best martial arts for her to learn,” Fulmer said. “A lot of martial arts only teach one aspect like kicking or punching. If someone tries to take her to the ground, then nothing she learned in tae kwon do would help her.”
Fulmer said his daughter has worked hard and deserves the medals she won.
“She was the one motivated to do this,” Fulmer said. “At any time, she could have stopped. As a parent, it is wonderful to watch your child have a goal and then work very hard towards achieving it. When I saw them put the two medals on her neck, it was amazing.”
Both Rodriguez and Fulmer train at Gracie Tampa, a mixed martial arts, submission grappling, and Brazilian ju-jitsu training facility. The owner of the training center, Rob Kahn, trained under Royce Gracie, a legend in the UFC arena, to get his black belt.
For information, visit http://www.gracietampa.com.

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Beach Babes Find Fun

Posted May 2, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated May 2, 2007 at 01:40 PM

By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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Members of Tampa Bay Newcomers have new activities in store for next year including fun in the sun for beach babes and activities for bicycling babes.
Newly elected president Ruth Gibney of New Tampa already has exciting plans for the next year.
“We just changed the by-laws to let women join regardless of how long they have been living in the area as long as they are entering a new phase of life, like being recently divorced or retired,” Gibney said. “We also changed the by-laws to let people in who have lived here for four years or less.”
Newcomers is an international organization whose mission is to promote friendliness, provide a venue for social interaction for new and established residents and to work for the good of the community through community service.
“There are so many women’s groups that are solely for socializing and others solely for community service and ours does both,” Gibney said. “Newcomers helps to ease the transition for a new phase in life.”
Gibney said there are some things she wants to change in order to make the club a friendlier atmosphere.
“I am trying to emphasize that the newest people need to be contacted multiple times,” Gibney said. “I want for everyone to for the new people and then contact them about anything they can relate to. So when we have a new person come out they won’t just sit there and have no one talk to them. We want to make sure all our new members have some type of contact.”
Gibney said she has seen so many women feel excluded when they come to a function.
“I try to assign greeters to take the new person to their table and introduce them to everyone,” Gibney said. “So many women have felt excluded and that is why we are now making this effort.”
In addition to those changes, the group now has three new activities including Beach Babes, Biking Beauties and Troop Support.
“The women in the Beach Babes group will now have a reason to go to the beach together,” said New Tampa resident Joyce Guttman, co-chair of public relations for the group. “The Biking Beauties will take bicycle trips and the ladies in the Troop Support group will make care packages and send them to troops overseas. We might be starting a beginning yoga class soon too.”
Some of the activities members of the club can join in are Bowling Babes, Lunch Bunch, Scrabble, Bunko, Casual Bridge, Quilting, Divot Divas and Movie Night Out. Some activities are for couples including Couples Date Night and Couples Bridge.
“If a member doesn’t find something they like, they can always start a new group,” Guttman said.
Gibney has belonged to Newcomers groups in other parts of the country and even in Canada.
“One of the cool things about Newcomers is that they have the same activities in most of them,” Gibney said. “This is my seventh newcomers group.”
Arlene Berkowitz is the chair for community service. She said there are a few changes in store for that part of the Newcomers group as well.
“We will have four community service activities a month,” Berkowitz said. “We go to Trinity Café and feed the homeless and the people who are down on their luck. We go to Everyday Blessings, an orphanage in Thonotosassa and do activities with the children and create scrap books for them. We also go to Hope Lodge and work with the patients and their caregivers making crafts. Then there are two organizations that we alternate helping and that is the Joshua House and the OASIS Network.”
Members of the club were asked to buy various articles of clothing and shoes and bring them to the monthly luncheon April 24 at Carrabba’s in Temple Terrace.
“We highlight one charity a month and we either bring in donations or raise money or do hands-on work,” Guttman said. “They tell us what they need and we try to provide what we can. We have been very fortunate and we can afford to give back.”
Berkowitz said the community service aspect of the club is very important.
“I think there are many people who feel the need to give back to a community that has been so good to us,” Berkowitz said. “Whether we have been transplanted or re-issued it is nice to be accepted by such a wonderful organization.”
Cindy Harvey, New Tampa resident, co-chairs the Great Escapes group with Vonda Sue Mays.
“We are going to go to Honeymoon Island to collect sea shells and then we are going to eat out,” Harvey said. “In the future, we will be doing an awful lot of shopping, taking boat rides and eating at fantastic restaurants. I promise to make every trip extremely tantalizing.”
Janet Moses, South Tampa resident, has been a member of the group for two and a half years.
“I run the Lunch Bunch,” Moses said. “We dine around Tampa and try to eat at restaurants that are not chains. I have belonged to Newcomers in other cities as well. It is hard to make friends when you are new in town and you don’t have a job or children.”
Marcia Nelson of South Tampa is the third vice president of communications and it is her job to communicate with new potential members.
“It is a wonderful way to meet new friends and to become acquainted with the community,” Nelson said.
Membership dues are $24 a year. For information about Tampa Bay Newcomers, visit http://www.tampabaynewcomers.com.
For information, call Marcia Nelson at 486-1279 or e-mail her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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New Tampa Players In Search Of Actors For Oliver

Posted May 2, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated May 2, 2007 at 01:39 PM

OPEN AUDITIONS
MAY 6-8

By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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Dennis Duggan of Lutz is looking for men, women and children with a little bit of talent and a lot of energy and enthusiasm for the next New Tampa Players production, “Oliver.”
Duggan, director with New Tampa Players, said he thinks the auditions are the most important part of the process.
“The casting call sets the show,” Duggan said. “I get a picture of what I want in my mind and then I try to find the best people for the best parts. I want to make it the most enjoyable experience possible for the audience.”
Auditions for the musical “Oliver” will be May 6 at 5:30 p.m. and May 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the University Area Community Complex, 14013 N.22nd Street.
“I have actually worked on this play before,” Duggan said. “It was an all-youth show with only children; this time we are looking for adults and children. The higher ups in the New Tampa Players saw what I had done and decided they wanted me to do it again. This time I want to set the bar and then raise the bar.”
Duggan said he wants to see people with a lot of energy.
“I will be looking for people with talent or no talent,” Duggan said. “I am the most interested in the energy they have and if they have the heart to do it. This is community theater and I want to put as many people from the community in it as possible.”
The play is a musical based on the Charles Dickens tale of an orphan boy who runs away from the orphanage. The story involves a full cast of male and female actors aged 8-80. Most of the parts involve some or a lot of singing.
“In a musical, everybody sings,” Duggan said. “For any person who has a log of singing parts, they have to have talent. It is surprising the talent that can be found on a community theater stage. Some people who try out could be on Broadway.”
Even though it is a musical, there are still parts that can be played without singing.
“There are about five parts that are talking and not singing,” Duggan said. “There will also be a chorus where they will need to dress up and act a little.”
Duggan said even if someone has never tried community theater before, they should come out and audition.
“Anybody who has ever had an inkling to be on stage should come out,” Duggan said. “We will use everybody we can for as much as we can. I want to stretch the performers’ wings.”
Even those who do not want to be on stage but would like to be involved have options, according to Grace Stewart, stage manager.
“I run everything backstage to make sure everything is running smoothly,” Stewart said. “I was on the stage one time and I decided I definitely like being behind-the-scenes. I enjoy organizing things and I am looking for people who would like to build sets, enjoy painting or moving set pieces around.”
Other opportunities are available behind-the-scenes as well, including people to make costumes, and work on the lighting and the sound.
“We want people who can come in and learn the jobs,” Duggan said.
The performances will be the weekends of July 27 through Aug. 5 with four performances a weekend. Since the performances are during summer, Duggan is requesting people involved in the play be committed to being at all the rehearsals from July 16 through the end of the performances.
“I understand it is summertime,” Duggan said. “I know many people take their vacations then. I only ask that anyone involved in the play make a total commitment the last two weeks before the play opens.”
Stewart said being involved in community theater is a great experience everybody should try.
“If they come out, one thing they will get from it is to make some really good friends,” Stewart said. “It is a really good experience. It is a lot of fun and a little bit of hard work.”
For more information, call 386-6687, visit http://www.newtampaplayers.com, or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Cancer Can’t Keep Teen Down

Posted May 1, 2007 by Carole Dickey

Updated May 1, 2007 at 10:26 AM

HIS SPIRITS STAY HIGH

By CAROLE DICKEY
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Cody Martin has a lot of fans, but probably one of his most ardent is his grandma, Arletta Martin. She calls the 14-year-old Liberty Middle School student “a real trooper.”

There are plenty of reasons for that.

Last year Cody lost his right leg to fibrosarcoma,  a type of cancer, but he still plays flag football, soccer, participates in gym, rides a bike and – according to his dad, Mike – runs around the house.

Very recently he has had two surgeries to remove 10 fibrosarcoma tumors that developed on his lungs, but he doesn’t let that stop him from picking up his electric guitar, a shiny red Gibson SG 6, and filling the house with sounds of Black Sabbath, Ozzie Osborne, Jimmy Hendricks and others of his favorite bands.

And, although his mother was killed in an automobile accident when Cody was very young, he hasn’t developed into a surly teen. Instead, this honors student is upbeat and positive.

“He has made it easy for all of us, because he has never asked, ‘Why me?’ or anything like that,” said his grandma. “He accepts it and he moves one. His friends, Ben and Jerry, said that he is a hero - and he is a hero,” she said.

The twins Ben and Jerry Funt are a couple of Cody’s school chums and part of an award-winning band the teens have formed. When Ben and Jerry learned that Cody’s cancer had returned, this time on his lungs, and he needed the surgeries, they wanted to do something to help. They saw the Gibson SG guitar in a store window and knew that would help cheer up their pal who wanted an electric guitar. They didn’t have the money, so they took their concern to school and were allowed to hold a fundraiser. During their first efforts, assisted by fellow student Nicole MacDonald, they raised $1,200 from generous and caring schoolmates. They were able to buy Cody his guitar, some accessories and three free guitar lessons, with enough left over to give to Cody’s father to help with medical expenses.

It was help Martin was very grateful for. He expects medical costs to exceed $50,000, and has opened a trust fund at Washington Mutual for people who would like to donate.

Cody’s cancer first struck like a bolt out of the blue, unexpected and aggressive. He was walking around at a renaissance festival and twisted his ankle a few times stepping on chunks of mulch that had been scattered around for atmosphere. Pretty soon his ankle started growing painful.

“So we went home and I took my shoe and sock off and there was this huge lump on the side of my ankle,” he said.

Thinking his son had a sprained ankle, Martin took him to the doctor. X-rays showed a large round spot, and Cody was referred to another doctor. This one decided to extract fluid to see if the swelling would stay down, but the doctor couldn’t get any fluid out of it, Martin said.

Surgery was scheduled, and the doctor expected to remove a cyst that had been created from a sprained ankle, Martin said.

“It ended up being a tumor. This was like the head of an octopus and all of the tentacles had gone down and woven in through his foot,” Martin said.

That was Cody’s first bout with cancer. It took his leg, and chemotherapy took his hair, but nothing took his spirit. His hair grew back, he got a prosthetic leg and, as his grandma would say, “he moves on.”

Moving on included going every three months for a scan to make sure the cancer stayed away. For awhile it did. Then, March 20, the tumors were back, this time on his lungs. He had the first surgery March 23, the second on March 25, and now is facing rounds of chemotherapy.

Knowing the chemo meant he would lose his hair again, Cody decided to have a little fun with his hair while he still had it. He opted for a Mohawk, assisted by The Street Light Gang, a group of University of Florida college students that volunteer at Shand’s Hospital. With their help, he got his Mohawk and a dye job, too – orange and blue, UF colors, of course.

Jerry recalls when Cody came back to school the first time, after his leg had been amputated. “He’s awesome. When he got back he said, ‘Call me Peggy,’ so we call him Peggy,” Jerry said.

“Cody’s an inspiration,” Ben said.

People may help with Cody’s medical expenses by donating at any Washington Mutual bank. Tell them the donation is for a benevolent account named Cody Martin Cancer Foundation.

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GRANITE WORKSHOP EXPLAINS ALL

Posted May 1, 2007 by Carole Dickey

Updated May 1, 2007 at 10:17 AM

By CAROLE DICKEY
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Myths were busted and mysteries explained during a recent workshop hosted by Stone Specialties of Tampa Bay, Inc., an Odessa full-service granite and marble fabrication company.

“We’re really a soups to nuts company,” said Roz Gil, an office assistant. “We take you from the signing of the contract all the way to installation.”

In fact, Gary Thompson, owner of the business, prides himself on the attention Stone Specialties devotes to their customers’ concerns, “holding their hands.” They keep an office staff of eight people ready to return phone calls, answer questions and make sure customers feel comfortable through the whole process, he said.

“Because nobody knows what granite is and hardly anybody’s been through the process before, and everybody has a horror story of letting someone into their home that didn’t finish a project or didn’t do it right or whatever,” he said. “It’s very traumatic to have somebody come into your home and tear it to pieces and put it back together again.”

That’s one reason they hosted a home improvement workshop in March, which included tours, a question/answer session, refreshments and a drawing.
Homeowners got an up close and personal look at the process of remodeling with granite and were able to browse through and compare dozens of slabs of stone purchased from sources in Brazil, India, the Middle East, China, Japan and Asia.

Some myths that were busted included the myths that granite is absorbent, it stains easily and loses its polish.

Rene Johnson, who attended the event with her husband, had driven by Stone Specialists many times, intrigued but never stopping. The workshop inspired her to check out the place.

“Now I can see that they are pretty much one-stop shopping for kitchen and bath, because they have the cabinetry, the flooring, the granite, the sinks – a lot more than I expected,” she said.

Joe Santos, a scheduler with Stone Specialists, explained how the process works when a customer places an order. After they walk their customer through color matching and granite or marble selection, they go to the home at no charge to measure the area and give the customer a price. The next step is to make a template that will be used to measure and cut the granite. And finally, the granite is installed, either 3 cm, or about 1.25 inch thick, weighing about 20 pounds per square foot, or 2 cm, about .75 inch thick, weighing about 12 pounds per square foot.

“Even a small kitchen of 50 square feet could weigh in with 1,000 pounds of material,” Santos said. “So we have to have a lot of heavy-looking equipment to help us out.”

Thompson, who has been in the business in one form or another for 25 years, stresses customer service.

“The reason we have gotten to the point that we have is because we value our customers more than anything,” he said. “Customer service is the most important thing to us.”

Stone Specialties, 8511 N. Gunn Highway, Odessa, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, call 920-9300.

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New Tampa Community Helps In Fight Against Cancer

Posted Apr 27, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated Apr 27, 2007 at 10:17 AM

ADOPT ONCE UPON A CURE THEME

By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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Members of the community come together every year to fight cancer at the Relay For Life.
The New Tampa Relay for Life will be April 27 from 6 p.m. to noon the following day at Freedom High School, 17410 Commerce Park Blvd.
The event starts with a lap for cancer survivors and the following lap for caregivers. Throughout the rest of the evening into the next morning, participants play games, walk laps and raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Last year, the relay raised $144,000 through 44 teams participating. This year the goal is to raise $150,000 and to have 55 teams participate. Currently, 51 teams are signed up.
“Different schools, businesses or even individuals start a team,” Bartoletta said. “We usually have close to 1,000 people come out and participate.”
Teams camp out all night and participate in relays and games throughout the event. The goal is to always have at least one member from every team on the track consistenly.
“We try to keep one person from each team on the track at all times,” said Darlene Bartoletta, honorary chair and activities chair for the event. “We try to keep everyone busy all night long. It is all about bringing the community together.”
The theme of this year’s New Tampa Relay is storybook characters. Each team will pick a book and decorate their campsite accordingly.
“My daughter’s team chose ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’” said Mary Ann Yaney, team development chair for the relay. “We will give awards to the teams with the most spirit points. Spirit points are given throughout the event for different things, like participation.”
Since the event is all night long into the next day, it is important to keep the energy up so there are games and themed laps going on throughout the event.
“We will have 10 to 12 different themed laps,” Bartoletta said. “One of the themed laps is the tacky tourist lap where everyone dresses like a tacky tourist. Our teams can participate in these for spirit points. At the end, a big three-foot trophy will go to the winner.”
Some of the games played include a wet T-shirt contest, relays and musical chairs.
“We try to make it a fun and exciting event,” Bartoletta said.
Teams have been raising money for the American Cancer Society by phoning and e-mailing friends and family to ask for donations and some teams have had fundraisers.
Bartoletta is a member of the Tampa Palms Parent and Teacher Association team.
“I have already raised $1,300 so far by calling friends and family,” Bartoletta said. “I have also been using the tool on the American Cancer Society Web site. You can send out e-mails using pre-set letters and thank you notes. When someone donates the society sends out a tax receipt.”
She said her team also had a few silent auction fundraisers at Tampa Palms Elementary School.
The fundraising doesn’t end at the relay. Teams sell food and other items in order to raise more money at the event.
“Each team sells food or coffee,” Bartoletta said. “We raise money all night. Another big fundraiser are the luminary bags. People can buy one and write the name of a loved one in memory of or to honor someone who is battling cancer now. It is a beautiful ceremony that brings people together.”
Volunteers sell luminary bags during the event. The ceremony lighting the candles in the bags starts at 9 p.m.
“I would love for people from the community to come out and share in the opening lap or maybe in the luminary event,” Yaney said. “They could buy a luminary bag for a loved one who survived or lost their battle with cancer. It a donation and not a set cost.”
The Relay for Life is one of the biggest fundraisers for the American Cancer Society.
Bartoletta said she loves to raise money for the American Cancer Society because of all the wonderful things they do for people.
In 1980, Bartoletta was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. She had to go through a series of surgeries for them to cut and take out the affected areas and then go through 11 months of radiation therapy.
“They used to give 6 to 12 months of radiation therapy and now they don’t do that anymore,” Bartoletta said.
As a result of the overexposure to the radiation, Bartoletta was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. Through research, doctors now know to only give radiation therapy for six months or less. She said she is hoping through research the threat of cancer will diminish.
“Our parents 15 to 20 years ago were battling things like polio that there was no cure for and now we have vaccinations,” Bartoletta said. “I am hoping that in the next 15 to 20 years they will come up with a vaccination for cancer.”
If interested in making a donation, e-mail Yaney at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). For information, visit http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=191966.

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New Tampa Taste Features Food, Fun

Posted Apr 27, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated Apr 27, 2007 at 10:15 AM

VENDORS KEEP
MENUS A SECRET

By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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Restaurants and businesses from the New Tampa area will have a chance to show off at the 14th annual Taste of New Tampa.
The New Tampa Community Council is sponsoring their annual Taste of New Tampa at the Shoppes at New Tampa in Wesley Chapel May 6 from 1 to 4 p.m.
More than 25 restaurants and 75 businesses have already signed up for the event, but according to New Tampa Community Council President Mary Ann Yaney, they still want more.
“This is all about the charities,” Yaney said. “We really want to make sure the charities get the most money we can give them. The money could help the children get what they need for their sports programs or whatever. More than anything, we need more sponsors and we will take any new sponsors all the way up to the date of the taste.”
Many schools in the New Tampa area and other organizations are volunteering, including Benito Middle School, Wharton High School, Wiregrass Ranch High School, Freedom High School, Turner Elementary School, Boy Scouts Troop 142 and Troop 177, and St. James United Methodist Church.
“The charities who volunteer their time to the event will be the ones to receive the benefit,” Yaney said. “They are paid for their time based on how many people worked and how many hours they worked. It is the fairest way we could find to do it.”
After the costs to put on the event are paid, the money left over will go to the charities, according to Yaney. For each hour each person volunteers, their organization will get a bigger piece of the pie.
Regina Ramalheira, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate and volunteer coordinator, said she already has more than 300 volunteers registered to work at this taste and the taste next year.
“In years past, we had a lot of cash sponsorship,” Ramalheira said. “This year we didn’t, so there will be less money distributed. Our goal is to give back the net proceeds to the charities. We really need more people who own their own business and who want the exposure for their business to sponsor.”
Sponsors will have many opportunities to promote their business at the taste.
“Sponsors will get a free table to sit and pass out materials,” Ramalheira said. “They can put up banners and balloons on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. There were more than 8,000 people in attendance last year, and this is the perfect opportunity for a business to pass out fliers or coupons and attract some business.”
Yaney said they also would like to have more restaurants.
“If any restaurants want to participate, they don’t have to pay anything,” Yaney said. “We just want them to bring in enough food to give away to 2,000 people.”
Many restaurants will be providing food and or desserts at the taste, including the New Tampa area Boston Market, Cold Stone Creamery, Johnny Carino’s, Shane’s Rib Shack, Sushi Tsu, RattleFish Reef Raw Bar & Grill and Sweetbay Supermarket.
“We are going to keep our menu secret until the event,” said Sheila Vaughn, bakery manager at Sweetbay in New Tampa. “We plan on having lots of little gifts like chip clips and Frisbees. It is a good way to promote the business and have a lot of fun. We enjoy being involved in the community. It is also a good way to get our name out there and let people know we are here.”
Gil and Carol Beital, co-owners of Café Cones, will be providing various desserts from their sweet shop.
“We will be bringing in a bunch of different desserts like parfaits, tarts and blondies,” Beital said. “We hope participating will help our business. We hope people will walk over to the store and check it out. We have it set up like the North Pole with a type of winter Disney theme. We sell all types of desserts, from ice cream to Italian ice to chocolates.”
In addition to the delectable treats handed out, there will also be live entertainment by a Christian rock band from Lifepoint Church in New Tampa, performances by the New Tampa Showkidz and a performance by singer Joan Navarra. Many businesses will also have hands-on activities for children at their tables.
Tickets bought in advance are $10; the day of the event, tickets will cost $15 for 13-years-old and older, $10 for 6- to 12-year-olds, and 5 and under are free.
For information or to sponsor, call Yaney at 994-4700.

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Talking About Differences

Posted Apr 20, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated Apr 20, 2007 at 10:54 AM

STUDENTS TAKE ACTION AGAINST STEREOTYPES

By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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Christian Williams, a 10th-grader at Wiregrass Ranch High School, said he has learned his lesson when it comes to stereotypes.
“I can see the difference between people,” Williams said. “I see what I have been doing wrong and how I need to change.”
Williams, along with about 64 other students, participated in the first ever Unity Day at Wiregrass April 13. At Unity Day, students learned about stereotypes and how to take action against them.
“It was a lot of fun,” Williams said. “I liked how we brought up stereotypes and were able to laugh about it. It was not very emotional. It was a fun and open atmosphere.”
The whole point of the exercises and group activities are to teach students ways to take action to prevent further stereotyping. Williams said he has a few ways he plans to change.
“I will try to hang out with a diverse group of people,” Williams said. “I am no longer going to naturally assume a stereotype when I look at someone.”
Pathfinder Inc. visits schools in Pasco to teach Unity Day. Donald Taylor, Jr., diversity specialist, was at the school helping to run the Unity Day program.
“We are doing some team builders and icebreakers first in order to lay the groundwork to safely talk about stereotypes,” Taylor said. “We will then talk about stereotypes and how they affect the community, where they come from and whether they are good or bad. Then we will talk about what they can do to take action to reduce stereotypes.”
At Unity Day, about 65 students participated; 15 students were from the Unity Club at the school. Students were selected to attend the program by peers, teachers and staff based on their leadership skills.
Sherri Dunham, supervisor for safe and drug free schools with the district school board of Pasco County, said the students need to be good leaders.
“Our activities are fun, but they are meant to raise awareness about the diversity in the community,” Dunham said. “We want students to build friendships here and hopefully come up with ideas so that they can go out into the community and teach others.”
Students who attended Unity Day, which is funded by the Pasco County school district, participated in various exercises.
“We will provide them with blank sheets of paper with classifications of people on the top,” Taylor said. “We will then have them write any stereotypes down they have ever heard or seen. We want this to be as student-driven as possible. Then we will have them share the stereotypes with the group. We will discuss where the ideas come from, whether or not they are positive or negative and what purpose they serve.”
At the end of the day, students discussed ways to take action against stereotypes.
“We want them to learn there are no positive stereotypes,” Taylor said. “A stereotype doesn’t allow people to be individuals. It doesn’t do us any good to just talk about issues if we don’t discuss ways to take action.”
Taylor said at other schools he has been to, students come up with the ideas together and then take one idea and make a plan of action.
“The students at Land O’ Lakes planned a multi-cultural community event with food and entertainment from other countries,” Taylor said. “The Wesley Chapel Unity Club had a Unity Day at John Long Middle School. That is the type of thing we like to see when the students are planning these activities.”
Mitchell Davis, pastor at Church of God In Christ in Dade City, was at Unity Day in order to help the students.
“I have been doing this for six or seven years now,” Davis said. “I had children attending Land O’ Lakes High School when something was happening that worried me. There was some racial name -calling, bullying and harassing. I got involved to see what I can do. There are all these students with different backgrounds and different cultures and we have to somehow help them to make them work together.”
Rubey Maldonado, a tenth-grader, said she enjoyed the machine exercise the best. Students were put in small groups and then told to come up with a machine. Then the students acted out what machine they were and the other students had to guess. Maldonado and her team pretended to be a toaster.
“Instead of working with the same people, it is nice to work with different people,” Maldonado said. “I liked doing the machine exercise because we all got to work together and pitch in ideas. I think this day was a smart idea; it really opened my mind.”
Michael Moran, another tenth-grader and a member of the Unity Club, agreed with Maldonado that Unity Day was a good idea.
“It opened my eyes to what really happens and it has given me ways to fix it,” Moran said. “Stereotypes are bad; there needs to be more unity.”
Moran said he thinks by teaching young people about the negative affects of stereotypes, then the future will be a better place.
“We are the youth and because of that we are the future,” Moran said. “If we don’t convince the youth stereotypes are wrong, then who knows what will happen. Hopefully, what we have taught this small group of people, they will teach their friends.”
Moran attended the summer camp the Pasco County School District hosts at the Day Spring Conference Center in Ellenton.
Dunham said the camp is one week a year during the summer where students learn about gender bias, discrimination and racism.
“They come out for a weeklong camp with Pathfinder,” Dunham said. “We spend a week doing team building and leadership competitions. We try to give them the skills they need to become better leaders.”
Carie Brown, Unity Club sponsor and student discipline instructional assistant at the school, said the event is the first but not the last.
“This is my first time ever being a sponsor of a club and it is just great,” Brown said. “This is our first Unity Day, but we plan to do this every year from now on.”

 

 

 

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Former Math Haters Seek Help At Learning Center

Posted Apr 20, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated Apr 20, 2007 at 10:53 AM

MATHNASIUM MAKES NUMBERS PERSONAL

By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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Jacob Ulintz, third-grader at Pride Elementary School, said he used to hate math, but now he loves it.
He has been going to Mathnasium in New Tampa, 10030 Cross Creek Blvd., in order to improve his math skills.
“I like coming here,” Ulintz said. “They teach me good math. All I have to do is raise my hand and I have someone to help me.”
The math learning center teaches children as young as 2-years-old all the way up to students in high school.
“On the first visit we do an assessment,” said co-owner Monica Otero. “We try to find out what they are good at and what they need help with. We put together a program specifically for the student. The program is very individualized. We only give them assignments in specific areas they need work in.”
Tony Ulintz, Jacob’s father, said even though his son has only been going to Mathnasium for a few weeks, his math skills have greatly improved.
“Math is not Jacob’s strength,” Ulintz said. “He has a hard time visualizing mathematical concepts. Having the one-on-one help he gets here has helped him. He is doing a lot of repetition in the skills he is lacking. He just made his first A in math this year.”
Ulintz said the math learning center is helping to supplement where the school system is lacking.
“The schools in Hillsborough County move very quickly through the math program,” Ulintz said. “They don’t spend enough time with the children who are struggling. They are very adamant about sticking to their pacing guide. Repetition is what Jacob needs.”
Every student learns differently and some concepts are more easily understood than others. This is why the learning center develops a different program for each student.
“Each student has their own notebook with worksheets in it,” Otero said. “When they come in they scan the bar code on the notebook and go to work. We teach from basic number sense all the way up to algebra 1 and 2, geometry and SAT preparations.”
Several instructors are also always on-hand for one-on-one attention. There is usually one instructor per four children at the center.
“All the instructors here are great at math,” Otero said. “They all have strong math backgrounds and are really good at working with the students.”
In order to keep the children interested and having fun, the center also supplies learning incentives.
“We try to make math as fun as possible,” Otero said. “We have a reward system. Each time a child completes a worksheet correctly, they get a star punch on their punch card. Once the card is punched out, they can get a prize.”
Jacob Ulintz said the prizes help him to enjoy learning math at the center.
“We can get prizes,” Ulintz said. “Every time I complete a page, I get a punch. I enjoy doing math now, I used to hate it.”
Otero said the learning center is not just for children struggling with math.
“Even if a student is not having trouble in school, they can come here,” Otero said. “Our students are always learning something new. I even have some students in the math academy at Pride who love math. They just want to keep getting better.”
Otero said she has heard from many parents about how much the learning center has helped.
“I hear from parents and students that they have seen a huge improvement,” Otero said. “By helping the students to understand math better, it makes them more confident learners. When a student is struggling in math, it could affect other subjects.”
Most recently, many students were coming to the learning center for help with FCATs.
“We helped a lot of students prepare for the FCAT,” Otero said. “Our students had so much practice, they felt confident going into it.”
The learning center is run like a gym. The center offers a monthly plan, a six-month plan or a year. The student can come in every day the center is open for about an hour and a half.
“We have some students who come every day we are open,” Otero said. “Some of our students are homeschooled, some go to private school and even some are from Pasco County. It is kind of like a gym membership. The more you go, the more you will get from it.”
The center has room for about 24 students at a time, even though usually there are no more than 13 students in the center at a time.
Nicolina Otero, a kindergartner at Pride, said she loves to come to the center with her mom when she can.
“I like to learn math,” Nicolina said. “I love math because it is fun to learn. It is easy when I know something already. When I have to learn something new, it is hard at first but then it gets easier.”
James Parker III, a third-grader at Pride, said he doesn’t really enjoy math but he does like Mathnasium.
“I like the other kids here,” Parker said. “I like the way they explain things to me to help me understand.”
For information, call 994-0400 or visit http://www.mathnasium.com to learn more about the Mathnasium franchise.

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Students Survive Battle Of The Books Challenge

Posted Apr 20, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated Apr 20, 2007 at 10:51 AM

READING, COMPREHENSION TESTED AT CHILES
By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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Reading a book just once suffices for most people.  But fourth-grader Sheela Ranganathan read 18 books 21 times.
A student at Chiles Elementary School, Ranganathan wanted an edge in the Battle of the Books competition, which took place at the school April 11.
“It was a lot of fun,” Ranganathan said. “I read every book 21 times. I like to read because sometimes I want something fun to happen and that is the only way it happens is in a book. I am excited to go to the area battle.”
Students read 18 books previously selected by committees of media specialists and teachers in order to compete in the Battle of the Books. Each team participated in three rounds of questions about the books they read. With most of the questions, students answered the question with the title of the book and other questions students answered with the author of the book.
The school had an official kick off in November. Then in March, the fourth-grade students took a test with 40 questions and the students with the top four scores from each fourth-grade class were selected to participate in the battle. Three students answer questions in the battle and one student is chosen as an alternate.
The purpose of the battle is to encourage recreational reading, to offer a variety of types of literature, to increase the familiarity with different authors, and to share books through written and oral expression.
Tracey Tupler, the media specialist at Chiles, said the students did an amazing job.
“They did great and I am very proud of their efforts,” Tupler said. “We had the kick off here last November, but the students have known the list since last summer. Some students started reading the books then.”
Tupler said the teachers in the school did their part to help the students prepare for the battle.
“The teachers would read some of the books aloud in class or they would do different worksheets and look at Web sites,” Tupler said. “All the questions were either directly related to things that happened in the story or they were exact quotes from the book. The questions were supplied by the district.”
The winning team will go on to the area Battle of the Books in the end of April, then the winner of that battle goes to the district battle.
At Chiles, six teams were ready to battle April 11, but only one could walk away with first place. Joanne Williams’ team won; the team included Deeva Agravat, Samantha Lange, Sheela Ranganathan and Evan Duga was the alternate.
Even though Ranganathan felt confident the team would win, her teammate Agravat couldn’t believe it.
“I felt really happy because we all agreed as a team that we would try our best,” Agravat said. “We have been preparing for this for months. I am excited to be going to the area battle.”
The team said they had fun just reading the books.
“I like reading because I can picture the story in my head and imagine I am in another world,” Agravat said. “When I took the battle test, I had only read 10 books so I studied and studied. So when I saw my name on the board after the test, I was so excited.”
Parents and other fourth-graders were at the competition cheering their teams on. Pritt Agravat-Vyas said she was very proud of her daughter.
“Deeva read it all herself,” Agravat-Vyas said. “I am so proud of her and all the kids. It was a lot of hard work and they all did such a great job.”
Shari Lange said she was also very proud of all the students as well.
“I know the kids worked really hard on this,” Shari Lange said. “I think it showed how well they pulled it all together. They were very well-behaved and the signs were so cute. I was really proud of all of the students.”
Students watching the battle had to keep quiet while the students were battling, so in order to show their support, they created signs of encouragement. The students would then hold up the signs to cheer on their team and the other teams.
“The kids did an incredible job,” said Assistant Principal Cindy Land. “I am proud of all of our students representing the fourth grade today. They had such great audience etiquette. They even cheered on everybody and not just their own team.”
For information visit www1.sdhc.k12.fl.us/mediaweb/elem/read/Bob/Bob.htm.

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Seven Oaks Pupils Find New Twist On Pen Pals

Posted Apr 20, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated Apr 20, 2007 at 10:49 AM

SEND LETTERS WITH FLAT STANLEY

By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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After traveling all over the globe through the mail, Flat Stanley found a home with students at Seven Oaks Elementary School.
Students at Seven Oaks learned about all of Flat Stanley’s adventures, and in the process, discovered a little about different places in the world.
Teachers Laura Olsen, Aimee Frier and intern Shannon Taylor teach mostly second-graders in the Golden Eagles Team at Seven Oaks. Their students read about Flat Stanley and his adventures in the book “Flat Stanley” by Jeff Brown. They then made their own Flat Stanleys and sent them out to friends and family across the country and the globe.
“They sent letters with Flat Stanley,” Olsen said. “Then, as the letters came back, students read them aloud to the class and then put a star on the map for all the places he visited. It was a literature study teaching student to write and to read, but it also exposed them to different landmarks and spots around the country. Lots of places sent us back brochures, books and souvenirs.”
Flat Stanley visited the White House, the North Pole, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Poland and other places. When people returned Stanley, they included letters describing the various adventures, as well as pictures and souvenirs. After Flat Stanley shared his adventures with the class, the students who sent him out took him home, along with the souvenirs he brought.
Clay Mikkelsen sent his Flat Stanley to the Indianapolis Colts training center. A letter came back describing all the fun things Stanley was able to do while visiting.
“He went to Indianapolis and just got back,” Mikkelsen said. “He got to kick a 45-yard field goal. I learned a lot about where places are and I learned I would like to go to the training facility one day.”
Cameron Rowe sent his Flat Stanley to Gainesville to hang out with the Gator’s football team. The letter came back with posters for each child to take home and a letter describing some of the fun Stanley had. He also sent a Flat Stanley to his uncle Jack Biegen in Australia.
“I got them all back and I learned new things about each place,” Rowe said. “I learned there is a street in Australia named Rowe Street like my last name. Stanley went to Australia and got to meet my uncle’s dog and now I want to go and meet him, too. In the picture, he looked so cute.”
Sarah Fayiz sent her Flat Stanley to a cousin in Canada.
“Stanley got to play in the snow, bake some cookies and go to the mall,” Fayiz said. “I

was excited he got to play in the snow and now I want to go there. It was fun sending out Flat Stanley. I learned a lot about other countries and states.”
Alex Dagama also sent his Flat Stanley to play in the snow in Poland.
“He got to pretend to drive a car,” Dagama said. “He was also playing in the snow and skiing and building a snow man.”
Jake Hracho sent a Flat Stanley to New Jersey and to the Pasco County Fire Rescue.
“I think Flat Stanley liked the fire station the most,” Hracho said. “He got to pretend to drive the fire truck and the ambulance. The Stanley the went to New Jersey got to play in the snow and that is about it. He didn’t get to do that much because it was snowing the whole time.”
Hracho said he learned about other places.
“I learned about how other places are and what they do,” Hracho said. “He had a lot of fun in the snow.”
Students sent out more than 100 Flat Stanleys in February and had received most of them back by mid-March. For information about the Flat Stanley project, visit http://www.flatstanley.com.

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New Tampa Vegans Teach Cooking Class

Posted Apr 13, 2007 by Suzanne Schmidt

Updated Apr 13, 2007 at 11:56 AM

SAMPLE NEW RECIPES

By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT
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For most people, when they think of vegans, they think of people who only eat rice, beans and vegetables.
Joan Zacharias and Brenda Hay, co-founders of the New Tampa Vegans, are trying to change that perception. 
“We got this group started last summer because we felt we needed a group like this in New Tampa,” Zacharias said. “We have had a lot of people ask us how to cook vegan, so we decided to start a series of cooking classes.”
The first Super Easy Vegan Cooking Class will be at Zacharias’ house April 15 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Students in the class will sip organic wine, eat appetizers and learn to cook various vegan foods including a meal, salad and dessert. Everyone will receive copies of the recipes and samples of the food to taste.
“There are a lot of people who still think eating vegan is bad for you,” Hay said. “They think they need to eat meat for the protein. We try to show people how to cook vegan and see what it tastes like. Even food people have enjoyed all their lives can be veganized.”
Zacharias and Hay said they meet people all the time who think that vegans only eat rice, beans and vegetables.
“The foods we eat are so big and broad,” Hay said. “We eat everything except for animal products.”
Zacharias said she became a vegan first because of the ethics behind it, but has since learned about the health benefits.
“I became a vegan because I was horrified about the cruelty to animals,” Zacharias said. “Eating vegan helps to restore the human connection with nature. It is also a much more healthy diet. A more plant-based diet can help people who are overweight or people with heart disease or diabetes. There is no cholesterol at all in plant foods. In some cases, a vegan diet can reverse diabetes, or at the least ease the symptoms.”
Both Hay and Zacharias said the main goal of the cooking classes is to show people how to cook vegan in a quick and easy way while keeping it flavorful and tasty.
“Vegan food is so good for you, you just have to learn how to cook it,” Zacharias said. “We want to make it super easy because people don’t have a lot of time to cook anymore.”
The New Tampa Vegans have various activities revolving around cooking and eating a vegan diet.
“We are not trying to make it a membership-only group,” Zacharias said. “It is an open organization for people in and around New Tampa. The food is the message. We don’t lecture people or try to turn them vegan. We just want people to come and try out the food and we can provide them with recipes.”
Hay said the group will be planning more events in the future including a series of more cooking classes.
“We try to plan unique events based on a vegan environment,” Hay said. “It is all just for us to have some fun and eat some great vegan food.”
The class costs $5 per person. All are welcome whether they are vegan or vegan curious.
For information or to register for the class, call 476-6436 or visit http://newtampavegans.googlepages.com/cookingclass1.

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