Bobcats Win First Place

Congratulations to the Bay Area Bobcats for taking first place in the 14U fire division of the 2008 AAU Spring Super Regional in Lakeland this past March.

Resident Selected for Scholarship

The 2007 Pre-Teen Florida Scholarship & Recognition Program was held recently at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay in Tampa. Florida’s best and brightest female students, ages 7-12, competed for over $5,000 in educational bonds, prizes and awards, as well as the opportunity to qualify for the 2008 Pre-Teen America Nationals to be held July 2-7 in beautiful Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Lithia resident Amanda Ans was selected to participate in the competition after an interview with pageant coordinator Patty Neidert. During the pageant, Ans participated in casual and formal wear modeling, personality and interviewing skills for a judging panel and other skill tests. Ans learned a lot from her experience and despite not making it to the next level, appreciates the support of the community during her pageant efforts.

A special thank you to the following businesses who assisted in supporting her efforts: Lah-Tea-Dah by Joa Jane, “Stylish Tea Parties for all Occasions,” 326-4921; Fireside Grille, Park Square, FishHawk Ranch, 661-7755;  Bellafia Chocolate Boutique, Mrs. Deborah Williams, Winthrop Towne Centre, 657-1218; Julestarz Academy in FishHawk , www.julestarzacademy.com, 661-9037;  Dynamic Painting, 689-9333;  Studio Eyes, Dr. Chris Russell, 657-EYES;  Studio Tripp Hair Salon, Heather Alride, 654-6232; Lisa Reynolds, Mary Kay, 236-9431; Leslie Donovan, Creative Memories, www.mycmsite.com/lesliedonovan6; Chick-fil-A, Lake Brandon Village, Tammy Holmberg, 655-1237; Young Chef’s Academy, Brandon, 643-7025; The Dancer’s Closet, 651-0332; Usborne Books, “I sell books kids love to read,” Christine Ans, www.ubah-usa.com and Peterbrooke Chocolates, Valrico, 643-8500.

For more information on future pageants, visit www.preteenamerica.com or contact Neidert at 1-800-569-2487.

Hornets Twice the Winners

South Hillsborough Soccer League’s (SHSL) under 16-year-old competitive girls club team, the Celtic FC Hornets, captured two championships to add to their impressive resume of accomplishments recently. The win propels the Riverview girls club to the state’s President’s Cup “Final 4” taking place April 5-6 at Pine Island Park just outside of Miami, where Florida’s four region champions will compete for the state title.

This Region Cup Championship marks the first ever Division 1 Region C Championship for Riverview’s South Hillsborough Soccer League.

Judo Champions Local

On March 8, the Florida School of Judo attended the USJA State Champion-ships held in Boca Raton. Having 15 competitors, the team came home with the second place team trophy. The team, having sent five coaches and one referee to the tournament, is very proud of its showing as the children only practiced two days a week, once at the Campo YMCA and once at the Brandon Recreation Center. Professor Ed Maley, eighth degree black belt in Judo, is the head instructor and volunteers his time teaching these classes.  The adults work out three days a week at the Interbay YMCA under the volunteer instructors Frank Costa, Henry Saavedra and Danny De La Rosa. The students come from as far north as Palm Harbor to as far south as the Miami area to learn from Maley, though most of the students come from Brandon, Tampa, Riverview and Valrico.

Center Holds Spring Events

The Brandon Family Support & Resource Center, located at 1277 Kingsway Rd, welcomes the community to these free events: The Spring Extravaganza, on April 9 from 2-4 p.m. will have family fun, food, arts & crafts and much more; and the Military Support Day, on April 12 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., will involve packaging boxes of goodies to mail to the military. Children will write letters and do arts & crafts which will be included in the boxes to our troops. Refreshments will be served.

To register for these events, call 740-4634 or go to www.familysupporthc.org to see a calendar of events.

Newsome Scraps for Music

Scrap for the Music, a first annual scrapbooking event to benefit the Newsome High School marching band, will be held on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Newsome High School Cafeteria located at 16550 FishHawk Blvd in Lithia. The crop fee is $25 (paypal $27). Please register by April 18 as there is limited seating. There will be eight hours of non-stop scrapping with a free beginner’s class, advanced classes (fee), the Inspiration Station, the Tool Table (Sizzix, punches, alpha stamps to use), a Scrap Swap (trade your new and used scrapbook items), a themed basket auction, hourly door prizes, free make ‘n’ takes, demonstrations and onsite vendors. Lunch, snacks and beverages are included. Bring photos to have professionally framed (fee). All proceeds will benefit the Newsome High School Marching Band.   

For information or to register, contact Valerie at 695-0677 or e-mail vmanalang4@verizon.net. 

Former Resident Aims for Stardom

Alexandrina Sierra is seeing stars ­ Hollywood stars that is. Sierra, a junior at Howard J. Blake High School of Performing Arts in Tampa, maintains a 3.6 GPA, attends acting and vocal lessons and writes lyrics and music for an upcoming demo CD, all while working part-time at Tropical Smoothie. Being a former FishHawk resident, her training started with local chorus and musical theater teachers at Randall Middle School and Blake High School. At present, Sierra is a student with the John Robert Powers School in Tampa.

For more information on donating or attending the fundraisers, please call 623-2730 or email at asierra_ipop@yahoo.com.

Stroller Strides Offers Classes

Stroller Strides™, the nation’s number one, postnatal fitness program for mom and baby, holds classes every Monday and Wednesday, meeting at FishHawk Ranch Community Park Square at 9 a.m. With the first class being free, the hour-long classes include power walking and cardio training intertwined with strengthening stations where moms use exercise resistance tubing, the stroller and the environment. At the stations, the nationally certified fitness instructors weave children’s songs and activities into the routine to entertain the babies. The program is designed for all fitness levels. Stroller Strides also offers weekly playgroups and a monthly calendar with events such as field trips, moms’ nights out and more.

For more information, go to www.strollerstrides.com or call Ginger Couden at 394-7754.

Students Visit Animal Hospital

In March, Dr. Ellen Matheson of Alafia River Animal Hospital, 7017 Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Lithia, and Tracey Gladden of Legacy Clydesdales in Lithia hosted a field study trip for Shawnda Weaver’s 4 and 5-year-old pre-kindergarten class from Trinity School for Children in Tampa.

The first stop on the trip was to Gladden’s horse farm in Lithia. The children learned how to groom a horse and take care of its hooves.

The second stop of the trip was to Alafia River Animal Hospital. Owner and veterinarian Dr. Ellen Matheson demonstrated a physical examination on her yellow labrador retriever Bit O’ Honey. The class learned about proper pet care, grooming and dog bite prevention.

The final stop on the trip was to the canoe launch at Alderman Ford State Park, where the class enjoyed a picnic lunch. Ms. Cleopatra Doyle, whose son Luke was on the field study, reported that the children and adult chaperones said that this was the class’ best field study trip of the year.

For more information, call 643-1002.

Young Life Holds Golf Tournament

Young Life in Brandon is holding a Golf Tournament on Thursday, April 3 from 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the River Hills Country Club, located at 3943 New River Hills Pkwy. in Valrico, to benefit the organization which provides teens the chance to make choices about spiritual issues in their lives. There will be a chance to win a new car, prizes, contests and more with lunch provided by Subway and dinner by Outback Steakhouse. An individual player costs $125 while sponsorships range from $150-$2,000.

For more information, call 335-3522 or go to www.brandon.younglife.org.

 Detachment Holds Meeting

The next meeting of the Riverview Detachment of the Marine Corps League will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, at the American Legion Post 148 located at 7240 U.S. Hwy. 301 in Riverview. It is requested that all members be present as election of new officers  will be held at this meeting. The detachment is always seeking new members with meetings being held the first Tuesday of each month. All former and active duty marines, plus navy corpsmen who have served a tour with the Fleet Marine Force are eligible to join.

For additional information, call Jack Skelding at 672-1778 or email at mclriverview@yahoo.com.

Palmetto Club Hosts Ball

The Inaugural Debtor's Ball will be held at the Palmetto Club, located at 17004 Dorman Rd. in Lithia, on April 18 from 7-11 p.m. It is an adult only event (must be 21 or older to attend) that will include music, dancing, cocktails and appetizers. Ticket costs for FishHawk Ranch residents are $25 which include childcare at  the YMCA Express with proof of residency and one free drink. Space is limited for childcare and is exclusive to FishHawk Ranch residents. Membership to the YMCA is not required. Ticket costs for non-residents are $30 and include one free drink. All proceeds go to benefit your local Brandon YMCA.

Contact the Palmetto Club at 657-0062 for ticket information. 

Spring Fling at Westfield Brandon

Starting Wednesday, April 9, there will be live music in the “Restaurant Courtyard” of the Westfield Brandon mall near California Pizza Kitchen and The Cheesecake Factory. The band Big Salad will be performing live on center stage on Wednesdays starting April 9 through April 23, May 7 and May 21 from 6-8:30 p.m. (weather permitting). Live performances are courtesy of California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruby Tuesday and Westfield Brandon.

For more information, go to www.westfield.com/brandon/.

GFWC Plans Garage Sale

Want to do some spring cleaning and support local charities at the same time?

Rent a space at the GFWC Valrico Service League Sponsored Garage Sale, and you can do both. The sale is taking place on Saturday, April 19, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on the grounds of the River Hills Reality Office located at 4316 New River Hills Pkwy. in Valrico. Spaces are limited.

The GFWC is a woman's group who sponsors projects at Yates Elementary School, New Horizons and the Emergency Help Care Organization and adopts families at Thanksgiving and Christmas who need help during the holidays. All funds raised will go towards the group’s annual projects while all the funds from rental of spaces and tables will go towards the club’s supported charities and projects. 

For information, please contact Karen at 651-4082.

Evening Fest Open to Public

The FishHawk/Lithia Area Business Council of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce will host the first FishHawk Evening Fest on Thursday, April 17. The free event will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. at Park Square in FishHawk on Churchview Dr. in Lithia. Food and beverage sponsors include: Fireside Grille & Bar, Outback Steakhouse and Formaggio’s Italian Restaurant. Live entertainment and children’s activities will also be available. The event will feature local businesses showcasing their products and services and ample networking opportunities.

The FishHawk/Lithia Area Business Council, of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, is a group of business owners and /or representatives from the areas of Lithia and FishHawk.

For more information, please contact Allison Braden at 689-1221, ext. 36 or abraden@brandonchamber.com. 

Summerfield Presents Garage Sale

The Summerfield Ladies Club will present its annual spring garage sale on Saturday, April 5, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Over 20 communities at Summerfield comprise what has become one of the largest garage sales in the area, located at Big Bend Rd. and Summerfield Blvd. Portions of the proceeds from this sale go to local charities.

For more information, call 600-3333.

Resident Supports Fashion for Cure

The Fifth Annual Fashion Funds the Cure fashion show, benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, recently took place in March at Saks Fifth Avenue in the Westshore Plaza in Tampa. Since being diagnosed in 2004, Sydney Simms of Valrico has been battling neuroblastoma, a rare form cancer.

At the event, 30 girls from the Tampa Bay area were escorted down the runway by Bucs players, a Rays player and other local celebrities.

The girls modeled much more than clothing; each special model has battled pediatric cancer with some still undergoing treatments. Close to 550 people attended, raising $280,000 to fund research and hope for children with cancer. The Pediatric Cancer Foundation funds research to find a cure for this deadly disease. To date, it has funded more than $3.4 million for research.

For more information, go to www.pcfweb.org.

AARP Meets in April

Greater Brandon Chapter #4442 AARP,  Inc. will hold its next meeting on April 7 at 11:30 a.m. at the Brandon Community Center located at  510 Sadie St. in Brandon. The meeting will begin with a brown bag lunch followed by a White Elephant Auction and Bake Sale. The auction will begin at 12 Noon. 

For more information, call Mary at 689-2890.

DaSilva's Unveils Art Show

DaSilva's Coffee House and Roastery is more than just a coffee shop. There are three upcoming events at DaSilva's in the month of April. On Thursday, April 17, at the Riverview location, the coffee house will be holding a tea tasting where you can sample over a dozen types of gourmet teas.

On April 24, the Riverview location will also be hosting a coffee tasting, where customers can learn the techniques of "coffee cupping,"  discover the type of coffee that they prefer, and learn more about coffee.

The Riverview store is located across the street from Riverview High School on Boyette Road.For more information or to register for any events at the Riverview store, please call 672-1094.

For art-lovers, on Friday, April 25, the FishHawk store will be holding an art show from 7-11 p.m. There will be live entertainment and the restaurant will be in full operation throughout the event. For more information about the art show, please call 685-5891. DaSilva's in FishHawk is located at 15282 FishHawk Blvd.

Sale Helps Nearly Drowned Girl 

Ashlyn Smith, 15 months, fell into the pool at her home and is nearly drowned. Recovering from her near death experience, her family and the community are trying to raise funds to help offset medical expenses and long term care for her. Through Saturday, April 5, they will be collecting donated items from the community for a Yard Sale to be held on Saturday, April 5 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at St. Andrews Church located at 3315 Bryan Rd. in Brandon.

To help out with the sale, contact Michelle Ernest at 655-6786.

Band of Brothers Meets

Men, do you need some encouragement as a father, husband and a man? If so, the Men’s Conference, “Becoming a Man of Valor,” may be what you need. Being a man of valor means being men with strength of mind and spirit who can stand firm against the dangers assailing marriage, the family, the job, friendships and, most of all, the heart. Please join the group at the “Becoming a Man of Valor” Region Wide Conference with Dr. Bob Record from April 18-19 with registration costing $45. The event is hosted by Bell Shoals Baptist Church’s Band of Brothers located at 2102 Bell Shoals Rd. in Brandon. For more information, call 689-4229, ext. 232.

Grace Announcements

Neither wind nor rain could stop Grace Community United Methodist Church from holding a yard sale in support of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life this past March. With the Missions and Women’s ministries teamed up as hosts of the event, the entire yard sale was moved inside the church to protect donated items and yard sale shoppers from the gusty winds and sporadic rain. Together, the hard work and generosity of the community enabled Grace UMC to raise $1,737 for the upcoming Relay For Life event. 

Since its inception eight years ago, Grace UMC has reached out to help families in the community have a wonderful Easter holiday. Through partnerships with local elementary schools, the Missions Ministry at Grace enables church members and friends to adopt a family and share the loving spirit of Easter. This year, the Adopt-A-Family program at Grace was able to provide 80 children with all the makings for an Easter dinner, a grocery gift card and an Easter basket for each child.   

For more information about all of the community programs at Grace UMC, located at 7015 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Lithia, please contact the church office at 661-8858.

GriefShare Series Begins

Another series of the Christian-based bereavement program called GriefShare will begin at St. Anne Catholic Church on Wednesday, April 2 from 1:30 – 3 p.m. in the Religious Education Building. It’s a place where many people have found that they can begin putting their lives back together again. GriefShare is a professionally produced program lasting approximately 13 weeks. At each session, you will view a video featuring personal stories of people like you who are grieving the death of a loved one. After the video, a discussion will be held for what was viewed and what is going on in group members’ lives. One need not be Catholic to attend. 

To register, please call 645-1714 or visit www.griefshare.org/about/ for more information.

Chorus Invites Ladies to Sing

The South Shore Sound Chorus, a chapter of the Sweet Adelines International Chorus, is inviting all ladies to come to its special guest night on March 31 at 6:30 p.m. The chorus meets at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church at 1239 Del Webb Blvd. W. in Sun City Center. It hopes to put the joy of music back into your life with its unique style of singing barbershop harmony.

There is no charge and a ticket is not required but to get your personal "guest pass," call 416-3892 or go to www.southshoresound.org.

Stonecroft Ministries Holds Brunch

Stonecroft Ministries will be hosting a Spring Brunch on Monday, April 14 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Special Events Center within Bell Shoals Baptist Church located at

2102 Bell Shoals Rd. in Brandon. Speaker Elizabeth Mahusay’s topic will be “A Fresh New Perspective.” The brunch will feature Julie Cooprider, English rose florist, and musical guest Linda Gussman. The cost of the brunch is $12, and women are encouraged to wear a hat. Please, reservations must be kept, cancelled or used by a friend. The event is sponsored by Brandon C.W.C and Stonecroft Ministries. Complimentary childcare through age 5 will be provided by reservation.

For a reservation, call Bobbi Gardner at 657-8632 or e-mail her at barbara_gardner4@yahoo.com by 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8.

REAL Invites New Members

REAL, Radically Excited About the Lord, invites residents to join the group which meets at the South Brandon Worship Center located at 4929 Bell Shoals Rd. in Valrico. Meeting on Friday nights, the group offers the Encounter Cafe Family Group for high school seniors through age 30 at 7 p.m. and worship for adults of all ages at 8:30 p.m. Following worship, AfterGlow takes place for adults of all ages.

For more information, call Brandon Knight at 746-2289 or e-mail at encountercafe@gmail.com.

Divorce Care at FishHawk Fellowship

Join FishHawk Fellowship for this weekly seminar and support group to help people find healing from the pain of separation or divorce. The seminar takes place on Wednesdays, 7-8:30 p.m., in Room 216, at 15326 FishHawk Blvd. in Lithia. The facilitators of the group are Scott and Rita Stephens and Barbara Davidson.

For details and registration, contact Barbara at 655-7431 or by e-mail at bdavidson@fishhawkfc.org or go to www.divorcecare.org.

Brandon Church Invites Singles

The First Baptist Church of Brandon offers Awaken Singles Ministry the last Thursday of every month. This is a college/singles event that provides dynamic worship and a powerful message from God’s Word.  Fellowship and snacks will be provided. Childcare will be provided for birth-fifth grade during the program. The church is located at 216 N. Parsons Ave. in Brandon.

For more information please call 689-1204 or visit www.fbcbrandon.org.

Bell Shoals Celebrates Recovery

The Fellowship of Encouragement at Bell Shoals Baptist Church, located at 2102 Bell Shoals Rd. in Brandon, hosts Celebrate Recovery every Monday night in the Annex. Join the group for live praise and worship followed each week by a lesson or personal testimony. Support and encouragement is offered as the group overcomes harmful habits, hang-ups and unresolved hurts. In addition, CR Kidz program is available at the same time for grades 4-6. Children learn how to deal with life’s difficulties in a Godly manner. Free childcare is available for ages 0-12 years.

Reservations can be made by calling 689-4229, ext. 501. For more information, go to www.bellshoals.com.

Christ Community Holds Conference

Christ Community Church of Brandon, located at located at 1310 John Moore Rd. in Brandon, invites you to join the church for a one-day conference with DVD presentation by the Women of Faith team including Marilyn Meberg, Luci Swindoll, Sheila Walsh and Patsy Clairmont. The event will be held Saturday, April 12 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The cost is $15 and includes breakfast and lunch. Reservations and payment must be received no later than April 4.   

Please call 685-6786 or e-mail Gill@cccbrandon.org for reservations.