Morningstar Named Ambassador Of The Year
Local Brandon resident and owner of local electric company, Morningstar Electric, Tammy Morningstar has been selected as the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce’s Ambassador of the Year.
Morningstar is co-owner of Morningstar Electric, located at 506 Shamrock Rd. in Brandon, with her husband, Ken.
“I was completely surprised when I was announced as the winner of the award,” she said. “I felt honored to receive this award. I was selected by my peers for this award and it means a great deal to me to know my peers respect and trust me enough to honor me in this way.”
Bonnie Tekampe, who was Ambassador of the Year in 2006, said that receiving the award is quite an honor because the ambassadors do a lot to get the word out to the community. “It meant a whole lot to me,” she said. Tekampe said that Morningstar deserves the award because she is very giving; involved in the community and her business is very reputable. “I’ve used her business both commercially and residentially,” she said.
“Basically, the job of the ambassadors is to welcome new members and make them feel a part of the community, and she does that very well,” Tekampe said.
“When I became an Ambassador I was extremely shy and didn’t know anyone,” she said. “I made it my goal to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself everyday to excel to new levels.”
Morningstar said her future plans for the community is to see it come together and support local business and charities, neighbors helping neighbors and family events for all to attend.
Her company is very involved in the community and has plans to become more involved. It has done free electrical work for wounded soldiers as well as some local charities. It is involved in the Community Roundtable Charities of Brandon and plan to waive its $49 Dispatch Fee to all customers in the month of April and May if they donate a bag of non-perishable grocery items to us for the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO).
“I was also involved with the Brandon Mayors Race and plan to stay involved until I myself am able to run for Mayor,” Morningstar said.
Morningstar and her husband have lived in Brandon for 12 years and have three children, Alexis, 14, Nicholas, 12 and Kelly, 8, and they all attend Central Baptist Christian School located on Windhorst Rd.
For more information on Morningstar Electric, please call 892-4582 or visit www.morningstarlighting.com.
The Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce is located at 330 Pauls Dr. in Brandon.
For more information on the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce and its Ambassador program, please call 689-1221 or visit it’s Website at www.brandonchamber.com.
Eco Quest Challenges All Residents
New and improved, the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO) is kicking off its Fourth Annual Eco Quest, offering four challenges for residents to choose from this coming spring.
Scheduled for Saturday, March 28, from 8 a.m.-12 Noon at the Alafia State River Park, located at 14326 S. C.R. 39 in Lithia, the Eco Quest has something for everyone. Residents can sign up for one of four events: the Eco Quest, the Eco Mini Quest, the new Ultimate Challenger or the new Nature Walk.
According to Executive Director Stacey Efaw, Eco Quest was created in 2006 because, “ECHO was looking for a way to come up with a fun, different type of fundraiser that would reach out and touch different groups.”
For those in peak condition, the Ultimate Challenge may be the way to go as one must have endurance and stamina to trek this 17-mile challenge consisting of a four-mile run, 10-mile complex bike, three-mile canoe and an obstacle course. The YMCA actually created the obstacle course which will be incorporated throughout all four races.
Those who are in fit condition but want to have a relatively laid back exercise regime for Saturday morning may want to check out the original, 13-mile Eco Quest maintaining a four-mile run, six-mile bike, a three-mile canoe and an obstacle course.
Both events require participants, taking part solo or in a team of two, to fundraise a minimum of $65 or more to cover the entrance fee.
Those with children in tow can enjoy the family-friendly Eco Mini Quest, a two-mile event comprising of a one-mile run, a one-mile bike and an obstacle course, or the Nature Walk, a low-intensity event encompassing a two-mile walk or run – your choice.
Encouraging each entrant to raise at least $30 for the entrance fee, the Eco Mini Quest’s top three winners will be awarded prizes, along with the top three winners of the Ultimate Challenge and the Eco Quest. All contestants will be given a commemorative T-shirt, a goodie bag, an event poster and free breakfast and lunch.
Having raised almost $30,000 over the last three years, this year’s Eco Quest is expected to bring in a colossal $15,000 with over 250 anticipated to attend, almost doubling 2008’s 150 participant count.
This year, the top three entrants to raise the most funds will be recognized through the sporting of yellow jerseys. Also new in 2009, the Grand Prize Fundraiser will be held as a raffle for those who obtained massive donations, with every $500 calibrating to one raffle ticket for the possibility of winning a $2,000 custom mountain bike frame from Quijano Bicycle Company. All are invited to the event’s festivities immediately following the race, with music, food and activities planned.
“It is a fun day; there are four different ‘adventures’ to choose from, so there is something for everyone,” says Efaw, who mentions, “ECHO will really need their help this year. This is a great way to spend time outside with family and friends and help the needy in our area.”
Helped by approximately 90 volunteers weekly, ECHO has been a place of refuge for those in need since 1987, having helped over 100,000 residents in need. Located at 507 N. Parsons Ave. in Brandon, the facility welcomes volunteers and donations, such as jelly, spaghetti sauce and canned meat, through the hours of 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monetary donations are also welcome, going towards the purchase of perishable food items by ECHO at a discounted rate. Those who would like to help can mail donations to ECHO or donate online at www.echofl.org.
To register for the Eco Quest, with a deadline of Friday, March 20, visit www.echofl.org. For more information, email echodirector1@verizon.net or call 685-0935. For more information about Alafia State River Park, call 672-5320.
Engines Rev For ECHO Car Show
Looking to flaunt your car this February? Then why not take part in the First Annual Charity Car Show taking place at Lifestyles Family Fitness, helping locally-known charity Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO) in the process.
Taking place on Saturday, February 21, at Lifestyles, located at 623 Oakfield Dr. in Brandon, car enthusiasts, alongside their family and friends, are invited to present their beloved vehicles amongst a smorgasbord of classic and custom cars from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Cars spanning the eras of 1900 to today will be exhibited as well as specialty and custom models. A variety of vendors, a disc jockey and possibly a radio station will be onsite as well as Valrico’s Kids Company and other performers. Judging of the cars will take place at 1:30 p.m. and raffles and door prizes will also be presented.
Having come up with the idea, ECHO Board member Bob Fiske, an aficionado of antique cars himself, says, “This is really the first attempt to set the base for a car show – we’re hoping to fill the lot,” with an estimated 80 cars expected.
If you are interested, call Fiske at 651-5141 or register online at www.echofl.org. A registration fee of $15 is encouraged, made payable to ECHO. Those participating in the car show are asked to arrive between 9-10 a.m. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you would like to be involved with the event as a benefactor, sponsorships of $100-$1,000 are being welcomed.
With hopes of $15,000 being raised, ECHO continues to serve the greater Brandon area through food and clothing assistance as well as referrals. Having helped 10,610 residents in 2008, ECHO Executive Director Stacey Efaw mentions, “ECHO has experienced a 15 percent increase in demand for services over the last year and expects a higher increase in demand this upcoming year.” Even with donations and food drives, including November’s Feed the Bay initiative whereat ECHO accumulated 60,000 lbs. of food, Efaw expects the organization’s reserves to hold out only until February.
Helped by approximately 90 volunteers weekly, ECHO has been a place of refuge for those in need since 1987. Located at 507 N. Parsons Ave. in Brandon, the facility welcomes volunteers and donations through the hours of 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monetary donations are also welcome, going towards the purchase of perishable food items by ECHO at a discounted rate. Those who would like to help can mail donations to ECHO or donate online at www.echofl.org.
YMCA Names Miller Dowdy For Campo Award
Longtime community advocate and developer Miller Dowdy, of Trinity Advisory Group, recently won the YMCA’s Ray Campo Leadership Award, named after Ray Campo, a developer who donated the land for it and two other YMCA facilities. Campo served on the YMCA’s board of directors and, upon his death, also donated more than $1 million toward the Valrico Y and Camp Cristina, a YMCA facility in Riverview. Read more
Community Remembers Fallen Officer
“There is not a day that goes by that we don’t think about Ron,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson J.D. Callaway, as he talked about his friend and longtime colleague on the force Ronald “Ron” Harrison, the veteran Hillsborough County sergeant who was killed by a gunman while sitting in his patrol car on his way home from work in Brandon last summer. Read more
Zach Treks To Atlanta To Raise Funds
To commemorate November being National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, Valrico resident Zach Bonner is hitting the pavement and walking 280 miles from Tallahassee to Atlanta Georgia. Last year, the 10-year-old took a 250 mile jaunt from Tampa to Tallahassee to raise awareness of the estimated 1.6 million kids that are homeless in our Country and he collected about $25,000 in supplies and money for the organization he founded “The Little Red Wagon Foundation Inc.” Bonner says he has the hike down to a routine of walking about 5 or 6 miles each day, stopping to eat and rest, then walking another 5 or so miles until he and his mother collapse in their Recreational Vehicle each evening.
“The money I raise on the Florida section will stay in the state for the projects my foundation funds for the homeless and street kids” according to Bonner, who adds, “While on the Macon trek that money will go toward building a house with Habitat for Humanity”, and in Atlanta those funds will go into a new project to help underprivileged kids explore their artistic side.
Bonner will be on the road 30 days with the conclusion of the walk on his birthday November 17 and you can follow the progress of the soon to be 11-year-old by going to his Website and clicking on “Zach Tracker.” If you want to contribute any money you can do that too, says Bonner, adding “And you can decide where it goes.” Some of Bonners honors include meeting President George W. Bush, receiving numerous awards for his dedication and hard work through his foundation, and so what could this little man have planned next? Bonner says he is already thinking ahead and “Next year I might do another walk from Tampa to Tallahassee, depending on how this one goes,” and he says he is also trying to figure out how he can walk from Tampa to Key West. For more information about Bonner’s charity you can go to his Website at www.littleredwagonfoundation.com where you can also click on” Zach Tracker” to pinpoint his exact location.
Thanksgiving Dinner Volunteers Needed
By Donna M. Rogers
If you are looking to share your time this holiday season, then look no further that Cynthis Pickney’s upcoming Thanksgiving Day Dinner. The fifth Annual Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner will be held at the Bill Carey Boys and Girls Club located at 213 N. Knights Ave. in Brandon on Thursday, November 27. The Thanksgiving dinner will be served from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Two hundred and fifty volunteers are to help serve approximately 900 homeless men, women and children. All volunteers must take the last remaining training class to be held on Saturday, October 25, if you have not already done so. This training class will suffice for the Christmas dinner as well. The training class will be held at the Westminster Presbyterian Church located at 402 E. Lumsden Rd. in Brandon from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Lunch is served free of charge, to register call 571-1556 or send an email to cp@cynthiapinckneyministries.org. At this year’s Thanksgiving event, the organization is giving away toiletries, clothing, shoes, blankets, socks, school supplies, canned food and staple items. Nurses will also be onsite to give free blood and glucose monitoring. In addition, the ministry will provide free hair cuts and massages too. There will be a fun house for the children, face painting, entertainment and arts and crafts. Music will be provided by Extreme Faith Ministries and door prizes will be given away. So please mark your calendars now to take part in this awesome charity event. A list of donations needed for the Thanksgiving feeding and other information can be found at www.cynthiapinckneyministries.org. Cynthia Pinckney stated, “I am ecstatic at what God has done to grow this ministry and that we are able to help so many needy people. In spite of our nation’s economic crisis, people are giving help to those less fortunate more than ever before. This includes monetary contributions, item contributions such as clothes, household items, shoes, etc., but, more importantly, they are giving their precious time. Homelessness can happen to anyone. Businesses shut down and jobs are lost; spouses die; homeowners suffer mortgage foreclosures; and bank accounts dwindle. Soon you are forced out of your home to live on the streets. Tragically, we are seeing a significant increase of whole family units joining the homeless population, but thankfully, God has given us a servant’s heart to minister to His people in unique ways. We are grateful to everyone in our community that gives to the needy. Without your support, we couldn’t do what we do. Thank you.”
YMCA Plans New South Shore Facility
It is not the matter of “if,” but the matter of “when” residents of Apollo Beach and the surrounding SouthShore areas have a new YMCA facility to enjoy.
Due to the continued growth in the Tampa Bay area, YMCA officials have begun making plans for a new facility to serve the needs of the SouthShore community. Read more
