carrollwood - vol. 1, issue 7, october 2013

perger’s Spectrum disorder, a learningdisability or a processing disorder, it’shard to know what to do. For parentsand families this can be a scary andoverwhelming time, and while theseissues have become almost common-place over the last two decades, theanswer to the root of the problem has

By Julie Kanehl

Let’s be honest, being a parent isthe hardest, most wonderful thingyou’ve ever done. But hard gets harderwhen your child is diagnosed with alearning disability or disorder. The labelin itself can be hard to swallow, evenwhen you know that a label doesn’tmake a child and even when you know

that a label doesn’t make any differencein who your child really is, what theycan become or what they can achieve.That said, it can still be hard to knowwhat to do next with regard to yourchild’s individual success at home, inschool and in life in general.

When your child is diagnosed orgiven a label of ADHD, ADD,dyslexia, autism, Tourette’s, an As-

The Community & Local Business Magazine Directly Mailed To 14,000 Homes In Carrollwood, Lake Magdalene & Avila

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:Remembering Joshua Griffin................................3Community Calendar.......................................4-5Community News Briefs..................................6-7Brickhouse Cardio Club....................................8-9Carmen Dorso..............................................10-11FHPC Bazaar................................................12-13Whole Foods Market.........................................15Bill Currie Ford............................................16-17Hattie’s Beanery............................................18-19Local Spotlight..................................................20Walk for Children.........................................22-23Great American Tailgate.....................................28

Vol. 1, Issue 7, October 2013

Neighborhood NewsNeighborhood News®

C A R R O L L W O O D A R E A

& LifestylesYour neighborhood. Your magazine.

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDTAMPA FL

PERMIT 1185

See “Brain Balance” on page 26.

According totheir website,“The Mellowfounders dreamedof a world wherehappiness could befound in the sim-plest things; like amouthwateringslice of pizza andan ice cold beer.”

Rated as hav-ing one of the bestbeer selections inthe world, Mellow Mushroom inTampa succeeds in the original,mouthwatering mission. “We havesomething for everyone, no matterwhat style of beer they like to drink,”says general manager Stefan Hicks.Mellow Mushroom Tampa is ownedby Greg Warren, who brings years of

restaurant experience to his popularlocation.

The vibrant eatery has a staff thatcomplements its eclectic style, allyoung and very friendly. Most of thestaff has worked there a long time, andthe team is proud to see their regular

By Lenay Ruhl

This past July, the Mellow Mush-room in Tampa celebrated eight yearsof serving “classy pizza and beer” tothe Tampa Bay community. Bringingmore to area than just original recipesand local brews, this locally owned

Mellow Mush-room offers cus-tomers a taste ofthe psychedelicconsciousness ofthe ‘70s.

The originalMellow Mush-room opened itsdoors in Atlanta,GA back in 1974,inspired by the“mellow,” hippieculture that was

sweeping the nation. The Tampa fran-chise, themed after the Grateful Deadrock band, vividly portrays the band’sinfamous time living on AshburyStreet in San Francisco. Painted acrossthe wall are the famous lyrics from theDead song, “Truckin,’ – “What along, strange trip it’s been.”

See “Mellow” on page 24.

The Brain Balance Achievement CenterChanging Children’s Lives

Susan, a Sensory-Motor Coach atBrain Balance in Oldsmar workswith student Autumn McGinnis

2 OCTOBER 2013 Carrollwood Area Neighborhood NewsFor Ad Info Call (813) 928-6124 or Visit NeighborhoodNewsFL.com

WE CAN DO IT!YOU CAN TOO!DECLARE WAR ON BREAST CANCER.

RosieAmy

Florida Hospital Carrollwood is proud to be a st ong leader in the prevention and detection of breast cancer. As part of our mission, we are committed to helping keep our community healthy through early diagnoses and celebrating our survivors.

Enlist today at JoinThePinkArmy.com. (813) 558-8025

JoinThePinkArmy.com. Get screened. Donate.

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OCTOBER 2013 3Carrollwood Area Neighborhood News For Ad Info Call (813) 928-6124 or Visit NeighborhoodNewsFL.com

Neighborhood News& Lifestyles

Directly mailed once a month to 14,000households in zip codes 33618, 33624 & 33613

220 Safford Ave. S. Tarpon Springs, FL 34689

Phone: (813) 928-6124; Fax: (727) 942-2432Advertising E-mail:

[email protected] E-mail:

[email protected]© 2013 Carrollwood Neighborhood News is published by M Selby Publications, LLC.

Nothing that appears in Carrollwood NeighborhoodNews may be reproduced, whether wholly or in part, with-out permission. Opinions expressed by Carrollwood Neigh-borhood News writers are their own and do not reflect thepublisher’s opinion.

The management of Carrollwood NeighborhoodNews is always happy to accept outside editorial sub-missions to the paper. Please call for outside editorial sub-mission and advertisement deadlines.

Carrollwood Neighborhood News will consider pre-viously non-published outside editorial submissions if theyare double spaced, typed and less than 500 words. Carroll-wood Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit and/orreject all outside editorial submissions and makes no guar-antees regarding publication dates. Carrollwood Neighbor-hood News will not return unsolicited editorial materials.

Carrollwood Neighborhood News reserves the rightto edit and/or reject any advertising. Carrollwood Neighbor-hood News is not responsible for errors in advertising be-yond the actual cost of the advertising space itself, not forthe validity of any claims made by its advertisers.

Carrollwood Neighborhood News & Lifestyles ispublished by M Selby Publications, LLC.

PublisherMatt SelbyAdvertising SalesJim O’ReillyLinda ViegaMike BirdAccounting ManagerAlexis SelbyMarketing & DevelopmentAshley KnoblachArt DirectorTony SicaGraphic ArtistsDat X. Do

EditorAlexis SelbyCorrespondentsErin AldrichJulie KanehlLenay RuhlMarcy SanfordPamela SicaKatie ThomasKim ThomasDara Tucker

In the earlymorning hours of

September 2, tragedy struck theTampa Bay Area with the heartbreak-ing death of beloved resident JoshuaGriffin. What started as a day of cele-bration quickly turned into a devastat-ing nightmare – a terrible, unexpectedaccident. And now, a community ofloved ones is left shocked; mourningand grieving the loss of such an amaz-ing man; a man with such a promisingfuture ahead of him, who had so muchleft to give to this world.

To all of us who had the pleasureof knowing Josh, we were truly fortu-nate. He was a caring, compassionateman, a man of God, who had a per-sonality that could cheer you up nomatter how bad your mood. Therewas just something about Josh; it washis presence; he could brighten up theroom, simply by walking in and smil-ing. Even if you had just met himonce, it was impossible not to like him.Everyone loved Josh, whether you had

known him your whole life or had justmet him for the first time.

“Thousands upon thousands havebeen touched by this tragedy,” writesJoshua’s father Jeff Griffin. “Joshuawas so loved by his brothers and sister– he was their best friend. Joshua, only29 years of age, with his whole brightfuture ahead, has left his girlfriendDenele heartbroken, along with every-one else he has come in contact with.Truly, a man full of life and a manfilled with the love of God.”

The outpouring of support fromthe community is a true testament tothe power of Josh’s presence and theimmeasurable affect he had on others.His love knew no boundaries. Hetouched the lives of so many, includingmy own. Josh had such a love for life,and just being around him, made youfeel that way too.

Although Josh is no longer withus in physical form, he is not gone,and he certainly will never be forgot-ten. His presence will forever live on in

our hearts and his spirit and being willcontinue to bless all those he came incontact with.

In honor of Joshua Griffin, theGriffin family has devoted a MemorialFundraiser on his behalf. All donationsare welcome and all proceeds will begoing towards local charities by meansof a foundation the family is starting.This will also result in a yearly eventthat will happen in Josh's name. Formore information or to donate pleasevisit www.YouCaring.com/NonProf-its/Joshua-Griffin-memorial-fundraiser/87416 or the JoshuaGriffin Memorial Page on Facebook.

From The Editor Alexis Selby

Joshua Griffin - Forever Missed,But Never Forgotten


Community Calendar held on October 5 from 4:30 p.m. – 6p.m. Brickhouse Cardio Club Tampawill be hosting this great event, whichwill have vendors, raffles and lightsnacks. Tickets are $15 and are non-refundable. Space is limited to firstcome first serve, so reserve your spottoday!

Brickhouse Cardio Club Tampais located at 4920 Newkirk Drive inTampa. For more informationplease call Brickhouse Cardio ClubTampa at (813) 443-4665 or visitwww.BrickhouseCardio.com.

Mini-Basketball LeagueTeaches Fundamentals,Character

Elementary school children willhave a chance to learn basketball fromexperienced coaches in a positive envi-ronment when they join a new mini-basketball league at CorbettPreparatory School of IDS.

Corbett Prep and the MarvinHarvey Basketball School of Excel-lence are accepting children in firstthrough fifth grade for a new basket-ball league that will play on Saturdaysthroughout the fall. Children will begrouped by age, with first and secondgraders (ages 6-7) playing togetherand third through fifth graders (ages

8-10) on their own teams. The pro-gram can accept as many as 60 chil-dren in each of the two age groups toform teams of 10 players each.

The league will start on Oct. 5with tryouts and an instructionalcamp. Games will take place once aweek on Saturdays, between 8 a.m.and 1 p.m. Practice will occur once aweek at 6 or 7 p.m. Mondays orWednesdays.

Mini-basketball is a great intro-duction to the fundamentals of basket-ball, adapted for children’s mental andphysical development. The ball is 27.5inches and the basket 8.5 feet tall, andthe focus is on player developmentrather than keeping score. Games aredivided into four quarters of 10 min-utes each, with a 2-minute break be-tween quarters and a 5-minute breakat halftime. Each player must play twoquarters.

The mini-basketball league alsostrives to teach and model honesty,work ethic and teamwork – traits thatbenefit players on the courts, class-rooms and throughout their lives. Theprogram is based on internationally ac-claimed Coach Marvin Harvey’sphilosophies found in his books Win-ning Within Reason and Seven Princi-ples for Teaching Basketball.

All About Amore Cat Hospi-tal’s Official Grand Opening

Come join All About Amore CatHospital on October 26 from noon to3 p.m. as they celebrate their officialGrand Opening Event. In addition toprizes and food, there will also be catsavailable for adoptions and a KittyCostume Contest!

All About Amore Cat Hospital“We are a full service cat hospital

and we strive to provide the moststress-free experience for your felinefamily member,” says doctor andowner Dr. Susan Mango. “We lookforward to you allowing us to providethe care for your kitty with compas-sion and love, after all we are ‘AllAbout Amore’.”

Dr. Mango truly cares about ani-mals and volunteers with Paws forFriendship, Inc., a non-profit organi-zation of volunteers sharing the un-conditional love of their personal petswith people in need, throughout theworld (PawsForFriendshipInc.org).She also works with Lap of Love, aVeterinary Hospice and In- home eu-

thanasia service (LapOfLove.com). All About Amore is located at

6178 Gunn Highway in front ofWalmart. For more informationplease call (813) 280-2928.

Helen’s Fall FestivalZumba Bash

Looking for a great way to burncalories, shed stress and have fun? JoinZumba instructor Helen Gonzales for“Helen’s Fall Festival Zumba Bash”, aco-ed 90-minute master Zumba class


The cost is $125 per child, or$55 if your child is part of the Mar-vin Harvey Basketball School ofExcellence for the 2013-14 schoolyear. For more information, pleasecontact Program Director IvanRomero,[email protected], or (813)961-3087, ext. 312.

Blessing of the AnimalsSt. Clement's Episcopal Church in

Forest Hills will welcome a differentarray of faces on Saturday morning,October 5th. There will be a largegroup of people AND PETS surround-ing a priest who will be saying prayersfor the gathering of dogs, cats, ham-sters, snakes, turtles, fish – even a goose

and pig have joined us in the past! Awondrous variety of creatures great andsmall that have warmed the hearts oftheir owners will come for their specialday of prayers and blessing.

It's called the annual Blessing ofthe Animals, and the custom is con-ducted this time of year all over theworld in remembrance of St. Francis ofAssisi's love for all animals and all cre-ation. St. Clement's celebration willtake place on Saturday, October 5 eitherin front of the church or in the churchsanctuary - depending on the weather.Come at 10:00 a.m. to register, meet,greet and participate in the blessingservice. A light lunch will be served inthe Parish Hall after the blessing.

For the safety of all, please

bring your companion animals forthe blessing on a lead or contained.For more information, visit the St.Clement website atwww.StClement.net, check outtheir Facebook page atFacebook.com/WorshipUn-derTheOaks, or call the church of-fice at (813) 932-6204. St. ClementEpiscopal Church is located at 706W. 113th Avenue in Tampa, offNorth Boulevard betweenLinebaugh Avenue and CountryClub Drive (Fowler Avenue).

75th Anniversary of aMercury Theatre OriginalRadio Broadcast

October 30 will mark the 75thanniversary of Mercury Theatre’s orig-inal radio broadcast of HowardKnoch’s adaptation of H.G. Wells’ TheWar of the Worlds. To celebrate, MASCommunity Theatre will perform alive staged recreation of the broadcast

at the Tarpon Springs Cultural Centeron October 4, the Ruskin FirehouseCultural Center on October 25 andthe Carrollwood Cultural Center onOctober 26 and 27. It will mark thefirst time MAS Community Theatrehas toured a show in the Bay Area.

The recreation of the originalMercury Radio Theatre broadcastof Howard Koch’s The War of theWorlds is being produced through aspecial arrangement with AnneKoch. The Carrollwood CulturalCenter is located at 4537 LowellRoad in Tampa. In addition to TheWar of the Worlds, the CarrollwoodCultural Center will also host astaged comedy, a jazz concert, ablues and gospel artist, and a classi-cal music concert. Performancetickets can be purchased at the boxoffice, online at www.Carrollwood-Center.org, or by calling (813)269-1310.


Community News Briefs

Althea Massage & Spa Joinsthe Breast Cancer Fight andRaises Money for TampaMom

Althea Massage & Spa has joinedthe fight against breast cancer. WhenSpa owner, Donna Confalone heardabout Ashley’s story – a young Tampawoman pregnant with her first childand currently undergoing treatmentfor breast cancer – she wanted to sup-port Ashley’s cause. During themonth of October Althea Massage &Spa will donate 10% of all sales to Ash-ley’s Foundation.

“I was so moved by Ashley’s storythat I wanted to find a way to help herand her family,” says Donna Con-falone, LMT, owner at Althea Mas-sage & Spa. “As a local businessowner, I am passionate about findingmeaningful ways I can give back to mycommunity and make a difference insomeone’s life.”

To learn more about Ashley’sstory, please visitwww.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/kicking-cancer-for-ash-ley/85394

Volunteers Needed &Training Provided atLifePath Hospice

LifePath Hospice offers guidanceand support to individuals with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Serving as a LifePath Hospicevolunteer can challenge yourspirit, fill your heart and enrichyour life. If you have 2–4 hoursper week to share yourself withanother, please consider volun-teering with LifePath Hospice!Volunteers are men and womenof all ages who have a sinceredesire to help others. We areseeking volunteers of all ages,

and Veterans. Volunteers are preparedfor their role with a free, comprehen-sive training program. No previous ex-perience in the medical field isnecessary. Through training, hospicevolunteers learn how to give the gift ofthe heart by providing emotional sup-port and companionship for our pa-tients and their families andmuch-needed breaks for caregivers.

To register for upcoming FallClasses, email Vickie McDonald,Volunteer Recruiter, at [email protected].

Patient TVs Combine LatestTechnology in Medical Care& Entertainment At FloridaHospital Carrollwood

Remember when the TV in yourhospital room was just for watchingyour favorite shows? Not anymore!The patient TVs on the new SurgicalCare Unit at Florida Hospital Carroll-wood provide more than just enter-tainment. Patients can watchtelevision, surf the internet, order theirmeals, communicate with nurses, andmost importantly, access health andwellness information – all through aninteractive patient care system calledthe GetWellNetwork®.

“Keeping patients and their fami-lies informed while in our hospital isabsolutely vital in facilitating the bestpossible outcomes and providing a

positive patient experience,” saysRobin McGuinness, Vice Presidentand Chief Nursing Officer at FloridaHospital Carrollwood. “We want andencourage patients to take an activepart in their care.”

By providing patients with toolslike the GetWellNetwork, FloridaHospital Carrollwood is helping pa-tients take more control of their heal-ing process. In addition, thistechnology helps to improve hospitalstaff efficiencies so they can spendeven more time at the bedside caringfor their patients.

GetWellNetwork is one of manyinnovative features of Florida HospitalCarrollwood’s Surgical Care Unit.The 25-bed, all private room unit alsoincludes many of the latest safety fea-tures for patient care; Florida HospitalCarrollwood is taking a lead on creat-ing the safe hospital of the future.

The GetWellNetwork® providespatient engagement solutions thathelp health care providers engage, ed-ucate and empower patients along thecare continuum. Their patient-cen-tered platform, delivered across multi-ple technology platforms includingmobile devices, computers and televi-sions, enables providers to implementa revolutionary care delivery modelcalled Interactive Patient Care™ to im-prove performance and patient out-comes. The company further extendsthe value of existing IT investments byintegrating seamlessly with electronicmedical record and patient portal ap-plications.

About Florida HospitalCarrollwood

Florida Hospital Carrollwood is amember of the Adventist Health Sys-tem. It is a 120-bed community hospi-tal specializing in Spine andOrthopedic Surgery, General Surgery,Cardiac Services, Neurological Serv-ices, General Medicine, Wound Heal-

ing, ENT, Diabetes Management,Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery, as wellas other services that meet their mis-sion of healing the mind, body andspirit.

For more information pleasevisit Floridahospital.com/Carroll-wood.

Corbett Preparatory Schoolof IDS WOWs on First Dayof School

Corbett Preparatory School ofIDS first and second grade “MightyMonkeys” watched in amazement asrockets carried to the sky goals theyhad set for the new school year. “Becaring,” “be a risk-taker,” “be ahelper” and “be prepared by doingschoolwork” were among the manyobjectives the children had drawn onslips of paper, which they then rolledup and tucked into one of three rock-ets.

Everyone counted down to-gether, and the rockets sizzled andlaunched skyward before flutteringdown with mini-parachutes. Like therockets, teachers said, the childrenwould learn to go sky high in the2013-14 school year.

The rockets represented one ofmany WOW moments marking thefirst day of school at Corbett Prep.Classes from PreK3-8th grade partici-pated in WOW activities, a traditionthat lets teachers showcase how theymerge brain-based research with cre-ativity and fun. Corbett Prep teachersbenefit from ongoing training to helpthem develop lesson plans and activi-ties to encourage every learner’s giftsand talents.

The results? On the east and westsides of campus, children were activelyengaged in learning and sharing inspir-ing ideas. Many students worked inteams, whether they had known eachother for years or just met, andlaughed, smiled and gasped over the


surprises teachers had in store.The youngest children, the

PreK3 class, planted flowers as a lessonin how people and flowers grow.Across the street, the sixth-, seventh-and eighth-graders joined in the mid-dle school scavenger hunt. The middleschool students had read Wonder byR.J. Palacio during the summer andparticipated in activities based on thebook’s message: “When you have achoice, choose KIND.”

Other WOW activities includedfifth grade MISSION POSSIBLE.Showing their solidarity boot-campstyle in camouflage hats, the studentsexplored strategies for success in the

coming school year.The multiage third andfourth grade “AllStars” created a recipefor a “friendship pie,”listing the ingredientsincluded in a goodfriendship, capping offtheir lesson with asnack of apple pie. Inthird grade, the “Navi-gators” honed cooper-ation skills as theyworked in pairs tobuild foil boats and seehow many pennies

their creations could hold.All the lessons were designed

with the goal of having students rec-ognize the value of individual work aswell as teamwork. It was the begin-ning of a new year and personalgrowth opportunities were in abun-dance.

The first- and second-grade“Brilliant Bugs” whispered theirwishes for the school year to butter-flies before the insects fluttered awayinto the trees and clouds. One butter-fly the children nicknamed Hank re-fused to go, choosing instead to landon a teacher’s hand. Headmaster Dr.Joyce Burick Swarzman urged the stu-

dents to ask Hank to carry additionalwishes for them. Her hope for theyear, she said, was for children andteachers to “always have success, joy,happiness and work hard, with lots oflove.”

The Florida Hospital PinkArmy Movement Sweepsthe State

Launched in the fall of 2010, theFlorida Hospital Pink Army, an initia-tive to create greater awareness aboutbreast disease and the importance ofannual screening mammograms by en-gaging the community and having alittle fun, is a movement that is sweep-ing the state by storm! In its secondyear, the Pink Army movement, whichstarted in Volusia and Flagler counties,has quickly spread throughout the en-tire state, and as a strong leader in theprevention and detection of breastcancer, Florida Hospital Carrollwoodencourages you to join the battle.

Breast cancer is the second mostcommon cancer found in women, butthrough awareness, education and theadvanced treatment programs at hos-pitals throughout Florida, it can be de-feated. The fight has been long anddifficult, yet because of their efforts,cancer deaths have begun to drop at

all stages of the disease. The PinkArmy has invested in specialized train-ing, and armed their teams with thelatest technology.

The Florida Hospital Pink Armycampaign aims to enlist individuals tohelp create greater awareness aboutthe life-saving benefits of annual mam-mograms and early detection, all whilehaving fun with friends and family.Members who join the Florida Hospi-tal Pink Army as enlistees will receivean Army number and dog tags. Sol-diers can move up the ranks and earnfree rewards by performing differentmissions, such as enlisting additionalsoldiers, volunteering, attendingevents and hosting Pink Parties. Theseparties are small gatherings hosted bysoldiers that informally and intimatelyeducate women on the importance ofearly detection when fighting breastcancer.

By enlisting in the Pink Army, youbecome a vital part in the fight againstthis terrible disease. Be part of a coura-geous group of individuals who repre-sent every walk of life, who are unitedin the fight against breast cancer.

For more information or to en-list as a soldier in the Pink Armyplease visit www.JoinTheP-inkArmy.com.


By Alexis Selby

If you are ready to jumpstart yourworkout routine and get in shapewhile having a blast, than BrickhouseCardio Club Tampa, a unique studiospecializing in fun cardio basedZumba classes, is right for you.Zumba, an aerobic fitness programfeaturing dance and movements in-spired by various styles of upbeatmusic, is perfect for people of all ath-letic levels and abilities, and the knowl-edgeable instructors at BrickhouseCardio Club Tampa do an exceptionaljob of tailoring the routines for eachindividual student.

The brightly painted walls andopen, spacious layout create a welcom-ing, fun environment and give stu-dents plenty of room tomove around. The studioalso has a stage for instruc-tors to stand on so that theycan easily be viewed fromevery part of the room. “I'mreally optimistic about thefuture,” says Brickhouse Car-dio franchise owner CarmenHaas. “ We offer a hugeworkout area which allows usa lot of room for growth andmore students.”

Carmen has a passionfor teaching Zumba whichtraces back to her own per-sonal experience. Turning 62last year, she was first intro-duced to Zumba when shedecided to take a class at herlocal gym. “I joined a gymbecause I decided to make aconscious effort to reallydedicate myself to losingweight,” says Carmen. “Itried a few different pro-grams, including a Zumba

class, which I had not previously beenexposed to – I really enjoyed it!” Oneclass led to 2 and 2 to 3, and beforeshe knew it, she was hooked! Sheadds, “You have to find somethingthat you really enjoy doing, because ifyou enjoy something you are morelikely to stay with it. I really love whatI do!”

In addition to enjoying her work-outs and having fun, Carmen experi-enced another welcomed side effect –

losing weight! And, as Carmen contin-ues to Zumba, she continues to loseweight and maintain a healthy lifestyle,steadily getting closer to her goalweight.

Just from speaking with Carmen,I can tell she really cares about her stu-dents. She has such a beautiful soul,and inspiring personality and her storyis one of encouragement – provingthat age is just a number and it is nevertoo late to take control of your health

and get in the best shape of your life!Carmen says, “The goal for me is notonly to invest in my own health, butto bring other people along who wantto have a goal of losing weight andgetting fit. I have seen it work in myown case so I know it works. TakingZumba is my own personal testimony.It’s my story and I can help you too.Together we can do this.”

As a part of the Brickhouse Car-dio franchise, a state-of-the-art fran-chise that is sweeping the nation,Carmen and her experienced instruc-tors are privy to some of the bestZumba training available. They arecertified in many different types ofZumba, including basic Zumba Fit-ness, Zumba Gold – a low impact classideal for the active senior or beginningZumba student – and Zumba Toning

– Zumba classes incorporatingthe use of more weights to re-ally help you tone your body.Brickhouse Cardio Tampa isalso in the process of addingyoga to the schedule. For acomplete list of classes andtheir scheduled times pleasevisitwww.BrickhouseCardio.com.

More and more, peoplein this upcoming generationare choosing a sedentarylifestyle, opting for videogames, computers and televi-sion as opposed to sports,dance and other activities.Carmen says, “There is not alot of activity with theyounger generations.” Be-cause of this, Carmen stressesthe importance of setting agood example for your chil-dren and grandchildren andemphasizes how crucial it is tostay active and maintain a

Burn Calories, Shed Stress, & Have Fun With Brickhouse Cardio Club Tampa

Zumba is perfect for people of all althletic abilities and is a fun way to get inshape and maintain a healthy lifestyle.


healthy lifestyle, not just for yourself,but also for your family and lovedones. The older you get, the more im-portant it is to stay active and keepmoving, and not allow your body todeteriorate. Carmen says, “It’s kind offrustrating to see people my own ageso out of shape, having to have kneesurgeries and hip surgeries becausethey don’t take care of themselves.”

Zumba is such an energetic,happy way to exercise, and is a greatway to release tension. “When youcome to Zumba and turn on themusic, you leave behind all the stressesof your day and the outside world,”

says Carmen. With Zumba, each per-son is on their own individual level ofwhat they can accomplish, and thebest part is that every student is able toparticipate, regardless of their skilllevel, thanks to the wonderful instruc-tors at Brickhouse Cardio Club Tampawho demonstrate modifications, allow-ing each student to go at their ownpace based on their individual athleticabilities. “Zumba is perfect for any-body who wants to get fit,” says Car-men. “It really is for every ‘body’!”

Brickhouse Cardio Tampa isconveniently located at 4920Newkirk Dr. in Tampa. Their stu-dio is open 6 days a week withclasses offered throughout the day.For more information and a fullschedule of classes please visitwww.BrickhouseCardio.com or call(813) 443-4665.

On October 5 from 4:30 p.m. – 6p.m. Brickhouse Cardio Tampa willbe hosting “Helen’s Fall FestivalZumba Bash”, a 90-minute masterclass with Zumba instructor HelenGonzales, complete with vendors, raf-fles and light snacks. For more infor-mation please check the communitycalendar section located on page 3 orcall Brickhouse Cardio Tampa at(813) 443-4665.

Owner Carmen Haas has a passionfor teaching Zumba!


By Alexis Selby

If you are like most, purchasing ahome is the single biggest investmentyou will ever make. And, whetheryou're buying a starter home, yourdream home or an investment prop-erty, it is important to have a trustwor-thy realtor on your side, one who willrepresent your best interests through-out the entire home-buying process.That realtor is Keller Williams agentCarmen Dorso, whose comprehensiveservices and familiarity dealing in thelocal market can help save you timeand money, making your home-buy-ing experience more enjoyable and lessstressful. “I offer the most compre-hensive customer service,” says Car-men. “Being a realtor comes naturalto me. My main priority is to makesure my clients are always 100 percenthappy.”

Having the right realtor is just asimportant for homeowners looking tosell – it is necessary to be aware of ex-actly what your home is worth, and,more importantly – how to marketyour house to ultimately find the per-fect buyer. As a knowledgeable profes-

sional who has helped many Tamparesidents buy and sell residential prop-erty, Carmen knows how to handleevery aspect of the sale process – fromstrategically marketing and showcasingyour property to making sure every-thing's signed, sealed and delivered bythe closing date. When you become aclient of Carmen’s, he will work dili-gently to get you top dollar for yourhouse and go above and beyond tomake sure your needs are met.

Carmen’s mission is to providethe top echelon real estate servicebased on the highest standard of val-ues, ethical integrity, and commitmentto his clients. He says, “By maintain-ing this level of service, I will gain theloyalty and trust of home-buyers andsellers who will become lifelong clien-tele. In addition, I will support andhonor those that provide me with thisopportunity. I will work interminablyfor my clients to reach all of their realestate goals.”

Building strong customer rela-tionships is important to Carmen, andin addition to keeping in close contactwith clients throughout the entirebuying/selling process, he also follows

up with clients monthly,quarterly and yearly tomake sure they are just ashappy a year from now asthey were on the closingdate. He is always truthfuland honest, and has arock-solid commitment tomaking sure that at theend of the day his clientsare completely satisfied.He genuinely cares aboutthe people he works withand loves the fact that heis helping their dreamscome true.

Carmen believes thatwhen finding potentialclients it is about quality,not quantity. He advo-cates the importance offinding an agent who isthe “right fit” for you andyour desired goals. Eachcase is different, and re-gardless of whether youare a client of his or not, Carmenwants to make sure you are repre-sented properly by an agent who willhelp you achieve exactly what you are

looking for; which is why, before sign-ing with someone new, Carmen likesto establish a relationship to determineif he is the right agent to represent

Real Estate Agent Carmen Dorso – When Expertise Matters!

Keller Williams agent Carmen Dorso has a rock-solid commitment to his clients.

Carrollwood Area Neighborhood News For Ad Info Call (813) 928-6124 or Visit NeighborhoodNewsFL.com OCTOBER 2013 11

you. By focusing on a select numberof clients, he is able to devote himselffully to the ones he does have, allow-ing him to give them the quality timethey deserve.

As a Keller Williams agent, Car-men has access to a huge support sys-tem, as well as the most advancedtraining and up-to-date statistics aboutthe market, which serves as a huge ad-vantage when helping clients. He isvery adamant about staying current onthe latest market trends and takes con-tinuing education courses and attendsfrequent meetings throughout theyear to ensure he is at the top of hisgame. Educating his clients and keep-ing them well informed about what is

going on is also a top priority for Car-men. He says, “I am constantly edu-cating my clients, it’s a natural trade ofmine.”

Carmen’s passion for real estatestems from his desire to beautifyhomes, and what really separates himfrom other realtors is his attention todetail and inherent ability to look athomes from a positive, yet critical eye;allowing him to see what minor addi-tions and improvements will reallyhelp your home sell faster and formore money. “A lot of people just seethe basics with a home, but I go onbeyond the basic things to see what isreally needed in a home,” says Car-men. “I am in tune with the aesthetics

of a home and what it should look likeand how it should be presented topeople.”

Carmen is very family-oriented,and when he is not working hard forhis clients, he is spending time with hisgirlfriend and her three children. To-gether, they enjoy seeking out newrestaurants in the area, particularly lo-cally-owned “mom and pop” restau-rants where Carmen says he “gets somuch more enjoyment when he hasthe ability to be in his own neighbor-hood and find a family-owned restau-rant off the beaten path.” Carmen isalso an avid exerciser, whether it berunning, biking, swimming, or weighttraining. “I am more of a free spirited

individual who likes to enjoy life,”adds Carmen.

Before becoming a real estateagent, Carmen worked in the golfservice industry. An avid golfer whohas played golf his entire life, Carmenhas played nearly every golf course inthe Tampa Bay Area and beyond. Car-men is very knowledgeable in all as-pects of residential real estate, with aspecialized focus in Tampa Bay golfreal estate, property, homes, and con-dominiums in Tampa and the sur-rounding areas. He says, “As a lifelonggolfer, I can assist in finding that per-fect golf development for you andyour family. Throughout the TampaBay area many wonderful golf coursecommunities exist that can be enjoyed,and with my knowledge of the gameof golf I'm positive that I can find theright golf-based community for you. Ifyou're looking for the highest level ofservice, integrity, and commitment,then you've found the right realtor.”

To contact Carmen Dorsoplease call his cell at (813) 317-7162, his office at (813) 994-4422or email him at [email protected]. For more informationplease visit his website at www.Car-menDorso.com.


Mark Your Calendars, Everyone – On October 19th, theFHPC Bazaar Is Going to Truly Amaze!

By Pam Sica

If you have never been, you reallyneed to check out one of our commu-nity’s renowned annual events. EachOctober, the Presbyterian Women ofthe Forest Hills Presbyterian Churchsponsors their Holiday Bazaar featuringan extravagant array of hand-madecrafts (needlework, papier-mâché,gourd art, ornaments, wreaths andmore), baked goods, garden items,unique treasures nestled in their An-tique Attic, books and puzzles, as wellas enticing breakfast and lunch aromaswafting from their kitchen. Artfully dis-played in their magically transformedfellowship hall on the northeast FHPCcampus, located at 709 W. LinebaughAve. in Tampa, this year’s HolidayBazaar will be held on October 19from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The elves are busy at work ninemonths out of the year preparing forthis spectacular six hours of shoppingdelight and their wares will most cer-tainly appeal to one and all. Theyswoop up some amazing finds from

donations (thanks to mem-bers and friends), andgarage and estate sales, andoften ferret out the mostinnovative things to repur-pose and recreate intobeautiful and unique itemsthat are ready for gift-giv-ing or even assimilatinginto your own home décor.This year, for instance,whimsically fashioned petbeds are being offered forthe first time. Imagine this– the crafters started outwith cast away, mismatchedend tables and with just afew tools, a spot of creativ-ity and some elbow grease,as well as a little paintingand a bit of sewing, they magicallytransformed them into luxurious sta-tions for your special pets.

If you are a fan of Pinterest, youwill love this bazaar! Inspiration formany of the crafts this year were drawnfrom ideas featured there. From burlapdoor hangers to button art, the pages

of Pinterest have been vividly broughtto life right here in your community.Other items the elves have been work-ing tirelessly to create will dazzle you,including Yoyo Christmas trees, stand-ing Santa gourds, a jolly old St. Nickgourd, crazy crocheted dolls, scary cats,repurposed lanterns, mosaic pumpkins,

garden angels, Halloween cinderblockart, framed animal collage art, ginger-bread ornaments and so much more!The elves have been especially produc-tive this year, no doubt.

So, do you have a particular needfor a beautifully painted HalloweenChair where you can put out your fa-vorite candy basket for those hungry

The FHPC Bazaar will feature an expansive arrayof beautiful and unique itens that are ready for gift

giving, or even assimilating into your own home.


Trick or Treaters? You will also enjoychecking out the fanciful chairs thathave been artfully decorated with win-ter and Christmas holiday décor. Theyare truly sensational! Burlap is big thisyear, so the elves jumped in feet firstand started creating wreaths, pump-kins, footballs, witches’ hats, cute but-ton ornaments and more. For a specialsomeone, there is even a re-workedcobbler’s bench (the elves are a bit sadto see that go, for sure)! As you mightwell imagine, there is so more than Icould possibly tell you about in just thisarticle – I suspect you’ll just need tocome and enjoy this holiday bazaar ex-

travaganza for yourself.I did manage to catch up with this

year’s Bazaar Chairwoman Sheri Webband she could not have expressed itmore succinctly. She says, “The Bazaaris a labor of love for the Forest Hillsfamily, with the proceeds going towardlocal and global missions. The manypeople who come back to the FHPCBazaar year after year, as well as thosewho have found us for the first time, aretruly amazed by all that we have for sale.It’s heartwarming to see friends whoshop a little, enjoy breakfast, shop a littlemore, and then stay for lunch beforegoing home with their treasures!”

The church is fortunate to havenew leadership this fall. Pastor ClaudiaSanow Henderson is rolling up hersleeves and using her many gifts to re-energize her new congregation. Con-sider this poignant remark she candidlymade; “Life is always better when weacknowledge that God is part of it.We’re all in it together. You don’t haveto be rich or have a special talent, be-cause together, God turns us intoworks of art, full of possibilities.” Well,I’d say that pretty much sums up whatthe FHPC Bazaar is all about; it is acelebration of how folks can work to-gether to benefit both themselves and

their neighbors. Do consider comingby (it’s best to come early so you don’tmiss any of the magic) and enjoy a funtime while getting a huge head start onyour holiday shopping. It’s affordable,magical, and a one-of –a kind localevent that you just don’t want to miss!

The Forest Hills PresbyterianChurch is located at 709 W.Linebaugh Ave in Tampa (just a blockwest of Florida Ave). There are twoparking lots (on the east and westsides of the church). For more infoplease visit fhpctampa.com. Remem-ber, at the stroke of 8:00 a.m., themagic begins. Hope to see you there!

If you are a fan of Pintrist, you are going to love this Bazaar! So many wonderful crafts and DIY creations have vividlybeen brought to life right here in your community!


Hello, beautiful Tampanians. Myname is Nicole Sampson and I have aconfession to make: I am helplessly ad-dicted to healthy food. Which, coinci-dentally, is what led me to become theHealthy Eating Specialist at the WholeFoods Market Carrollwood.

So, what is a “Healthy EatingSpecialist” you ask? Well, it encom-passes a lot of things, but the bottomline is this: I am here to help you learnhow to eat well, at a reasonable priceand help promote a healthy lifestylefor you, your family and our entirecommunity.

Whether it’s giving you a personalone-on-one guided tour of our storeto help you navigate for a certain di-etary restriction (like gluten free,vegan and many others), to come toyour children’s school and help edu-cate both students and teachers alikeabout the benefit and ease of eatingnutritionally sound diets or just to beavailable to answer questions via emailor phone — you will be able to rely onme, as well as Whole Foods MarketCarrollwood, to provide you up todate information about a wide rangeof subjects.

In addition, I also offer quick andeasy cooking classes to get you excitedabout being in the kitchen. These freecourses teach you about how to incor-porate our Four Pillars of Health Eat-ing and how to cut out some ofprocessed foods that have snuck intoyour diets By incorporating the fol-lowing Four Pillars you can be surethat your family is being well takencare of and will continue to benefitover many years of delicious foods.

1. Whole foods: A "whole food"is any food in its most essential, pure,delicious and basic form: an asparagusspear or a fillet of salmon.

2. Plant strong: No matter whattype of diet you follow — includingthose that incorporate meat— beginto reconfigure your plate so that themajority of your meal is made fromplant-based foods.

3. Healthy fats: Get your healthyfats by eating whole plant-based foodslike nuts, seeds and avocados. Work tominimize the amounts of extractedoils and processed fats you cook with.

4. Nutrient dense: Reconfigureyour plate to be mostly whole plantfoods, all of which are rich in nutri-

ents. Choose a rainbow of foods toharness as many nutrients as possible.

Stop by the Healthy Eating Sta-tion at Whole Foods Market Carroll-wood to taste one of my recipes, seekadvice for adding more whole grainsand vegetables into your diet or tosign up for a free personal shoppingtour. Stay healthy, friends!

Here is a simple fall recipe to tan-talize your taste buds that uses all ourFour Pillars of Health Eating:

Pumpkin Pecan CookiesMakes about 30 cookies

2 cups pecans, toasted1/2 cup rolled oats1 cup whole wheat pastry flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon sea salt1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground cloves3/4 cup pureed pumpkin1 tablespoon orange zest3/4 cup freshly squeezed OJ2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup chopped, pitted dates

Preheat oven to 375. Put pecansand oats into a food processor andpulse until a fine meal forms. Addflour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon andcloves and pulse to combine. Transferto a large mixing bowl. Add remainingingredients to the food processor.Blend until smooth puree forms.Form a well in the center of the dryingredients and pour in pumpkin mix-ture, slowly folding it in with a spatula.Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of bat-ter onto 2 parchment lined bakingsheets, spacing them about 1 1/2inches. Flatten slightly and bake for 20minutes, until just browned. Coolbriefly and store in an airtight con-tainer.

Whole Foods MarketCarrollwood Provides FreeHealthy Eating Resources


When You Shop Bill Currie Ford, You're Family!By Matthew Selby

When deciding where to purchaseyour car or truck, it is important tochoose a dealer that has history, in-tegrity, and a commitment to theircustomers; one that goes above-and-beyond the initial purchase to ensureultimate customer satisfaction. BillCurrie Ford, a dealership dedicated totheir customers, has all these qualitiesand more, and takes pride in creatinglong-lasting relationships with theircustomers. Too often, the relationshipbetween a dealership and a customerunfairly ends after the purchase ismade – this is never the case at BillCurrie Ford. It’s Bill Currie Ford’slong-term commitment to their cus-tomers that makes them unique, offer-ing perks that last the lifetime of theirvehicle – from friendly service, to freecar washes and expert maintenance.This makes a difference. Maybe, that iswhy so many of our families trust theirfamily when it’s time for a new car ortruck.

Located at 5815 N Dale Mabry

Hwy. in Tampa, Bill Currie Ford hasbeen a staple in the community forover 50 years, earning them the hon-orable title of “Tampa’s First Family ofFord”. Family owned and operated bythree generations of Curries since BillCurrie Jr. and his family celebrated thegrand opening of Bill Currie Ford in1960, for over five decades Bill CurrieFord has maintained one of the largestselections of quality, new and pre-owned vehicles in the state of Florida.

In 1978 Bill Currie Ford was rec-ognized as the top Ford Truck retailerin the United States, and when BillCurrie III came along in 1980 thedealership became actively involved inthe Tampa community; this helped laydown the dealership’s foundation foryears to come in this wonderful city.Bill Currie Ford truly understandshow important their community is.Taking this to heart, Bill Currie IIIcame up with their slogan, "If wedon't take care of our customers,someone else will", which reflects theirunwavering commitment to the happi-ness of their customers. The same

holds true no matter which depart-ment you are dealing with; adopting astrict standard of quality that has neverbeen compromised, even to this day,all departments at Bill Currie Ford doeverything possible to ensure 100%satisfaction 100% of the time.

Following in the footsteps of her

grandfather and father, Jennifer CurrieBellomo, who has been running BillCurrie Ford for the past 10 years,proudly runs her family’s legacy. Jen-nifer, like many local business ownersin our area, takes great pride in hercommunity and has lived in Carroll-wood for over 30 years. She gets her

The friendly staff at Bill Currie Ford is dedicated to the happiness of theircustomers, and will go above and beyond to make sure your car-buying expe-

rience is truly unforgettable!


dealership involved with as many localcharities as possible to further help thehealth of our Tampa community. Forover 20 years Bill Currie Ford has helda women's only fishing tournament tohelp raise money for All Children'sHospital; and the results have beentremendous! Last year, over 170young fisherwomen competed in thetournament; raising thousands of dol-lars for All children's Hospital!

The Bill Currie DifferenceBill Currie Ford cares; the owners

and staff don't just work here, theylive here. Treating customers like fam-ily isn't just a saying for their dealer-ship, it's everything. Jennifer Curriesays, "We care about each customerand their experience. We want theirexperience with us to be the best onethey have ever had buying a car ortruck and we will do anything it takesto make that happen. We take thingspersonal; if something isn't done rightand if someone is not happy with us itis our name that is on the line. Thisisn't just a business, it's our family, and

treating our customers like one ofour own is a top priority."

Unlike many dealerships whereyou may never meet the owner,chances are, if you come to Bill CurrieFord you will! On your next visit, justask for Jennifer and if she is here shewill make sure to personally comemeet with you.

Price is always a concern whenbuying a new vehicle, and you can restassured that the price you get fromthem will be the lowest in the area andyou'll walk away feeling good aboutyour decision with a smile on yourface. The family plan is another greatperk you get when you choose thisdealership. A $2,500 perk to be moreaccurate. The family plan includesgreat bonuses that include free oilchanges for 2 years, a free car washwith every service, complimentaryloaner cars if needed, a friends andfamily referral program, $1,000 tradeassistance, and much more!

October Means Truck MonthOctober means big discounts and

huge rebates during truck month atBill Currie Ford, and you can bet thatthe home of the Ford F-150 won't let

you down. This is it; this is the besttime to upgrade your old vehicle anddrive home in your dream Ford Truckfor the lowest price of the year. The F-150s are priced to sell, boasting pricesof less than $20,000; I have my eye onthe 2013 F-250 4X4 and know thefriendly folks at Bill Currie will takecare of me when I stop by this month.Nothing beats the experience you willget buying a truck in October like youwill at Bill Currie Ford.

With an unparalleled selectionand outstanding customer service,there really is no other Ford Dealerlike Bill Currie Ford. “Tampa’s FirstFamily of Ford” and “home of the F-150”, Bill Currie Ford will provideyou with a legendary experience! So,stop by today and put a new Ford inyour driveway!

Bill Currie Ford is located at5815 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa,and is open Mon. – Sat. 9 a.m. – 8p.m. and Sun. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Formore information please visitwww.BillCurrie.com. For Sales:(888) 255-1156, Service: (813)554-5360 and Parts: (800) 752-8203.

Bill Currie Ford has one of the largest selections of quality, new and pre-owned vehicles in the state of Florida.Owner Jennifer Currie takes pride in her

family’s legacy and treats her customers likeone of her own!


We’ve all had that substandardcup of coffee. You were up late or gotup too early, and you grabbed what-ever you could find and drank it justbecause it was dark and steaming.Whether you got it from a conven-ience store, fast food joint, or your of-fice’s machine, you choked it downbecause it woke you up. It doesn’thave to be that way.

Hattie’s Café & Beanery, quicklybecoming popular for their uniqueand appetizing food menu, also servesup first-class coffees and teas. Theirwell-known Nest Egg sandwich orscrumptious gluten-free quiches canpair wonderfully with a foamy latte, orindividually brewed pour-over coffeemade from socially conscious beans.

“Of course, we’re proud of howmuch the community is loving ourfood; I created this menu, and itmakes me feel proud to see how peo-ple react to what we’re serving,” saysowner Bruce Boore. “But people cansometimes be so distracted by thegreat food that they don’t notice theamazing things we’re doing with cof-fees and teas.”

Hattie’s sources their coffees from

socially and ecologically responsiblevendors, including Portland Roastingand Thrive Farmers. Portland Roast-ing has dedicated their company tocreating a zero, or negative-carbon,footprint. They have dug wells andbuilt schools in impoverished areasthat grow their coffees. Thrive Farm-ers is based in several Central Ameri-can countries and is working toexpand. Their program allows vendorsto buy directly from the growers, in-creasing the small farmers’ incomes byup to ten times what they would oth-erwise make.

However, the family-run cafégoes far beyond conscientious sourc-ing to make their drinks great. Theircrew of trained baristas turns out per-fectly foamed lattes and cappuccinosmade with a delicious espresso, as wellas iced coffees and a frappe they’vedubbed the “Coffee Crush”.

“We have trouble keepingenough iced coffee on hand,” saysJonathan Boore, Bruce’s son. “Wemake a concentrated coffee that’scold-brewed, using no hot water. Thiskeeps out a lot of the acid and charthat can make coffee sour or bitter.

Our iced drinks are smoother thanyou’ll find anywhere I’ve been.”

Jonathan explains that roastingincredible coffee is as much an art as ascientific process. “We also roast ourown beans on-site,” he says, smiling.“That’s where I get to have my fun.Running the café is a really rewarding

job, and I love our menu. But, when Iget to roast the green beans into cof-fee for my customers to enjoy, that’smy favorite part. I really get into thezone then.” Each variety of coffeebean from around the world can beroasted in many subtle, different waysto bring out the bean’s best character-

Experience Truly Amazing Coffee at Hattie’s Café & Beanery!

Hattie’s Cafe sources their coffee beans from socially and economically respon-sible vendors, including Portland Roasting and Thrive Farmers.

fee, you’re missing out.”Of course, excellent coffee

comes at a price. On Mondaysthrough Wednesdays, that price iscurrently a whopping 69 cents for a12-ounce cup.

“Look,” Bruce says, “just be-cause it’s high quality doesn’t meanwe have to hurt people’s wallets. Wewant people to leave here happy.

Happy and caffeinated.”

Hattie’s Café & Beanery is lo-cated at 17695 N. Dale MabryHwy. in Lutz They are open Mon. –Thurs. 6:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Fri. andSat. 6:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sun. 7a.m. – 2 p.m. For more informationplease call (813) 898-2777 or visitwww.HattiesBeanery.com.


istics. Some coffees may have fruitytartness, or spice flavors, while others acocoa smoothness, or dark and earthynote. Some coffees stand up well tohigher temperatures, creating a darker,more ‘roasty’ flavor.

Jonathan says, “I have two goalsin roasting; I want to highlight theflavor that already exists in the beanand I also want to provide the taste

and level of roast that my customersare asking for. I love talking to ourguests about what they love aboutcoffee, and to show them the roast-ing process. People are always sur-prised to learn how much goes intoeach roast. It’s more than just aprocess of heating the coffee beans.And the end result? Oh my gosh; Ifyou’ve never had fresh-roasted cof-

Jonathan Boore (L) has two goals when roasting coffee - highlighting the flavor that already exists in the bean and providing the taste and level of roast thathis customers are asking for. Roasting their own beans in house, Hattie’s offers customers a delicious array of unique coffees and teas.


By Dara Tucker

Saturday, October 19, at the Caril-lon Parkway/Catalina Marketing Fieldthe 4th annual Tampa Bay Walks forTalk to benefit children with ChildhoodApraxia of Speech will be held. Theevent is a family-fun filled day includinga walk, lunch, and games for kids. On-site registration and check-in begins at10 a.m., and the walk begins promptlyat 11:15 a.m. There is a family meetand greet after the walk at 2 p.m.

Proceeds from the walk will benefitCASANA’s (The Childhood Apraxia ofSpeech Association of North America)apraxia programs and research.CASANA is a source of inspiration andinstrumental in helping many familiesand professionals gain the knowledge inapraxia needed to move children withChildhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) todevelop meaningful speech. For many

families it is the first place they look tofor support after their child is diagnosed.

According to CASANA ChildhoodApraxia of Speech is a motor speech dis-order that first becomes apparent as ayoung child is learning speech. For rea-sons not yet fully understood, childrenwith apraxia of speech have great diffi-culty planning and producing the pre-cise, highly refined and specific series ofmovements of the tongue, lips, jaw andpalate that are necessary for intelligiblespeech. Apraxia of speech is sometimesknown as verbal apraxia, developmentalapraxia of speech, or verbal dyspraxia.The most important concept is the rootword “praxis.” Praxis means plannedmovement. To some degree or another,a child with the diagnosis of apraxia ofspeech has difficulty programming andplanning speech movements. Apraxia ofspeech is a specific speech disorder. Thisdifficulty in planning speech movementsis the missing key of childhood apraxiaof speech. The challenge and difficultythat children with apraxia have in creat-ing speech can be confusing to parents,especially when they observe the skill of

learning to speak developing, seeminglywithout effort, in other children.

Brenae Solis, the walk coordinatorfor Tampa Bay, turned to CASANAwhen her daughter Emily was diag-nosed with apraxia at 22 months old.Brenae explains, “There was nowhereto go to in Florida for support at thetime. CASANA is the national apraxianot-for-profit organization that is runout of Pittsburg. They helped me cre-ate a walk and support group here inFlorida. The proceeds of our Tampawalk go to CASANA.”

CASANA’s mission is tostrengthen the support systems in thelives of children with apraxia so thateach child is afforded their best oppor-tunity to develop to their full potential.CASANA is a 501(c)3 public charityand is the only national nonprofit or-ganization dedicated exclusively to theneeds of children with apraxia ofspeech. With the help of fundraiserslike the 4th annual Tampa Bay Walksfor Talk, CASANA is able to providemultimedia information on CAS tofamilies, professionals, policy-makers

and other members of the public, pro-vide network and partnership opportu-nities for parents and professionals tobenefit children with CAS, facilitatebetter public policy and services forchildren affected by the disorder, createtraining and educational opportunitiesfor families and professionals, and sup-port apraxia research, especially researchwhich identifies effective treatment and

Every Child Deserves a Voice Walk for Children with Apraxia of Speech


therapy for children with apraxia. In addition to raising funds for apraxia,the walk is a great way for families toconnect, raise awareness of the disorder,and celebrate children with apraxia.The day will include food, fun, crafts,games, entertainment and music for thekids. If you register a child with apraxiaof speech make sure you contact JustinLeWinter at [email protected] byOctober 9 with the child’s first and lastname, child’s age, and your Walk nametoo. There is a special gift to present toeach child on the day of the Walk in cel-ebration of the children everyone willbe there to support. Also be sure toregister for the walk by Sunday, Sep-

tember 22 to receive an official ApraxiaWalk t-shirt in your size.Jen Alfieri has a team walking for herson. Jen had never heard of apraxia be-fore her third child, Caleb, was diag-nosed at 33 months. Jen explains, “Iknew something was wrong when hestill wasn’t talking at two-and-a-half. Iwent to our pediatrician first, and thenwe went to Early Steps several times be-fore we went to FDLRS (Florida Diag-nostic and Learning Resource System).It was very frustrating because we weretold so many different things before wegot his diagnosis. He now receives sup-port through the TALK Program in theschool system and private therapy. He’smaking great gains with the combina-tion of the two. The other day hestrung three words together. Everychild is different. For most childrenspeech works itself out, but Caleb wasone of 1,000 that it didn’t. I encour-age moms to trust your instinct if youthink something in wrong. Early inter-vention is critical.”

Join a great cause, Saturday, Oc-tober 19, and have a fun day at Car-illon Parkway/Catalina MarketingField, 120 Carillon Parkway, in St.Petersburg. Adult walkers are $20,and children under 18 are $10. Formore information about the walk, orto donate to the walk, visitwww.apraxia-kids.org.

Caleb and his siblings, Hannah,Nina and Jonah will be walking on

October 19 to raise awareness forapraxia.


with the enlightened spinach salad; amixture of fresh spinach, dried cher-ries, apples, homemade candiedpecans and feta cheese. I alternateddipping my salad into the balsamicvinaigrette and their signature, creamydressing, called Esperanza. Now, themenu describes the dressing as “a fla-vor you’ll never forget,” but I person-ally thought that Stefan calling it“crack sauce” as he handed it to mewas slightly more accurate. It was ad-dicting.

For an appetizer, the Bruschettatastes as beautiful as it looks, withfresh tomato, basil and feta drizzledover toast.

If you are looking for somethinglighter, order the Creole ShrimpPo’Boy. The breaded shrimp wastucked into a toasted hoagie roll. Itwas not overbearingly spicy, yet stilloffered enough flavor to keep youwanting more.

Now, as to be expected in a placewith such positive energy, there is onlygood karma at the Mellow Mush-room. Order the Kosmic Karma for adelicious red sauce pizza topped withsun dried and Roma tomatoes, as wellas mozzarella and feta cheese, sea-soned with a hint of pesto. One of themore popular pizza items, it is a signa-ture pie at Mellow Mushroom.

customers hanging out on a frequentbasis.

“We attract a cooler clientele,”says Stefan, as he poured a glass ofsangria for Meg, a customer seated atthe bar. “Every woman that comes inhere will swear by that,” he says, as hegestures towards the freshly deliciouswhite wine and citrus fruit sangriamade in-house.

Meg shared how she lives in St.Petersburg, but her daughter playssoccer in Westchase. She laughed asshe confessed that she and her hus-band actually argue over who gets totake their daughter to practice, andwho is staying home with the rest ofthe kids. “Whoever gets to take her topractice gets Mellow Mushroom thatnight for dinner,” says Meg.

Meg and her husband are origi-nally from Atlanta, so Mellow Mush-room is nostalgic for them. Meg saysthat the flavor and atmosphere has notchanged over the years, and she lovesto come back because it has, “goodvibes, good food, and good service.”She smiles as she shakes her head, lostin her own memories. One thing was

obvious – that her experience at Mel-low Mushroom was about more thanjust the pizza.

Looking over the menu, therestaurant does offer more than justpizza, even for those who do not re-member the ‘70s. Their versatile listhas something for everyone – whetheryou love pizza, salad, hoagies,munchies, or just stopped by for thealcohol. Family friendly, MellowMushroom also has a kid’s menucomplete with many tasty options.

Along with their tangy, delicioussangria and close to 200 differentbeers, the restaurant also provides afull liquor bar. For customers unsureof which beer to select, they also letyou sample them. They have a combi-nation of microbrews and almost 30beers on tap, some seasonal.

Arriving at dinnertime, the staffwas quick to greet me, seat me andfeed me. They immediately were ableto describe a multitude of their localbeers, letting me review the extensivemenu. True to his word, Stefanpoured me a glass of the fresh sangriaand brought me a salad while I waitedon the main course.

There is as much flavor in theirfood as there is color on the walls ofthis chill dinner choice. I started out

“Mellow”Continued from page 1


For meat lovers, they have theMighty Meaty, which also has redsauce and mozzarella, but is toppedwith bacon, ham, ground beef, pep-peroni and sausage.

The menu also has many vegetar-ian options that can easily be transi-tioned to a vegan order, and includesthe option to have gluten-free crust.

Since 2005, Mellow Mushroomhas created a place in Tampa for nos-talgia, local beer tasting, weekly spe-cials and live music. There are alsocarry-out and gift cards available. Al-though it is a nation-wide franchise,

locals can visit the Mellow TampaFacebook page to find out what isgoing on at their local eatery.

Just off the beaten path, butwell worth the drive, MellowMushroom Tampa is located at11955 Sheldon Road. Hours areMon. – Thur. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.;Fri. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Sun.11 a.m. – 10 p.m. For more info.and a list of upcoming events pleasecall (813) 926-3600, visitwww.MellowMushroom.com, ortheir Facebook page by searchingMellow Mushroom Tampa.


not been agreed upon. The popularalthough controversial approach to“fixing” it, however, is to use modernmedicine. There is another option.

Brain Balance Achievement Cen-ters offer a medicine-free, education-based Brain Balance Program thatcomprehensively helps each childreach their fullest academic, social, andphysical potential.

The Brain Balance Center ofOldsmar, located at 4022 TampaRoad, is one of more than 50 BrainBalance Centers in the nation. Steadilygrowing because of their proven suc-cess with children diagnosed with is-sues like these, parents and families areembracing the individualized pro-grams available for their entire family.Using personalized and comprehen-sive assessment tools, the educatedand certified teachers, nutritionists,coaches and professionals at Brain Bal-ance assess your child’s difficulties, andthen work with your child, your entirefamily and even his or her teachers tofacilitate growth.

Brain Balance Center of Oldsmaris owned by Director Larry Polnicky,whose own son, Ben, made incredible

advances in the program that they at-tended out of state. Larry was so im-pressed with the program that heopened the Oldsmar location so thatother children like Ben would be ableto make progress without medication.

How? The Brain Balance pro-gram believes that your brain canchange. That’s a bold statement, butwhen your child begins to speak, afterbeing told that they would not be ableto do so, or when your child’s gradesimprove dramatically despite beingtold that they wouldn’t be able to suc-ceed, the reality kicks in. There is an-other option, indeed, and thousandsof children’s lives have been improvedbased on this program.

Program Director, Heather Las-cano, takes the time to find out whatthe world looks like from your child’sperspective. She comes to Brain Bal-ance of Oldsmar after years in pharma-ceutical drug development as well asyears of patent, business, and contractlaw, and has used tools like yoga in herown small business to aid many peoplewith a variety of ailments. Her experi-ence, her “out of the box” approachand her dedication to truly helpingpeople make Heather a unique fit.

Is your Child Disconnected?This “brain-based, not drug-

“Brain Balance”Continued from page 1

based” program is based on Dr. RobertJ. Melillo’s research on neurobehavioraldisorders. Dr. Melillo, who is a world-renowned neurologist, professor andauthor, believes that all of these condi-tions, which were previously thoughtto be unrelated, are in fact related, and

can be grouped into what is calledFunctional Disconnection Syndrome.Brain Balance is not a medical facility,and so it does not employ doctors,write prescriptions for medications, oraccept insurance. What it does do isoffer hope, options, proven techniques

(top row, L-R) Heather Lascano (Program Director), Andrea Bartelloni(Academic Evaluator and School Liaison), Henri Lasane (Sensory Motor

Evaluator), Bonita van Dorseer (Teacher and Parent Group Leader)(bottom row, L-R) Anne Sweeny (Teacher), Maria Mogollon (Assistant

Director), Patricia Hoover (Sensory Motor Coach) Not pictured Susan Rose (Sensory Motor Coach)


and a personalized approach.In his book, Disconnected Kids, he

explains how these conditions all finda commonality in the way that thebrain works, and while if you were totake a child with any of these condi-tions and give them an MRI Scan, orany other number of medical tests,there would be nothing to find. Thebrain is not damaged. These issues areall connection issues, and research hasproven that the left hemisphere of thebrain and the right hemisphere of thebrain have distinct responsibilities,abilities and functions. Most of us caneasily be labeled “left-brained” or“right-brained” but research hasfound that when one-half of the brainhas a deficiency, it leads to these con-nectivity issues, which can result in a“disconnect” between a child andtheir ability to learn, communicate andsucceed. The goal is to challenge thehemisphere of the brain that is show-ing a deficiency and to stimulate it sothat it will learn to function.

One parent said, “We drive 2-1/2hours one way and our son is worthevery minute and mile spent on theroad. Just 20 sessions and my son’sreading fluency and word reading hasmarkedly improved. We are so proudof him! He loves coming to Brain Bal-ance. His confidence has improved

greatly too. Thank you to such anawesome team of professionals whounderstand and care about childrenwith learning challenges. It’s also asoft place to land as a parent.”

Another parent writes, “”I am soproud of Jalon. I’m also so thankful toBrain Balance for all that they havedone and are continuing to do forhim. I have been telling everyoneabout Brain Balance and I will keep try-ing to spread the word because I be-lieve in this program. Unlike any othertherapy, Brain Balance treats the wholechild. They were the first to run bloodtests and do other extensive testing totest every level from Jalon’s primitivereflexes to food sensitivities and identifythe weaker hemisphere of Jalon’s brain.Once they received these results theywere able to come up with a programthat addresses his sensory, academicand dietary needs. The result is that injust a couple months Jalon has madeamazing strides and is now meeting orsurpassing his peers in many areas.”

The Brain Balance program is tai-lor-made for each individual child andgenerally works with children fromkindergarten age to ninth grade. Eachprogram generally consists of one ortwo 12-week after-school programs,where each child participates in arange of activities that help them to

improve the connections betweenboth hemispheres of their brains.

One of the best parts of the BrainBalance Program is that the educatedand experienced staff realizes thatwhen a child is effected, the entirefamily is effected, and as a team, theygather around to give the child thesupport that he or she needs fromevery angle. The program itself givesthe child a physical and cognitive ac-tivity program that will, in time,change the way the brain reacts. Com-bined with the right nutrition, andarmed with the role that nutritionplays in your child’s behavior, certainbehaviors can be changed right away.While we’re all comfortable with tradi-tional allergies, there are foods thatmay affect the way your child learns,or reacts. It may be strawberries thatare the trigger, or the ingredient thatholds their favorite candy together,but with an understanding of all ofthese things, progress can be made.

Focusing on areas such as aca-demic performance, social abilities,cognitive function, sensory and motorskills, visual-spatial organizational skillsand nutrition, your child will be givenevery opportunity to make advancesthat you might not have thought pos-sible.

Polnicky says, “In a study where60 of the students had ADHD, 82%of those students were shown to nolonger exhibit any signs of ADHDafter one 12-week program.” He adds,“Two-thirds of the students improvedby two grade levels, and one-third ofthe students actually improved by fourgrade levels; 100% had some improve-ment, and 0% had no improvement, soeven if I didn’t know from personalexperience that this program worked,we have the research to back us up.”

One parent wrote a testimonialsaying, “Brain Balance truly made ourhome more peaceful. He is a com-pletely different child than when hestarted the program. What you offerto kids and their families is priceless!”

Is this Program for your Child?The Brain Balance Mission State-

ment is “to make the Brain BalanceProgram available to as many childrenas possible, that each child may reachtheir greatest physical, mental, socialand academic potential.”

If your child has been diagnosedwith a neurobehavioral disorder likeADHD, Dyslexia, Autism or Asperger’sSyndrome, Tourette’s, or any number oflearning disorders, don’t lose hope. Thereare answers beyond the drug store.

The best way to find out moreabout Brain Balance is to come to oneof their free information events. TheBrain Balance Center of Oldsmarholds parent lectures where parentsand professionals alike can gain aunique window into a child’s brainfunction. Their lectures offer insightinto how the brain normally developsand what may interfere with the stagesof typical development.

Parents can also come in for a freetour, sit down one-on-one with theCenter Director and see for them-selves what all of the buzz is about.

The truth is that people comefrom all around the world, and crossstate lines to come to Brain BalanceCenters. Their innovative, holistic ap-proach to children and families haschanged the lives of thousands of peo-ple. We are lucky to have a Brain Bal-ance Center right here in Oldsmar.

The next free informationalevent will be held on Saturday, Oct.12 at 10 a.m and will feature:Ending the Struggle: Understandingthe Brain Balance approach to im-proving academics, behavior and so-cial skills without medication. PleaseRSVP as seating is limited.

The Brain Balance AchievementCenter of Oldsmar is located at 4022Tampa Rd., Suite 6. For more infor-mation or to schedule a tour, pleasecall 813-475-6977. You can emailthem directly at [email protected], or visit them atbrainbalancecenters.com.


Bill Currie Ford, a longtime localFord dealership, participated in a bigway in Ford’s Great American Tailgateevent for the Tampa area on Saturday,September 7. The Bill Currie team,with community generosity, set a goalto fill a Ford F-150 and a vintageMustang convertible, graciously pro-vided by the Mustang Club of Tampa,with emergency items to help strug-gling families – they succeeded, col-lecting 2200 pounds of food. Inaddition to a food drive in support ofMetropolitan Ministries, Bill CurrieFord accepted donations, with a focuson much needed items, such as

canned goods, peanut butter, boxedcereal, diapers and toddler Pull-Ups.

Bill Currie Ford, in conjunctionwith Ford Motor Co., also sponsoredDrive 4 UR Community, Ford’s initia-tive to raise money for local nonprofitsthrough their dealerships. For everytest drive taken that day, Ford donated$20 to Metropolitan Ministries. At theend of the day, Bill Currie Ford had130 test drives, raising $2600!

The Great American Tailgateevent featured a variety of family-friendly activities, including bouncyhouses for the kids, a football toss, anda dunk tank, as well as a raffle for a 60-

inch flat screen TVas the grand prize.

Tim Joslin,General Managerat Bill CurrieFord, says, “Wehave served theTampa Bay com-munity and thesurrounding areafor 53 years andfeel that it is im-portant that wesupport the com-munity that hassupported us forso long. The cur-rent economicconditions requireall of us to exam-ine our commit-ment to oneanother and toreach out and helpwhere and whenwe can. To be ableto sponsor a food

drive in support of Metropoli-tan Ministries’ “Biggest FoodDrive Ever” Campaign is a sig-nificant way for Bill CurrieFord to show that we do careand that we are here to helpthose that have come uponhard times in Tampa.”

Bill Currie Ford has servedthe Tampa Bay area for morethan 50 years, earning them themoniker of “Tampa’s FirstFamily of Ford.” They haveone of the largest selections ofquality, new and pre-owned ve-hicles in the state of Florida. Inaddition to selling vehicles, theyare also are an active member ofthe community.

Bill Currie Ford is lo-cated at 5815 North DaleMabry Hwy. in Tampa. Formore information, contactChristy Vannette, Commu-nity Relations Manager, at(813) 872-5555 or email [email protected].

Bill Currie Ford Teams Up To Host Ford’s Great AmericanTailgate In Support Of Metropolitan Ministries

A dunk tank (above) and bouncy house(bottom) were two of the many fun

activites featured at the event.

Bill Currie Ford, with help from the community, man-aged to collect over 2200 pounds of food - wow!

carrollwood - vol. 1, issue 7, october 2013

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