new tampa - vol. 1, issue 03, may 2015

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New Tampa Lifestyles VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3 3For Advertising Info 813-731-3209 • NewTampaLifestyles.com

From The Editor Matt Selby

From an Advertising PerspectiveIn truth, this editorial is directed

towards New Tampa area Businessowners and serves to prove whyreaching their target market of localcustomers with our magazine is soeffective. With that being said, if youdon’t own a local business and arestrictly a consumer, I still would likeyou to read this, so stay with me.

When you flip through ourpages month in and month out you’llsee the same simple concept- the no-tion of fueling a “shop local” mental-ity. Our readers know this about usand they understand we aren’t tryingto provide them with anything otherthan what we are, and that’s a qualitylocal publication that prides itself oncovering what’s going on in NewTampa and surrounding areas andthe intricate web of entrepreneurialinnovations our local business ownerspossess. If you read my first editorialI briefly touched on how impressed Iam and continue to be with the busi-ness owners in our community and

their story. Every single one of youhave a story to tell and most of youprobably have already come to theconclusion that if you could just telleveryone that special story of yours,you’d have a lot more customers;customers that understand not onlyyour business but also YOUR uniqueand inspiringly powerful journey.Our readers want to know what setsyour business apart from competitorsin the area. They want to know whythey should spend their hard earneddollars with you and not your com-petitor down the street. The pages ofthis magazine offer you a chance totell that story!

Here’s something we aren’t: wearen’t “that publication” that allowsadvertisers to pay to write their own“advertorial” all about how greatthey are and how everyone else isleft in the dust. We take the confi-dence our readers place in our wordsextremely serious so we have a verystraight forward way of doing

things. Yes, we do business featureson our advertisers, because they areloyal to us and spend good money toplace an ad within the pages of ourpublication.

But, it’s not to say we don’t pro-vide feature articles on non advertis-ers as well. For example, Ciccio Calireceived a great dining feature in ourvery first issue just because we lovetheir food and enjoy the experiencemy wife and I receive every time wevisit. We write these stories as a thankyou to the fantastic local businessesin our area. Speaking of that Ciccioarticle, I’d like to thank all the read-ers who went out to Ciccio Cali afterreading that dining write up we did.Ciccio Cali told us they got verybusy after all of you read it. I’m surethose pictures alone sold many ofyou on giving them a try!

Ad campaigns with us are sim-ple, effective and cheaper than any-thing comparable! If you findsomething comparable with ourquality and distribution we’ll beattheir price, and that’s a guarantee! Inmost cases we can even beat the priceof a media outlet with lesser qualityand circulation! Our readers know

we focus on the local businessesheavily so they use us as a resourcefultool to find goods, services, diningand entertainment.

Readers go through our maga-zines cover to cover, taking the timeto not only read over the articlesbut to also take a second and seewhat kind of deals our advertisersare running.

Building a business is all aboutbuilding credibility and developing arelationship with each customer. Wecreate your ad, help you with a mar-keting strategy and tell your story, allat no extra charge! My family hasbeen in this business here in the Bayarea since 1994. You can trust us togive you the very best exposure inyour market, bar none! If you’recontemplating advertising with us Ican personally guarantee nobody willwork harder for you than my team!

Call us today to schedulean advertising strategy ap-pointment. We reach everysingle home in New Tampa,every single month with ourmagazine. It’s time yourbusiness reaches them too!

New Tampa Lifestyles4 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3 For Advertising Info 813-731-3209 • NewTampaLifestyles.com


North Tampa Chamber of Commerce Meeting Calendar May 201505/12 Chamber Chatter Con-

nections “Coffee Connection”, 7:30 -9:00 am, hosted by Brookdale Carroll-wood. Meeting to be held at Brook-dale Carrollwood, 13550 S. VillageDr, Tampa, FL 33618. Open to theprofessional public – no cost to atten-dees. Continental Breakfast, Tours willbe available. RSVP to Kristie Rowe [email protected] or (813)908-5300

05/14 General Meeting,11:00am at Brunchies Breakfast,Brunch, Lunch & Catering, 14366 N.Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa 33618.Topic/Speaker: “HYPNOSIS, HYP-NOTHERAPY, INTEGRATIVEHEALTH – The same? Different?How can it help in business and every-day living?” Join us & Find out.” pre-sented by Dee Woolridge, CHt,,RM/T, Owner of Dee WoolridgeHypnotherapy & Integrative Health.Doors open at 11:00am with informalnetworking until 11:30am. Orderlunch from select menu; serving willbegin at 11:30am and program willbegin at 11:45am. For early bird regis-tration, RSVP to the Chamber officeby 5:00pm, Tues., 05/12 at the dis-

counted rate of $16 (whether you eator not). Reservations will be acceptedafter that date on the attendee check-in list for $21 payable online or at thedoor. For directions or general ques-tions call (813) 908-7023.

05/21 Chamber NetworkingLuncheon - Relationship BuildingWith Business Neighbors, 11:30am,Beef O’Brady’s, 8810 N. Himes(Himes & Busch), Tampa.33614Order from lunchtime or regularmenu and pay restaurant. Cost: startsat $4.99/pp based on selected item(does not include tax & gratuity).Minimum payment of $5.00 requiredif you do not order food, plus youmust pay for your drinks. RSVP byTues., 05/19 to Kelly at [email protected] or callHorizon Bay at Lutz (Brookdale Sen-ior Living) (813) 909-9679. For di-rections call (813) 936-2058.

05/26 Chamber Chatter Con-nections “After Hours Mixer”, 5:30 -7:00 pm, hosted by Rocky Creek Re-tirement Village. Meeting to be heldat Rocky Creek Retirement Village,8606 Boulder Ct, Tampa 33615.Open to the professional public – no

cost to attendees. Hors D’Oeuvres;Adult Beverages; Tours, FREE Net-working; Meet New People; Fun,Door prizes. RSVP to Joe at (813)928-3463 or [email protected].

05/28 Chamber NetworkingLuncheon - Relationship Buildingwith Business Neighbors, 11:30am, atIHOP (International House of Pan-cakes), 408 E Bearss Av, Tampa,33613. For directions call (813) 960-2679). Order from IHOP’s menu andpay restaurant. Senior Lunch menuwill be available to all attendees.Prices begin at $6.39 – cost based onitem selected (does not include tax &gratuity). In addition to breakfastitems, sandwiches, soups, salads, anddinners available. Minimum paymentof $5.00 required if you do not orderfood, plus you must pay for yourdrinks. RSVP by Tues., 05/26 toJenn Beaumont [email protected] or call her atAIG-American Insurance Group at(813) 334-8998. For additional ques-tions call (813) 985-1336.

Please RSVP if you plan to at-tend these chamber events. Formore information about the NorthTampa Chamber, visit www.north-

tampachamber.com, call (813) 961-2420, or send an email [email protected]

Heritage Harbor GolfTournament

06/12 The North Tampa Cham-ber of Commerce invites you for a dayof fun at their Golf Tournament atHeritage Harbor Golf & CountryClub, located at 19502 Heritage Har-bor Pkwy, Lutz, FL 33558.

Registration will open at 12:00pm, with a 1:00pm Shotgun Start, 4Person Scramble. Golfers are $75 perperson, and 4-somes are $275. Regis-tration includes a box lunch and anawards dinner following the tourna-ment, including some great prizes andgiveaways.

Sponsorships are available (formembers and non-members) begin-ning at $50.

For more information pleasecall Jeff Ryder at (813) 323-1879or email [email protected] & GolfChair Person – Jonny Kingsbor-ough – 813-602.2520 or [email protected] or visitNorthTampaChamber.com/golf-tournament.html.


Community CalendarNew Tampa AREA

Multicultural Festival atHeritage Elementary School

May 15th from 5:00-7:30pm –Heritage Elementary School will cele-brate culture by having a school-wideMulticultural Festival. During the fes-tival students and parents perform cul-tural songs and dances andprofessional performers such as JoseMaria Moreno and Esther Suarez-Moreno from the Artists-in-the-Schools will perform a Flamencodance and guitar presentation. Localbusinesses will also be participating bysharing their talent. These communitybusiness partners include: U.S. TaeKwon Do, Salsa Ventura, Tampa BayChinese School, New Tampa Pianoand Pedagogy Academy, and SrishtiDance Academy.

Families, students, and guests cantake a tour of any country as Alexan-der Turipe magically projects thecountry of their choice across a screen.Students proudly display a show-boardof facts highlighting a country theyhave chosen to research as a class. Theeducational value is immense andwithout-a-doubt this experience en-riches everyone’s global knowledge.

In addition, parents, teachers,family, and friends as well as localrestaurants will generously donatefood to the event. Some of the localrestaurants that are donating culturalfood are: New China King, Café Ole,Little Greek, Saffron Indian Cuisine,Tijuana Flats, and Publix. Indeed,there is a plethora of delicious food.

The fun events will continueoutside in the courtyard where chil-dren can enjoy making an array ofcultural crafts. Children can decorate

Khamsa hands, Japanese fans, multi-cultural bracelets, and make Chinesedrums, to name a few crafts. Facepainting and henna artwork are verypopular as well. The fun continueswith Phil Coward and Yvette Paintsteaching everyone how to performan African dance.

This international event offers anopportunity for everyone to adorntheir traditional cultural attire and theculminating cultural fashion parade isvisually beautiful. Heritage ElementarySchool’s annual Multicultural Festivalunites the community and is a family-fun event that celebrates the rich cul-tural diversity in New Tampa.

For additional info please emailat [email protected] call her at (813) 740-4580 ext.240.

Most Holy RedeemerCatholic Church AnnualSummer Barbeque Bash

Sat, May 23 from Noon – 10:00PM. EVERYONE WELCOME!Family Fun! Great Food! Games/Prizes!Bounce Houses! BINGO!$5.00 for unlimited games and bouncehousesMen’s Club Car Show 12:00 – 5:00 PMFREE Movie “Big Hero 6” - 7:00 PMFREE parking and admissionLocation: 10110 N. Central Avenue,Tampa 33612

For more information pleasecall (813) 933-2859;Facebook/MHRtampa;Twitter@MHRevents

Most Holy Redeemer CatholicChurch is a member and supporter ofFeeding America and has received

recognition in their community forthe great service provided to our lessfortunate families in the community.

“Electronics for a Cause” toOffer Free Recycling of Con-sumer Electronics, Raise Fundsfor Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful

As part of its 2015 Earth Day cel-ebration, Rapid Refill Ink will joinforces with Urban E Recycling fromApril 22 – May 30, 2015, to present“Electronics for a Cause,” offeringfree recycling of consumer electronics.Recycling proceeds will benefit KeepTampa Bay Beautiful.

Office and household used elec-tronics can be dropped off at Rapid Re-fill Ink, 10416 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.,Tampa, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The following items will be ac-cepted for proper recycling: Comput-ers (desktop and laptop), servers, harddrives, circuit boards, UPS batterybackups, monitors, printers, copiers,DVD players, VCRs, modems, cableboxes, satellite receivers, routers, leadacid non-spillable batteries, lithium ionbatteries, cell phones, telephones,phone system hardware, insulatedcable, all metals associated with elec-tronics, video game systems and inkand toner cartridges.

Those wishing to donate a largequantity of items should arrange forpick-up by contacting Rapid Refill Inkat (813) 514-0680.

Urban E Recycling will wipe harddrives off-site and provide a data de-struction certificate. The $5 fee will bedonated to Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful.

The event will also feature secureon-site document shredding for a dis-counted fee of .79/lb.

Local ordinances require that elec-tronics be disposed of in a proper man-

ner and not placed with normal house-hold or office trash. Over 85 percent ofall electronic waste (E-waste) goes un-recycled, with millions of tons enteringthe waste stream every year. The aver-age American household has at least 24electronic items. E-waste can containmore than 1,000 components, many ofwhich are toxic.

About Rapid Refill Ink Rapid Refill Ink,

www.rapidrefill338.com; www.face-book.com/RapidRefillTampa, offers acomplete selection of quality RapidRefill brand inkjet and laser toner car-tridges at significant savings, plusother supplies for all popular printerand copier brands, including Hewlett-Packard, Canon, Epson, Brother, Lex-mark, Dell, Samsung, Sharp, Xerox,Oki and others.

About Urban E RecyclingUrban E Recycling, www.ur-

banerecycling.com believes that busi-ness and environmental responsibilitygo hand in hand. With the over-whelming speed of changing technol-ogy, we are in a position to make sureyour outdated and non-useable elec-tronics will be recycled safely, ethically,and responsibly.

About Keep Tampa BayBeautiful

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, Inc.(KTBB), a Keep America Beautiful Af-filiate, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit or-ganization whose mission is to provideenvironmental education and volunteeropportunities that develop individualresponsibility and environmental stew-ardship. Since 1989, KTBB has formedpartnerships with local governments,corporations, schools and neighbor-hood organizations to engage individu-


screenings, balance/exercise demon-strations, SAFE Homes information,Q&A with health experts (includingpharmacists, physical therapists, doc-tors, nurses, dementia experts, andmore), and exposure to a variety ofhome safety products, equipment andservices that the public can walk awaywith in prizes totaling over $2,000. Re-spected speaker panels at 10:00 a.m.and 12:00 p.m. will include refresh-ments from local senior living facilities.Prizes will be awarded after eachspeaker panel and winners will be ableto select their prize if they are present.The venue is handicap-accessible.

For more information aboutthe Staying Balanced INSIDE 7OUT event, please contact Chris-tine Hamacher at [email protected] or call theBrandon Community Center at813-635-8179.

About National SeniorHealth & Fitness Day®

National Senior Health & FitnessDay is always held on the last Wednes-day in May in support of Older Ameri-cans Month and National PhysicalFitness and Sports Month. The pro-

gram, the largest of its kind, is organizedby the Mature Market Resource Center,a national clearinghouse for professionalswho work with older adults.

For more information aboutNational Senior Health & FitnessDay, visit fitnessday.com.

About Better Living forSeniors Hillsborough

One in three Americans age 65+fall each year. Last year in Hillsbor-ough County alone, more than13,000 calls were placed to 911 dueto falls. Better Living For Seniors maynot be able to stop the pull of gravitybut they aim to prevent the risk of fallswith education and preparation.That's what the Education, Outreach& Advocacy Committee (EOAC) ofBetter Living for Seniors Hillsboroughis all about. This dedicated group ofvolunteers comes from all walks of lifewith one common goal – to sharetheir knowledge and expertise to helpothers help themselves. From govern-ment representatives to local busi-nesses that serve seniors, to medicalprofessionals and health providers, thisnon-profit group works to educateand raise awareness in the community.

als and provide opportunities to en-hance the community through volun-teer participation.

Better Living for SeniorsHillsborough Celebrates Na-tional Senior Health & FitnessDay® with Staying BalancedINSIDE & OUT – A FreeEvent on May 27 at the Bran-don Community Center

Better Living for Seniors Hillsbor-ough will join an estimated 1,000local groups to celebrate the 22nd An-nual National Senior Health & FitnessDay (NSHFD) on May 27th. As anofficial host site, BLS Hillsboroughwill hold a Fall Prevention EducationEvent called “Staying Balanced IN-SIDE & OUT” on the 27th at theBrandon Community Center, locatedat 502 E. Sadie Street in Brandon,from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

On this day, non-profit groupBetter Living for Seniors will join withan estimated 100,000 seniors acrossthe country expected to help promoteactive, healthy lifestyles through physi-cal fitness, good nutrition and preven-tive care. Staying Balanced Inside &Out is an educational event focused

on fall prevention for caregivers andseniors. Event Coordinator and theCo-Chair of the Education, Outreach& Advocacy Committee of BLS Hills-borough, Christine Hamacher, ex-plains, "Our goal is to empowerseniors and their caregivers in findinganswers before the problems arise,eliminating the crisis from hitting andcausing irreversible damage. Falls canbe devastating and the fear of them isparalyzing for many. Through educa-tion and trusted resources, we areshowing people how to reclaim theirindependence and freedom and livelife to the fullest despite limitations."

This FREE community event willinclude interactive exhibits, health


News BriefsNew Tampa AREA spring Panther

JAMZ event.The club is hon-

ored to have beennominated by theschool for the annualSERVE award,which recognizesschool practices thatincrease volun-teerism, and familyand community in-volvement in Hills-borough CountySchool District.

Women inter-ested in joining localand global volunteeropportunities such asthis may contactDebbie Ferri [email protected] club meets thethird Wednesday of the month at theYMCA.

Carrollwood Service LeagueDonates $9000 to the CrisisCenter of Tampa Bay

Carrollwood Service League, asocial and service organization,founded in 1972, held their annualSpring Fundraiser at HollywoodVenue on March 12, 2015. From

ticket sales, raffles, Bingo night and asilent auction, CSL was able to raisethe money to donate. The club partici-pates in other service projects such ascollecting school supplies and babyitems, food drives and Hospice gift-wrapping at Citrus Park Mall. Carroll-wood Service League meets thesecond Thursday of the month. Formore info, email [email protected].

Women's Club Donation toHunter's Green Elementary

The Greater Federation ofWomen's Clubs - Woman's Club NewTampa (GFWC) recently presentedHunter's Green Elementary (HGE)with a $500 check to assist in theschool's technology department. Thefunds will be put toward purchasingcomputers in the media center tomeet the need of accommodating anentire class.

Throughout this school year, thewoman's club has provided nine tu-tors for individual students. In Au-gust, the GFWC supplied studentswith 35 backpacks and the supplies tofill them. In December, the club gen-erously sponsored two HGE familiesas their Special Santa. January was atime for the organizations to partnerin a food drive. The club shareW.H.A.L.E. packets for the kinder-garten and pre-K students during the

Back row L to R: Jamie Klingman, Kirstin Carter,Vicki Anderson, Kathy Woltmann, Ann Rees, Patti

Tamayo, Terri Vandenberg, Karen Miller, ErikaMiller Front row L to R: Maureen Smith, Carla Schu-

mann, Sandy McLaughlin, Gilda Hartke, RobinMoleno


By Kim Thomas

As parents, we want the best forour children. We want to providethem with a safe and happy home, togive them the opportunities they needto learn, and we want to make surethey have excellent medical and dentalcare so they can grow up healthy. Ifyou are looking for a dental officewhere the dentists and the staff want,and provide, those same things foryour child – a safe and happy environ-ment, opportunity to learn, excellentchild-focused dental care – you willfind it at the Pediatric Dentistry officeof Dr. Duga, Dr. Feeney & Associates.

Located in Tampa at 15293Amberly Drive in the SomersetProfessional Park, this ocean-themed

pediatric dental office is not onlybright and cheerful; it is convenient inmore ways than one. Patients andtheir families are a top priority hereand every effort is made to ensure thatyour child’s dental visit is a great expe-rience for the whole family. Dr. Duga,Dr. Feeney, and their staff are helpfulin every way – from making your childfeel excited about coming to the den-tist to navigating the insurance compa-nies for you. Office CoordinatorRenee Mari, says, “We are here to helppatients facilitate their insurance andwe really go above-and-beyond tomake the whole experience here easyand enjoyable. We have a fabulousstaff and we all get along great, andthe patients see that – they can see thatwe enjoy our jobs.”

The waiting room is comfortableand spacious, and parents are welcometo have a coffee or tea and relax whilethey wait. Or, Dr. Feeney and Dr.Duga welcome parents to come intothe treatment area during their child’svisit. There is a sweet spot for siblings,too! They will feel like they’re in asubmarine while they play games orwatch movies in a play area completewith underwater murals and paintingsof whales and manatees swimmingoverhead. All the time, parents tell the

dentists, “My kids love coming here!”They like it when it’s their turn, andthey like it when it’s their siblings turnbecause everyone knows, time flieswhen you’re having fun.

“It really is all about the kids,”says Paul H. Duga, DDS, who trulyenjoys working with kids of all agesinto their young adulthood. He has alot of faith in the youth of today, andas a mom to young adults myself, Iappreciated his positive outlook whenhe said, “We have so many cool pa-

“It’s All About the Kids!”

Dr. Shawna Adams-Feeney and Dr. Paul Duga welcome kids of all ages totheir practice, and focus on making every visit a positive experience


tients, I enjoy listening to them – thefuture looks bright to me, not scary,because there are some great kidscoming up.” Dr. Duga and his wifeSue moved to the New Tampa area toraise their three children because ofthe positive family-oriented lifestylethat the area promotes. When he hadthis new office built-out nearly twelveyears ago, he already had a successfulpediatric practice, but with the oppor-tunity to build the perfect place for hispatients, he traveled to Austin, TX tomeet with an architect who specializesin dental offices. The result is magnifi-cent! Efficient, vibrant, energetic, withan open treatment area as well as pri-vate treatment rooms, this practice is

perfect for kids of allages from toddlers attheir first check-up toteens needing theirwisdom teeth ex-tracted. Sometimes,even newborns aredental patients! Dr.Feeney recently had anewborn patient whowas born with teeth.

Shawna Adams-Feeney, DMD, joinedthe practice more thanten years ago, and shetoo, has a great atti-

tude and truly loves working withkids. Dr. Feeney grew up in the areaand she and her husband, who is adentist in Clearwater, have two youngchildren. Dr. Feeney gave me a tourand explained how the open floor planof the treatment area actually helps toensure kids, “Kids do well modelingafter each other and when they seeother kids happy and talking, it is abetter atmosphere. We want them tohave positive experiences that they canbuild on. We take extra time to caterto every child because it is so impor-tant to us that we create a positive ex-perience for them from a young age.”

Dr. Feeney has privileges at St.Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, and she

has experience working with physicallyand mentally handicapped children, aswell as children who are autistic.

Dr. Feeney and Dr. Duga treatdental emergencies in children as well.As every parent knows, kids are ram-bunctious in play and sports and den-tal emergencies happen. That’s whyit’s important to have a great pediatricdental office that you can rely on.

Dr. Duga and Dr. Feeney bothfeel that education is a key componentin providing excellent pediatric dentalcare. They take time to teach theiryoung patients to care for their teethand foster life-long habits that willhelp keep them healthy. “We want getthem on the right track,” says Dr.Feeney. “As a pediatric practice, ourfocus is prevention more than any-thing – we want to help our patientsto have good habits.”

It seems to be working, Dr. Dugashares, “We look at the long-term; wewant each child to be healthy now andto have a healthy future. Most of ourteen patients have great teeth – nocavities, no fillings – and they’ll gothrough life with healthy teeth andgums. I tell the staff all the time, ‘Themost important thing is the educationthey walk away with; that will benefitthem their whole lives.’”

Dr. Feeney and Dr. Duga know

how important your children are toyou. Both have families of their ownand when providing a positive dentalexperience to their patients, one thingresonates above all else – it’s a simpleconcept, as Dr. Duga says, “Dr.Feeney and I treat our patients theway we’d want our kids treated.”

Patients truly appreciate the caretheir children receive from Dr. Duga,Dr. Feeney and their staff. Dr. Dugasays that over the years, they’ve hadpatients who have had to leave be-cause of insurance changes or moving,but many times, they end up comingback anyway, even when they have totravel, because they simply can’t findanother practice as good for their kids.Parents drive their children from as farout as Brooksville to make sure theirchildren get the best care and enjoythe kid-friendly chairs and amenities atDr. Duga, Dr. Feeney & Associates,Pediatric Dentistry.

Dr. Duga, Dr. Feeney &Associates, Pediatric Dentistry islocated at 15293 Amberly Drive inTampa. Please call 813-631-1100to set an appointment. You will findmore information and photos atwww.pediatricdentisttampa.comincluding the bios of Dr. Duga andDr. Feeney.


The 1st Annual Child AdoptionEducation Day will be held on June13th from 2–5 p.m. at Old McMicky’sFarm, located at 9612 Crescent LakeDrive in Odessa. This FREE, casualevent allows attendees to learn aboutthe adoption process.

At any given time, an average ofover 200 local Tampa Bay area chil-dren are in need of a forever family.Old McMicky’s Farm, in partnershipwith 13 Tampa Bay Area Family Serv-ices agencies, will be hosting the FirstAnnual Tampa Bay Child AdoptionEducation Day to educate the publicabout adoption. This first of its kind,cross-agency and cross-county effort,aims to educate potential parents inorder to help find more Forever Fami-lies for local children. The goal of theevent is to invite anyone who has everhad interest in starting or growingtheir family to come and learn in oneeasy afternoon how the adoptionprocess works, all of the support andservices available both pre and postadoption, and most importantly, all of

the personal and emotional rewardsfor their family and the children. Over100 people have already registered toattend.

This event is being organized andhosted by the beautiful OldMcMicky’s Farm in Odessa, Florida.Representatives from each organiza-tion will have the opportunity to ex-plain the role they play in the adoptionprocess. Plus, adoptive parents andtheir adopted children will speak to let

everyone know what adoption hasmeant in their lives. It is FREE to allattendees and is a casual, no-pressurelearning atmosphere where everyonecan have open conversation and get allof their questions answered. Everymajor organization that is involved inthe adoption process in the TampaBay area is partnering to make thisgreat day happen.

About Old McMicky’s Farm: OldMcMicky’s Farm, located on the His-

toric grounds of Camp Keystone (Es-tablished in 1946), is part of a cher-ished 68-year-old Tampa Baytradition. The Children’s EducationalFarm is dedicated to providing fun,educational and hands-on guidedtours to groups, the general publicand kids birthday parties. This uniquefarm is nestled on a beautiful 40-acrelake and is both rustic and elegant.The Farm also hosts special eventssuch as Barn Weddings, Company Pic-

Old McMicky’s Farm and 13 Tampa Bay Area Family ServicesOrganizations Announce 1st Annual Child Adoption Education Day


nics, Corporate Events, CharityEvents, Private Parties, to supporttheir educational programming andcommunity giving. Everyone at theFarm is dedicated to continuing thiswonderful tradition for kids and fami-lies in our Tampa Bay community.

OMF is dedicated to giving backto the community in many ways. TheFarm’s “1000 Kids” Program’s goal isto host 1,000 kids a year in the TampaBay area who are facing challenges foran awesome, educational and fun day

at the Farm, at No Charge. The Farmhosted was honored to host 1276 kidsin 2014 under the “1000 Kids” pro-gram in its introductory year. As ofApril 2015, the farm already has 505kids reserved to come out for freeunder the program.

The Farm’s “Mission I Do” pro-gram provides Free, All-InclusiveDream Weddings to Wounded Vet-eran’s. The second “Mission I Do”wedding just occurred in February2015.

The 1st Annual Child AdoptionEducation Day is presented by: OldMcMicky’s Farm, Eckerd CommunityAlternatives (Hillsborough, Pinellas,Pasco), Camelot Community Care(Hillsborough), Youth & Family Al-ternatives (Pinellas), Directions for

Living, County Foster & AdoptiveParents (Hillsborough, Pinellas,Pasco), Family Tyes, Hope Builders,Adoptive Related Services, GuardianAd Litem (Hillsborough, Pinellas,Pasco), Heart Gallery (Hillsborough,Pinellas, Pasco), The Children’sHome.

The Old McMicky’sFarm Child Adoption EducationDay brings more prospective adop-tive parents in to the process to findmore families for children.

For more information aboutthe Children’s Adoption EducationDay on the Internet, please goto: www.OldMcMickys.com/chil-drens-adoption-education-day andto learn more about Old McMicky’sFarm, visit www.OldMcMickys.comor call 813-920-1948. Follow OldMcMicky’s on facebook at face-book.com/ OldMcMickysFarm.


new location on W. Fletcher Avenuein 2012.

What a boon for our area, asthey have expanded from three tofourteen employees since then! Andnow, I understand, they are in theprocess of opening a second locationin the Riverview area within the nextfew months to optimize their pres-ence in the southern portions ofHillsborough County as well. By theway, there’s still 3500 square feetavailable in the center of the TrotterTerrace complex should you want topursue your own entrepreneurialdreams and are looking to start asmall business in the area! Talk toJim and Elaine– they are pros!

There are four consultants onstaff who can help you to envision thepossibilities for your home. First, theycan address your specific needs in thewell-appointed showroom and/or sec-ondly, they are poised to assess yourspace on site, taking into account thefollowing criteria: Fashion and style,Heat, Solar, Privacy and Glare control.Elaine quickly noted, “We have a solu-

tion for every window and a style forevery budget, as well.” Once a nov-elty, it seems that motorization has be-come a lifestyle here in Florida, ergo,programmable window coverings arealso available to address any proximityor security issues that you may have.So if you have a window treatmentdilemma, you will certainly want togive Budget Blinds of Greater Tampaa call at (813)968-5050.

Remember, window coverings areoften considered an investment inyour home. For instance, did youknow that shutters will actually add tothe appraisal value of your property?Being under the Budget Blinds um-brella, the franchise owners have sub-stantial buying power with forty

By Pam Sica

What a pleasure it was to meetElaine and Jim Trotter, owners of theBudget Blinds franchise convenientlylocated at 1208 W. Fletcher Avenuebetween Rome Avenue and NorthBoulevard. Their showroom is easy tospot, as they are set just behind newly-opened Marco’s Pizza, which recently

leased their building on the street sideof Trotter Terrace. Elaine explainedthat in 2008, their Budget Blindsshowroom was originally situated inLand O’ Lakes, where the two ofthem started to live their dream of es-caping corporate America by owningtheir own business and giving back tothe community. After a few years ofhoning their craft, they developed a

thriving businessand finally out-grew their facili-ties. Havingfound the NorthTampa locationto be muchmore capable ofserving theirgrowing clien-tele within PascoCounty,Springhill andBrooksville et aland a large partof HillsboroughCounty, theymoved to their

Budget Blinds of Greater Tampa –Satisfying All Your Window Covering Needs

Jim & Elaine Trotter


different vendors. As a result, they areable to offer you great options, pricesand warranties not seen anywhere elsein the industry! Just ask them abouttheir 5-year “No Questions Asked”Warranty Program for their PureVu®and Norman® shutters. You’ll seethat it’s quite impressive.

Here’s the amazing thing,though… The second part of theTrotters’ dream has been undertakenin a big way. They lend their supportto our local Habitat for Humanity bydonating blinds, as well as to Metro-politan Ministries by being a drop offsite for food and toys. Elaine saw myeyes grow bigger while I was takingcopious notes. She then summedthings up rather well by saying,“We’ve been embraced by our localneighborhood and feel it is importantto give back to our community.” Butthat’s just the beginning…

Under the larger umbrella ofBudget Blinds, a division of HomeFranchise Concepts (HFC), they arehelping our returning veterans bypartnering with Homes for OurTroops. They (and other fran-chisees) are donating $1 for everywindow covered, which over a 3-yearperiod, will provide window cover-ings across the country in everyHFOT home. Homes for Our

Troops is a privately funded non-profit organization that builds spe-cially adapted, mortgage-free homesfor the most severely injured Veter-ans who served in Iraq andAfghanistan post 9/11. Most ofthese Veterans are multiple amputees,paraplegic, quadriplegic or have suf-fered severe traumatic brain injury(TBI). The homes built for theseVeterans will help to restore the free-dom and independence that they sac-rificed while serving our nation, thusenabling them to focus on family, re-covery and rebuilding their lives.Wow! There even ways you can per-sonally help, if you are so inclined…just ask and Elaine, Jim or any oftheir staff to fill you in on the details.This initiative follows CorporateBudget Blinds’ existing commitmentto offer veteran-friendly franchise op-

portunities, as well.“Everyone needs a safe haven to

feel comfortable,” Elaine noted.Budget Blinds of Greater Tampa hasthe express desire and the expertise tohelp make that a reality for your homeor business. It’s no wonder that theyhave a steady stream of returning cus-tomers and referrals to delight anew.There are even commercial applica-tions like Burger King, Tijuana Flatsand apartment complexes like CitrusRun, near Sheldon Road) in the mix.

Suffice it to say that the Trotters andtheir staff are equipped to handle allyour window covering needs. Letthem assist you the next time youwant to maximize the possibilitieswithin your home or business, “what-ever the dilemma.” Hope to see youthere soon!

Budget Blinds of GreaterTampa is located 1208 W. FletcherAve. in Tampa. For more infoplease call (813) 968 – 5050 or visitBudgetBlinds.com/NorthTampa.


Take Control of Your Hearing and Your Life with the Help ofFlorida Medical Clinic Audiologist Jody C. Pianin, AU.D.

By Alexis Selby

Hearing is an imperative part ofyour life, directly affecting your per-sonal relationships, quality of life, andeven your ability to go about a normalday. It is also something that is oftentaken for granted, that is until one ex-periences hearing loss, and simplethings, such as talking on the phone orhaving a face to face conversation nolonger seem so easy.

Audiologist Jody C. Pianin, Au.D.,understands just how important it is tonot only address hearing loss, but to beproactive about the health of your hear-ing in order to help prevent hearingloss in the future, and with over 17years experience as a Board CertifiedAudiologist, accompanied by a doctor-ate in Audiology, she has the knowl-edge and skills to help you with thehighest level of professionalism andcompassionate quality care!

Dr. Pianin says, “Audiology is ahelping profession and I treat a prob-lem that no one wants to admit theyhave with solutions that are muchworse in their minds than in reality.

My favorite part is the pleasant sur-prise on my patients’ faces when theycan actually hear. I have had patientsbrought to tears with the excitementand anticipation after putting it off forso long and finally being able to hearwith their new device. Most of my pa-tients end up saying that if they knewhow great they could hear and howmuch it could improve their lives theywould have done it a long time ago.”

Florida Medical Clinic Audiologyprovides comprehensive diagnostictesting for children and adults as wellas hearing aid options from basic de-vices all the way up to the most cut-ting edge technology. In addition,they carry other ear related devices,such as in -ear monitors for musicians,hearing protection for shooters andlaw enforcement, swim plugs, andmany other types of accessories thathave to do with either improving orprotecting your hearing.

Big, bulky hearing aids are a thingof the past at Florida Medical ClinicAudiology. Offering not only the mosttechnologically advanced amplifica-tions – including Bluetooth connectiv-

ity to your cell phone,television and otherwireless devices – eventhe biggest hearing aidthey offer is still quitecompact and not tomention, even a littlefashionable – comingin all sorts of colors tosuit your preference.They have a variety ofoptions and sizes foreach individual budgetand hearing goal.

“What peoplethink hearing aids areand what they end upbeing are very differ-ent; that’s what makesit fun,” says Dr. Pi-anin. “Many are picturing this big,ugly hearing aid, and are pleasantlysurprised when they see the size of it.They end up leaving with a smile in-stead of the whole doom and gloomthat they expected.”

Florida Medical Clinic Audiologyis leading the way for the future ofhearing health and has teamed up with

global hearing manufacturer Oticon tooffer Brain Hearing Technology ™ – awhole new approach to hearing aidsand amplifications.

Dr. Pianin explains, “With brainhearing we are expanding the spec-trum to include how each patient’sbrain individually processes sound; itcan be affected by age, personality,

Jody C. Pianin, AU.D.,Doctor of Audiology


health, and numerous other factors.This allows us to customize and reallyprovide that person’s brain with whatit needs. It is a much more detailedapproach that is really giving us excel-lent outcomes.”

To better understand the waytheir brain works, each patient goesthrough an extensive interviewprocess, including sound samples andquestionnaires to indicate the soundpreferences that best suit their individ-ual brain, such as whether they prefera smoother, rounder sound, or asharper, crisper sound, or whetherthey would rather hear everything intheir environment or be able to havean aid that helps to reduce back-ground noise.

“Essentially we can have 10 pa-tients with the same audiogram, butbecause of their brain preferences, each

of these 10 patients can have a differenthearing setting based upon their braintechnology,” says Dr. Pianin.

Dr. Pianin sees patients from allacross the Tampa Bay area. She says,“Patients come from all over to see me;a lot are by word of mouth. With somany options out there people come tome because they want to be sure thatthey are investing in a professional thatis going to provide them with qualitydevices. Hearing healthcare is health-care, so it is important to trust in an au-diologist who has had an extensiveeducation and has the expertise and ex-perience to best help them; it makesmore sense than just buying a widgetfrom a store. This is your hearing; it is abig part of your life.”

Florida Medical Clinic Audiologyunderstands that not everyone has theupfront money to pay for a hearing aid

out of pocket, which is why they workwith each patient and their budget, of-fering affordable payment plans, in-cluding 12 months no interestfinancing through Care Credit.

The clinic offers a drop off servicefor hearing aid repairs, with no ap-pointment necessary. They service justabout any make and model, regardlessof where the devices were purchased,so if your hearing aid is in need of re-pair stop on by at the Wesley Chapellocation. In addition, loaners are alsoavailable for those who can’t go with-out a device.

So if you are ready to take controlof your hearing health, contact FloridaMedical Clinic Audiologist Dr. JodyPianin today, and open the door to anew world of better hearing!

Your neighborhood FloridaMedical Clinic Audiology office islocated at 27634 Cashford Circle inWesley Chapel. Their office is openMon. – Fri. from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.For more information or to sched-ule an appointment please call(813) 973-8400. Additional infocan be found on their website atwww.FMCaudiology.com.

Big, bulky hearing aids are a thing of the past at Florida Medical Clinic Audiology; even the biggest, most technologically advanced hearing aid they

offer is still quite compact.

new tampa - vol. 1, issue 03, may 2015

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