new tampa - vol. 1, issue 4, june 2015

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From The Editor Matt Selby

Happy Father’s Day!!I’d like to take this opportunity

in my editorial space this month tosay Happy Fathers Day to all thegreat dads out there in New Tampa!You know who you are; the oneswho spend as much time as possiblewith their family and do all they canto provide for them to give them thebest life possible, not because they

feel obligated to, but because theywant to. When you strip away all thefat, no pun intended for all the fa-thers rockin’ the “dad bod” (google“dad bod” if you haven’t heard of itladies) a good dad is someone who isalways there for their kids when theyneed them; whether it be to helpwith homework, give advice, or teach

them something new. A good dad isa teacher, a mentor, and when theirkids grow up, he’s a friend. I’m verylucky to say my dad has been all ofthose things for me and more, andeven though I am 27 my dad is stillmy best friend!

Fathers Day isn’t just for biologi-cal fathers either. All father figures de-serve a pat on the back for simplybeing supportive and involved in theirchild’s life. While we applaud those fa-thers who give their all, day-in andday-out, we know far too many fa-thers are absent in their child’s life.

You don’t have to be a “perfect” dad,just strive to be the best you can be.We take this day to honor all thosedads who put in the extra effort ittakes to be a good father. Some maycall it a “Hallmark holiday”, but justremember, we should be thankfulevery day of the year for our fathersand what they mean to us, but takinga little extra time on Fathers Day tomake that day all about them, makesevery father feel like superman. And,that’s exactly how he should feel, be-cause if you’re like me, your dad isyour hero!

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Tampa Palms Women’s Club Annual Scholarship LuncheonHonoring their USF scholarship

winner, Amanda Mumby, the TampaPalms Women’s Club hosted their an-nual Scholarship Luncheon on June 4at the Tampa Palms CommunityClubhouse. This amazing group ofladies raised funds for the scholarshipthroughout the year, much of whichcame from their Community WideYard Sale, held in March. Thewomen also recognized representa-tives of OASIS, which had previouslyreceived funds from the ladies’ annualfashion show.

Acknowledged for her charitablework and philanthropic efforts, schol-arship winner Amanda Mumby is ajunior pursuing her bachelor’s degreein social work. After finishing her bach-elor’s degree, she plans on pursuing amaster’s degree in the same field ofstudy. As a full-time student and full-time employee, she balances her aca-demic studies with a job at theDepartment of Veterans Affairs. InVeteran Affairs, she works in the med-ical records section, specifically healthcare. It’s during her time there that shedeveloped a passion to serve veterans.With her degrees, she hopes to smooth

veterans’ transition back to civilian life.Her desire is to uphold the mission ofthe Department of Veteran Affairs, andthat is to “honor America’s veterans byproviding exceptional health care thatimproves their health and wellbeing.”

Although Amanda was unable toattend the luncheon, she sent hergratitude and thanks to the TampaPalms Women’s Club for their gener-ous scholarship, which will help heron the path to accomplishing her fu-ture aspirations.

About OASISOASIS is a grassroots, volunteer-

driven organization which providesbasic necessities to needy students inHillsborough County schools. GingerBean, OASIS founder and ExecutiveDirector, and Russell Johnson, mem-ber of OASIS Board of Directors, ex-pressed their appreciation for theassistance this group of women pro-vides in the form of both money andvolunteer hours.

About The Tampa PalmsWomen’s Club

The Tampa Palms Women's Clubis a not-for-profit organization whosepurpose is to welcome members of theTampa Palms community, provide ed-ucational programs for the member-ship and community, and providefundraising programs for the promo-tion of both the club and the socialwelfare of the community.

For more information pleasevisit TampaPalmsWomensClub.com.

Hosting this fabulous luncheon, which included delicious food brought by all the members, the Tampa Palms Women’sClub generously selected USF student Amanda Mumby as their annual scholarship award winner.


Community CalendarNew Tampa AREA

Women & Wealth Presented by World Financial Group

Friday, June 26 from 6:30 p.m. -8:30 p.m. at 5118 N 56th St, Suite106, Tampa 33610.

Women are not only a drivingforce in today’s economy, but also keydecision makers in both business andfamily financial arenas. Women makeor share responsibility for a majority ofthe family's financial decisions. Yetwomen are behind in many areas of fi-nancial planning as well as overall fi-nancial knowledge and confidence.

Get educated about how to buildand protect your wealth; no matterhow much you currently have. Learnsrategies on how to defer taxes, planfor your retirement, and protect in-vestments and more.

This event is free of charge.Limited space is available. Compli-mentary refreshments will beserved. Feel free to bring your busi-ness cards.

RSVP by Tuesday, June 23 toKaren Zicht at (813) 335-8576 [email protected].

FREE GOLF for KIDSthis SUMMER

Are the kids driving you crazyand playing too many video gamesthis summer?

Want to have them do somethinghealthy and learn a lifelong sport?

Ace Golf is offering a free sum-mer golf practice program for kids age5 to 15. Every day from June 1through the end of August, kids cansign up to receive a free small bucketof range balls each day for the wholesummer. Kids hit the balls on the AcePractice Ranges in Brandon andRiverview, at the Pebble Creek GolfClub in New Tampa, or at WentworthGolf Club or Crescent Oaks CountryClub in Tarpon Springs.

“There are a lot of families outthere that just can’t afford to put kidsin camps but still want the kids to beout learning a skill or just gettingsome exercise”, says Bill Place, ownerof Ace Golf Ranges and Golf Courses."We want to help, and hopefully inthe process we will find some kids thatlove golf"

How it works: Children may sign up for free

at any of five Ace Golf locations inBrandon, Riverview, Tampa and Tar-pon Springs.

Each child receives a dailystamp card for one free small bucketeach day.

Each time the child redeemstheir free bucket they will get a stampon their card noting the redemption.An adult must accompany them.

No purchase is necessary. Kidsshould bring a golf club with themor may rent one.

Ace Golf Ranges are located at820 S. Kings Avenue in Brandon(phone: 813 651-4653) and at12910 Boyette Road in Riverview(phone: 813 672-7750). They areopen daily until 10pm. The facili-ties feature 18-acre Golf PracticeRanges, Miniature Golf, and Bat-ting Cages. For more information,go to ace-golf.com.

Ace Golf Courses include thePebble Creek Golf Club at 10550Regents Park Drive in New Tampa(phone 813 973-3870, website:pebblecreekclub.com), the Went-worth Golf Club at 2990 Went-worth Way in Tarpon Springs(phone: 727 942-4760, website:

wentworthgolfclub.org), and theCrescent Oaks Country Club at3300 Crescent Oaks Boulevard inTarpon Springs (phone: 727 937-4653, website:crescentoaksgolf.com). All Ace GolfCourses are open to the public andoffer membership, dining, and ban-quet centers.

Ace Golf is locally, family-ownedby Su Lee and Bill Place since 1993.In additionto the free bucket golf pro-gram, each location offers summergolf camps, clinics, and private golflessons by PGA Professionals.

Tampa Bay Youth Expo –Educate. Train. Empower.

Saturday, July 18 from 9 a.m. –2 p.m. The Tampa Bay Youth SportsExpo (TBYSE) is the region’s pre-miere forum to educate, train and em-power youth, parents, coaches, andsport administrators in effective youthdevelopment through sports. Thisone-day event gives young athletes theopportunity to sharpen their skills,while learning invaluable informationthat is applicable in both sport andlife. Join us for everything youthsports related – all under one roof.

The event will take place at theTampa Convention Center, located at


About The Skills Center, IncWe believe sports offer young

people the skills and knowledge theyneed to function effectively in life,thus The Skills Center, Inc. was cre-ated as a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit sportbased youth development organiza-tion, “Creating CHANGE throughSports”

Using sports as a powerful learn-ing tool, we teach youth how to trans-fer the skills learned naturally throughsports to other environments in theirlives such as school, work and commu-nity. We offer school day, afterschool,and summer programs as well asleagues, skills development trainingsand travel teams.

Mission: To intentionally utilizeathletics as the mechanism to acceler-ate academic achievement, build char-acter, and promote health & fitness foryoung people ages 3-18 in Tampa Bay.

Vision: Our participants are well-rounded individuals who achieve theirlife goals through academic achieve-ment and sound character based onintegrity, responsibility, respect, sports-manship and teamwork.

100% of the proceeds will benefitThe Skills Center’s afterschool andsummer programs for at risk, delin-quent and low-income children andteens.

To learn more about The SkillsCenter go towww.theskillscenter.org

333 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602.

Interactive Skills Zones The Interactive Skills Zones are a

series of scheduled skills developmentsport clinics for girls and boys ages 6-15 presented in 30 minute sessionsthroughout the day starting at10:00am-2:00pm. Clinics will be of-fered in basketball, baseball, football,hockey, tennis, volleyball, cheer &dance, golf and soccer by professionalteams and local professional trainers.Each skill zone gives participants theopportunity to engage in sports train-ing and activities. The zones are de-signed for youth to learn and practicetheir favorite sport while being intro-duced to new ones. There will also bea Kids Fun Zone for children betweenthe ages of 3-5.Specialty Clinics

Join Pro Players representingfootball, basketball, baseball, andhockey as they provide tips and in-struction on how to improve yourgame at the Expo Specialty Clinics!The clinics provide various specializedfundamental skill stations tailored toprovide the competitive edge neededfor high performance.

A liability waiver is required for allplayers participating in the Interactive

Skills Zone and Specialty Clinic.*Group rates are available for

schools, teams and leagues. Pleasecontact Ken at [email protected] formore information.

Workshop Zone Building the Student Athlete -

Live workshops and demonstrationswill cover nutrition, training, injuryprevention, and college recruitment &NCAA guidelines. Workshops &Demonstrations are presented in 30minute sessions throughout the day inthe main stage area starting at 10:30am-2:00 pm by local organizationsand leading sport experts.

Exhibit Zone Stop by the Exhibit Zone to pick

up products and services related toyouth sports, kids and families.

Tampa Bay Convention CenterThis year’s activities include: • 9 Inter-active Skills Zones • 4 Specialty Clin-ics* • LIVE Workshops &Demonstrations – Building the Stu-dent-Athlete • Exhibit Zone • Char-acter Awards • Tyler’s 3 on 3Basketball Tournament and more!

For more info about the TampaBay Youth Expo please visitwww.tbyse.com.


News BriefsNew Tampa AREA

only syndicated through TribuneMedia Services, but has also had anadvice segment with CBS in Miami.“Since I like to cook I thought, whynot combine the two because every-one likes to sit around the table andshare their opinion,” says Dr. June.“The premise of the show is that wecook up a dish and dish out advice.After a dish is prepared we sit at thetable and offer advice on various sub-jects, including relationships, family,careers, self-help, etc. usually fromquestions I have received.”

The show will begin airing inJuly at 7:30 Sunday mornings onCW44 and viewers can send in theirquestions through our Cooking UpAdvice Twitter or Facebook page.Dr. June will also interview celebri-

ties, such as comedian Rhonda Shearand founder of Ahh Bra, as well asnonprofit organizations such asBricks 4 Kidz, Wesley Chapel. Dr.June says, “We love participatingwith audience guests so they are in-vited to hit us up on social mediasites to be a part of future shows.”

For more info please visit herFacebook page atFacebook.com/CookingUpAdviceor call Dr. June at (904) 505-3172.

Tampa Bay’s premier com-munity day school raisesfunds for Nepal Relief Effort

On Mon., May 4, 2015, the Hil-lel Academy student body began atwo-week fundraising effort to help

Homebound Heroes Pro-vides Homes to Heroes inour Local Community!

Homebound Heroes is a pri-vately funded, locally run, non-profitorganization dedicated to providingmortgage free homes to returningwar veterans who have served ourcountry. The majorities of our re-turning heroes suffer from multiplelevels of PTSD and have difficulty re-turning to a civilian lifestyle. Home-bound Heroes was created to help

relieve the pressure of making one ofthe biggest investments of their lives.By providing a house for these braveveterans Homebound Heroes canhelp them adapt to their next mis-sion of succeeding in America andturning their new house into ahome.

Homebound Heroes is com-mitted to ensuring that over 90%of all received donations goes di-rectly towards providing mortgagefree housing for our veterans. Formore information or to donateplease call (727) 638-4418, [email protected] orvisit www.homeboundheroes.com.

New Tampa ResidentProudly Presents CookingUp Advice with Dr. June

A local New Tampa resident, Dr.June Hall is proud to announce hernew talk show, Cooking Up AdviceWith Dr. June! An advice columnistfor over 12 years, Dr. June has not


the victims of the earthquake inNepal. The tragedy in Nepal offersan opportunity to teach Hillel Acad-emy students about showing empa-thy towards others no matter theirnationality or religion. In additionto raising funds, the students studiedthe Jewish values of helping others,performing acts of kindness and hu-manitarian aid. They also learnedabout the geography of Nepal andearthquakes.

Hillel Academy parent, YoavRappaport, is working for Interna-tional Medical Corps, doing GISmapping work to help relief workers

reach affected areas.His team has beenworking in Nepalsince the night of theearthquake. He willshare valuable infor-mation includingfirst hand storieswith Hillel Academystudents.

Donationsraised by TampaBay’s premier com-munity day schoolduring the two-week

period were given to the Interna-tional Medical Corps. For more in-formation please visitwww.prnewschannel.com/2015/05/04/tampa-bays-premier-commu-nity-day-school-raises-funds-for-nepal-relief-effort/.

Hillel Academy accepts appli-cations on a rolling basis. Pleasecall the Admissions Departmentfor information, (813) 963-2242.Hillel Academy offers morningbus service from North Pinellascounty, the Westchase area andSouth Tampa.


On May 15, Heritage ElementarySchool celebrated cultural diversity byhaving a school-wide MulticulturalFestival. During the festival studentsand parents such as Lorna Smith per-formed cultural songs and dances andprofessional performers such as JoseMaria Moreno and Esther Suarez-Moreno from the Artists-in-the-Schools performed a Flamenco dance

and guitar presentation. Local busi-nesses also participated by sharingtheir talent. These community busi-ness partners include: U.S. Tae KwonDo, Salsa Ventura, Tampa Bay Chi-nese School, Arya Dance Academy,New Tampa Piano and PedagogyAcademy, and Srishti Dance Academy.

Everyone was amazed as MasterVahid from U.S. Tae Kwon Do con-

ducted his group of students to breakwooden boards with their bare handsin sync with a musical tune. CarlosBejarano and his dancers inspired thecrowd with the rhythmic swirling ofCasino Salsa. Tampa Bay Chinese

School impressed the audience bydancing with real swords and AryaDance Academy as well as SrishtiDance Academy created an uproar ofexcitement when the students per-formed a Bollywood Dance. Dr. Ju-

Heritage Elementary School Celebrates Diversityand Culture at Their Multicultural Festival

With bright and colorful presentations, students proudly displayed a show-board of facts highlighting a country they have chosen to research as a class.


dith Jain mesmerized the audiencewhen she played jazz and LatinAmerican music on the piano andwhen her students played, their tal-ents were obvious.

Families, students, and guestsalso had the opportunity to take atour of any country as AlexanderTuripe magically projected the coun-try of their choice across a screen.With bright and colorful presenta-tions students proudly displayed ashow-board of facts highlighting a

country they have chosen to researchas a class. Lana from Syria stated, “Itwas fun and I learned a lot about dif-ferent countries.” The educationalvalue was immense and without-a-doubt this experience enriched every-one’s global knowledge.

There was a plethora of deliciousfood as well. In addition to localrestaurants, parents, teachers, family,and friends generously donated foodto the event. Some of the localrestaurants that donated cultural food

included: New China King, Café Ole,Little Greek, Saffron Indian Cuisine,Subway, Greenland Restaurant, Ti-juana Flats, and Publix. Nikhil fromIndia proclaimed, “All the ethnicfood was great!” Guests surely didn’tgo hungry!

“There are so many talented peo-ple and organizations in our commu-nity and there are so many generousbusinesses and families who donatedtime and food,” says Dr. DeborahWheeler, ESOL Resource Teacher atHeritage Elementary School. “We arevery lucky to have many events here atHeritage that bring these incrediblepeople together!”

Continuing outside in the court-yard, were many more fun and excit-ing events, where children and adultsenjoyed making an array of culturalcrafts. Children had the chance to dec-orate Khamsa hands, Japanese fans,multicultural bracelets, and make Chi-nese drums, to name a few crafts. Facepainting and henna artwork were verypopular as well. When asked whattheir favorite part of the entire festivalwas, students replied, “Everything!”Indeed, it was a fun time for everyone

with so much to do and so much tosee along with plenty of food to eat!

This international event offeredguests an opportunity for everyone toadorn their traditional cultural attireand the culminating cultural fashionparade was visually beautiful. Whilestudents walked across the stage todisplay their cultural outfits, MiguelArdila’s band played Latin Americanmusic. The evening concluded withfamilies laughing, dancing, andsinging delightedly to the music.

Mrs. MaryJo Stover, the princi-pal of Heritage, proudly declared,“This end-of-the-year event repre-sents the diverse cultures of ourschool and exemplifies our family at-mosphere. She proudly added, “TheMulticultural Festival is not only agreat way to connect with commu-nity stakeholders, but it enables fami-lies from around the world to cometogether to celebrate and share cul-ture.” Uniting the community forthis family-friendly event, HeritageElementary School’s annual Multicul-tural Festival did a fabulous job ofshowcasing, educating, and celebrat-ing cultural diversity in New Tampa.

One of many talented performances, Master Vahid from U.S. Tae Kwon Do conducted his group of students to showcase their moves and break wooden boards withtheir bare hands in sync with a musical tune


By Marcy Sanford

Reliable, dependable and honest,with over 50 years of industry experi-ence Cornerstone Air, Heating &Plumbing sets the standard for plumb-ing and HVAC service. Taking pridein their workmanship, no matter theproject size, their skilled technicianswill go above and beyond to deliver anexceptional service experience, andwill never take your trust for granted.If you are in need of air, heating, or

plumbing services you can rely onCornerstone to get the job done right,and their team of trained professionalswill always keep your safety and com-fort in mind!

During her 13 years working incommercial insurance, Dana Spearshad witnessed a lot of unprofessionalbehavior. She says, “The business Iworked in was very customer serviceoriented but I would see many cus-tomers being treated unfairly or notgetting honest information from other

companies. When I started Corner-stone Air, Heating & Plumbing in2006 with my business partner, weboth knew we wanted a company thatstood by old school values of customerservice, one that put our customersfirst and made sure they were a prior-ity. Everyone on our staff believes intreating our customers fairly and hon-estly, and make sure they get whiteglove service throughout their entireservice call.”

Thanks to their dependable,friendly, honest service, CornerstoneAir, Heating & Plumbing has becomethe area’s top choice to call for heat-ing, air and plumbing issues. Fromnew equipment installations to emer-gency repairs, their team of certifiedtechnicians and plumbing specialistsblend innovation with old-school val-ues to deliver 100-percent satisfac-tion. In fact, many of theirtechnicians have earned their NATEcertification, the highest HVAC certi-fication in the business.

At Cornerstone, they always keepyour budget in mind and treat youwith the respect you deserve. No mat-ter if it’s a broken water heater or anair conditioner that’s not working,they will restore your comfort quickly,

dependably, andaffordably. Theyoffer a firm pric-ing plan that in-cludes flat-ratediagnosticcharges and flat-rate repair pric-ing. They don’tcharge by thehour; what youare quoted in ad-vance is what youpay. No gim-micks, hiddenfees, or excep-tions.

“After I con-tacted Corner-stone, Dana,emailed me rightback and I set upan appointmentfor the followingweek and re-ceived confirma-tion by email,”writes one customer. “About fourhours before the service appointment,I received a reminder call to confirm Iwould be home. The technician,Scott, arrived on time and in a uni-


form. He was pleasant, professional,and answered my many questionsclearly and to the point. We have hadmany A/C techs and companies in thelast 30 years. This company was themost efficient. Scott was "present"the entire time he was in our home,not taking or making phone calls andnot talking about other customers ortaking a smoke break. Most importantof all for me was what he did NOT do– he did not say, “Boy, your last techdidn't know anything about a/c!” or“this equipment is really junk, you re-ally got ripped off!" Instead, he gaveme information about how each unit

was performing and made concretesuggestions without trying to sell me.For example, the main unit has a UVlight. He showed me the bulb, whichno one had before, and explained howit works, how he knew it was almostworn out, and suggested I replace itthen or in the near future – no hardsell and no horror stories about germstaking over the house. My thanks toCornerstone and Scott.”

Cornerstone’s skilled techniciansare there for you 24-hours a daywhenever you need help. They make ita point to get to emergency callswithin the same day so that you can

get back to living your life. Corner-stone’s comprehensive residential andcommercial offerings include:

• Air conditioning & heatinginstallation

• Air conditioning & heating repairs• HVAC maintenance• HVAC retrofits & upgrades• Indoor air quality consultations• Air filtration installations & repairs• Plumbing installation• Plumbing repairs• Plumbing maintenance

Another happy customer writes,“Cornerstone was on time and calledahead to let us know the technicianwas coming. He did quick and excel-lent work on the shower faucet.Everything looks and works great andhe was very professional courteousand helpful.”

Cornerstone services all brandsand is always happy to provide youwith a free estimate on installations ora second opinion on repairs. Theyoffer 5-year, no interest financing andthis summer are also offering a specialon water heaters.

Born and raised in the area, it isimportant to Dana that Cornerstonebe known as a company that her com-munity can trust. She and her hus-band, James Spears, also support localcharities including Oasis PregnancyCenter, Relay for Life, and Big Broth-ers/Big Sisters.

For honesty, reliability and ex-pertise, give Cornerstone Air, Heat-ing & Plumbing a call today at(813) 949-4445. You can also getmore information about the specialsand services they provide at theirweb site CornerstoneAirFla.com.

swim. One day he took me along withhim to the University of Pennsylvaniato watch and I just jumped in the waterand swam to him – I was only 3 yearsold. I guess I was trying to impress thewomen, even back then.”

From there his love for swim-ming only continued to grow, and bythe time he was 18, Herm was al-ready teaching swimming for theAmerican Red Cross – and that’s justthe beginning!

With over 55 years experience as aswim instructor, Herm has an extraor-dinary repertoire when it comes toaquatic instruction, including 35 yearsexperience as a professor at the Uni-versity of South Florida where he

taught students who were majoring inPhysical Education. He has also heldthe title of Aquatics Director at nu-merous community centers and sum-mer camps and has certifications as anAmerican Red Cross Water Safety In-structor, YMCA swim instructor, andSwimUniversity swimming instructor.In addition to being a USA SwimmingStroke and turn judge, starter anddeck referee, as well as a YMCA level 2swim official, Herm is also certified asa swim official by the Florida HighSchool Athletic Association.

Having over 30 years of experi-ence as a swimmer, Adam began hisswim career at a very young agewhen he took lessons as an infant atthe YMCA. An All-American swim-mer in both high school and collegeand a former Nationally ranked tri-athlete, Adam’s credentials surely areimpressive! Adam has been a swimcoach for several top swim programsand has helped children of all ages toqualify for the Junior Olympics inswimming. He is also a certifiedSwim America Instructor and mostrecently achieved certification fromthe SwimUniversity program.

Herm’s daughter Alexis is also aninstructor at SwimStart Academy andher swimming background is quite ex-tensive as well. Captain of her high


SwimStart Academy Teaches SwimmingAcross All Ages And Abilities!

By Alexis Selby

Summer is finally here, and asschools let out for the long anticipatedsummer break, kids will inevitablyflock to the pools and the beach, hop-ing to enjoy the beautiful weather andwarm water! Living in Florida, swim-ming and water safety should be ahuge priority among parents, espe-cially those who have a pool or planon visiting the beach, and it is impera-tive that before going in the water,you make sure your child is preparedand ready.

Committed to producing safer,skilled, and happy swimmers whilebuilding self-esteem and a love for thewater, SwimStart Academy teachesstudents of all ages, from infants justlearning how to swim, all the waythrough to adults and kids looking tocompete at a competitive level. Teach-ing swimming in the comfort of yourown pool, owners and head instruc-tors Herm Weinberg and AdamDeLuca come to you at your conven-ience and will work around your

schedule to help make swimming aneasily attainable priority.

“Our focus is to provide theseservices at your home pool, because webelieve water safety starts here,” saysHerm. “Plus, the added benefit of nottraveling can help make learning toswim a priority for you and your child.”

With a passion for swimming thatstems back to when he was a youngboy, Herm proudly follows in the foot-steps of his father. “My father was a PEteacher and he also had a summercamp,” says Herm. “Swimming was abig part of the camp so I was alwaysaround water from a very young age.During World War II my father alsotaught women in the Navy how to


school Swim team both Junior andSenior year, Alexis learned to swim bythe time she was two and has beenswimming competitively since she wasfour – and has a full wad of medalsand ribbons to prove it! She alreadyhas over four years experience teachingswimming for local swim clubs.

With their extensive qualifica-tions, immense passion for the waterand love of teaching, Herm, Adamand Alexis can not only prepare yourchild for the water, but can help themsurpass their highest expectations.Herm says, “We have taught babies, topreschool children to competitiveswimmers to tri-athletes.”

Teaching swimmers of all agesand abilities, SwimStart Academy of-fers four areas of focus to better meetyour swimming needs, each of whichare uniquely designed to maximizeprogress using proven methods andeffective techniques.

Parent and TotDesigned for children ages 6

months to two years old, in the Parentand Tot class, the parent assists theirchild, helping them to become morecomfortable with getting in the water.The classes begin with swim and safetyand progresses to basic swimmingskills. Your child will learn things likestaying afloat, finding the side of thepool, and kicking.

“Florida has the highest rate ofdrowning for pre-school kids in thenation, so it is very important to teachyour kid how to swim,” says Herm.“Water safety is extremely important.It goes beyond just learning how toswim. A lot of it includes teaching andinforming the parents as well, such aslearning about supervision and the im-portance of putting a gate aroundyour pool. I don’t want children to beafraid of the water. I want them toenjoy the water, but also respect it.”

Beginning Swimming Specially designed for the novice

swimmer, the beginning swimmingclasses start with teaching generalswimming techniques, such as frontand back float, and progresses to allthe basic strokes. This is also the classwhere adult non-swimmers wouldstart.

Pre-competitiveOnce you reach the pre-competi-

tive level, instructors will begin to workon strengthening your competitivestroke mechanics and turns, in prepara-tion for swim team participation.

Tri-athletesIn the tri-athlete-level classes, in-

structors will work on strengtheningyour stroke mechanics. Plus, they willalso provide you with workouts thatwill increase your speed and enduranceand help to prepare you for open

water swimming and fast transitions. SwimStart Academy is currently

offering six-lesson packages for only$180. Scheduled twice a week at yourconvenience, each lesson includes 20minutes of instruction, as well as sug-gestions and instruction as to what thelearner can do in between lessons tohelp maximize their progress.

No matter what your level or de-sired swimming goals, the experiencedinstructors at SwimStart Academy willhelp you excel and have you swim-ming like a fish in no time!

For more information pleasecall (813) 546-3432 or email Adamat [email protected] Herm [email protected] can also visit SwimStart onlineat www.SwimStartAcademy.com orat www.Facebook.com/SwimStar-tAcademy.com.

Owner and Instructor Herm Weinberg (L) and his daughter Alexis Weinberg (R), who is also an instructor, are committed to producing safer,skilled, and happy swimmers while building self-esteem and a love for the water.


The Red Cross Needs YOUDo you know what your Ameri-

can Red Cross does? I'll bet you arenodding your head – you think youdo. Everyone thinks of the RedCross as the big disaster people –hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes –especially here in Florida where weget all three. It is what you see ontelevision, whenever there is a bigcrisis. They are at every major disas-ter before the TV cameras arrive, andlong after they are gone to help feedand shelter those who have losteverything. They give hugs. Theygive hope. They help communitiesendure.

But the biggest disaster they re-spond to is not a tornado, flood orhurricane. It's not a man-made disas-ter like a train derailment or a planecrash. More than 90% of the disastersthey respond to are local home firesright here in our community everyday. On average here in Tampa Baythere is a home fire nearly every sin-gle night – about 350 per year. Tothe family that loses everything thatnight it's a big disaster – one of theworst days of their lives – and the

Red Cross is there.When a family loses their home

and has no place to go, the fire de-partment calls the Red Cross, 24hours a day, 7 days a week. Volun-teers from the Red Cross respondimmediately, having a continuouscommitment to be on scene within 2hours. They verify the situation andtake care of the family's needs, mak-ing sure they have a roof over theirheads that night, that they have foodand clothing, that the kids are readyto go to school the next day. Nursesare on call that can help replace med-ications and eyeglasses, and the RedCross gives a small toy to the childwho lost all of their cherished be-longings and needs something soft tocuddle; but that's just the beginning.

In the days and weeks that fol-low, trained Red Cross volunteercaseworkers help that family on theirroad to recovery; making sure theyaren't alone; making sure they haveaccess to every community resourceavailable. Unless you've been in theunfortunate circumstance to suffer ahouse fire you probably don't know

that's what keeps our local Red Crossvolunteers busy every day.

Over 90% of the work done bythe Red Cross is done by volunteers.These special people make a differ-ence in someone’s life every day. Vol-unteers like Lisa, who tells the storyof one of the fires she responded to:“ I was called to the scene of a burn-

ing house at 8:30 one night. Theelderly lady who lived there had left aspace heater too close to a curtainand it sent her wood frame home upin flames very quickly. She called 911and ran out with nothing in herhands but her cat and car keys. Shewas left with nothing. Nothing.When my team arrived she was sit-

More than 90% of the disasters the local American Red Cross responds toare home fires. On average, there are approximately 350 home fires in the

Tampa Bay Area and the Red Cross is there to help every time!


ting in the back of a police car shiver-ing. We wrapped her in a Red Crossblanket and hugged her tight. Cry-ing, she was able to give us herdaughter’s phone number to call forher – but her daughter was in Ohio.It would take some time for her toget to Tampa. The Red Cross is asupport system, a safety net. We wereable to put her in a hotel for 3nights, and help her with other im-mediate needs until her daughter wasable to come down. It was important

to stay in constant touch with her –she needed our support system. Shecould have been my mother, mygrandmother. I could only imaginehow grateful I would have been forRed Cross volunteers. Her relief atseeing us and knowing she would besafe was palpable. And her hugs andthanks gave more back to us as vol-unteers than we ever imagined. Ilove my work with the Red Cross.”

This amazing organization hashundreds of wonderful volunteers

just like Lisa who want to give backto their community. But, the RedCross desperately needs more. Inaddition to responding to housefires they're helping their commu-nity get prepared- installing smokealarms and teaching kids how to beready for disasters. They are deep inplanning for the upcoming hurri-cane season that begins in just a fewweeks and are training volunteers inlogistics and sheltering, etc. Many oftheir volunteer jobs are yet to befilled this season and they need yourpassion for helping others to helpmake a difference. Whether you have20 hours a week to give, or just 2,won't you consider joining thisgroup of caring and compassionatepeople?

To learn more about RedCross volunteer opportunities inyour local community please visitthem for an open house on Thurs-days from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.at their Tampa office, located at3310 W. Main St, or contact(813)-348-4820 [email protected] formore information.

new tampa - vol. 1, issue 4, june 2015

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