Avalon Park Sun-Wesley Chapel May Edition

WESLEY CHAPEL

KEEPING THE NEWS LO CAL... AND THE COMMUNIT Y CONNECTED. M AY 2 0 2 0

LIVE

Coffee Hour with Beat

VOLUME 1

EDITION 1

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, Now Under Construction, To Bring Revenue, Jobs And Cultural Center To Wesley Chapel

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LEARN

Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel

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WORK

Chamber of Commerce

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PLAY

Mother’s Day at Home Ideas

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Avalon Park Group/sitEX has been working with Pasco County over the past year to develop an agreement that will bring smart growth and development to Wesley Chapel in the form of a downtown cultural center. The agreement was unanimously approved by the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners.

“This project is truly a unique opportunity for Pasco County,” says Beat Kahli, CEO, Avalon Park Group/sitEX. “It is our vision that Avalon Park Wesley Chapel will be a place where families can build memories and traditions together in a town, they can call their own.”

According to the agreement, Avalon Park Group/sitEX will use existing entitlements from the approved MPUD in a more efficient manner to add to the approximately 1,000 single-family homes already existing or under construction in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

Avalon Park Group/sitEX proposes to spend in excess of $800 million to develop 215-acres into a mixed-use, urban downtown. Based on Traditional Neighborhood Design/Transit Oriented Design and smart growth

principles, the focal point will be an area primarily comprised of multi-storied buildings with a mix of uses that will all be within walking distance, thus establishing a vibrant, pedestrian-scaled environment unlike the single use development that are typical in conventional suburban communities and that can only be comfortably

“It is our vision that Avalon Park Wesley Chapel will be a place where families can build memories and traditions together in a town, they can call their own.”

of transportation (bikes, scooters, ride share, etc.) encourage positive and spontaneous interaction in the integrated civic, recreational, cultural and commercial centers. Workplaces and housing options available for a diverse population make a community for everyone in Pasco County.

The value added to this public/private partnership will be recognized in several agreement requirements from both parties.

The agreement outlines that Avalon Park Group/sitEX will deliver a minimum of $90 million in public infrastructure and Class A offices, including spine roads, public parking garages, park and ride parking spaces, transit improvements and bus shelters. It is additionally outlined that the developer is allowed to use 20% of the rise in increased County-only general ad valorem taxes to spend on this specified public infrastructure.

Understanding the immense need for workspace in Pasco County, a minreached using the automobile. The imum of 75,000 SF of Class A ofurban design and full mix of uses fice space is required, while Avalon will result in creating a place that has Park Group/sitEX plans call for over an identifiable city center and edge. 200,000 SF in vertically mixed-use (cont. on Page 3) Walkable streets and alternative means buildings.

LIVE WESLEY CHAPEL

The SUN is Rising

COFFEE HOUR with

do, but now in evolve into the Avalon Park Sun, Avalon Park where it will shine all over the Wesley Chapel. world, on every continent, and in different languages, telling the stoWhile the Ava- ries of the friends and neighbors lon Park Or- we are meeting in the communilando Sun has reached its 227th ties we have the pleasure to be a edition of Coffee Hour with Beat, part of. you are reading the first Avalon Park Wesley Chapel Sun. We are As a global company, we learn and distributing online monthly and see a lot, meet many people and through delivery of hard copies make friends all over the world. two times per year to more than Today the sun in the Avalon Park 50,000 readers and hope to reach Group global business world neva circulation of more than 100,000 er goes down. Somebody in the by the end APG Famof 2020. ily of companies is The Avaalways lon Park working Sun is an in the US, online loEuropa, cal comAsia, Afmunity rica or newspaAustraper with lia. Being a global a global reach. Becompacause of ny means our roots that somein Swittimes my zerland, and our ventures on every sleep patterns take a while to catch continent, we can bring you first- up with me, and while I may be hand experience and news which in the US, my body is often still are written by people like you and on Swiss time! This is actually a I, living in Orlando, Tampa, Dayto- great “problem,” as that is when na Beach, Tavares, Florida, in Aus- I am blessed to be able to get in tin, Texas, Denver, Colorado, Ba- touch with a member of our famsel, Switzerland, Singapore, Asia, ily-styled enterprises elsewhere in Sydney, Australia or Cape Town, the world. And while we used our Africa and more. break from publishing the Sun to travel the world, our foundation It is our vision for the paper to always has been central Florida,

BEAT

Building towns has always meant so much more to me than houses and buildings. It is my philosophy that as a “developer” we are more than just agents of construction, we are community builders. One of the things that always has made me proud was how quickly and resounding the members of the communities we have the privilege of building, come together, and support each other. It is my belief that telling these stories helps build community and traditions, and one of the successful ways we have found doing that is through a community newspaper. The flagship of this idea was the East Orlando Sun, which was the storyteller of the Avalon Park Orlando community for many years.

The East Orlando Sun was founded by a great Lady, called Sheryl Quatrano, back when East Orlando was in the “middle of nowhere.”

She started the newspaper as a one-woman enterprise, writing all the articles, selling advertisements and at times, personally delivering the newspaper. Sheryl became famous in East Orlando, and when she and her husband wanted to retire, I knew how extremely important the resource was and did not want to see it go away. So, she decided to sell the paper to me, leaving her newspaper legacy to me to continue to tell the community story. The Sun continued to shine bright, becoming the largest central Florida community newspaper with a weekly circulation of over 100,000 for more than a decade. A few years ago, we decided to take a break from publishing the paper, but we promised the community that it would be back….. and after a break, the Sun is back.

NOW is the time to end the break THE SUN IS BACK, as the Avalon Park Sun. And not only in Orlan-

It is my philosophy that as a “developer” we are more than just agents of construction, we are community builders.

WESLEY CHAPEL

I have called Central Florida home for exactly a quarter of a century and what a journey these 25 years have been. From 100 cows in East Orlando to a City, called Avalon Park. And now the beginning of a small town in Pasco County, Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

we always come home to Avalon Park where people can live, learn, work and play.

We want this to be an interactive newspaper, we want you to be able to contribute and to share your opinion. The Avalon Park Sun will not be written by paid professional journalists, it will be written by people like you, by moms and dads, by students in all grades, by people of all ages, artists, politicians, athletes, business people and many more. While we want to be your news source, we do not strive to “chase” the latest scandal and update on it every second.

You can log in to the Avalon Park Sun anytime. You can receive a hard copy on demand and by subscribing, we will as well deliver at selected locations.

Rome was not built in one day, the Avalon Park Sun will evolve, we need your input. Whenever I read an article in a newspaper about an event I personally participated, most of the time, I find it to be not “like it really” was. The Avalon Park Sun will be different, all articles are written by people like you and I, and the news will only be firsthand. The Avalon Park Sun will have an opinion, it be will the opinion of people who live, learn, work and play in central Florida.

The SUN is rising in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

LIVE (Cont.)

(cont. from page 1)

tivities, Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel will be designed Upon completion, Avalon Park around and continue to program Wesley Chapel will encompass at its own expense, its own open more than 1,800 acres and will spaces, while still paying approxigenerate close to $198 million in mately $2 million to Pasco County ad valorem revenue to the coun- in park impact fees. ty over a 30-year period. This While not part of the agreement, translates into an additional $112 education is at the forefront of the million more than a convention- Avalon Park Wesley Chapel develal suburban development on the opment. The New River Elementasame acreage. In addition to the ry site was dedicated to the County 230% increase in ad valorem rev- by Avalon Park Group/sitEX. enue, it is anticipated that the small town will create over 2,100 Additionally, Phase I of Pinecrest jobs and be home to more than Wesley Chapel Charter School is 15,000 residents. Completely dif- under construction in Downtown ferent than the typical strip mall Avalon Park Wesley Chapel and and subdivision developments will open for the 2020-21 school seen throughout the County, Ava- year with the goal of becoming the lon Park Wesley Chapel will create highest rated school in the Tampa a sense of place and truly be the Bay area. This school is managed place to live, learn, work and play by Academica, which operates in Pasco County. three National Blue Ribbon Charter Schools in Miami-Dade CounIn addition to added revenue, the ty. The on-site schools will protraditional neighborhood design vide nearly 2.5 times the capacity calls for less impact on county re- that are needed to serve all student sources, while generating signifi- stations in all of Avalon Park Wescantly more revenue for the Coun- ley Chapel (3,386 seats provided ty and the Sheriff’s Office in the versus the anticipated demand of form of traffic, fire, schools and 1,389 seats). parks. Since residents can walk to work, shopping, schools, restau- Even after revenue split and exrants and other services, traffic is cluding any single-family within significantly decreased by inter- Downtown Avalon Park Wesley nally capturing those trips.

Chapel, over the 30-year period the County will generate almost Fire Station 44, which services 50% more revenue ($128 million Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, will versus $86 million). This is all receive fire impact fees paid by the while assuming that all other imdeveloper to offset impacts. pact fees are paid to offset the cost of development.

Another important part of the The final component to the agreeagreement includes the play com- ment outlines that if the developer ponent of the community, more does not deliver on the promised specifically parks and recreation. development components, no inBuilding on the relationships with centives will be provided. the Pasco County Fine Arts Council and the Pasco County Library “It was important for us to develsystem, alongside the quarter- op a program with Pasco County ly community festivals, monthly that was a win for the communimovies and food truck nights and ty,” Kahli says. “It is our mission various community outreach ac- to change the way the world lives,

learns, works and plays and public private partnerships are instrumental in fulfilling this mission of creating a community anyone in Wesley Chapel can call home.”

Avalon Park Group/sitEX has suc-

cessfully executed these design principals in the flagship community, Avalon Park Orlando, and is currently developing Avalon Park Tavares and Avalon Park Daytona Beach using the same standards.

LIVE (Cont.)

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel

Social Distancing Bingo We love Avalon Park and what better way to show it than with supporting each other during these troubling times. From now until May 31st, you will be able to participate in the Avalon Park Wesley Chapel Social Distancing Bingo. Once you complete each activity on the bingo card, you will fill out the form on our website: avalonparkwesleychapel.com.

Each person that submits a completed form will be eligible to receive a complimentary jump rope and will be contacted after the form submission to receive the prize.

Please visit our website and Facebook event for more information. facebook.com/events/786323168560822 avalonparkwest.com/social-distancing-bingo/

Visit us at AvalonParkWest.com to sign up for event updates.

LEARN WESLEY CHAPEL

Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel

WORK OUT ON DEMAND

NOW AVAILABLE FOR ALL!

VIRTUAL WELLNESS PROGRAMMING During this temporary closure, we are committed to helping keep Tampa Bay healthy and strong in spirit, mind and body. The Y is still here to help you stay active, healthy and connected in your own home, and on your own time. At no additional charge to you as a Y member we invite you to utilize new virtual tools shown below to stay healthy and connected. There are options for beginners, kid-friendly workouts, advanced workouts like HIIT and videos for active older adults.

Our beautiful school is about ready! The interior is basically complete, with 3 Science Labs, a STEM Lab, a beautiful Media Center, a Computer Lab and over 40 spacious classrooms. The Art Room and Music Room are state of the art. The landscaping is being placed at this time and the building is expected to be completed within 2 weeks.

Les Mills On Demand

Les Mills is a leader in group exercise. Choose from cardio, kickboxing, dance, yoga classes and even activities for kids and work out at home.

For the best video play experience, please use Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.

CHOOSE A CLASS

We have been busy interviewing and we are so excited to share that we have acquired almost our entire instructional staff. We are excited to employ certified teachers, many with their Master’s in different areas, and an average of 10 years teaching experience.

We have accepted over 450 students at this time in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 6th. We are still enrolling at this time. Please visit our website to apply pinecrestwesleychapel.com.

Ms. Aimee Mielke Proud Principal Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel

YMCA 360: Your Virtual YMCA

The YMCA workouts you love, but at home! Choose from barre, yoga, bootcamp and active older adult videos. Workout vides are 8-30 minutes and categorized by type of exercise.

Play one video or extend your workout and challenge yourself to finish the series.

CHOOSE A CLASS

We are rapidly developing additional ways to support our community virtually.

Visit tampaymca.org/virtualfitness for more information.

TAMPA METROPOLITAN AREA YMCA | tampaymca.org

WORK WESLEY CHAPEL

CHAMBER OF

We all have weathered this challenge together as a community and that is what we will continue to do, because of who we are and the type of community we are.

and our banks have stayed open to serve your needs, hotels offering rooms for work space if someone could not work from home. We as a community have also helped serve those in need of assistance, whether a food bank donation, running errands for those that could not do for themselves.

Our focus as a Chamber has always been centered on the Business Community, which will not change. We are currently working on a strategy to help Businesses rebound from the challenges we have faced in the last several months. As members and business leaders, if you have certain ideas you would like to share, please e-mail them to office@northtampabaychamber.com. We always welcome input from our members.

We are strong, and we will bounce back from all of this. So remember, instead of ordering on line from Amazon, use local stores to order from, shop local as much as you can, don’t want to cook we have numerous local restaurants waiting to take your order. Stay positive, be kind and as Mother Teresa said “Let us always meet each other with a smile for the smile is the beginning of love” We all love our Community!!!

COMMERCE

At the current time our doors may be closed, but we are not, our phone Hope Kennedy, FCCP lines are still open and each e-mail will be answered.

President/CEO www.northtampabaychamber.com Our restaurants adapted to go curb side/pick up/delivery within hours of the executive order from the Governor, also offering family meal deals,

From the Desk of Pasco County Commission Chairman

Mike Moore

On April 29th, Governor Ron DeSantis has announced his three-phase plan to re-open Florida. Thanks to the social distancing efforts of our citizens, Pasco County has seen encouraging downward trends in the number of COVID-19 cases. These trends put our community in a strong position as we enter phase one. We will continue to take a data-driven approach to make the best decisions possible for our community.

T

he last two months have been a challenging time for all of us in Pasco County and around the world. I am proud to serve as Chairman of the County Commission, which allows me to work closely with many people and organizations in this time of crisis. I wanted to provide some updates on what has happened already and what you can expect in the coming days.

Starting May 4th, restaurants, retail stores, museums and libraries will be able to open at 25% of capacity. Elective medical procedures will begin again with hospital capacity closely monitored. Bars, gyms, salons and spas will remain closed in phase one, along with a continued ban on visitors to long term care facilities. Many of our Pasco County wilderness parks have slowly opened for exercise, you will see more parks open in the coming days.

Increased testing is a key part of plans to re-open our community. Pasco now has two drive-through testing sites, one at Gulf High operated by BayCare and one at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, operated by AdventHealth.

On April 21st, the County Commission approved the Pasco Emergency Business Grant program to help our small businesses. This program, administered by the Pasco Economic Development Council, provided up to $5,000 in grants to Pasco businesses with 25 or fewer employees. The money can be spent on rent, mort-

ers from other levels of government to keep me fully informed on what is happening as we begin a phased re-opening.

I have also had discussions with CEOs of Pasco’s hospitals, the mayors of Pasco’s cities, the Pasco County legislative delegation. In late March, I hosted a meeting of the County CommisPlease make sure you support sion Chairs from Hillsborough and Pinellas our local businesses and use along with the mayors of Tampa and Clear#SupportPasco on social media. water to ensure a regional approach. I have participated in virtugage, utilities or payroll. I will contin- al town halls on resources for small ue to keep a sharp focus on our eco- businesses and resources for people nomic recovery. Please make sure you with special needs. support our local businesses and use #SupportPasco on social media.

Please continue to follow social distancing guidelines, avoiding groups Communication among people and of 10 more and keeping six foot apart organizations is key to success. I have in public spaces. For all the latest inhad thousands of phone calls, emails formation from Pasco County, please and meetings as we work together on visit MyPasco.net. new challenges from COVID-19. Here are some highlights of what I have Finally, I want to say thank you to our done: front line workers. Our first responders and law enforcement, health care In late April, I created the Chairman’s professionals, all essential workers Opening Pasco Advisory Group. who have kept us open. I want you to This group is made up of physicians, know our entire community appreciChambers of Commerce, and lead- ates you.

PLAY WESLEY CHAPEL

Mother’s Day at Home Ideas

The best Mother’s Day gifts are the ones that come from the heart.

Whether you are able to spend some quality time with mom or not this Mother’s Day, the thought you put behind her gift will make her day special.

Bake Her Favorite Dessert

There's a new storywalk in the Avalon Park Wesley Chapel community!

Explore the neighborhood to complete the story: "I Took My Frog to the Library".

Beginning at the Amenity Center on 5060 River Glen Blvd. with stops at the Little Free Library, the Community Clubhouse, and the Cypress Village playground.

Please visit our website and Facebook event for more information. facebook.com/events/edit/540134000221115/ avalonparkwest.com/events/storywalk/

Send mom a box of her favorite cookies or bake her those delicious cupcakes she loves so much.

Whatever her favorite treat may be, she is sure to appreciate the chance to enjoy her favorite dessert on her Take a Virtual Painting Class special day as well as the thought Whether you are quarantining to- and effort you put into making it gether or apart, this is the perfect for her.

Mother’s Day activity to bring out your creative sides from the comfort of home. All you need is paint- Take a Virtual Flower Arranging ing supplies and an internet con- Class nection. Pinot’s Palette offers great virtual classes and delivers the art kits straight to your home.

Homemade Card From the Heart A thoughtful card with a sweet message is often the most treasured gift by mom. Put into words how much she means to you and gather the construction paper, glue sticks, stickers, and glitters to make it look wonderful

DIY Photo Journal Gather all your photos and capture all of mom’s favorite and memorable moments in a photo journal.

This is a fun activity to put your scrapbooking skills to the test and is sure to bring a smile to mom’s face

What’s the best way to receive a bouquet of flowers? Make it yourself! This is another great way to spend quality time with mom and you both end up with a beautiful flower arrangement at the end.

Alice’s Table offers a great Virtual Mother’s Day Master Class for you to try out!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Resident Shoutout A special thank you to Avalon Park Wesley Chapel resident, Ryan Thomas for working tirelessly to organize amazing Food Truck Days for the neighborhood. Not only bringing a little happiness during these trying times in the form of delicious food, but also helping support local businesses in the process. Thank you Ryan for always keeping a positive attitude and for your willingness to lend a helping hand to your fellow neighbors. We appreciate all that you do for our community!

PLAY (Cont.)

Broadening Horizons

GLOBAL CONNECTION

By Andreas Derzsi

pore. Especially in the present time with the coronavirus this is enrichI am very pleased to have been in- ing, but also reassuring. Last week vited to write a column in the Ava- I was sitting in a co-working place lon Park Sun. As Secretary of the Board of Directors of sitEX Properties Holding AG, a partner company of the Avalon Park Group, I have already had the opportunity to experience the uniqueness of Avalon Park several times.

I grew up in a family where traveling was always a very important part of our lives. Already as a small boy it was my hobby to visit the big travel fair in Zurich, Switzerland, together with my father. We always came back with big bags and a lot of travel brochures. My father then quasi transferred the travel management to me and I was allowed to choose a destination, discuss it with the family and then plan and book the whole trip.

As I got older, the trips became more complex and all the more exciting to plan. I am very grateful to my father for this broadening of my horizons.

Fast forward 15 years, I am now allowed to sit at my desk in Singapore and write this column. In between I traveled a lot and was able to broaden my horizon a little bit with every trip. Today I call Singapore, a small city state with a size of 18% of the metropolitan area of Orlando, my home. I live here with my wife, who like my son were born here.

elers were already measured for fever on arrival and departure. You could only enter any building if you had your fever measured, left

Experience a new world and see these current times as a chance to get to know something new!

in the middle of the city. There was a lively atmosphere and the mostly young visitors displayed a positive drive, which immediately affected me as well.

your personal details and gave a written assurance that you had not been to China within the last 14 days. At first I thought that this was a bit exaggerated, but looking The earth is always turning, it is big and full of chances and opportunities. Although we cannot travel and admire the beauty of nature and cultures around the globe at the moment, bring a piece of undiscovered culture home. Home schooling will take on a whole new dynamic. How about a Japanese evening at home, for example? Learn how to cook sushi yourself and immerse yourself and your children in the world of sumo wrestling. This is a sport with a great history and an equally great back I was wrong. The number of complexity. cases in Singapore is also increasing every day, but for a country Experience a new world and see with more than 5.5 million inhab- these current times as a chance to itants in a small area, the numbers get to know something new! Take are rising at a relatively low rate care and . and are only a fraction of those in

Bring a piece of undiscovered culture home.

At the same time, I watched from a distance as the measures against the spread of the virus in Switzerland were steadily tightened. In Thanks to my work, I see daily life Singapore, the first measures were in the USA, Switzerland and Singataken as early as January and trav-

Europe or the USA. With this I would like to show that the situation in some parts of the world may seem hopeless and rather negative at the moment, but at the same time there are all the more places in our world where people are working hard at the exact same time to ensure that we can continue to develop as a society despite the corona crisis and soon return to normality, even if this will probably look different in certain aspects (e.g. in the area of education) in the future. Regardless of how this will look, we should learn from our mistakes and copy and implement the best practices of other countries. To combine the best of cultures. Openness instead of prejudice.

Coming together to create a healthy community WESLEY CHAPEL

so aim to drink at least 64 ounces of water per day.

Lift weights. Cardio is great for burning calories, but the minute you stop, so does the calorie burn.

Building muscle keeps your body burning fat all day long. Research also shows lifting heavy weight maintains bone density and can even build new bone which helps prevent osteoporosis.

By Angela Fulgieri

Increase the intensity of your workouts. Not everyone has hours to spend in the gym, so increasing the intensity of your workout is do in the gym, is what you do out- a great way to change your body side of it. Severe calorie restric- quicker without increasing time tion, fad diets and eliminating spent in the gym. To do this, add food groups can be stressful and more weight, and less rest between may actually hinder your ability to sets. lose fat. Begin with small changes Increase the frequency of your that you can incorporate into your training. If you want to see results, lifestyle. A great place to start is by you need to put in the work. Hittracking what you eat. From there, ting the gym two times per week is you can see what you need to cut not enough. Find time to squeeze out of your diet. Stick to whole in a workout at home or check foods like fruits, vegetables, lean your gym schedule for 30-minute meats and whole grains. And if you express classes. Experienced indrink soda, fruit juices and energy structors, like the ones we have at drinks, switch to water. Water is the YMCA, will guide you through vital to digestion and metabolism, an intense, short workout that will

Get Fit Faster!

“It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow and transform” Roy T. Bennett We live in an age where everyone wants instant gratification. If you’ve spent any amount of time in the gym, you know it takes time to see results, but what can you do to change things up and see results quicker?

Change your eating habits. What matters even more than what you

make the best use of that time.

Classes like LesMills Sprint, LesMills CXWorx, and HIIT training are ideal.

Choose compound exercises over isolation exercises. Isolation exercises like biceps curls are great for toning muscle, but they are not going to get you the fastest results.

Choosing exercises that involve more than one muscle group like squats, bench presses and pull ups will save you time in the gym by working more muscles at once.

Finally, don’t waste time! I feel it’s necessary to include this because I see so many people wasting time at the gym and then complaining they aren’t getting results they want. Working out with a friend is great as long as they do not want to spend the entire time socializing. If you are tempted to look at your phone between sets, leave it at home. If the equipment you need is being used, keep your heart rate up by working in exercises between sets. You won’t burn any calories standing around. It’s okay to change your plan or grab a jump rope while you wait!

Helpful Ways to get Through these Unprecedented Times “Remember that time in 2020 when we all ran out of toilet paper,” joked the man who stood behind me in line at Walmart. We were lucky to arrive in time to buy our rationed package of toilet paper. They were already out of disinfectant wipes, but he had enough in his cart to spare one for me.

nect, keep busy and, most of all, support each other because we are all in this together.

Many workouts do not require any equipment. You can find them online or connect with a group exercise instructor or trainer offering We have no control over what is virtual classes. For those that can, going on in the world today, but get outdoors to stay active and go we can control how we deal with for a walk, run or bike ride. If you it. Besides the obare not used to running If you must be vious frequent hand solo, you can connect washing, social dishomebound, with other runners usThese are unprecedented times tancing, etc., there are make a list of things ing an app like Runkand many of us are worried. Some other ways to stay well you have always eeper to hold each othare concerned for their health or during this pandemic. er accountable or join the health of friends and family. wanted to do, a Fitbit challenge.

Others face financial issues and If you must be homebut hadn’t had those who are fortunate enough bound, make a list of It always feels good to the time things you have alto be working have to find time to help others. Do you help their children with school- ways wanted to do, but have a neighbor with a hadn’t had the time. work at home. I feel for the high health condition who school seniors who will not get to They could be home might need groceries projects, but could experience their prom, the nurse or paper goods? Supwho has to find childcare for her also be something fun port local businesses like gardening, paintlittle one, the elderly that may that are open for takenot be able to get the groceries ing landscapes, croout. FaceTime or start cheting, teaching yourself another they need, those that live alone a group chat to keep in touch with and miss social interaction and of language. Use this time to try new friends, and be kind to the teachcourse, those affected by the vi- recipes, read a book, check in with ers navigating through this new rus. It can be stressful and even your neighbors and bond with way of teaching. depressing, but it is important to family.

The Tampa Metropolitan Area remain positive, find ways to conGyms are closed, but do not fret!

YMCA is trying to do everything it can to help people stay connected, healthy and well. Though our facilities must remain closed to members, our centers are offering school aged relief care to help support healthcare workers, emergency responders and other essential workers. You can also find many ideas to keep you busy at https://www.tampaymca.org/ tampa-y-member-resources. This includes a variety of free workout videos you can do at home with little to no equipment like Barre, Yoga, HIIT, kid-friendly workouts and workouts for Active Older Adults. There is also free access to LesMills on demand for YMCA members and links to free at home entertainment. It’s our way to help you stay active, healthy and connected in your own home, and on your own time.

These are challenging and confusing times so let’s try to do whatever we can to lessen the burden on each other and our community as a whole. Stay strong and healthy!

To SUBMIT your local LIVE news.... to ADVERTISE, to REGISTER or to RECEIVE the Avalon Park Sun email: Info@AvalonParkSun.com