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JUNE 24, 2015
Fundraisers keep Guv’na hopefuls busy By Michael Murillo
mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com
The race for Lutz Guv’na is wrapping up, but the candidates aren’t ready to pack it in. All three hopefuls are prepping for lastminute fundraising, with some big events in the final days of the race. All the money goes to Lutz organizations, and the candidate who raises the most earns the ceremonial title. So they’re pulling out all the stops to grab as much cash as possible. According to two-time former Guv’na Suzin Carr, that’s a good strategy to have in the last days of the race. “The final push is huge, “ Carr said. “It ain’t over until it’s over.” That motto came to fruition last year,
MICHAEL MURILLO/STAFF PHOTO
The cash grab for the Lutz Guv’na race was already in full swing at the debate back in May. Now, the three candidates are ramping up the fundraising as the July Fourth deadline looms.
when the race was decided by less than $20 out of around $9,600 raised. In the end, Dr. Cindy Perkins won the Guv’na sash by the thinnest of margins. And on July 4, she’ll hand it over to whichever of the three candidates pushes themselves over the top. The bulk of the money is actually due the day before, July 3, at 2 p.m. After that deadline, the candidates can raise up to 10 percent more of their total between then and the Lutz Parade on July 4. Even that final window gets utilized by the best candidates. Carr recalls raising money at the parade itself, doing whatever she could to add a few dollars to her total. When her races were finishing up, she See GUV’NA, page 11A
Chamber celebrates four decades of service By Michael Murillo
mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will celebrate its 40th anniversary on June 26 with its awards and installation banquet at The Event Factory, 7565 W. Hillsborough Ave. But it originally got its start as the Land O’ Lakes Chamber of Commerce. It was a different name at a different time in the area’s growth. “When this chamber first started, (US Highway) 41 was a one-lane roadway each way, and the intersection of 41 and (State Road) 54 was a stop sign,” said executive director Meredith Kleker. The roads have grown quite a bit since that time, and so has the chamber. Now boasting more than 400 members, the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce has continued to serve the needs and be a voice for Central Pasco and Northern Hillsborough residents and businesses. That influence can be seen in the advocacy and support for what are now considered staples in the area. From the Suncoast Parkway to the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home, chamber businesses and individuals have been a part of improving the community for decades. While the numbers have grown and the names have changed, the secret ingredient in the chamber’s success has stayed the same, according to member Terri Dusek. It’s about the people. “They care about their community, and they care about each other,” she said. “I think
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CENTRAL PASCO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Remember the FlapJack Festival? It was just one of many area events the chamber has supported in its 40-year history.
it’s wonderful. I absolutely love our chamber.” Dusek also loves her title as honorary mayor of Land O’ Lakes. She earned it by winning a race to raise the most money, which goes to the chamber and helps fund local causes and groups. She also directed a portion to the charity of her choice, ShelterBox, which provides emergency relief and aid to disaster victims. Last year’s race wasn’t much of a contest, Dusek said. In the end, she was the only candidate. While that might have given her license to relax and take it easy on the fundraising, she did no such thing. Instead she collected more than $4,000 to earn the title. Now, after a year’s worth of ribbon-cut-
ting and other ceremonial duties, she’ll turn it over to this year’s winner at the end of the month. While she won’t be mayor anymore, she’ll remain an active member of the chamber, which will benefit both her real estate business and her personal growth. “It has helped me in my own business, and it has helped me in a lot of different areas of my life,” Dusek said. “I’m happy, I love going to our events, I love being around the people that are there. I love meeting new people when they come in. It’s helped me grow in all areas, not just business.” But business continues to be a big focus See CHAMBER, page 11A
Local woman’s club named best in state By B.C. Manion
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The GFWC Lutz-Land O’Lakes Woman’s Club has received the Lois B. Perkins Award, which goes to the GFWC Florida Outstanding Club of the Year. This is the third year in a row that the club has received the honor – an unprecedented distinction, according to club members. Winning the award allows the club to retain the coveted silver commemorative tea service to use for their club events. Kay Taylor, who is the club’s president, and Cathy Mathes, who is the first vice president, attribute the club’s success to its community involvement. “Teamwork – that’s what makes our club such an awesome club,”Taylor said. Mathes agreed: “We do a lot of hard work.We do it in a lot of different areas.” The club is involved on several different fronts. It supports the Old Lutz School. It helps Support Our Troops. It volunteers with bingo games at the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home. Members pitch in at schools. They put books at coin laundries. They put up a candidate in the annual Lutz Guv’na race. They participate in Relay for Life. The women prepare foods for breakfast or brunch at the Hope Lodge at the Moffitt Cancer Center. On one occasion, Mathes found the experience to be particularly poignant. “A man came up and said, ‘My wife hasn’t eaten anything in two weeks. This is the first time she’s eaten.’ “You just want to sit there and cry,”
COURTESY OF PATRICIA SERIO
The GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club members were decked out in a sea of red at a recent general meeting in support of February as Heart Health Month.
Mathes said. The list of activities that the women are involved in goes on and on. Besides helping the community, the club is involved in two major fundraisers each year. It stages the Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival at Lake Park, an event that draws around 30,000 people each year. It also puts on the Woman’s Club Flea Market, another gargantuan task that involves lots of heavy lifting and volunteer hours. Taylor has been a member for six years, joining the club a year after she moved to Lutz. She was recruited by Auralee Buckingham. The club has developed a reputation around the community, she said. “If somebody needs something, they come to us first to see if there’s any way we can help them,”Taylor said. “We are all about service,” she said. “We
are a working club, not a social club.” Mathes added: “We do a lot of hard work. We do it in a lot of different areas.” The woman’s club, known around Lutz and Land O’ Lakes as the “green-shirt ladies,” has 95 members. The club is open to new ideas and picks up quite a few from meetings in Orlando, Mathes said. “You learn from all of the other clubs in the state – the projects they’re working on. You can come home with some good ideas of some things you can do here,” Mathes said. Winning the top prize was a surprise and a thrill, Mathes said. The club placed second in a number of categories, but earned enough points to win first place, she said. “There are a lot of active clubs all over the state. It’s just really a great honor,” Mathes said.