Tampa Bay News and Lifestyles, South Tampa Edition, Vol. 05, Issue 01, January 2019 by Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles Magazine

Vol. 05, Issue 01, January 15th - February 15th 2019

® Your community. Your magazine. ™ Dedicated to a community passionate about where they live and the small businesses who serve them

This Independent Community News, Business & Dining Guide Is Directly Mailed Once Each Month To:

Hyde Park, Palma Ceia, Soho, Beach Park, Culbreath Isles, Bayshore, Westshore

Bakas Equestrian Center Brings Dreams to Life for Handicapped Riders

By Lisa Stephens

Since 1987, Bakas Equestrian Center has been providing an opportunity for handicapped students to learn to ride, compete or fulfill their dreams of recreational horse riding. “We meet their needs,” said Danni Johnson, Senior Recreation Therapist, of the handicapped riders at the facility. Danni has been with the facility since she was 16 years old. “I was a barn brat,” he revealed. But this “barn brat,” who started as a volunteer herself, has since become one of the experienced staff members among students at the facility. Back in 1987, John Bakas approached Hillsborough County about opening a facility that would provide handicapped students an opportunity to ride horses. Today, this county owned facility, along with a non- profit group, which provides funding for equipment, scholarships for students and maintenance for the hooves of the horses enables handicapped students to come and experience an opportunity for therapy or recreational riding they can’t get anywhere else. According to Danni, the students who come to ride regularly range in ages from 4 to 78 years old. “We even have veterans and

MS patients who come for therapy rides,” she said. She also explained their biggest population of riders is diagnosed with autism. “We provide a program for each rider,” she explained. “Some are geared for Special Olympics and some are here for general recreational riding,” she said. She went on to explain that the Special Olympics are for those who suffer with mental impairments. To accommodate the students who did fall within that category, but still wanted to compete, their original Program Director, Beth Harre and, another staff member Pat Vannetta, created the Challenge Show. This was created 15 years ago. The Challenge Show enables students with physical challenges, such as a loss of limb, blindness or paralysis to compete as well. If students do not fall under the “mental impairment” requirement of the Special Olympics, this event would allow them to compete. Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Look no further than Bakas Horses for Handicapped. If you’re a high school student, hours served at this facility qualify for the Bright Futures Scholarship. They do welcome students as well as adult volunteers. If you have a passion for horses and a love to help the handicapped, this is certainly the place for you! Volunteers range in

age from 12 to older. No horse experience is necessary and the staff will train you on the skills you’ll need to help the organization. To get started as a volunteer, visit the website to download the volunteer application. Volunteer activities include cleaning out the barn area, prepare the horses for classes,

grooming and assisting with arts and craft activities with students. If you’re still looking for an opportunity to help, but can’t put in the hours to show up physically, there are many sponsorship opportunities.

See “Bakas” on page 4

SOUTH TAMPA TAMPA BAY NEWS & LIFESTYLES VISIT US ONLINE AT: TBNEWSANDLIFESTYLES.COM

220 S. SAFFORD AVE. TARPON SPRINGS, FL 34689 MAIN OFFICE: 727-943-0551 FAX: 727-942-2432 ADVERTISING E-MAIL: INFO@NNLFLORIDA.COM

Publisher Timothy Selby

Art Director Tony Sica

Editor Carla Dubis

General Manager Jim O'Reilly

Advertising Sales Matt Selby Jim O'Reilly Mike Bird

Billing Managers Doreen Selby Tina O'Reilly

Photography by Mike Bird (c) 2018 Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles. All Rights Reserved. Westchase / Citrus Park Tampa Bay News and Lifestyles is published monthly and distributed by the U.S. Postal Service to over 15,000 Homes in Citrus Park, Westchase and surrounding areas.. Tampa Bay News & Lifestyles is not responsible for errors in advertisements beyond the cost of advertising space. Nothing that appears in this publication may be reproduced in any way without consent of the publisher.

As 2019 starts, many people around the world will be optimistically setting themselves New Year’s resolutions. According to a YouGov poll, the most common aspirations for the coming year in the U.S. are; to eat healthier, get more exercise and save more money. Almost one third, perhaps being more realistic, answered that they never bothered with any resolutions. I used to set highly unattainable resolutions every year when I was in my early twenties, but that quickly changed. As I grew older, not being able to keep my unrealistic resolutions by February, March or even late January, increased my levels of anxiety and gave me terrible feelings of hopelessness. That does not mean I don’t set short-term and long-term goals for myself anymore; it just means that I stopped making unrealistic resolutions, and I stopped thinking of the New Year as a catalyst for sweeping all my die-hard habits and character traits. I started thinking that every new year we should focus more on reflecting on our past year’s behavior, and promise ourselves to make small positive lifestyle changes that will lead to a healthier and happier life. Often, what we don’t realize is that the problem isn’t that we aren’t capable of sticking to our resolutions— it’s that we need to do a better job

making resolutions that are actually achievable. Otherwise, it’s almost like setting yourself up to fall short. Change is hard, but not impossible. If you want to set yourself up for the best chance of success start by making smaller resolutions. You think: “I am going to get in the best shape of my life, I will not eat junk food ever again, I will work out every day and get a promotion.” All great aspirations, but creating a resolution that is too big sets you up for failure. Are you going to be able to swear off bread for the rest of your life? Highly unlikely (but if you can, good for you!) Start by limiting your carb cravings to only once every couple of weeks. That would be much more achievable, and then increase the amount of time between your cheat days. If you were someone who never worked out before, are you going to go to the gym seven times a week? Start with two times, then after a month, raise it to three times a week, and so forth. Your body needs time to adjust to a new physical routine, and starting too strong will only cause you to feel overwhelmed, and you’ll be more likely to give up. We’re more likely to achieve our resolutions when we make them public. Use social media to let all your close friends and relatives know of your goals and have them hold you accountable. That way it’s harder to back out! Celebrate small successes. I cannot stress that enough! Let’s say you want to

lose 40lbs... give yourself small weekly or monthly goals. Like for example, set a goal to lose 7lbs every month. Anything more than that will just give you an even bigger sense of accomplishment! Any weight loss is progress, so don’t feel discouraged and don’t give up! If your focus is just on the endgame, it’s easy to feel hopeless and to want to give up. Rather than waiting until you’ve shed all the weight, give yourself a “Yay, me!” celebration each time you drop 5! Remember that it’s only HUMAN to slip up, as long as you get back on track! Having a lapse is more common than you think. In fact, over 75 percent of resolution makers slop up within the first two months. Some get so upset that they completely give up. But that will not be you! Acknowledge your screw up but get right back on track. Figure out a way of preventing it from happening again. Just whatever you do, don’t give up and believe in yourself! Reaching that goal weight, developing better eating habits, or getting into a regular fitness routine are all healthy lifestyle changes that are worth sticking with for more than just a few months. Those good habits should not have a deadline; they should be a lifelong commitment. Good luck!

Carla Selby

For Advertising Info 813-928-6124 I info@nnlflorida.com or visit tbnewsandlifestyles.com

01/15 - 02/15 2019 3

“Bakas” Continued from page 1 Consider sponsoring one of their 15 horses that help handicapped students! According to Danni, it costs the facility $120 per horse every six weeks to keep them in shoes! There are many levels of sponsorship you can provide. Overall costs for each horse is $3000 per year. They welcome monthly and yearly sponsorship for each of their horses. Sponsorship covers Ferrier costs and equipment for each horse.

The horses on site are all donated. Kermit, 27 was donated when his owner went away to college. According to Danni, “She still visits on a regular basis when she’s home from college.” They welcome donated horses, but advise these horses are used for handicapped students. “We can’t take injured or broken animals because we can’t afford the vet bills for that and we are not a ‘rescue’ facility,” she said. According to Danni, working with students is the best part of her job. “I love to put the rider with the horse that best suits them,” she said. To see

01/15 - 02/15 2019

the excitement on the faces of their students is her reward. “For our Special Olympics students, their accomplishment is our accomplishment. We feel what they feel,” she expressed. And for the parents of these students, Danni said they’re all so appreciative. “We have parents who come to us and explain that their child isn’t verbal, but after several lessons, we see them giving commands to their horses.” Regular sessions can range from weekly to monthly sessions. Sessions include trail rides, games, arts and crafts and riding lessons. The lessons are geared specifically to each student. If students express an interest in Special Olympics or other competitive opportunities, they’re paired with a horse and a plan to meet those goals. “We push them to meet the max of their potential,” said Danni. “This is a sport the handicapped can compete in and it gives them an obtainable goal to work for,” she said. She went on to explain that many even excel at the goals each student sets for themselves. Bakas Equestrian Center is currently searching for sponsors for their upcoming fundraiser

horse show. Bakas Charity Open Pleasure Circuit Series will be held at Lake Park. Please visit their website for more information on how you can help with that endeavor and other volunteer and sponsorship opportunities. Bakas Equestrian Center for Handicapped is located at 11510 Whisper Lake Trail, Tampa 33626. Visit their website at bakasridingcenter. com to learn more about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities or call 813-2643890.

For Advertising Info 813-928-6124 I info@nnlflorida.com or visit tbnewsandlifestyles.com

01/15 - 02/15 2019

For Advertising Info 813-928-6124 I info@nnlflorida.com or visit tbnewsandlifestyles.com

01/15 - 02/15 2019

The City of Oldsmar Could Soon Have An Olympian!

Written by Carla Selby

For talented 20 yearold Oldsmar resident Andre Lacroix, his love of all things BMX began when he was a young boy. He was first introduced to the sport by his father Ken, who brought him to the BMX track in Oldsmar, Florida when he was only three years old to watch a National competition. That day Andre got to feel the adrenaline with every jump and had the opportunity to meet a lot of the pro’s. Needless to say, Andre was hooked. “I want to be just like them,” said young Andre to his father… and that he surely did. Andre has been riding the Oldsmar track for about 17 years now and it has

01/15 - 02/15 2019

definitely paid off. BMX has given Andre the opportunity to travel the entire country, mostly South America. He has now become one of the riders that he used to look up to as a young boy. Proof that dreams do come true. In case you didn’t know, Oldsmar is home of one of the top BMX tracks in the United States. This track hosts the USA BMX Gator National each year. Points earned at the Elite Level at this event are utilized for qualifying for the 2020 Olympics for each rider. Andre and his family credit the city of Oldsmar for building such a great BMX facility.

Family is the single most

important influence in a child’s life, and Andre’s parents support and encouragement have definitely made a huge difference in his life. “My parents are the biggest influence on my life. Unlike a lot of parents who force their kids into college and other things, they allowed me to take a shot at my dream and I feel so blessed for that,” said Andre. His mother’s Peruvian citizenship has also played a big factor in Andre’s professional career. “Having a dual citizenship with the country of Peru, where my mother was born, has played a huge factor in my life, and has allowed me to ride for the Peruvian National Cycling Team,” said Andre. He has

recently represented Peru in the South American Games in Cochabamba, Bolivia and aspires to medal in the 2019 PAn-American Games in Lima, Peru in July of next year. In 2016, Andre won the National Championship in Peru. “I also won several state titles as an amateur and placed top 25 in the country several times.” Having a positive support system is key for anyone trying to excel and reach for their dreams and Andre has been blessed with an incredible group encouraging individuals. “I’d like to thank John and Blake Sawyer for providing me with the best BMX products in

For Advertising Info 813-928-6124 I info@nnlflorida.com or visit tbnewsandlifestyles.com

the world; Ssqueared Bicycles and Answer products. My family of course, as they all support me so well, and my amazing and caring group of friends who all push each other to be better every day,” said Andre. Andre’s plans as of now, include finishing off a great season with the help of his coach, Domingos Lammoglia, and recuperating from a sports related injury. “I tore my PCL in my right knee about four moths ago, so I have been trying to get all my power back from the downtime I had then,” said Andre. He is also preparing for the Pan American Games that will take place in 2019. “With the Pan American Games being held in Peru, I know a lot is expected of me and I’ll be ready to show out when the time comes!” His goal is to qualify and compete in the 2020 games in

When questioned about his main goals and expectations Andre had this to say, “I want what just about every BMX rider who takes it seriously wants… an Olympic Gold Medal! So that definitely is my main goal! I also have goals of becoming a world finalist and contender for USA BMX Pro Series #1 Pro Title.” With such ambitions and determined mindset, we’re pretty sure Andre will succeed in achieving all his goals.

though Peru pays for most of Andre’s travels and entrance fees, they cannot fund him entirely. This is where Andre has thought out of the box. He established an S corporation “LaCroix BMX LLC,” in hopes to get corporate sponsorship from local companies. “In exchange I will advertise the company via Instagram, Facebook and on my Jersey and number plate all US and International races, including the Pan-American games,” said Andre. “For major sponsors I Will be giving back to the community in the name of the sponsor by hosting a one-day BMX clinic at a local track for free to all riders in the name of the sponsor.” The reason for the S corporation is so that a sponsor could utilize the sponsorship for marketing and tax purposes.

With every dream there’s obstacles though, and even

Andre wants every young athlete out there to “Reach

Tokyo, Japan. Oldsmar could possibly have an Olympian! I am personally very excited for Andre and wish him nothing but the best in the competition. I will refrain myself from saying “Break a leg,” because we all know it could happen… so good luck Andre!

for the stars! As cheesy as it sounds, don’t let anyone put you down and work hard every day!” Fantastic words of encouragement for any young kid with hopes and dreams of making it big in a particular sport.` Andre concluded his interview with the following message to the community; “Please come out to the local track in Oldsmar, it’s taken me all over the world! I have also opened my own company ‘LaCroix BMX’ in hopes of finding cooperation’s that are willing to help me meet my goals. I will also be marketing all companies who support me.” You can contact Andre directly by emailing him at lacroixbmx@gmail.com with any marketing inquiries. You can also follow him on instagram @andrelacroix.

PERSONAL INJURY CRIMINAL DEFENSE DUI

"It's personal to me, because it's personal to you!" The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements.

For Advertising Info 813-928-6124 I info@nnlflorida.com or visit tbnewsandlifestyles.com

01/15 - 02/15 2019

10 01/15 - 02/15 2019

For Advertising Info 813-928-6124 I info@nnlflorida.com or visit tbnewsandlifestyles.com

01/15 - 02/15 2019 11

Over 152 Homes Sold In The Tampa Bay Area

Tamara Dubis, Realtor Yo hablo espaĂąol

813-408-9307

tamaradubis@gmail.com www.tamara.thegriffingroup.net 1208 E Kennedy Blvd #231, Tampa Fl 33602 Certified Distressed Property Expert