HELEN MULRENNAN YOUNG REFLECTS ON 100 YEARS OF COMMUNITY IMPACT

Known for her “gracious heart and positive spirit,” Helen Mulrennan Young is set to celebrate her 100th birthday on Monday, February 27.

Young is the youngest and last surviving sibling of a family whose pioneering heritage in Eastern Hillsborough County is duly noted with the naming of Mulrennan Middle School in Valrico, which opened in 2003 at 4215 Durant Rd.

The school sits on land that was once the homestead of Joseph and May Mulrennan and their children, Annie Mae, John, Joe, Margaret, Bud, Frank, Tim and Helen.

Young, in 2006, became the last surviving sibling with the passing of Martin ‘Bud’ Mulrennan at age 93, a farming pioneer with a citrus grower’s hat who managed the family’s 160-acre Mulrennan Groves, now home to houses and the school. Her brother Joseph ‘Jody’ Mulrennan served as president of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, which he helped to establish in 1959.

Also active in community life, Young is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon, which her brother Bud joined as a charter member in 1960. She is a long-standing Cornerstone Baptist Church congregant, where she is known for her crochet ministry.

For more than 23 years, Young has crocheted blankets and hats for newborn babies and afghan blankets for newly married couples. She also crochets for many others, including cancer warriors, Tampa General Hospital patients and the Lioness Project, whose mission is to help women and children homeless because of domestic violence.

“My crochet ministry means everything to

By Linda Chion

me because when I crochet, I concentrate on what I’m doing and not on the things that I can’t do,” Young said, who sufers from advancing arthritis. “I get satisfaction knowing that what I’m making is going to bring joy into someone else’s life.”

For her wisdom and largesse, Young in 2022 received the Spirit of Kiwanis Award from District Governor Karla Nielsen during an Apollo Beach visit. Young, reads the plaque, “with her gracious heart and positive spirit inspires us all to become better servant leaders and to live our highest and best lives.”

By rights, Young never should have made it past her early years. “When I was 9, my appendix ruptured, and back in those days that was like getting a death warrant,” Young said. “In fact, the doctor told my parents to start planning my funeral.”

What has kept her alive, Young said, is her enduring faith. Also, that she eats a lot of vegetables, keeps medications at a minimum, has a holistic doctor, stays fit and active and keeps her mind engaged.

Her faith has gotten her through her darkest days, Young said, most notably after her cancer diagnosis while taking care of a blind husband battling Parkinson’s disease.

“There are a lot of struggles and joys in life,” Young said. “It takes those struggles to appreciate the good times that you have because if you had it good every day and you didn’t have to be concerned about anything, you would just go along in life and take it all for granted.”

FINANCIAL FOCUS DON’T LET FEAR DRIVE INVESTMENT DECISIONS

In the past year, we’ve seen some big swings in the fnancial markets. This volatility may make you feel as if you have little control over your investment success. But the truth is, you do have more control than you might think — as long as you don’t let fear guide your decisions.

Investment-related fear can manifest itself in a few diferent ways:

• Fear of loss – Some investors may emphasize avoiding losses more than achieving gains. Consequently, they might build portfolios they consider very low in risk, possibly containing a high percentage of certifcates of deposit (CDs) and U.S. Treasury securities. Yet, a highly conservative approach carries its own risk — the risk of not achieving enough growth to stay ahead of infation, much less meet long-term goals such as a comfortable retirement. To reach these goals, you’ll want to construct a diversifed portfolio containing diferent types of assets and investments — each of which may perform diferently at diferent times. Your objective shouldn’t be to avoid all risk — which is impossible — but to create an investment strategy that accommodates your personal risk tolerance and time horizon.

• Fear of missing out – You’re probably familiar with the term “herd mentality” — the idea that people will follow the lead of others for fear of missing out on something. This behavior is responsible for fads or the sudden emergence of “hot” products, and it’s also relevant to investing. In fact, herd mentality may contribute to sharp jumps in the fnancial markets as investors drive up prices by buying stocks to avoid being left behind. And the same may be true in reverse — when the market starts dropping, skittish investors

IN CELEBRATION OF FEBRUARY HEART MONTH, BRUTON MEMORIAL LIBRARY PRESENTS HEART SMART

Bruton Memorial Library, located in historic Plant City, will hold a special event called Heart Smart on Tuesday, February 7 at 11 a.m. The program is free and open to the public. This program would be beneficial to those of all ages and walks of life as it will provide vital preventative health information.

The program leader for Heart Smart is Kim Bragg-Armatrout, NDTR, family and consumer services agent with UF/ IFAS Extension Hillsborough County. This program is part of the American Heart Association’s Healthy for Life initiative. It is sponsored by City Furniture which is new to the Plant City area. City Furniture is invested in community outreach, and this program is a great example of this intent.

Bragg-Armatrout will give a presentation on healthy living based on the American Heart Association’s Healthy for Life initiative. She will discuss MyPlate, the five food groups and provide tips on habits that attendees can start to follow. In addition, Bragg-Armatrout will also take the biometrics (blood-pressure check, temperature and weight check) of the attendees. According to Bragg-Armatrout, “The biometrics will give attendees a baseline from which to work using the tips and tools I give them to work

By Kathy L. Collins

on to achieve living healthy.”

There will also be a cooking demonstration at the Heart Smart program.

Bragg-Armatrout added, “February is Heart Month. The goal of the Heart Smart program is for attendees to take away the concept of healthy eating for the heart.”

Each month, Bruton Memorial Library holds sessions designed for healthy living on Wellness Wednesdays. The sessions are normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m. In addition, most are in a hybrid format (part live, part via Zoom). Heart Smart is special, as it is live and, while part of the Wellness Wednesday series, is instead held on February’s first Tuesday.

Lynn Lopez, outreach associate for Bruton Memorial Library, said, “We o f er many programs that focus on your mental and physical well-being.” may accelerate the decline by selling stocks so they, too, can get out before it’s too late. Buying or selling investments should be considered as needed to help advance your long-term fnancial strategy — not in response to what others are doing.

The next few Wellness Wednesdays will feature Facts on Fat on February 22. On March 22, the library will present Healthy Substitutes (food). April 26’s program will be Save It Now, Eat It Later. All of the Wellness Wednesdays are free and open to the public.

Bruton Memorial Library is located at 302 McLendon St. in Plant City. For more information, please call 813-757-9215.

• Fear of the unknown – Some investors fall victim to “familiarity bias” — the tendency to invest only in what they know, such as local or domestic companies. But this behavior can lead to under-diversifed portfolios. If your portfolio is dominated by just a few investments, and these investments are fairly similar to each other, you could experience some losses when the inevitable market downturn occurs. To help reduce the impact of market volatility, it’s a good idea to spread your investment dollars across large and small companies in a range of industries and geographical regions. And that’s just on the equities side — it’s also wise to consider further diversifying your portfolio by owning bonds and government securities. (Keep in mind, though, that diversifcation can’t guarantee profts or protect against all losses.)

• Fear of admitting failure – Some individuals don’t like to admit when they’ve been wrong about something, and they may continue the same failed activities, hoping for eventual success. This behavior can be costly in the investment arena. Sometimes, a particular investment, or even an investment strategy, just doesn’t work out, but an investor is determined to stick with it — even if it ultimately means considerable fnancial loss. Don’t let his happen to you — if it becomes apparent you need to change your investment approach, move on to something better.

Fear can hold us back in many walks of life — but don’t let it keep you from making appropriate investment moves.