10 minute read
YOUR PIE SPECIAL EVENT
YOUR PIE OF BRANDON HELPS A LOCAL LITTLE GIRL CELEBRATE A MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT
By Libby Hopkins
Selah Feely of Riverview is like most kids because she loves pizza. She especially loves Your Pie of Brandon’s pizza, and why wouldn’t she love it? Your Pie has won the Brandon Community award and the franchise’s Customer Relationship award.
It’s the customer service, relationship building and of course the pizza that brought the Feely family to Your Pie.
Selah celebrated her bell ringing after party at Your Pie this past November. Selah has been battling a bilateral Wilms tumor since she was 4 years old. “My family — Selah; Asher; her brother, John; her dad; and myself — live in Riverview, about 15 minutes from Your Pie,” said Selah’s mom, Christina. “We live on a little farm with a horse, a donkey, a pig and chickens. Selah’s cancer journey started in 2019. At 4 years old, she was diagnosed with bilateral Wilms tumor, a pediatric kidney cancer. She had several tumors taking over both her kidneys and a small lesion on her lung. We immediately began chemotherapy treatment here in Florida at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. After 12 weeks of chemo, we traveled to St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee for surgery to remove the tumors. The surgery was a success, sparing 75 percent of her right kidney and 85 percent of her left kidney.”
The family returned home, and Selah completed 12 more weeks of chemotherapy. “She rang the bell in April of 2020. Almost two years later, March 2022, during one of her routine scans, it was discovered that a new tumor was growing in her left kidney,” Christina said. “We were devastated. We traveled to St. Jude again, where it was confirmed with
Selah Feely (center) celebrated her another CT scan that bell-ringing after-party at Your Pie of the cancer had in fact Brandon this past November. Selah has returned. She had imbeen battling pediatric kidney cancer mediate surgery to since she was 4 years old. remove the new tumor and then traveled back home to begin chemotherapy treatment again. After 28 weeks of treatment, Selah rang the bell again on November 17, just in time for Thanksgiving — so much to be grateful for.” Since Your Pie is Selah’s favorite place to eat, she wanted to have her bell-ringing after-party at the restaurant. “We were so delighted to host a very special party for a very special little girl, Selah, who has beaten cancer twice,” said Your Pie co-owner Theresa Smith. The Feely family loves Your Pie for a number of reasons. “The food is delicious,” Christina said. “The people that work there are so kind and fun to be around, and the kids love the dough that they get to play with when they make their pizza. It’s the little things. Being able to have her bell-ringing after-party at Your Pie was great. It’s such a great space to accommodate large groups, and the space is so kid friendly..” Visit her Facebook page at www.facebook. com/profile.php?id=100063151933119.
JIM MECSKO RECEIVES HERO OF SERVICE AWARD FROM SENIORS IN SERVICE TAMPA BAY
Staf Report
Jim Mecsko, a longtime volunteer with Our Lady’s Pantry, recently received a Hero of Service award from Seniors in Service (SIS), an organization whose mission is to provide solutions to community challenges by engaging seniors 55plus.
“Jim has been a dedicated volunteer at Our Lady Pantry for more than seven years,” said pantry director Tom Bullaro. “He initially volunteered at the pantry helping to stock shelves and pack boxes and since then has become instrumental in pantry operations. After about a year, Jim had the bright idea to set up a computer program for registering clients. That program has received accolades from Feeding Tampa Bay.”
“I noticed Anita [Bullaro] shufing multiple copies of paper as clients gave their names,” Mecsko said. “She told me it was no longer enough to give food to the hungry. We needed to keep all kinds of records for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and even more for Feeding Tampa Bay, our regional food bank. All of these agencies require assorted information to ensure the safety of food distributed to our clients. We also had to document how many persons were receiving this food.”
“I thought to myself, why can’t this information be computerized?” said Mecsko. With a background in electronics and computer programming, he had the skill set to make the changes he visualized. Mecsko served as the test engineer on the sonar section in the front of the Mark 48 torpedo for the U.S. Navy at Gould Oceans Systems. He also served as a gaming commissions ofcer writing inventory software for the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa. It was the perfect background to bring Our Lady’s Pantry fully into the 21st century.
Using various computer tools, Mecsko can identify how many clients come to the pantry, whether these individuals live alone and if their households have children. He can also identify veterans among the clients.
“I used to spend hours every night going through new papers, taking out old, making copies for our two groups,” Anita explained. Now Mecsko is able to track it all through the computer program he designed.
“I like to help others, if I see a need,” Mecsko said. “After I retired, I was looking for a sense of purpose, which is why I came to the pantry.”
According to Robin Ingles, CEO of Seniors in Service, the Hero of Service award was given to Mecsko for his outstanding service and dedication to his community, and his commitment to Seniors in Service. “We thank you for the extraordinary service and accomplishments,” said Ingles.
John W. Exner, ChFC®
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HEWETT EARNS EAGLE SCOUT RANK WITH PICNIC TABLE PROJECT
Staf Report
Hannah Hewett, a 15-year-old student at Riverview High School, has participated in Boy Scout troops led by her parents from the time she was in first grade. She was actively involved in Scouts with her brothers but was not ofcially awarded any rank because Boy Scouts of America was closed to girls at that time.
On February 1, 2019, the Boy Scouts of America, now known as Scouts BSA, opened its Scouting program to girls of all ages and Hannah was one of the first girls across the nation to ofcially join Cub Scouts. Hannah achieved the rank of Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts and crossed over to the first all-girl Troop 483. Three years later, Hannah achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and celebrated this honor on January 7 at her Eagle Scout Court of Honor held at Redeemer Church.
Hannah is the second girl in her troop to become an Eagle Scout, the highest achievement attainable in the Scouts BSA program. She is preceded by her older sister, Alexis Hewett. Only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank since the program’s inception in 1911.
Hannah’s project was to acquire materials for a dozen picnic tables and lead two teams to build the tables for her church for outdoor events and meetings the Redeemer Church holds on campus. “Hannah’s Eagle project was a request from her church. The church is so appreciative of the picnic tables that were built on their campus for special
events and recognize the hard work, leadership and project management skills that go into Eagle projects like Hannah’s for their benefit and enjoyment,” said her mother, Julie Hewett. The troop’s local 501(c)(3) charter orHannah Hewett giving a brief rundown to the ganization, the Famicrew helping her with her Eagle Scout project. ly and Youth Research and Education (FYRE) Foundation, fortifies families by providing training, resources and education through programs like Scouts BSA. More information can be found at www.fyrefoundation. org. In addition to her culminating project, Hannah has completed numerous campouts, hikes and skills and leadership training, including completing her basic scuba certification. She graduated from the National Youth Leadership Training course, a demanding and exciting program designed to provide youth members with experience and leadership skills. Besides Scouting, Hannah’s ambition is reflected at her school and in her community as well. She is an A/B honor roll student; a member of the Riverview High School choir, including the Victorian Christmas Choir and Sugar and Spice female barbershop quartet; and an active leader in her church youth group and member of her church choir. Hannah is also certified in American Red Cross CPR, first aid and AED. Plus, Hannah loves singing, musical theater and mathematics. Hannah desires to attend college at Texas A&M University and plans to study mathematics and continue singing.
By Kelly Wise Valdes
This spring marks the 88th annual Florida Strawberry Festival, which takes place for 11 days beginning from Thursday, March 2 through Sunday, March 12. This anticipated annual event has become one of the best festivals in the nation, ranks among the Top 40 Fairs in North America and is visited by more than 500,000 guests each year. It’s not only known for its strawberry shortcakes, carnival games, livestock shows, food vendors and thrilling midway rides, but it has also become recognized for hosting world-famous headline entertainment.
According to Lee Bakst, assistant general manager of the Florida Strawberry Festival, there are more than 24 artists performing on the Strawberry Festival stage this year. “We have a variety of acts and feel like we have touched all music genres,” said Bakst. According to past numbers, Bakst expects approximately 100,000 concertgoers in attendance over the course of the 11-day festival.
As in years past, The Oak Ridge Boys kick-of the festival with their afternoon performance from their Front Porch Singin’ Tour. In 2018, The Oak Ridge Boys were the first performers to christen the Strawberry Festival’s new $5.5 million amphitheater.
Some of the most anticipated shows include award-winning, Grammy-nominated
country star Walker Hayes on March 2; country legend Willie Nelson and Family as well as the band Halestorm on Friday, March 3; award-winning country singer Sara Evans and the multitalented Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges on Saturday, March 4; and The Gatlin Brothers and Chris Young More than 24 world-famous singers will on Sunday, March 5. perform at the 2023 Strawberry Festival. Monday, March 6 includes two performers: Neal McCoy and Josh Turner. Country idol Tanya Tucker is performing on stage on Wednesday, March 8; also performing on March 8 are The Jacksons, the legendary brothers of popstar Michael Jackson — Jackie, Tito, Jermain and Marlon. Rounding out the rest of the week is Las Vegas icon Wayne Newton, Train, Sawyer Brown, and the Isley Brothers. The festival ends with the Southern rock iconic band and native Floridians Lynyrd Skynyrd with lead singer Johnny Van Zant. In addition, two major Christian artists will be performing at this year’s festival: For King & Country and CeCe Winans. For King & Country will be performing on Thursday, March 9. CeCe Winans is scheduled to perform on Tuesday, March 7. For concert dates, times to purchase tickets and a full list of entertainers, visit www.flstrawberryfestival.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the Amscot Main Ticket Ofce, located at 2209 W. Oak Ave. in Plant City, or by calling 813-754-1996.
