TONY SALADINO AWARD

FREEDOM TO WALK FOUNDATION HOSTS BLING & JEANS GALA

By Libby Hopkins

The Freedom to Walk Foundation is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting patients and their families by providing financial assistance for the purchase of WalkAide® or Bioness devices for children and adults experiencing foot drop.

Foot drop is a medical condition characterized by weakness or paralysis of the muscles involved in lifting the front part of the foot. It is a gait abnormality that often occurs following a stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or due to multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy.

Foot drop causes a person to either drag their foot and toes or engage in a high-stepping walk called steppage gait. A significant number of individuals experience difculty with the simplest day-to-day activities because of foot drop.

Most insurance companies are denying coverage for these devices. With an out-ofpocket cost of $5,500 for the Bioness L300 Go and $3,000 for the WalkAide, the costs are prohibitive for many who see these devices as invaluable opportunities to improve their quality of life.

The Freedom to Walk Foundation hosts a yearly fundraiser called the Bling & Jeans Gala to help raise the funds to help families purchase WalkAides or Bioness devices. “Since 2013, the Freedom to Walk Foundation has celebrated the end of the year with a themed gala,” said the Freedom to Walk Foundation’s founder and president, Daisy Vega. “We are excited to be back with the Bling & Jeans Gala at Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association in Brandon. Attendees will dress to impress and wear shiny jewelry. Some are creative and add rhinestones to their jeans.” Since 2013, the galas have been held at the Centre Club in Tampa,

Russell Parker and his family will be in and in 2019 at the Tamattendance at Te Freedom to Walk Foun- pa Airport Marriott. dation’s annual Bling & Jeans Gala. Parker “This year, with everyis the foundation’s most recent recipient for one recovering from a device to help him walk. the impact of the past two years, Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association was chosen to have our Bling & Jeans Gala,” Vega said. “Thanks to the businesses and our local community, attendees will enjoy fine dining from Cibo Delizioso, a silent auction and dancing.” The foundation’s most recent recipient, Russell Parker, along with his family, will be in attendance at the gala this year. “Russell, our testimonial speaker, will tell his story and how the device has enriched his life,” Vega said. “We hope our gala will also raise awareness about the Freedom to Walk Foundation’s mission to continue to educate, inspire and empower individuals with foot drop on how to overcome financial obstacles through fundraising eforts and to subsidize the cost of the Bioness L300 Go and WalkAide device, which helps them to walk safely.” If you are interested in being a sponsor, contact Vega at daisy.vega@freedomtowalkfoundation.org. This year’s Bling & Jeans Gala will be held on Saturday, October 8 from 6-11 p.m. at Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association, located at 619 Vonderburg Dr., Ste. B in Brandon inside the Brandon Regional Library.

By Lily Belcher

Bloomingdale High School graduate Jack Owens was awarded the 2022 Tony Saladino Memorial Baseball Award on August 7 and became coach Kris Wilken’s first athlete to win the award.

“[Coach Wilken] has had some great players on his past teams and to be even a thought of being a part of those great players is insane to me,” said Owens. “I was always the smallest kid, and even today I still am, but Kris has trained me to the max to become the best player I can possibly be.”

The Stetson University commit was recognized for his exceptional talent on the field, boasting a 1.80 ERA and 53 strikeouts over 35 innings pitched. He batted .460 with 17 RBIs and five homeruns, showcasing impressive talent both on the mound and at the plate.

While the Saladino Award is given to an outstanding athlete, the character, leadership and scholarship of the recipient is taken into consideration. Owens, in addition to being team captain, was on principal’s honor roll and led the team to the state title as a junior last year.

“Jack understands that without accountable actions for himself, he can’t create trust

among those he’s leading,” said Wilken in his nomination of Owens. “… Jack is tough, accountable, respectful and caring.” Owens said teammate Makye Hayes expressed that the team played difMother Angela Owens, son Jack Owens, Tony Sal- ferently when Owadino, and father Jack Owens as the Bloomingda- ens is on the field. le graduate receives the Saladino Award. Owens took this to heart and reflected on how his performance could impact the team. He narrowed it down to one quote he tries to live by: “Treat others how you would want to be treated.” “Just by that quote I ended up pitching the best game,” said the Saladino Award recipient. “We ended up winning, and, most importantly, we all had fun because it doesn’t matter the talent level — if the chemistry level on a team is high, you will win.” The 5’11” Valrico native is the third award recipient from Bloomingdale High School, following Mike Valdes in 1995 and Ryan Strauss in 2004. “The Tony Saladino Memorial Baseball Award was established in 1971 and is presented annually to the outstanding high school senior baseball player in Hillsborough County as a memorial for my late father and my late wife, Bertha, to promote high school baseball,” said Tony Saladino.

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YOUTH ZONE RENOVATION GRANT & MORE AT CAMPO FAMILY YMCA

By Libby Hopkins

Campo Family YMCA was founded based on the core character values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

It continues to flourish because those values are as relevant to today’s world as they were in 1844, when a young drapery clerk named George Williams sought to develop a wholesome place for young people to escape the immorality of the London streets during the Industrial Revolution and founded the first YMCA. “Campo Family YMCA just celebrated more than 20 years in the greater Valrico community,” said Campo Y’s executive director, Robyn Ostrem. “Campo Family YMCA has become stronger because of our community.”

Over the last 20 years, Campo Family YMCA has had a total investment of $214,557 from the community through financial assistance to ensure participation in all programs among individuals facing financial hardship in addition to subsidized programs that fill community voids.

The center has also excelled in youth development. “More than 4,500 kids participated in experiences that cultivated values, skills and relationships that led to positive behaviors, better health and educational achievement,” Ostrem said. “In addition to our youth programs, our healthy living programs have impact — more than 17,000 individuals were impacted by Y programs designed to help them improve their health and well-being and connect to new friends.”

Since 1889, the Tampa YMCA has been responding to critical social needs and positively impacting the lives of children, adults and families across Hillsborough and eastern Pasco counties. “More than 2,500 children learned lifesaving skills through drowning prevention programs while thousands of neighbors were served in other

Te Campo Family YMCA has been mission-based prostrengthening the Greater Valrico com- grams at little or no munity for the past 20 plus years through its many programs. cost thanks to charitable contributions,” Ostrem said. “Focused on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Campo Family YMCA has been strengthening the Greater Valrico community for the past 20-plus years by empowering kids to succeed in school and in life, helping community members get healthier, developing leadership skills in teens and water safety skills for all ages in addition to ensuring seniors have engaging opportunities to mitigate social isolation.” Campo Family YMCA recently received a grant from the GTE Foundation to renovate its Youth Zone. “We can’t thank GTE Foundation [enough] for helping us, and we look forward to opening our new Youth Zone in the winter of 2023,” Ostrem said. “We hope the community will join us for our yearly Halloween Trunk and Treat event on Friday, October 28 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m.” If you would like to learn more about Campo Family YMCA, you can visit its website at www.tampaymca.org/locations/ campo-family-ymca or call 813-684-1371. Campo Family YMCA is located at 3414 Culbreath Rd. in Valrico.

WOMEN IN AVIATION INTERNATIONAL AND AEROSPACE CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE HOST EVENT TO INSPIRE YOUNG FEMALE PILOTS

By Lily Belcher

Women in Aviation International is hosting the eighth annual Girls in Aviation Day event on Saturday, September 24 at the Aerospace Center for Excellence in Lakeland. The 10 a.m.-2 p.m. free event will include STEM activities, such as a flight simulator and drone lab, and an aviation exhibit. The Aerospace Center for Excellence will have a scavenger hunt during Girls in Aviation Day to provide a fun, engaging activity to teach participants as well.

During the event, women aviators will have the opportunity to connect with the local aviation business community to learn more about the aerospace and aviation industry. Generous volunteers and employees from Women in Aviation International and the Aerospace Center for Excellence have donated their time to put on the free event to foster a love for the industry through the partnership.

“The international organization of women who work in the aviation and aerospace field have this event primarily to expose young girls to the aviation and aerospace industry so they see that it is accessible to them,” said executive director Eric Crump.

The Aerospace Center for Excellence is hosting the event to make it accessible to aspiring aviators and to give them the opportunity to be mentored Te Aerospace Center for Excellence is donating by a pilot or leadtime and resources to support the Girls in Aviation er in their field. Day in September. “They have eight women who have various jobs, from air trafc controller to aviation maintenance technician [to] pilot, who work all in the sector and are there for girls to … talk to them [and] meet a friend,” said Crump. Registration for the free event opened at the end of August. Upon registering, girls ages 11-17 will be entered into a drawing for a free discovery flight and notified if they won at the event. While the event is aimed toward young girls, their families, parents and siblings are invited to attend as well. “The goal really for us as an organization is to make sure people realize that aviation and aerospace is for everybody,” said Crump. “It’s not exclusive, it’s inclusive; we want everybody.” For more information about or to register for the event and to learn how to get involved, visit https://aceedu.org/ or email educate@flysnf.org with questions. The event will be located at 4075 James C. Ray Dr. in Lakeland.