PLANT CITY TIMES &
Observer
Baseball clinics around Plant City.
SEE PAGE 9
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 5, NO. 33
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2018
A life of service Don Walden, a fifthgeneration Plant City native, was named the 2018 Citizen of the Year.
BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
If you’re involved in Plant City, you know Don Walden. A fifth-generation Plant City native, Walden traveled the world during his military career and eventually made his way back to his beloved hometown.
YOUR TOWN
On Wednesday, Walden was officially named the 2018 Citizen of the Year. He was honored onstage and presented with the award by 2017 recipient Ed Verner. Walden’s dedication to the city can only be described as immeasurable and steadfast. Despite being 89 years old, he continues to work full-time. Walden is the president of Donco Realty Inc., helped create the Community Redevelopment Agency in Plant City, a past chairman of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the past president of Plant City Kiwanis Club and the past president of the Tampa Association of Realtors.
Walden served in the U.S. Army for 22 years before returning to Plant City and eventually staking his claim in the real estate market. He served in Korea and Europe and did two tours in Vietnam. Verner shared a comical story at the ceremony of Walden training a pet poodle named Bobba Lew a fun trick while living at the Quantico Marine base in Virginia. “Bobba Lew, would you rather be in the Marine Corps or be dead?” Walden would ask. The small poodle would then “drop dead” to the floor. Despite his busy schedule, Walden SEE WALDEN PAGE 2
Breanne Williams
The 2017 Citizen of the Year, Ed Verner, passed on the honor of the title to 2018 recipient Don Walden.
PLANT CITY SHINES WITH INCLUSIVE PROM
Courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce
Business of the Year award: Krazy Kup
2018 Best of Plant City awards The annual Best of Plant City awards are presented by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce. The awards are voted on by the public and determine who truly is the greatest in town. Here are the 2018 winners: BEST COMMUNITY EVENT AWARD: Florida Strawberry Festival NEW BUSINESS AWARD: Drawdy’s Dance School CITY BEAUTIFICATION AWARD: Krazy Kup DOWNTOWN ENRICHMENT AWARD: The Corner Store COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Plant City Family YMCA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD: Star Distribution CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD: Publix RISING LEADER AWARD: Arley Smude, Metals & Nature EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD: South Florida Baptist Hospital SMALL BUSINESS AWARD: The Corner Store ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD: Frank and Wenda Trunzo, Krazy Kup
Sprouter Mills Photography (Courtesy photo)
Night to Shine attendees were welcomed like big-time stars to the Feb. 9 event.
Plant City has joined hundreds of churches across the globe in hosting an annual Night to Shine event, which offers a prom night for the local special needs community.
BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Hundreds lined the red carpet Feb. 9 at the inaugural Night to Shine event in Plant City. More than 100 special needs teens and adults participated in the prom-themed experience and walked away as the crowned kings and queens of the prom. The annual event is organized through the Tim Tebow Foundation and was held Friday in more than 500 locations in 16 countries. Churches apply to host the event and if accepted, they are given the reins to throw a night to remember for their community. Lauren McNair, chair of the
Church seeks volunteers for homeless population count
tion, 200 volunteers and more than 100 crowns to create a prom night full of memories that will last a lifetime. Attendees walked a red carpet and had their names announced as they entered the Expo Hall at Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds. Guests could take part in a karaoke room, limo rides, a photo booth, boogie on the dance floor, enjoy balloon animals and a catered dinner. Parents were able to either sit back and watch the festivities unfold or retire to a respite room and have the security of knowing their child was being taken care of. Attendees ranged SEE PROM PAGE 5
2018 STRAWBERRY DISTANCE CHALLENGE
New Hope @ Cornerstone wants to get an accurate count of the county’s homeless population.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS AWARD: Plant City Family YMCA HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM AWARD: Florida Strawberry Festival
DANIEL FIGUEROA IV STAFF WRITER
SPIRIT OF THE CHAMBER AWARD: Alice Bullard, OnPoint IT Solutions Daniel Figueroa IV
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD: Krazy Kup
event, asked Brian Stowe, her pastor at First Baptist Church of Plant City, to consider hosting the event this year. He agreed and plans were quickly put in place to give the town a night to remember. “Personally, I had an uncle who was special needs and he passed away a few years ago,” McNair said. “I was very close to him, so the special needs community is very close to my heart. Right after last year’s Night to Shine my family members and I started seeing publicity photos from the event and we didn’t even know about it until that point. All of us were saying, ‘We need to do this.’” It took six months of prepara-
Michael Sweeney and Linda Allen role play an interaction between a homeless man and an outreach worker during preparations for the Tampa/Hillsborough County Continuum of Care Point-in-Time-Count.
In the overflow room at New Hope @ Cornerstone, Michael Sweeney and Linda Allen are role-playing an interaction between a homeless man and an outreach worker participating in the annual Tampa/Hillsborough SEE HOMELESS PAGE 5
Local runners got up bright and early for a 5K. PHOTOS ONLINE