Space Coast LIVING - Holiday Edition

DEC 2019

Mission to Mars ALYSSA CARSON’S JOURNEY TO THE RED PLANET

DEC 2019

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DECEMBER 2019

COVER CREDITS: On the cover: Alyssa Carson Photography by Jason Hook

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THE SCENE

Mission to Mars

140

BREVARD COUNTY EVENTS

ALYSSA CARSON’S JOURNEY TO THE RED PLANET

SPECIAL FEATURES

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STYLISHLY EMBRACING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

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COVER FEATURE

LIFE ON MARS? AN INTERVIEW WITH ALYSSA CARSON, THE FLORIDA TECH STUDENT WHO HOPES TO BE AMONG THE FIRST TO WALK ON MARS

p114 6 : SPAC E COA ST L IV IN G | S PACECOAST L I V I N G .CO M

HAVE A MERRY, PET PROOFED HOLIDAY SEASON

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BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE YEAR 2019

BUILDING YOUR DREAM HOME WITH FLORIDA LIFESTYLE REALTY

GETTING INTO THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT: 3 CHRISTMAS COCKTAILS TO ENJOY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

DEC EMBE R 2019 : 7

It's that time of year when DECEMBER | VOLUME 16 | NUMBER 12

ALL SHE

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FROM THE EDITOR

W

ith December being my favorite month, I was so excited to put this issue together. As we began to approach the production stage for this

magazine, my mind was swirling with content ideas. Not only are we celebrating the holidays, but we are also closing out a decade.

The holidays prompt nostalgia and reflection. It is a time to enjoy family and friends — and eat a few dozen Christmas cookies — and is also a great time to look back at the year that has passed and begin to look toward the new year ahead.

Every year, Space Coast Business covers Business Leaders of the Year (BLOY). In this feature, readers are given the opportunity to learn about five business leaders who have made a significant impact on the community that year.

It’s an incredible feature, and I thought, “Why not do something like that on the Living side?”

So, I thought it would be great to showcase a community member who has gone above and beyond to accomplish great things: Alyssa Carson. She’s not a business leader, though she is a leader in her own right, and she is inspiring people across the world to boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before.

50 years ago, this past July, history was made on the Space Coast. 2020 will be the beginning of an exciting new era for the space industry, and the Space Coast will be at the center of it all. As we close out this year and begin to look forward, let us not forget about where we come from or what makes our area so special and unique. We are a county full of dreamers and doers, and Carson’s story illustrates the passion, intelligence and talent housed here on the Space Coast.

Inside, you will not only find this cover story but also cookie recipes and special cocktail recipes, as well as other stories of Space Coast members who are using their careers to add a little brightness to the area. My goal was to not only provide you with the Christmas content we all love seeing

BY SARA SANTORA, MANAGING EDITOR SARA@SPACECOASTMAGAZINES.COM

this time of year but to inspire you by telling stories of those who are making a difference. My hope is that you can cozy up with this special issue and keep it on the coffee table or living room bookshelf for years to come.

Happy holidays and thank you so much for your continued love and support.

14 : SPAC E COA ST L IV IN G | S PACECOAST L I V I N G .CO M

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DEC EMBE R 2019 : 15

Baking Memories

BY HEATHER MOTRO JUNIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR

A

t my house, the holidays mean baking. My mom writes a long list of all the cookies we want to make, and everyone in the family works together to whip up trays of festive treats (or at least to lick the beater)! The house fills with good cheer and the lovely aromas of cocoa and cinnamon.

Inspired by my mother’s Christmas cookies, these three holiday cookie recipes are sure to delight. Gather your family and friends, put on your ugliest sweater and some Michael Bublé and make memories while making cookies.

Photography by Harmony Lynn Goodson

Apple Spice Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Warm your home and your heart with these spiced cookies, perfect to snack on while decorating the tree. They’re veganfriendly and delicious for non-vegans too!

• • • • • • • • •

1 ¼ cup flour ¾ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 1 ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg ¼ tsp allspice ½ tsp ginger ½ tsp cardamom ¼ tsp clove

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• • • • • •

½ cup vegetable shortening, softened ¼ cup sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/3 cup applesauce Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°. Stir flour with baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cardamom and clove. In an electric mixer, beat shortening and sugars until creamy.

Add vanilla and applesauce and mix on low speed. Gradually blend flour mixture into applesauce mixture. Drop by scant tablespoon onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Once cool, lightly dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Mint Chocolate Reindeer

Makes about 16 large cookies or 32 smaller cookies.

Turn these soft sugar cookies into sweet reindeer with candy eyes, chocolate antlers and shining red candy noses. If peppermint isn’t your thing, omit the mint extract in the frosting.

Cookies: • • • • • • • •

3 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt (omit if using margarine) 1 cup margarine or unsalted butter, softened ¼ cup vegetable shortening, softened 1 cup sugar 1 egg 2 tsp vanilla

Frosting: • • • •

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar ½ cup cocoa powder ¼ tsp peppermint extract 4 tbsp water

Reindeer faces: • •

Red and brown M&Ms Chocolate bar, broken into strips and then sliced halfway down the middle of each slit

Preheat oven to 375°. Mix flour, baking soda and salt, if using. With an electric mixer, beat butter, shortening, and sugar until fluffy.

Add egg, oil and vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until smooth.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Roll each ball into ~1/4-inch-thick circle. Slice each circle into triangles, like slicing a pizza: Place cookies on lined cookie tray about 1 inch apart. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, just until the edges are lightly brown. Let cool on wire racks before frosting. Combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, peppermint extract and water. Stir well until smooth. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Spread the frosting over each cookie. Add reindeer faces: chocolate bar antlers, brown M&M eyes, and red M&M Rudolph noses.

DEC E MBE R 2019: 17

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Inspired by Mexican Hot Chocolate, the chili powder in these fudgy chocolate cookies adds not heat but gentle warmth, so those of us with zero spice tolerance can still enjoy them.

• • • • • • • • • •

1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup cocoa powder 3 eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 2/3 cup flour 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon

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• • •

1/2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder 1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a mixer bowl, beat together both sugars and olive oil. Add cocoa and blend until completely combined. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Blend in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, chili powder and espresso powder. Fold in chocolate chips by hand. Cover the mixer bowl with a flat dish towel and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Heat oven to 350°.

Line baking sheets with parchment. Scoop roughly tablespoonsized balls of dough with a spoon and scrape them off the spoon onto the baking sheet with another spoon. Place each ball about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies 12-14 minutes. To check if they are done, lightly tap the tray on a hard surface. If the cookies flatten out, they are done.

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DEC EMBE R 2019: 19

GETTING INTO THE

Christmas spirit

3 CHRISTMAS COCKTAILS TO ENJOY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY HARMONY LYNN GOODSON CONTRIBUTOR

Gingerbread Eggnog Serving Size: 4 INGREDIENTS: 2 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 cup eggnog 1/4 cup Kahlúa 2 tbsp molasses 1/4 tsp ground ginger Ground nutmeg and gingerbread cookies for garnish

DIRECTIONS: In a large pitcher, combine the heavy cream, eggnog, Kahlúa, molasses and ginger. Stir to combine and pour into glasses. Top with a dusting of ground nutmeg and a fresh-baked gingerbread cookie.

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WINE AND DINE

Classic Moscow Mule Serving Size: 1 INGREDIENTS: 4 oz ginger beer 1 1/2 oz vodka 1 lime cut into 4 wedges Fresh mint for garnish

DIRECTIONS: In a copper mug with ice, combine the vodka, ginger beer and juice from one lime wedge. Stir and serve garnished with another wedge of lime and fresh mint.

DEC EMBE R 2019: 21

Santa's Sangria Serving Size: 6 INGREDIENTS: 1 cup strawberries 1 cup blueberries 1/2 cup blackberries 1/2 cup raspberries 1 bottle red wine 1 cup brandy 3 cups apple juice 2 cups Sprite Frozen berries, for garnish

DIRECTIONS: In a large pitcher, combine the berries, red wine, brandy and juice. Stir until mixed and chill in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, add the sprite and garnish with frozen berries around the base of each glass for a frosty decoration.

2 2: S PAC E COA ST L IV IN G | S PAC ECOA ST L I V I N G .CO M

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from the Space Coast Magazines team

Photography by Harmony Lynn Goodson

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DEC EMBE R 2019: 25

Once Upon a Theme Park UNIVERSAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JESS MACK, COLUMNIST

Instagram: @jessamack_ Website: jessamack.com

I

t’s the most wonderful time of the year! We all know Disney puts on one heck of a show during the holidays, but I am here to tell you about the Holidays at Universal Orlando Resort.

I feel that the Holidays at Universal Orlando get overshadowed, and it’s about time they get the love they deserve. And truth be told, I LOVE Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party over at the Magic Kingdom, but there is just something about Universal that makes it a little more magical.

From November 16 - January 5, Universal is inviting you to “put a little mischief in your merry.” Both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure will offer festive activities and 2 6 : S PAC E COA ST L IV IN G | S PAC ECOA ST L I V I N G .CO M

shows for the whole family.

Let’s start with Universal Studios. Here, you’ll find the streets decorated in holiday garb. London and Diagon alley will be decked out with festive decor and brilliant lighting, and Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees will have special holiday performances.

Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s will hit the streets nightly featuring appearances by (but not limited to) your favorite mischievous friends the Minions, Madagascar characters, Shrek and of course, Santa! Each character will have their own float and own music as they go by.

This parade is probably my favorite parade… ever. The floats are spectacular, the music is amazing (it’s made me cry) and it’s just so perfect. The best part of Universal’s parade route? You can watch it TWICE in one sitting! If you find yourself wanting more than just one go around a night, sit over by the Pantages theater!

The highlight of the night for Universal Studios is none

other than Mannheim Steamroller, who are known for putting a twist on your favorite holiday songs. You can catch their performances (included with park admission!) at the Music Plaza Stage, Saturdays and Sundays during the event.

Let’s move on over to Islands of Adventure where you will find two of the best shows around during the holidays. Hogsmeade will be transformed with festive decor and lights, and the nighttime projection show, The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts, will light up the night on Hogwarts Castle. So, make sure you grab yourself a cup of Hot Butterbeer (so good!) and grab your spot for this amazing nighttime show.

The one thing I want everyone to experience this year is The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular. This show is one for the whole family. It’s a live musical telling of the story we all love so much during the holidays, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The actors are amazing, the set is fantastic and the show is definitely top-notch.

If you’re not a show person, then at least take a stroll through Suess Landing and see the fun who-like holiday decorations. You will be able to interact with Who’s and maybe even the Grinch himself. If you do run into him, make sure to bring him an onion. He will be forever grateful.

Universal is also known to offer some great holiday treats and special food items. Keep a lookout for what they may be offering in both the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and throughout the parks. All I know is, it’s usually pretty tasty!

If you find yourself wanting to get into the Christmas Spirit, definitely find your way over to Universal Orlando Resort and experience everything they have to offer!

DEC EMBE R 2019: 27

St. Augustine Shines Bright

By Sara Santora Managing Editor

Photo provided by Visit St. Augustine

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S

t. Augustine is the nation’s oldest, continuously occupied city.

Founded in 1565 by the Spanish, the city remains true to its historic charm. Home to Castillo de San Marcos — which is

open to visitors — cobblestone streets and buildings covered with Spanish moss, it’s easy to feel as though you’ve taken a step back in time. And, as there were no cars in the 1500s, the city is meant to be walked. Once you find a parking spot, you can do your window shopping, coffee-drinking and ice cream eating in a day’s stroll.

Though all of this keeps the city magical year-round, the annual Nights of Lights manages to make this not-so-hidden Florida gem even more magical during the holiday season.

Blending its history with modern culture is a core focus for St. Augustine, and every year, the Nights of Lights is held to accomplish this goal. According to Visit St. Augustine, the Nights of Lights traces back to a traditional Spanish practice, in which the Spanish would place a white candle in their windows during the Christmas holidays.

This practice alludes to the birth story of Jesus, which started with Mary and Joseph unable to find shelter. By displaying candles in their windows, the Spanish were “symbolically making room in their homes and hearts for Jesus.”

Now, instead of candles in storefront and hotel windows, the city is adorned in Christmas lights. Everywhere you go downtown, from Flagler College to King Street, is lit up for the holiday season.

The show is so spectacular, in fact, that it was named by National Geographic as one of the ten best holiday lighting displays in the world in both 2011 and in 2012. The list also included light shows in Hong Kong, Colombia and Madrid.

To have a light display of this level is a massive undertaking and requires a lot of help. According to Margaret Wallis, partnership coordinator with Visit St. Augustine, the city itself funds the light displays in the Plaza de la Constitución and the Lightner Museum.

Flagler College, as well as other local businesses (restaurants, bed and breakfasts, etc.), hang their own lights. It’s a community effort, with everyone in town doing their part to spread holiday cheer.

Beyond enjoying the city lights, visitors can take photos with outdoor displays or the holiday tree placed in the center of town plaza, or, as Visit St. Augustine recommends, grab a hot chocolate from a local restaurant to savor on your stroll. There are also plenty of tours to enjoy, including the Old Town Trolley Famous Nights of Lights Tour.

In Florida, the common complaint is that Christmas never truly feels like Christmas. The movies all depict scenes of snow and lights, but Florida is still a blue ocean of humidity. Though there is still water to be seen in St. Augustine, the temps get just cool enough for sweaters, and the lights and window-shopping help match the picture of Christmas most of us carry around in our heads and hearts.

So, take a stroll through downtown St. Augustine this holiday season, and let yourself be enchanted by the history and the holiday spirit.

DEC EMBE R 2019: 29

ARTS

BORN TO BE A FIGURE SKATER KATIE McGOVERN NYMAN'S FIGURE SKATING JOURNEY

BY SUE DEWERFF CONTRIBUTOR

Katie McGovern Nyman Photography by Jason Hook

V

iera’s Katie McGovern Nyman has performed in and coached figure skating shows around the world. At just 18, she began choreographing music and designing costumes for skaters of all ages in professional performances and competition.

Shortly after immigrating to America from London in 2003, Nyman and her then three-year-old son, TommyJo, headed up the coast to Brevard.

After landing the job as the director of the Theater on Ice Program in 2004 at the Rockledge venue, she has literally “hit the ice, running!” Her background, creativity and passion for the sport are what owner of the Space Coast Iceplex, Matt Smith, says makes her “the backbone of the rink.”

Now 52, Nyman still skates with the grace and skill set of those who are half her age. And her enthusiasm, both on and off the ice, is an inspiration to both her students and the area’s figure skating community.

“Sometimes my days are never ending. I’ve been known to find myself waking up in the middle of the night after thinking of an idea I could use for one of my teams’ performances.”

Her mornings on the ice start at 5:45 a.m.; yes, before sunrise! After private lessons, usually until around 10 a.m., she is on the phone or e-mail, networking with parents or students, or choreographing music for the shows. Then it’s back on the rink from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. for lessons, group classes and the Theater on Ice team practices.

Smith, who took over ownership of the Rockledge venue five years ago, said he is very fortunate to have Nyman at the helm of the figure skating programs here.

“She is by far the busiest coach we have. She encapsulates both the artistic and business side of the sport. Her hard work and never give-up attitude are second to none.”

Nyman, who grew up near London and began figure skating as a teen, said she was forced to become somewhat self-sufficient at an early age after losing her father.

Her first job, working as a bank teller, became a way for her to learn quickly the importance of saving money and hard work ethics.

“Thankfully, I gained support for my skating through 30 : S PAC E COA ST L IV I N G | S PAC ECOA ST L I V I N G .CO M

many of my colleagues and bosses there. I was a fighter and determined not to give up my goals. The ice was kind of like a sanctuary where I could escape my fears and just do what I loved,” said Nyman.

After proving her worth on the Isle of Wight rink in England she became the director of the figure skating there.

Her experience and knowledge of the sport has been instrumental in leading the Space Coast Iceplex Theater on Ice skaters’ to wins at both national and international events.

In fact, the teams, known as the “Space Coast Frozen Hurricanes,,” have been the only teams from Florida who have attended the competition for the past 12 years since its inception.

A form of competitive figure skating popular in Europe and known as a ballet on ice, Theater on Ice merges

technical jumps and spins with unique choreography.

Participants are divided into teams based on skill level and age. At both national and international levels, they vie for titles in preliminary, intermediate, novice, junior, senior, open and adult level divisions.

“We’ve participated in every national championship, and have qualified to send teams to Nations Cup (world) competition at least four times,” she noted.

Last summer, the TOI Intermediate team took gold at the national competition in Alabama at the annual event.

It was a back-to-back victory for skaters who began at the preliminary level in 2018.

With the help of Brielle Francis, one of the members of the first team that began in 2008 (then a senior division), Nyman has watched the members grow to more than 100 today.

As a single mom, Nyman has dealt with a lot of adversity having lost her father at a very young age.

But one of her brightest and best rewards has been raising and coaching her son, TJ. Now 19, a U.S. National team member and coach, he has been a member of the U.S. Olympic Training team for the past three years.

Nyman has coached him to several victories during his youth. After winning back-to-back national individual

events in 2014 and 2015, he and pairs partner, Sarah Feng, won a bronze medal in pairs last year at the Junior Grand Prix series international figure skating competition.

“My Mom has always remained strong, no matter what.

She has been my rock growing up and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for her. She has kept me involved in figure skating even when I was annoyed and frustrated. She continues to support me so much and I am grateful she always sees the best in me.”

“As a coach, teaching skating is not always about the initial skill level of the student, but their enthusiasm,” said Nyman. “Sure, the fundamentals of skating and connecting as a team are important; but having fun and smiling while performing is what ultimately can be the difference that can win the judges over. We try to make all Theater on Ice teams have an experience they can remember for the rest of their lives, whether pursuing figure skating as a pro or just for fun.”

For more information about programs at the Rockledge SpaceCoast Iceplex and upcoming Christmas show on December 14th and events, visit spacecoasticeplex.com or call 321-504-7500.

DEC EMBE R 2019: 31

IN THIS ISSUE of HOME:

4

FEATURE BAER'S FURNITURE

6

FEATURE ELLINGSON PROPERTIES

10

FEATURE K2 HOMES

On the cover: Jackie Griffin; Photography by Jason Hook

COVER STORY FLORIDA LIFESTYLE REALTY PAGE 14

12

FEATURE JOYAL HOMES

18

FEATURE SETTING THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

20

FEATURE HOW TO MAKE YOUR STAIRCASE SANTA READY

22

FEATURE WINTER GARDENING IN FLORIDA W I N TE R 2019: 1

HOME

FEATURE

Home for the holidays

W

hat better way to celebrate the holiday season than by giving yourself a gift that you will enjoy year-round?

Nothing refreshes the personal spaces you share with family and friends and lifts the holiday spirit like just the right furniture. Baer’s helped us select some pieces that could stimulate your makeover dreams and ring in 2020.

⊲

Gather Round the Table

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BAER'S FURNITURE

Sit down and enjoy a holiday meal with friends and family at the Peninsula Table and Kowloon Chairs set from Ocean Club Collection by Tommy Bahama Home. The horizontal

4: S PAC E COA ST L IV IN G H O M E | S PAC ECOA ST L I V I NG.CO M

wood blocking on the two pedestals of the table add a modern, Asian influence to an otherwise classic wood table.

Both table and chairs are finished in a Bali sun-drenched sienna color to bring warmth to your dining experience.

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Where Memories Are Made ⊲ Create the perfect space to gather with family and friends with this Bernhardt 100% genuine leather sectional. Enjoy watching the big game or entertaining guests while relaxing in the plump box seat cushions and plush back pillows. This comfy sectional brings a classic design to your home with its smooth rolled arms and thick block feet.

Enhance your living, family or home entertainment room with this cozy sectional sofa.

The Feel of the Ocean Casual and coastal meet with this inviting Surfside queen bed. The soft curves and wide paneling are similar to other casual pieces while the Sandbar finish and overall easygoing nature exemplify coastal stylings. Add some much needed brightness to any guest bedroom or your master suite and enjoy many great night's sleeps to come with this Surfside queen bed from the Coastal Living Escape Collection.

⊲

Just the Right Touch The Gem Side from Caracole takes its inspiration from your finest diamond ring.

The gleaming Majestic Gold legs emulate a ring’s elegantly slender prongs. With its thick beveled crystal top, cut in the shape of a gem, it is the perfect accessory to add sparkle in any room. ⊲

WI N TE R 2019: 5

HOME

FEATURE

CUSTOM-HOME DESIGN BY TRIVIUM BRINGING WORLD-CLASS DESIGN AND WHITE-GLOVE SERVICE

BY MEAGHAN BRANHAM CONTRIBUTOR Renderings provided by Ellingson Properties

A

n epic new alliance in real estate will be revealed in Brevard County’s hidden gem neighborhood of CasaBella. A partnership between Ellingson Properties and Trivium Luxury Homes commenced with ground breaking of The Ventana, a 3326 square-foot bespoke home that combines world-class construction with luxury accommodations and design.

Those successes now include those to come with Trivium Luxury Homes, a boutique builder whose tenets of truth, transparency and trust made them a perfect partner for Ellingson. “It is a great match in core values as both companies place high importance on the client’s experience,” Ellingson said. “Trust and honesty have to be the bedrock for any relationship,” he concluded.

When Greg Ellingson founded Ellingson Properties over a decade ago on the Space Coast, he did so in an effort to create a company where he could combine his values of service with his technical knowledge gained in his time as an Air Force officer. The result has become an easily recognizable name synonymous with impeccable customer service, a white-glove experience and incomparable quality of execution.

Those clients and their own commitment to excellence inspired every detail of their first project. The Ventana is a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home designed with an organic minimalist and distinctive style, creating an atmosphere free of chaos in which every feature has been carefully selected to provide a calm and comforting sanctuary.

“Our purpose," Ellingson said, “Is creating a company that our clients recognize as being indispensable advocates for achieving their real estate successes.”

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At first glance, one notices subtle differences in the exterior of the home. A blend of metal and flat tile underscores the roofline while beckoning one to the bold new entry. Exposed cedar rafters with warm

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complimenting details shelter the coarse cut stone entry and contribute to the natural atmosphere. The glass and steel door highlight the artistic woodwork of the interior foyer wall. Garage and additional guest parking are thoughtfully located out of the entry line of site.

Especially in the beginning stages of construction, the close attention to detail is made for peace of mind from core-filled masonry foam in every block, to impact windows throughout making use of beautiful natural light, to energy-efficient HVAC. Even the floorplan was conceptualized with serenity and cohesion in mind.

The geometric patterned wood foyer wall is not only a focal point; it provides privacy for those inside the home. The sleek kitchen serves as a seamless transition

between living and dining areas, spaces which can then be expanded even further by simply opening the doors that lead to the pool and lanai. Other details such as the cleverly hidden service kitchen, sleek pool and exterior living space combined with professional landscaping work to ensure that the home will be an oasis.

From conception to construction to curation of every finishing touch, The Ventana’s completion will prove the culmination of Trivium’s world-class design and Ellingson’s white-glove service. And, they both agree, most importantly, a home for a family to create lasting memories.

W I N TE R 2019: 7

HOME | AUTO | UMBRELLA | JEWELRY | COLLECTIONS | WATERCRAFT | PRIVATE AIRCRAFT

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WHERE TILE BECOMES

HD DIGITAL PORCELAIN MARBLE LOOK TILES ❖ Florida’s leading direct supplier ❖ World traveled to bring international style to your home ❖ Superb installation services ❖ Certified green contractor

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321.676.1563 www.IslandTile.com

HOME

FEATURE

DESIGNING WOMAN

KRISTINA KITSOPOULOS BRINGS THE BEAUTY OF NATURE TO YOUR HOME

BY SARA SANTORA MANAGING EDITOR

Kristina Kitsopoulos Photography by Jason Hook

R

arely is a space – whether it be a house, hotel, office, etc. – a series of empty, lifeless rooms created only to serve their most basic functions; rather, these spaces are designed to bring a certain feeling to a person, whatever that feeling may be, and hopefully bring some sense of enjoyment or belonging to a person’s life – some sense of home.

Think of any home or office space you’ve walked into. Whether or not the space fit your personal taste, there was an interior designer who was called in to help create it, with a specific person or persons in mind. The overall layout of the room, the color on the walls, the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling and the material chosen for the countertops were carefully selected to help give the client the feeling they wanted to capture with the space. Because, whether you realize it or not, your mood is slightly affected by these features.

Kristina Kitsopoulos is an award-winning interior designer housed out of Richard’s Paint, off Post Road and Wickham. She received her bachelor’s degree in interior design and architecture and has been working as an interior designer for 24 years. Her company, K2 Designs/ K2 Living Well, was born with the intention of, not only helping to create beautiful spaces for her clients to enjoy, but to put natural materials and products at the forefront of her clients’ lives, bringing with them a sense of peace and serenity.

Again, you may not think materials will affect the look of a space – or the look and feel of your head space – but Kitsopolous understands this, and does what she can to help her client get everything they need.

As we spoke, she quickly explained to

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me the difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator. While interior decorators help choose furniture or accent pieces for a room, interior designers help during the construction phase or remodeling phase, helping clients select light fixtures, flooring, paint, etc.

“There is a lot of paperwork and details,” says Kitsopoulos.

“When I am working in a space, I ask myself questions like, ‘Can something mount on that?’ I have to think about how something works in tandem with the rest of the space.”

While all designers are essentially there to service their clients’ needs, each designer has his or her own personal sense of style. As previously mentioned, K2 Design is centered on natural products, so Kitsopoulos’s style is inspired by the natural world around us.

“I always like to bring natural elements in, whether it be with color, or materials, wood veneers or grass cloth wallpaper,” says Kitsopoulos.

According to Kitsopoulos, natural colors aren’t just beiges and browns – though, those are natural colors – but also colors such as greens, blues, purples and cinnamons. As we spoke, she explained that these colors help bring a sense of ease to a room; these colors can help provide a feeling of calm in a world that is so often high stress.

She shared that she was once tasked with designing a neonatal intensive care unit. Of course, ICUs are high stress, and it was her job to design a space that would be calming to those workers, patients, etc. So, she added soothing tones such as blues, and added fish tanks.

Though these decisions may seem small, they went a long way in helping those remain as calm as possible during their stressful day-to-days.

Because Kitsopolous understands architecture and color theory, she can make decisions like she did with the ICU in any commercial space or home. She understands how to bring to life the feeling you want in your space.

HOME

FEATURE

SUCCESS

BY DESIGN

REASONS BEHIND THE LEGACY ACHIEVEMENT AT JOYAL HOMES AREN’T DIFFICULT TO FIND.

BY MICHAEL CANDELARIA WRITER 12: S PAC E COA ST L IV IN G H O M E | S PAC ECOA ST L I V I NG.CO M

S

ince 1973, when Melbourne-based Joyal Homes began building across Brevard County, the company not only has completed more than 2,000 homes, but also has steadily risen up the ranks of the best homebuilders in the region.

And, through those decades, a dedication to honesty, integrity and on-time delivery has neatly complemented the homes’ physical style, setting and grandeur, as evidenced by both repeat customers and competition award winners.

During about the same time, Jeff Joseph, now the executive home designer, has crafted a portfolio of excellence at Joyal, along with a reputation for open-minded creativity.

Similarly, interior designer Toni Mays has been on the scene, using a mix of planning brilliance and flair to bring Joyal’s model homes to life.

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Coincidences in all of this? Hardly.

Fact is, the successes are seamlessly intertwined.

Joseph’s thinking: The home-design plans eventually will get there. Additionally, his description of the process comes with the words “flexible and deliberate, not rigid.”

Joseph, with Joyal since 1985, has been a foundational piece — pun intended — from his very start. The first Joyal home he designed, one year out of college, won a Parade of Homes award. As it turned out, that winner was merely one of many he would earn over the years.

“We’re really good with taking just an idea on a cocktail napkin through to the end of construction,” he said. “And do it on a turnkey price. … We can take a raw idea and turn it into reality. To be able to do that over the long run, that’s why I’m still here.”

In Joseph’s earliest days, Joyal was mostly a track builder. Now, Joseph typically customizes his design plans, with Joyal often tearing down homes and rebuilding grander ones in their place.

“Now everybody knows that [Joyal] can build a very high-end, very specifically tailored custom home,” he said.

Joseph is pretty well-known himself.

One recent example: the 2018 State of Florida Silver Aurora Awards, where Joseph was part of the winning team.

Jeff Joseph and Toni Mays Photography by Jason Hook

Joseph closely collaborated on the home’s design, ultimately helping to “accomplish what we wanted while remaining conscious of cost,” according to the home’s owners. The Aurora Awards, affiliated with the Florida Home Builders Association and the Southeast Building Conference, encompasses all facets of the residential, commercial and remodeling industries.

Joseph’s (and Joyal’s) styles range from Mediterranean, Tuscan and Coastal to Traditional and Modern. Many times, his work begins with simple photos provided by clients. Initial ideas then are developed into estimates, budgets and AutoCAD (computer-aided) designs.

Joseph also creates three-dimensional, photo-realistic renderings using Google SketchUp, a program that enables him to create videos of his designs. Further, using the magic of Google Earth, he can drop designs onto a client’s property.

“It has been a great pleasure working with Jeff Joseph over the past 35 years,” said Paul Joyal, one of the company’s founders. “His architectural solutions, tailored to our client’s lifestyle and modern desires, are a key component of our company’s quality and reputation. Jeff is not only a valued employee; he has become part of our family.”

With the average tenure of staffers at more than 20 years, many others also have remained with Joyal. Like Mays, who came aboard in 1994.

“Toni Mays has been serving a distinguished clientele of homeowners for many years,” said Joyal. “In that time, her work with Joyal Homes has been unwavering in her commitment to designs that genuinely reflect each individual that she works with.”

Her efforts start the moment a Joyal contract is signed by clients, which is followed by “multiple, multiple meetings” with them.

“We [her and the clients] go from vendor to vendor for [interior-design] selections. We discuss what is wanted, and the home evolves,” Mays said.

Mays added that she has evolved as a designer, too. “I don’t think you can succeed in this business if you don’t change with the times,” she commented. “Consumers are savvy.

They’re very smart because of TV, social media, magazines.

Not only do you want to give them what is current and edgy, but you want to give them what they’re comfortable with. You have to communicate and listen.”

In turn, Mays points to design versatility as a distinct strength: “I’m able to do any style — from most contemporary to most traditional and anything in between.”

Mays made the statement without a hint of boastfulness, noting that her greatest satisfaction, in the end, is seeing smiles from clients — “watching them as the home progresses and watching them as they finally take possession of their home.”

It’s no surprise, either, that Joseph and Mays are members of the mutual admiration society. Translation: They like and respect each other, and work especially well together.

And it’s a process where patience plays a major role.

“Listening to people is the key. … I take very copious notes in the initial meetings,” he said.

“I kind of learned over the years to just give Toni some broad-brush strokes and then let her run with them,” Joseph said. “I very rarely disagree with her.”

“You go back and forth, back and forth, until you come up with an agreement … It’s a lot of give and take, a lot of give and take, and I’m very patient with it.”

Mays called him “the creative force at Joyal.”

No coincidence that through the years Joyal Homes has been the same … a force.

WIN TE R 2019: 13

COVER STORY HOME

The Taylors' fourth home

BUILDING YOUR

Dream Home WITH FLORIDA LIFESTYLE REALTY Who says Barbie is the only one allowed to live in a dream house?

Story provided by Florida Lifestyle Realty Photography by Jason Hook

14: SPAC E COA ST L IV IN G H O M E | S PAC ECOA ST L I V I NG.CO M

H

ome is more of a feeling than a place. We have heard that a home is a place to call your own, raise a family, build memories with friends and family and become part of a community. Others say it is a rite of passage, and you get to be the king of your own castle.

Owning a home is different for everyone, it depends on where you are in your life when you make the decision to buy or sell a home. Jackie Griffin, owner and broker of Florida Lifestyle Realty, has been a REALTOR for over 16 years, and worked with more than 1,000 buyers and sellers making decisions about “where to next?”

Meet the Taylors Jason and Coleen Taylor have a 15-year, four home history with Griffin, buying, selling and building their last home. The Taylors bought their first home in 2002; three bedrooms, two bathrooms, in a wonderful neighborhood with sidewalks and a community pool, the perfect home for this young couple.

What they thought about at the time they were buying this home was that it fit a price range they could manage and have a short commute to work. For Griffin, that’s the easy part, an affordable home close to work. But how do you want to live and enjoy your home? What is your lifestyle?

The Taylors didn’t want to spend weekends remodeling the house or spending hours gardening or doing yard work. They love watching movies and going out on the

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bedroom to be her sanctuary; that quiet, cozy place to begin and end her day relaxed and refreshed.

Jason wanted a great view with an outdoor kitchen that sits next to a bubbling spa built into a pool. For him, it was his place to unwind after a long day.

weekends. So, making sure they had a great living room space to set up a surround sound TV system and a large wall for their entire movie collection would be perfect.

The house on Potomac Drive was good. It was small enough to maintain, the yard wasn’t too big and it was affordable.

In 2006, after adding a dog to the family, the house began to feel too small, so the Taylors bought house number two; 1,000 square feet larger, had an extra bedroom and half bath with a paved courtyard, good for outdoor barbeques. They also thought that it may be time to add children to their lives. Their daughter Sophie was born shortly after. Children are small, but after a few birthdays, there are many toys, motorized Barbie cars, bicycles and friends that come to play.

Griffin knew it wasn’t the size of the home they were looking for, it was the way they wanted to feel when The Taylors' third home they walked through their front door at the end of the day. It was about loving and enjoying every aspect of the home that fit their lifestyle. So, she refused to help them search for another home, and insisted it was time for them to finally build their dream home.

At first, they didn’t agree. They didn’t know where to start or if they could manage the process. But Griffin promised to be there every step of the way, and in February 2018, they bought the perfect lot to build their dream home.

It took a year and a half to complete the entire project, and this year, Jason, Coleen, Sophie and Molly will celebrate their first Christmas in their dream home.

The Taylors' second home

Onto house number three: the Taylors wanted more yard with room to play for the dog and Sophie, and a swimming pool with an outdoor kitchen so they could have pool parties with their friends. They just wanted to have a wonderful place for Sophie and her friends to enjoy. While this home seemed to be perfect, it just wasn’t the home of their dreams.

Coleen wanted a kitchen full of modern features: wine storage, a pot filler, vent hood and a beverage fridge separate from the house refrigerator. She also wanted her WIN TE R 2019: 15

COVER STORY HOME Jackie Griffin's story The Jackie Griffin Real Estate Team helps over 300 families each year to find a home in Brevard County that fits their Florida lifestyle. In fact, this special group of REALTORS know that feeling very well, because over half of them have bought their homes with Griffin. They have gone through the process and emotions of buying a home. They have felt the highs and the lows, and like many, would do it all over again to get that amazing feeling of coming home and walking through your own front door.

Jackie Griffin herself has owned many homes over the years: townhomes, homes both with and without pools, custom built homes and condominiums. They all had a special meaning to her, but she moved on to another one because she had new needs from her home.

Her first starter home was a small, three-bedroom, twobathroom with a pool. “Wow was I excited to have my own pool,” says Griffin. That house was great until she started adding children and pets. With each move, she bought a larger home, and then one day her children were grown and moving on into their own homes. The larger homes didn’t serve the purpose any longer, so it was time to change things up.

She bought her first condominium and fell in love with community living. “When I look out my window, someone is mowing the lawn and cleaning the pool. I don't have to worry about maintenance or managing the property. My neighbors come together for parties where everyone is welcome to join in. I get to live my lifestyle everyday.”

Jackie Griffin has lived the condo lifestyle for 16 years, and last year decided it was the right time in her life to find her special forever home. In November of 2018, the condo she had only dreamed of owning became available. “I had to find a way to make it mine.” This was a huge decision, and she felt all the anxiety that her clients go through. “I wanted this property more than anything, but could I make it work out? It was at the very top of my budget. I worried if I was going to be able to afford the payments, taxes and condo fees. What will the inspection report reveal? Would I get it before someone else made an offer?”

After 48 hours of no sleep and worry, it was only hers to lose. It took 30 long days and sleepless nights to work through everything that is needed to close on a home.

But when it was all done, she walked into her forever home and cried big tears. “I could not, and still cannot believe that this is my home, my perfect forever home.”

Like so many, Jackie Griffin has been fortunate enough to experience the joy of owning a home. She too can say now more than ever, that she really knows what it means to be home for the holidays.

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WIN TE R 2019 : 17

HOME

FEATURE

SETTING THE

Christmas Spirit HOW TO CREATE A LUXURIOUS TABLESCAPE FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS DINNER PARTY

lassic Christmas dĂŠcor brings nostalgia for Christmases past. I love setting the table at least once for the season with traditional elements to feed that nostalgic desire.

Wood chargers and matching scallop-edge dinner plates were the perfect fit for this chestnut gathering table. To dress it up, I chose to use my gold flatware and rimmed glasses. The gold finish is a great way to elevate your tablescape. To finish it all off, I added linen napkins tied together with a cinnamon stick, more greenery and handmade place cards.

A luxurious, Christmastime tablescape

The beauty is in the details

To start, I highly recommend purchasing a fresh garland.

You can purchase a variety of fresh garlands for your home and use them for everything from decorating your house (used in decorating article on next page) to parties and more. A few of my favorites are Magnolia, Olive Leaf, Norfolk Pine and Salal, as seen here on my table.

I baked the dried orange slices directly on the oven rack at 220 degrees Fahrenheit for three hours, giving them a flip after each hour. Depending on how thick you slice your oranges, they may need more or less time in the oven.

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY HARMONY LYNN GOODSON CONTRIBUTOR

C

Salal is a great base for just about any garland year-round and it keeps easily. Just coil it up in your refrigerator and spritz with water daily. I gathered more greenery from around my own yard, and sourced pinecones and fruit from local craft and grocery stores. You don't need to do anything extra to attach your elements to this garland since it sits on the table. Simply place and tuck your pieces throughout as you see fit!

The place cards are my favorite piece and were so easy to create! I hand tore a piece of watercolor paper into approximately 3.5"x2" rectangles. I then dipped each card into coffee and dried them flat overnight on a paper towel. You can finish these with your best handwriting (or calligraphy) skills and attach to the twine with a hole punch.

Warm wood tones, ample greenery and a few of my favorite festive items are what make this table setting one of my personal favorites. Add your own timeless pieces and enjoy a classic Christmas styled dinner party in your own home!

WI N TE R 2019 : 19

HOME

FEATURE

A home for the holidays: HOW TO MAKE YOUR STAIRCASE SANTA READY ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY HARMONY LYNN GOODSON CONTRIBUTOR

L

iving in Florida, your home might not have a fireplace, so where do you hang those beloved Christmas stockings for Santa? I’ve seen many pretty alternatives like a foyer table or china hutch display and, if you have a pretty staircase (my personal favorite), the banister!

I have always loved the grandeur of a foyer staircase, especially when decorated with fresh garland and festive decorations during the holidays. I typically decorate my banister with a pre-lit faux garland, but last year, I decided to try fresh garland and I don’t think I’ll ever use my faux garland again.

It lasted much longer than I had expected and was so inexpensive that I purchased several and used them on my mantle and dining tables!

For this look, I decided to combine fresh greens with crisp whites and a mixture of metallic finishes. Grounding the space are these large brass candle lanterns surrounded with tapered candlesticks in varying heights. I hung velvet and fur stockings from the garland and decorated with gold ornaments and silver bells. I love how the light plays with the metallic and glass finishes and creates a romantic and cozy look even in the daylight.

What I love most about this look is that you can display your favorite Christmas collectables front and center.

Or, make a grand first impression and set the tone for the rest of your home’s holiday style with fresh decor from this year’s shopping. You can recreate this look with flameless candles and leave it up unsupervised!

WI N TE R 2019 : 21

HOME

FEATURE

BLOOMING WINTER GARDENING IN FLORIDA KEEP ON

BY AMANDA ROSE NEWTON CONTRIBUTOR

T

he winter season in Florida is one of the many things we can brag about to our relatives and friends up North. The mild temperatures make it the ideal time for outdoor entertaining, recreation, and, of course, gardening.

With the right selections and care, you can have vegetables, fruits and flowers that bloom full force all season long. Eager to dig in but need some inspiration to get your growing? Look to the suggestions below for winter gardening inspiration.

If you are lucky enough to have a raised bed or are short on garden space, container gardens are an excellent way to efficiently grow a variety of vegetables and herbs. Using a garden soil that is rich in organic materials and checking regularly for pests and disease, will ensure that many favorites will grow well into spring. Classic greens such as collards, kale and mustards are star performers in raised beds and can be planted from December to February. If fruit is more your passion, strawberries are another container garden treat that we can enjoy all winter long.

Those longing for traditional seasonal fare will be thrilled to know that familiar favorites like beets, turnips, and winter squash can all be planted successfully in winter. Herbs such as rosemary, basil, dill and thyme thrive all winter long and are crucial for seasoning holiday meals. They also serve as perfect partners for seasonally themed cocktails for your holiday entertaining. Pear and thyme martinis, anyone? (Turn to page 24 to see our recipe for a pear and thyme martini.)

Color is in abundance all winter long and many favorites from Northern states, such as mums and geraniums, brighten up green spaces. Camellias and azaleas dazzle throughout February and can easily handle nights of cooler temperatures. Impatiens, petunias and snapdragons can blend right in with even the most tropical of landscape beds while violas and sweet alyssum make stunning container garden or window box displays. Many of our native shrubs and trees such as magnolia, yaupon holly and simpson stopper provide natural pops of green foliage and red berries and are natural way to decorate for the winter holidays. Foliage, berries, vines and even moss can make lovely table centerpieces and decorative wreaths perfect for dressing up your home or gifting.

Winter is also a great time for planning and projects.

Now is the time to clean out garden beds, transfer sensitive tropical plants indoors and perhaps lay down fresh mulch. If a freeze is in the forecast, you might want to consider covering sensitive outdoor plants like palms, fruit trees and tropical shrubs.

January and February are ideal months to prune roses and other flowering shrubs such as crape myrtle.

Deciduous fruit trees like peaches and plums can also be pruned back. Water needs vary depending on how mild our winter is here, so be sure to keep an eye on both your plants and your irrigation system.

As much as we might wish, pests do not take a winter holiday so keep up the practice of scouting for harboring insects, especially on the undersides of leaves. It is never too early to start planning for the transition to spring gardening. A little bit of prep and planning now means a year of gardening success.

This winter, make a New Year’s resolution to enjoy the bountiful blooms of your Florida garden in 2020!

Sources:

Sydney Park Brown and Thomas H. Yeager. (2009). Cold Protection of Landscape Plants. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

Florida Fruit & Vegetable Gardening: Plant, Grow, and Harvest the Best Edibles (Fruit & Vegetable Gardening Guides). Robert Bowden. 2015.

WI N TE R 2019 : 23

Thyme & Peartini Photography & Recipe by Harmony Lynn Goodson

Makes: 1 Cocktail

Ingredients: • • • • •

2.5 oz pear vodka 1.5 oz dry vermouth Ice 1 slice pear Sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions: 1. Stir vodka, dry vermouth and ice together in a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled martini glass.

2. Garnish with a slice of pear and sprigs of thyme.

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COVER STORY

Life on Mars?

An interview with Alyssa Carson, the Florida Tech student who hopes to be among the first to walk on Mars.

The Space Coast has always been known for, well, the space industry. It was here, 50 years ago, where Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were launched from the Earth to the moon. And, it will be from here where a crew will be launched from the Earth to Mars. With that in mind, as it is our job to focus on “Space Coast Living,” it is important to focus on those who have uprooted their lives to live here, where they can pursue their passions. Specifically, their space-realted passions. I wanted to interview Alyssa Carson, a Florida Tech student from Baton Rouge whose mission is to become among the first to walk on Mars. Her story is one of many men and women who have dreamed and trained to journey to space; one that illustrates some of humankind’s best qualities.

In the next decade or two, the Space Coast will be the at the center of an illustrious history. This is Carson's, as well as the Space Coast's, story.

Story by Sara Santora | Managing Editor Photography by Jason Hook Hair and makeup by Darcy Manning

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COVER STORY

O

n the 4th of July, there was a picture of Alyssa Carson floating around Facebook. She was decked out in a blue flight suit, and the bio that accompanied the photo shared that she is an 18-year-old who is already preparing to become an astronaut, with the goal of being among the first to walk on Mars.

Carson was only three years old when she was inspired to venture to Mars. After watching an episode of “The Backyardigans,” in which the animated group of animals traveled to the red planet, Carson began to ask her dad questions about space.

He shared that humans had traveled to space, though no one had been to Mars. Of course, once he shared that it would be her generation that would get there, she decided, “Well, huh! Maybe I can do it!” Since that moment, she has been working hard to accomplish her dream.

One quick Google search of the young Mars walkerto-be provides a wealth of information on her young career thus far. Though she’s only 18, it’s apparent she’s already done more than what many will do in a lifetime and is inspiring an entire generation to accomplish their dreams, no matter how otherworldly they may be. But if history has taught us anything, it is that big dreams are what take us to new heights.

Literally. Fifty years ago this past July, Neil Armstrong descended from the Apollo Lunar Module and took the small step that signified mankind’s giant leap: Man had finally traveled to the moon, and set foot on the lunar surface. Then, our astronauts were military test pilots and engineers. Now, our astronauts are also scientists and mathematicians, whose skills help with research. And, though our first astronauts were all men, the Space Shuttle program allowed for women to join the ranks. In 2024, NASA will send the first woman to the moon, and in 2033 (or earlier, if Elon Musk has his way), man and woman will journey to Mars.

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The journey to space begins long before the day of the launch. Before the Apollo 11 flight, there were Apollo flights 1-10, as well as the Mercury and Gemini projects, which helped bridge us from the Earth to the moon. And of course, there was President John F. Kennedy’s infamous speech at Rice University, in which he pushed the United States to make it to the moon before the end of the ’60s — a goal that was met in 1969.

To Kennedy, and to many at the time, space exploration was as natural to human beings as breathing. He said, “Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, ‘Because it is there.’ Well, space is there, and we’re going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.”

What the United States accomplished in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s was only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to space exploration. Like Kennedy, our current world leaders and tech leaders believe that not only is traveling to space — Mars, specifically — something that can be done but that it is something that should be done.

In regard to the exploration of Mars, Nasa has sent four rovers to the planet, with another on its way in 2020, to help us better understand the terrain and the atmosphere. Now, both the public and private industries are working hard to troubleshoot and design the necessary spacecraft and equipment for a manned mission. But, more than that, an entire generation of intelligent space enthusiasts is currently laying the groundwork with the hopes of being selected to join the astronaut corps, many with dreams of being the first to land on Mars. Which brings us back to Alyssa Carson.

DEC E MBE R 2019 : 61

COVER STORY

time comes to compete with thousands of others in the astronaut application process. She is the only person to have completed the NASA passport program, which required her to visit all 14 of NASA’s visitor’s centers across nine states. Through this program, she met astronaut Wendy Lawrence; scientist and TV personality, Bill Nye; and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and Administrator Charles Bolton.

She graduated from the Advanced Space Academy at 16-years-old, making her the youngest person to do so. She was the first person to complete all seven of NASA’s space camps, and she has received her certification in applied astronautics, which certifies her to do a suborbital research flight for Project PoSSUM.

“With a mission to Mars, yeah you’ll have your specific assignment, but you’re going to have to know how to do everything, so that’s what I’ve been working on.”

When I meet Carson, she is wearing a tee-shirt that says, “My dream is out of this world … literally.” Along with it, is a drawing of Mars. We are walking through Florida Tech’s Buehler Center for Aviation Training, where our interview and photoshoot are being held.

As previously mentioned, Carson is 18-years-old.

She is from Louisiana, but she recently relocated to the Space Coast to begin her collegiate career at the Florida Institute of Technology, where she is on track to study astrobiology. Choosing this degree path, however, is one of the many things she’s done to better her chances of visiting Mars.

Carson is already equipped with a wealth of experience, which will undoubtedly help her when the 6 2 : S PAC E COA ST L IV IN G | S PAC ECOA ST L I V I N G .CO M

“PoSSUM stands for, ‘Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Atmosphere,’” shares Carson. “Basically, they are a private citizen science organization, studying in the upper atmosphere, and their specific focus has been on a cloud called a ‘noctilucent cloud,’ and the reason why they’re looking at doing a suborbital mission is to collect a sample of the cloud, which would be the ultimate goal.”

She also shares that Project PoSSUM works with Final Frontier Design, and helps with their space suit evaluations. Essentially, they are test subjects.

“We will do the microgravity flights, the water survival in their space suits, we’ll test their suits in different environments and get their feedback and a bunch of bio research and all of that goes to Final Frontier,” she says. “Because, if we get to the point of doing the suborbital flight, that would be the suit [we would use].” In October, Carson traveled to Canada to help test Final Frontier’s EVA space suit at the Canadian Space Agency. Here, she and others completed various tests in lunar and micro gravity.

Of course, preparing to complete a suborbital flight with Project PoSSUM is only one flight she hopes to make in her lifetime. The other is a flight to Mars.

NASA requires its potential astronauts to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, along with three years of post-collegiate experience in a career related to the chosen degree path. And while NASA does give applicants the option to receive a pilot’s license and log 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft in lieu of the three years of post-collegiate

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experience, this pilot’s license is no longer necessary.

Though, Carson did receive her pilot’s license before moving to Florida.

“Everything I’m doing, none of that is required,” says Carson. “Basically I wanted to get involved with as many things and see what I’d be interested in … very early on I realized, and [this] is what space camp helped me figure out, the path I wanted to take. So I was always a bit more interested in the sciences and flying or going down the military route ...

“Everything that I’ve been doing is just trying to get a mix of everything that would be needed,” she continues. “With a mission to Mars, yeah you’ll have your specific assignment, but you’re going to have to know how to do everything, so that’s what I’ve been working on.”

As we spoke more about the race between the public and private industries to get to Mars, Carson shared that she doesn’t know if she even will apply to become a NASA astronaut. “I’m not entirely sure of who is the line of getting [to Mars] first,” says Carson. “And where I am is, I’m not entirely sure if I am going to apply to be a NASA astronaut, you know I’m going through my schooling now and then we’ll see where the different programs are.” By different programs, she is referring to SpaceX, Blue Origin, etc.

Though she is undecided on who she would want to represent when going to the red planet, NASA is the guide for getting to space. But, she’s not too worried about that. For now, she says, she is focusing primarily on school.

“Astrobiology can apply to a lot of things,” says Carson. “I’m still figuring out what I would want to do with that degree ... I was talking with someone who was working with the payloads that were on the International Space Station which would be really cool.

“But something else that’s at Florida Tech that I want to look more into in terms of astrobiology would be actual farming and crop growth that could potentially be used as a food supply for the missions,” continues Carson. “Also, the other aspect of it that interests me is any sort of bacterial life and the possibilities of bacterial life being in water samples on Mars and how possible that would be.”

Even as Carson tells me she’s “just focusing on school” at the moment, everything she says relates back to her main goal: making it to Mars. Of course, everything she does — just about — is done to achieve that goal.

Carson, obviously, is a big believer in pushing space exploration, not just because it’s a cool thing to do, but because it has done and will continue to do a lot of good for our everyday lives.

“A lot of people see planning for Mars as us just putting a bunch of dollar bills in a rocket, sending it to space and just never coming back,” she quips, “But there are so many benefits in the amount of jobs that are created … and also the amount of research and resources we will be bringing back and also the technological advances that are made, which are then used for everyday life.

“Everything we’re doing in terms of the space program comes back and helps people,” she continues.

In a little over a decade, humans will journey to Mars, and just as hundreds of thousands tuned into network television to watch man journey to the moon in 1969, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, will gather and watch as a team of humans travel to the red planet.

Whether they travel to colonize the planet, or make a return flight home, those chosen will be intelligent, strong and sharp; they will travel farther than any human before them, and among them, might just be Alyssa Carson.

DEC EMBE R 2019 : 63

The First 2020 Toyota Supra Arrives in Brevard.

Toyota of Melbourne Celebrates with a $30,000 Donation to the Haven for Children.

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FASHION

Stylishly embracing the holiday season

Photography by Harmony Lynn Goodson

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BY KATIE McCARTY CONTRIBUTOR

A

ll I want for Christmas is to wear leopard, lace and luscious red jumpsuits. Those are just some of the elegant styles to embrace this holiday season.

Before Christmas day, there are work parties to attend, Christmas get togethers, gingerbread building contests and endless possibilities to dress your best. But, after a long holiday season of dressing up, comfort is key on Christmas day.

Enter: the long pant jumpsuit. Once you try a fitted jumpsuit in a seasonal color, there’s no turning back. Red will always be associated with Christmas time. I mean, Santa wears a bold red Christmas suit for goodness sake, so we can, too!

It’s fun to play with trends during the winter season.

In case you haven’t heard, leopard is back.

From dresses to headbands and shoes, your inner cheetah girl is made to shine!

While I love incorporating new prints, I prefer leopard in small doses. Accessories like loafers, block heels, clutches and statement earrings are the perfect way to add hints of leopard into a holiday look

without feeling like the twin of a wild animal. If you are feeling spunky, try a leopard dress or blouse.

When it comes to embracing colors during the holidays, I like to stick to a non-traditional palate. Instead of gravitating towards dark winter hues, go for more feminine colors like pink, red, burgundy, gold, white and cream. Pink and burgundy are in the same color family and make for a surprisingly stylish combo. Since we experience a very mild winter in Florida, the most practical way is to invest in pieces you can style all year like a strappy lace midi dress or a bold colored jumpsuit.

If you’re on a budget after too much Christmas shopping, I would highly recommend Rent the Runway (www.renttherunway.com). It’s an online website that allows you to rent designer dresses and accessories for a budget friendly price. In college, I was a brand ambassador for the company and fell in love with its mission. I mean, what girl doesn’t want to wear a designer piece without the hefty price tag to a gala or wedding?! In fact, you can rent a similar red jumpsuit like the one I’m wearing for under $30 for four days. You are able to choose one to two styles and rent them for four or eight days. Prices run anywhere from $30-$200 depending on the designer.

DEC EMBE R 2019 : 67

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

HAPPIER, HEALTHIER SKIN THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

BY ABBY MCHENRY WRITER

T

he holidays are a crazy time for everyone. Before you can even begin celebrating, gifts have to be bought and wrapped, travel plans have to be made and the ingredients for Christmas dinner have to be prepped. Though it’s a fun time, the running around can cause stress, and the stress, combined with the cooler temperatures, can lead to problems with your skin.

Dr. Anita Saluja, dermatologist, says that the winter season often causes dry skin due to the drier weather and reduced humidity. “Drier skin can cause more rashes such as psoriasis and eczema flares,” she said. “We tend to see that [rashes and eczema flares] more in the winter. Plus people are covered up a little bit more, which is good from a skin cancer standpoint, but can exacerbate rashes.”

Hydration is key to healthy skin year-round, but especially in the chilly winter months. Dr. Saluja recommends using

a hydrating cleanser and a hydrating cream. She said to keep an eye out for ceramides, an ingredient that helps form the skin’s barrier and retain moisture. According to Dr. Saluja, this ingredient is found in the skincare brand Cerave which can be found in drugstores. Another key ingredient she said to look for is hyaluronic acid. It is naturally found in the skin, and it is also used to keep moisture locked in.

Dr. Saluja said medical-grade skincare products such as Skinmedica Dermal Repair Cream contain this ingredient.

Clearly, moisture is one of the most important and simplest ways to keep your skin from cracking. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends applying moisture immediately after washing your skin in order to lock in moisture. Moisturizers such as ointments, creams and lotions work by trapping existing moisture in your skin.

AAD recommends applying moisture immediately after

bathing or even just washing your hands. When showering, keep the water warm instead of hot and apply enough cleanser to remove dirt and oil, but do not put a thick layer on. Too much cleanser can dry the skin out.

Exfoliation is important for removing dead skin; however, it can dry out the skin during the chilly winter season (this seems to be a recurring theme). Dr. Saluja explained that while some exfoliants can be harmful to skin during the winter, exfoliants with lactic acid exfoliate to remove dull skin and also provide hydration. For oily skin with clogged pores, Dr. Saluja recommends using toner because it helps serums and other skincare products better penetrate the skin. She also recommends using a Clarisonic brush, which can be found on Amazon, Ulta or Sephora. This helps in enhancing the cleansing of the face.

Dr. Saluja reminds that is important to pay attention to the skin’s needs. Every person’s skin is unique and has different needs and should be taken care of year-round. So, though the holidays might have you spinning like a top, make sure to carve out some time for your skin. This is one of the best gifts you can give yourself this holiday season.

Anita Saluja, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in Melbourne, FL. She earned her medical degree from the University of Michigan and received three years of dermatology training at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Photography by Jason Hook

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DEC EMBE R 2019 : 69

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

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SPONSORED

Winter Haircare

BY ABBY MCHENRY WRITER

A

s the temperatures begin to drop — or as is the case with Florida, the humidity — changing your hair routine becomes increasingly more important. Like with our skin, the subtle changes in temperature have dramatic effects on our hair, so knowing how to change up your routine for the winter months is important.

Rose Cally, Owner of Sorelli Hair Studio & Spa, emphasized this point, and shared that she is a big believer in masks, conditioning treatments and getting your hair cut regularly.

“Regularly” meaning every six to eight weeks, or more for those with short hair. For Cally, keeping your hair moisturized is the key.

Cally advised that you not leave the house with your hair wet when it’s cold, and to use warm instead of hot water.

According to research found in Glamour, cold water helps the hair follicle stay sealed, whereas hot water causes the follicle to open. Once this follicle is opened, hair frizzes.

Cally also advised that you shampoo your hair every other day during the winter vs. every day. This is because shampooing every day can strip your hair of its natural oils, which are essential during the winter months. She also stated that sulfate-free shampoos will help keep your hair healthy during the winter.

She also emphasized not using heat as often such as blow dryers and flat irons. According to SELF, using too much heat can be damaging to your hair, as it can remove moisture that your hair needs and leads to breakage and split ends. “A cool air humidifier definitely helps your hair from drying out,” Cally says. “And again moisture, moisture, moisture. [Hair] dries out like your skin in winter.” She recommended Goldwell products for happy and healthy hair. Cally says the Goldwell hair masks work amazing and you only have to leave them on for 60 seconds. They leave your hair feeling silky and shiny after. Cally also recommended using argan oil to keep your hair hydrated.

It is important to take care of your hair, as failure to do so can lead to irritation and damage. Do your research and seek out a professional for recommendations on products and routines. Although it is easy enough to buy cheap hair products at your local supermarket, your hairstylist is licensed and will know what is best to use in your hair. So, do yourself a favor and invest in quality hair products. Your hair is worth it.

Rose Cally is a licensed hairstylist and co-owner of Sorelli Hair Studio & Spa.

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space coast

A Legacy of Leadership DECEMBER 2018

2018 ROBERT CABANA

Director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

Article by Eric Wright. Publisher Photography by Jason Hook

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TODD J. POKRYWA President of The Viera Company

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magine you are finishing up your degree in Urban and Regional Planning, in this case at the University of Waterloo, just west of Toronto, Canada. Your senior honors essay, roughly the equivalent of a graduate thesis, is on New Towns as an Alternative to Urban Sprawl Development: Viera, FL Case Study. Then, fast forward twenty-four years and you are now the President of the very land development company you wrote about as an undergrad.

Unlikely? The odds of it happening defy reason.

Nevertheless, Todd Pokrywa (pronounced pok’-re-va), now leads the company whose vision and approach to land use captured his dreams of what a planned community can and should be.

“From the outset, the community of Viera has been built on a very clear plan and set of values that sees land development holistically,” Pokrywa said. Adding, “It creates a distinctive lifestyle opportunity, the convenience and adaptability needed for quality growth, along with the preservation of an irreplaceable ecosystem. All of which impacts the whole of Brevard County.”

Being virtually at the geographic center of a county that stretches 72 miles, Viera became a logical site for the principle seat of county government, the school system and the justice center. Also, with its proximity to primary traffic corridors, residents can access two international airports, as well as the northern and southern hubs for Brevard’s aerospace industry. The location was providential, but it took some $175 million in contributions to arterial and collector roadway development from The Viera Company, many of which are outside their property, to make it happen.

“Our success causes Brevard to succeed,” Pokrywa observed, “Just like Titusville, Cocoa, Palm Bay and

Melbourne’s success facilitates ours.”

In his blood Most children sharpen their artistic/design skills by drawing images of their favorite cartoon characters, princesses or spaceships. Not Todd Pokrywa: He was drawing grids of city plans, even as a preschooler. “I loved downtown Toronto and was always amazed at how the city grew and evolved,” he said.

What set the course of his future were two of the most influential mentors in his life, a 9th grade geography teacher and a 10th grade geography and urban studies teacher, Doug Struthers and Gord Wright. “In my 10th grade class, an urban planning professor came in as a guest speaker,” Pokrywa recalled. “After listening to his presentation, I knew that was what I wanted to be.” Though he did say he was also pondering the priesthood at the same time.

In Pokrywa’s mind, Florida was the most opportunistic place to be if you were considering a career in land and urban development. He worked for Sunterra Resorts, based in Orlando, which was one of the largest vacation ownership companies in planning and construction at that time. From there he became the vice president of planning for Schroeder-Manatee Ranch (SMR), the developer of Lakewood Ranch, the #2 ranked planned development in the nation, located in southwest Florida.

Rex Jensen, the President of SMR, brought Pokrywa to the community, where he worked for almost 12 years.

Through his involvement with the Association of Florida Community Developers, where he served as a chair, he got to know Tracy Duda-Chapman and Steve Johnson, both of which served as leaders of The Viera Company. In 2014, they contacted him, as Johnson saw his retirement on the horizon, and once the decision was made, for Pokrywa, it was like coming home.

space coast

Business Leader of the Year DECEMB ER 2 019

A unique attraction The faith and commitment of the Duda family, along with the patience to develop the community as a multigenerational asset, was a major part of what attracted Pokrywa to Viera.

“Because Duda is a private company, they aren’t driven by quarterly earnings and can maintain a vision that builds value over the life of the community’s development,” he said. “Our decisions take long term implications into account as we will live with them for the next 25 years, as Viera is built-out. Plus, Duda will always have a working ranch located here, so the sense of ownership, stewardship and responsibility is very long range.”

As previously stated, what seemed to seal it for him was that Viera started as a blank canvas, utilizing the best planning minds in the country to help develop the community, but it is a process that continues to unfold. Pokrywa realizes how central Viera is to all the communities and businesses in Brevard. Therefore, he spends a great deal of time reaching out to stakeholders in the region and within their community, to collaborate, to listen and to see how Viera can be involved in advancing the greater good.

alone, it requires a team. And two, doing what you need to do in the present is the only way to ensure your desired future.

The team approach, like most people who developed their leadership paradigm in athletics, comes naturally to him.

“I have learned to be patient, to listen to the team and let everyone share their perspectives. That being respectful and encouraging them brings out their best and is the most effective way to get the outcomes you are looking for. I always want to have an open door and open mind, so we are able to work together in addressing challenges and opportunities in real time,” he said.

He is adamant in emphasizing that the most crucial member of his team is his wife Cyndi, who is working on her doctorate in marriage and family counseling. Their daughter Samantha is married to sports broadcaster Taylor Maples and she serves as the head softball coach at Oklahoma Baptist University.

Recently, he has focused on establishing a commercial development adjacent to the new Viera Blvd. interchange on I-95. Viera abounds with residential options, along with restaurant and retail opportunities, but there are few corporate and office developments, so far. Insightfully planning far ahead, while allowing the market to dictate the developmental pace, has been one of The Viera Company’s hallmarks. A strategic approach that Pokrywa embodies.

In addition to leading the ongoing development in Viera, Pokrywa somehow finds considerable time to meet with the many parties that are impacted by Viera and impact Viera, that reach all across the Space Coast. Viera works closely with partners, like Brevard Public Schools, throughout the community, so the neighborhood school system can be maintained. They even waive the educational and school facilities impact fee reimbursements for which they are eligible, that help cover infrastructure costs, because they realize how important schools are when parents are making home buying decisions.

This project, along with northern and southern extensions of Lake Andrew Drive toward Viera Blvd and the Pineda interchange, respectively, and another east-west crossover for I-95 near the Lexus dealership, to ease traffic congestion on Wickham Road, are some of many projects currently on his radar.

“We are one of the major stakeholders in the county and of course part of that is because of our large-scale footprint that is located in the heart of Brevard,” he said. “We are currently tied to the jobs at the Space Center and around the Orlando Melbourne International Airport, so there is a lot of interdependence in Brevard’s future.”

Now and later

Recently Lynda Weatherman, of the EDC of Florida’s Space Coast, said that the key to job attraction and retention is not just high paying employers. Those employers, and their employees, are looking for a lifestyle that supports and enhances their professional experience. Todd Pokrywa is doing as much as anyone in Brevard to ensure that is happening now and into the future, as far as we can see.

Perhaps it comes from his years of playing hockey in Canada, that Pokrywa is able to exemplify that old Wayne Gretzky saying, “Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it has been.” But of equal importance, he recognizes two other vital factors in winning. One, he cannot skate there

space coast

Business Leader of the Year SPACE COAST B US INE S S

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S PAC E C OAST BU SINES S .CO M

REAL ESTAT E

by MEILI

Article by Eric Wright, Publisher Photography by Jason Hook

SPACE COAST B US INE S S

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NATALIE SELLERS Vice President, Communications, Community & Corporate Services Parrish Medical Center

T

hough some might view it as a disadvantage, for Natalie Sellers, being an “Army Brat,” which meant she lived all over the United States and Europe, was a decisive advantage. Sellers, who oversees Marketing Communications, Human Resources, Patient Experience, Corporate and Community Development and Process Improvement for Parrish Medical Center, recalls her humanities class in Germany traveling to Paris to visit the Louvre. “We were able to experience first-hand what was in our textbooks,” she recalled.

St. Augustine once said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” For Sellers, her global experience shaped her life and gave her a unique set of skills.

She attended three different high schools and observed, “Constant change was a way of life. I had to learn and adapt quickly. This has served me well throughout my career.”

In the ever-changing world of health care, these experiences have allowed her to rise to the top of one of the most celebrated hospitals in the country. Sellers settled in Florida with her family when her father retired and attended UCF, before earning a graduate degree at Florida Tech. She started her career at Parrish as a marketing coordinator in 2001, and though she has risen to one of the most strategic positions in the organization, she never saw herself as a “leader,” per se.

“My focus has always been on serving, to be the very best I could be and developing collaborative, respectful and caring relationships,” Sellers said. A critical strategy, in a field where effective teams produce the outcomes patients expect and depend on.

To Sellers the future of health care requires a specific type of innovation. Namely, one that focuses on educating and incentivizing people on the benefits of health and prevention (wellness), thus reducing health care costs for individuals and easing health care costs overall.

“If you watch what is happening in the health care sector, entrepreneurs are entering the space focused on technologies that are easy to implement and to sell to consumers,” Sellers said.

Though they are inventing health-related devices, she feels they aren’t addressing the difficult sectors of health care, such as treatment for chronic conditions and life-long health. As a result, much of the growth in health care isn’t contributing beneficially to “health.” Thus, costs continue to rise in the industry, without noticeable improvements in our nation’s overall quality or longevity of life.

Sellers quoted one of her key mentors George Mikitarian, “The true disruptors in health care are not in the health care industry at all but are those demanding more accountability and better value for their money.”

Though she did not initially perceive herself as a leader, she has certainly become an effective one. In fact, when asked about keys to her leadership success, she said, “It is like the old saying, ‘Have the heart of lion, skin of a rhino, and the soul of angel.’ In life, anything you want to excel at, whether it’s leadership, sports, parenthood, etc., it requires continuous focus and attention, achieved through mindfulness and self-care.

“Leadership takes courage, patience, focus and desire, among many other attributes,” she said. Which she believes, requires that you take care of yourself. “Therefore, I love to exercise, spend time with my family, eat healthy and focus on my innerself, in order to maintain the energy that it takes to give back to others as a leader on a consistent basis,” she continued.

Concluding, with characteristic insight, she said, “Leaders don’t get to choose when and where they want to be a leader. You must be ready and prepared at all times to lead.”

space coast

Health Care Leadership Award

DECEMB ER 2 019

Article by Eric Wright, Publisher Photography by Jason Hook

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ANNE CONROY-BAITER

President of Junior Achievement of the Space Coast

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rowing up on a family homestead that dated back to 1864, which was a gathering place for students, professors, priests and friends, shaped the dynamic of Anne Conroy-Baiter’s early life. Her mother was an accomplished artist and her father, who is in the Irish Football (soccer) Hall of Fame, was a professor of modern languages at St. Bonaventure University in western New York.

The vibrancy and enrichment of that environment birthed a passion inside her, which as president of Junior Achievement of the Space Coast, has spread like a virus into the hundreds of JA volunteers. Their common mission is to share the adventure of entrepreneurialism, the fulfillment of discovering a meaningful career and the lifesaving fundamentals of financial literacy with thousands of young people across Brevard County.

After graduating from Tuff’s University in Boston, as she put it, “With an ability to write, analyze and communicate, skills that have never let me down,” she eventually found herself working for a consulting company in Washington D.C. The firm experienced meteoric growth. “When I joined, they had 200 people, in four years they had 2,000 and I was running the creative services division, overseeing 35 employees. It was the perfect setting to blend my aesthetic and managerial sides,” she said.

She later moved back home to care for her parents and became the executive director of the Cattaraugus County Arts Council for eight years. “I immediately gravitated towards teaching artists business skills and creating markets to help the artistic community sell their work,” Conroy-Baiter said.

Moving to the Space Coast was her first exposure to Junior Achievement. She saw the opening for the director position, studied the organization and submitted her resume.

“I began to think about my three daughters, and I said to myself, ‘I don’t want my daughters to just survive a recession, I want them to thrive.’ What I realized was that a lot of the skills they

needed, I as a parent and our school system, wasn’t equipped to teach. That is what drew me to JA’s mission,” she said. “We make learning about financial literacy a skill, not a stress.”

In addition, in a world where the global competition for a competent workforce is at an all-time high, teaching young people the skills to help identify and prepare for a career is paramount. “Most students are exposed to just a few careers.

The ones their parents are in and those associated with education or medicine, the rest is an undiscovered country.

At JA we give them a window to see all those opportunities out there on the horizon. We provide personal access to understand those jobs in a way they have never heard,” she said.

Her sharp mind, quick wit and eyes that sparkle with enthusiasm have helped her win over an army of volunteers and leading CEOs in the county. “The goal we are continually shooting for is to stay relevant in an ever-changing environment and always playing well with others who may be advancing the same mission,” she said.

JA enjoys a number of strategic or “common ground” partners, as Conroy-Baiter calls them: the Brevard Public School system, Eastern Florida State College and organizations like United Way and the EDC of Florida’s Space Coast. It is, however, local corporations and businesses of all sizes, that provide much of the financial and volunteer support. In 2019 alone, 73,797 hours were donated by over 435 volunteers, to reach and educate some 13,149 students from Mims to Malabar. This is an increase of 22% over 2018.

“We want to plant the idea of entrepreneurialism early in the education process. But of equal importance, almost every JA volunteer walks out of a classroom more encouraged about the future of America and about the potential this next generation has to offer,” she said.

space coast

Donna Scattum Community Leadership Award DECEMB ER 2 019

Article by Eric Wright, Publisher Photography by Jason Hook

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ERIK COSTIN W+J Construction

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ntrepreneurship, like life, is not a destination, it is a journey. In fact, it is the mindset that you never really “arrive” that keeps the entrepreneur innovating and pushing the limits of growth, often beyond the comfort zones of some.

The truly successful entrepreneurs, who actually build and scale the businesses they lead, also see the individuals who accompany them on that journey as being as valuable, if not more valuable, than the current vision they are pursuing. Such is certainly the case with Erik Costin who leads W+J Construction and who recently launched ADI Development and Trivium Luxury Homes.

For over 50 years, W+J has been one of the most respected builders in the region. The company has been responsible for everything from iconic launch gantries and KSC’s Saturn V Exhibit, to numerous schools and some of the most beautiful worship edifices in the region. Costin helped the company diversify away from focusing exclusively on government/ municipal contracting projects and has continued to guide its growth into the design, build and development space.

Recently, the company moved into their new, contemporary, two-story, 19,025 square foot office building off Viera Blvd.

The name, “Glendale Park” was a surprise decision Costin’s development partner made, which was a nod to a park in Boston that he grew up by.

“Moving into this office has created so much collaboration among our employees that didn’t exist in our old office,” he said. “We made the investment, believing this new environment would create efficiencies and returns.” It is a conviction Costin and W+J always had about their people. “Even in the downturn, we didn’t layoff any of our people, because we knew they were our greatest asset,” he said.

Because of the unique and often complicated projects W+J lands and the culture they have created, Costin has been able

to attract talent from some of the largest construction firms in the state. “These individuals are so capable and so experienced that it has naturally produced a pretty flat management structure. They are all consummate professionals, but they like working for us, because they can to go home at night and they love living in this area,” he shared.

Costin’s move into development began working as a contractor for Dr. Vishnu Patel, who would eventually be his partner. First, he did projects for him in the medical space, and then they started working together. Their slogan, ‘You can own your future,’ focuses on showing clients they can own their building, through ADI, over time.

In a similar way, Costin was able to leverage the trust he had built working with some of the most experienced people in the upscale residential market, to launch Trivium Luxury Homes.

Their first homes will be available in the Casa Bella community in 2020. Again, he takes a unique approach. “We won’t sell at a certain price point and then expect the buyer to cover added upgrades. Our homes include all the upgrades, at the price we quote,” he said.

A standout basketball player in high school and at the collegiate level, Costin grew up around the construction trades in a bluecollar neighborhood. Originally, he planned to go into law, but the housing market was so lucrative, that he went to work for a real estate developer after college, before moving to Florida and going to work for W+J. One of Costin’s strengths is the loyalty he is able to develop in employees, clients and partners. “Customer service is part of our culture, but it begins with how we treat our people, so they will in turn build relationships with our clients,” he said. “That is how you insure when the next project comes around, that client is already thinking of you.”

space coast

Simpkins Entrepreneurial Award

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Article by Eric Wright, Publisher Photography by Jason Hook

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SPONSORED

JANICE SCHOLZ

Career & Technical Education Director Brevard Public Schools

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ome call it an “Ah-ha” or “eureka” moment, others an epiphany. It is that memorable point of clarity, when the realization dawns, “This is what I was made for.” According to Janice Scholz, who oversees one of the most strategic and increasingly popular series of programs within Brevard County Schools, the CTE or Career and Technical Education program, that realization is something she wants for every student.

Scholz, who began her education career in the late 1970s, is passionate about giving students exposure to the tools, the opportunities and the real-world experiences, which would not only bring that awakening and the fulfillment that goes with it, but also meaningful employment. For Scholz personally, that connection happened in a home economics class, the forerunner of what is now offered as culinary arts or fashion design and merchandizing. Teaching, and in particular, teaching practical and applicable life skills, became a passion.

Fast forward and today America and Brevard County are in desperate need, not for many of the majors offered in our colleges and universities, but for welders, machinists and skilled technicians. These careers can and do command salaries comparable to or well beyond what many who have university degrees are able to command. And the need keeps growing.

The challenge Scholz faces are the common and often antiquated perceptions of these alternative pathways to career success, which are based on 20th, not 21st century work environments. Welders are needed at Blue Origin and SpaceX, machinists at Embraer and Knight Armament, where they work in meticulously clean, air- conditioned facilities, often using cutting edge robotic and computer equipment.

“It’s very hard as a parent to say, ‘My child’s going to be a machinist,’ or ‘My child’s going to be an automotive technician,’ because that doesn’t align with the American Dream that we want more for our children. Somehow, we’re measuring the success of raising our children on them getting a four-year degree, but nowhere do we talk about the four-year degrees

that lead to no employment and unprecedented debt. We need other choices for our students, but we also need parents to accept these choices as equally viable measures of success,” she added.

The CTE program includes specific academies, accelerated programs, industry certifications and other pathways to success that do not necessarily include going to college or university immediately upon high school graduation.

According to Scholz, few students graduating from high school know what they want to do with their life. Therefore, based on her experience, how fair is it to expect them to make that monumental choice with little or no exposure to the plethora of opportunities out there?

“Many of the great careers waiting for high school graduates do not require a college degree,” Scholz explained. “In fact, a growing number of companies don’t want the degree, they want certifications, like for computer programing.”

These certifications can lead to immediate employment, with unprecedented growth opportunities, as new certifications are earned.

“There was a time,” Scholz said, “when academic underachievers were told to go to the auto mechanics class.

Today, you can’t get a job working on automobiles unless you have very sophisticated computer skills.”

Not only has the skill level increased, but just like America began to recognize almost 20 years ago that we had a critical shortage of nurses, the need for technicians and skilled workers is reaching critical mass. The availability to find everything from plumbers and to electricians, to an advanced manufacturing workforce, is becoming the governor that is regulating economic growth and America’s global competitiveness.

Janice Scholz is bringing all her skills, charm and experience to bear on this critical issue right here on the Space Coast.

space coast

Joseph Duda Leadership Award

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2020 PEOPLE TO WATCH Sarah B. Hiza, Ph.D.

Lockheed Martin Vice President for Fleet Ballistic Missile Programs

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his year Lockheed Martin Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) officially relocated its headquarters from Sunnyvale, CA. The company is investing nearly $40 million into the Titusville campus as well as transitioning 350 jobs here.

Leading this effort is Sarah Hiza, who serves as Lockheed Martin’s Vice President for Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) Programs and Board of Director member for Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE, U.K.). Previously, she was FBM’s Director for Propulsion, Structures, Ordnance & Controls. Before joining Lockheed Martin, in 2015, she worked at ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems) for 11 years. Hiza’s education includes a Bachelor’s in Chemistry from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from The University of Akron.

Her technical expertise includes polymers and energetic materials such as explosives and rocket propellants.

Recognition of her contributions includes 2016’s honoree of Silicon Valley’s YWCA’s Tribute to Women Award, 2011’s Technology Innovator Award by the Women Tech Council, and 2010’s finalist for the Rising Star Award by the Women Tech Council.

Hiza currently serves as the Co-chair for Lockheed Martin Space’s Inclusion Council, as the executive sponsor for the Space Coast Women’s Impact Network, and as the Co-chair for the NOLS Advisory Council.

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Christopher "Chris" E. Kubasik

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L3Harris Vice Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer

hristopher "Chris" E. Kubasik assumed the role of chief operating officer of L3Harris upon merger of Harris Corporation and L3 Technologies, Inc. in June 2019. The global aerospace and defense technology innovator, headquartered on the Space Coast, has more than 50,000 employees who serve customers in 130 countries. Immediately prior, he served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of L3 Technologies, Inc. Kubasik has more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry, having joined L3 as president and chief operating officer in 2015. Prior to joining L3, Kubasik was president and chief executive officer of the Seabury Advisory Group LLC, a leading aviation and A&D professional services firm. In 2010, he was appointed president and chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Before joining Lockheed, he enjoyed a successful career at Ernst & Young, where he was named partner in 1996.

Kubasik serves on the executive committee and board of governors of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and is a member of the Air Force Association (AFA), the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), the Navy League of the United States and the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). He is also vice president of the board of governors of The Wings Club Foundation, Inc. and a member of the University of Maryland board of trustees, his alma mater.

Amar Patel

President and CEO Brevard Achievement Center

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mar Patel is one of the most respected voices in Brevard’s influential and ever-growing millennial community. In addition, he is also a leader in championing meaning employment for individuals with disabilities.

The President and CEO of Brevard Achievement Center (BAC) since June 2012, he serves an organization that is the 27th largest employer in the county and the largest employer of persons with disabilities. BAC serves more than 4,000 individuals with disabilities each year through innovative services across its various programs. Since 2012, their budget has grown by more than 20%, with annual revenues in excess of $26 million.

Prior to joining the BAC team, Patel was with L3 Harris Corporation for eight years, where he provided a leadership role as program manager of F35, the largest avionics program to date at the Melbourne-based communications and information technology firm. Patel holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, an M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering and an MBA from the University of Florida. He serves on numerous boards and was the 2015 recipient of LEAD Brevard’s “4 Under 40” award. Of his many accomplishments, however, Patel is most proud of his family: wife, Megan, and two children, Layla and Luca.

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CONGRATULATIONS

UNDERFORTY Presented by Shelter Mortgage Company

Health & Wellness/Fitness

Chelsee Camero, Director of Marketing for Five Star Claims Adjusting Jessica Schneider, Founder & Owner of For Your Health Thermal Imaging, LLC Alena Janik, Owner of Fit Focus Heart

Construction

Agatha Hall, Marketing Sales Supervisor at Hippo Roofing Aaron Azar, Owner/Operator of Azar Tree Service Ryan Wilkins, President of Beacon Roof & Exterior Cleaning

Health Care

Dr. Katharine (Kat) Richardson, DC; Partner in Malabar Chiropractic Dr. Angela McNeight, Program Chair for Brevard Dental Society and Partner in Caudill & McNeight Orthodontics Nickolas Hetherington MOT, OTR/L, CIMI-II; Pediatric Occupational Therapist & Owner of Hetherington Therapy

Legal

David Alpizar, Partner in Alpizar Law Adam Bird, Shareholder of GrayRobinson, P.A., Attorneys at Law Blake Stewart, Managing Partner for Stewart Law Scott Alpizar, Alpizar Law

Manufacturing

Crystal Jacoby, VP of Operations at Compsys, Inc.

Technology

Jennifer Johnson, Founder and CEO of CinchShare Alex Cascio, Founder of Vibrant Media Productions (VMP) Kristin Colacchio, Senior Director of Information Technology for Harris Corporation

Finance

Tara Johnson, Mortgage Loan Officer at U.S. Bank Steve Trout, Owner of Brightway Insurance Shannon Bloom, Owner of SMB Accounting and Consulting

Education

Jill Youngkin & Julie Place, Owners of Gymboree Play & Music Dr. Abram Walton, Founding Director of Florida Tech’s Center for Innovation Management and Business Analytics Heather Barringer, Chief Operating Officer of Upper Mohawk Inc.

TO THE 2019 S PAC E COA ST B U S I N E S S UNDER 40 WINNERS Civil/Public Service

Diana Kuzma, Director of Social Service for Genesis Healthcare’s Huntington Place of Rockledge Sierra Thompson, Outreach Coordinator for the Women’s Center Shayla Murray, Governmental Relations Consultant with Space Coast Strategy, Inc.

Hospitality

Puneet “PK” Kapur, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Express, Palm Bay Kristin LaPorte, Owner of Executive Catering Cody Scarboro, Business Development Manager for First International Title

Coaching/Personal Development James “JR” Reid

Business Development/Sales

Jackie Schmoll, Director of Government Geospatial Systems with Harris Corporation’s Space and Intelligence Systems segment Alex Dunnam, Sales Manager at Creative Network Innovations Christie Lynes, Indialantic Neighbors and Beachside Living magazines

Entrepreneurial

Justin Jarek, General Sales Manager at Chevrolet Meghan Wolfgram, Founder and Co-owner of SwiftPaws Trisha Harris, Trisha Harris Photography

Tourism

Daniel Olsen, COO of Beyond and Back Travel

Entertainment/Art

Katie Eckert, Cirque Athletics Kati Rosado, Fine art wedding photographer Christina Brown, FSMD; Owner of Roses Are Red Florist & Violets In Bloom Florist

Marketing

Ashlee Davidson, Customer Engagement for Harris Corporation’s Electronic Systems segment Bailey Canales, Sales Executive for Sunbelt Title Agency Madison Conradis, Marketing Director and Co-owner of Your Logo

Real Estate

Lindsay Sanger, Owner/Broker of RE/MAX Solutions and Solutions Property Management; Owner of Motto Mortgage Megan Patel, Realtor with Real Estate Solutions Brevard Bradley Fairman Jr., Founder of House Facts Home-Selling Team

VIEW FULL BIOGRAPHIES AT S PAC E COA ST B U S I N E S S .CO M

321.726.8338 VolkLawOffices.com

PET HEALTH

HAVE A MERRY, PET PROOFED HOLIDAY SEASON HOW TO KEEP YOUR FURRY FRIENDS SAFE AS THE HOLIDAYS CONTINUE

BY CHLOE EVETTS WILLIAMS, DVM CONTRIBUTOR

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t’s often referred to as the most wonderful time of the year; December is upon us and with that comes decorating, shopping and cooking for the upcoming holiday season. Christmas parties, and of course the big day itself, brings a lot of merriment, but can introduce a multitude of dangers and cautions for our furry friends who share our homes. Read along to help prevent a holiday hiccup.

Pet proof your decorations •

Secure that tree! Cats love to climb, and to them, a Christmas tree looks like the most perfect perch to climb up and scratch on. Make sure you tree is securely anchored to prevent it from falling over should a feline friend try to find their way up.

•

Tinsel and other string-like decorations such as ribbons are incredibly tempting for cats, and this material often finds its way into our feline companion’s intestinal tract. Cats love to play with tinsel, and its common for them to get carried away and actually swallow some. This can lead to an intestinal obstruction or blockage, which may require surgery to fix.

•

Keep wires and Christmas lights out of reach of pets; they are often chewed on which can cause an electrical shock.

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•

Holiday plants such as mistletoe, holly and poinsettias can cause vomiting, diarrhea and potentially other serious side affects if ingested by our pets. Many varieties of lilies can even cause lethal kidney disease in cats if ingested or chewed. Keep these out of reach of pets, or opt for artificial plants instead.

Plan a pet safe holiday gathering •

Our pets can be introverts, too! Sometimes a large number of people visiting can cause excess stress in our canine and feline friends. They may appreciate a safe space to relax throughout the party. Consider setting them up in a bedroom with some toys, water

and a comfortable bed for the duration of the party. This also helps prevent them sneaking out the front door while guests arrive and leave.

•

Hold off on the snacks. Many different holiday foods can be toxic to our pets (such as raisins & grapes, garlic, onions, chocolate and sugar free sweets containing Xylitol). If you plan on visiting someone’s house for the holidays, refrain from offering the resident pets samples of your snacks and treats.

•

New Year’s festivities are exciting, but can be loud and frightening for our pets. In fact, fireworks are one of the leading causes of pets escaping and becoming lost. Keep your pets secure in the house during NYE and contact your veterinarian ahead of time if you would like to discuss potential anti-anxiety medications or other remedies for fireworkphobia.

These tips should help prevent a pet emergency from tarnishing a merry celebration. However, if your pet does get into something they shouldn’t or just aren’t quite acting themselves, don’t hesitate to contact your veterinarian for advice. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!

e t a D e Save  0 2 0 2 , 5 Feb. 1 9:30 6:30 to

p.m.

Let us whisk you away to e Amalfi Coast for an enchanted evening to support The Sco Center forAutism Treatment.

Event to be held at e residence of Alan & Sharon Smi.

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HEALTH

SPONSORED

Congenital Heart Problems Require Lifelong Care ARTICLE AND DOCTOR PHOTO PROVIDED BY ADVENTHEALTH FOR CHILDREN

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ongenital heart disease affects one in 120 babies born in the U.S., so it’s more common than most parents think.

In fact, heart defects are the most common birth defects.

Thanks to new and better treatment options, chance of surviving is better, with the right care.

A common birth defect Congenital heart disease (CHD) refers to a cardiac problem that exists from birth, and early diagnosis – often in the fetal stage – is very important. CHD covers a range of conditions including heart valve defects and cardiovascular abnormalities, and about eight out of 1,000 newborns have a form of it. What’s more, almost 30% of infant deaths from birth defects are due to CHD. When tests are positive for a fetal heart defect, pediatric heart surgeons stand by at birth to provide any needed medical help. And, thanks to recent advances in early diagnosis and treatment, many children can and do live healthy lives into adulthood. But CHD is a lifelong condition that requires regular monitoring.

Specialized expertise, from womb to adulthood New guidelines for CHD patient care state that adults with moderate or complex CHD should receive cardiac care from an adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) cardiologist. For many patients, this means that as they grow to adulthood, they will need to find a new specialist to oversee their care.

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But not so for Central Floridians, because AdventHealth for Children recently launched the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic to provide these patients specialized care by a clinical team trained in both congenital heart defects and adult cardiology. Its specialists include one of the country’s few pediatric cardiologists with advanced training in ACHD – Dr. David Briston – and its establishment means that patients can now receive continuous heart care throughout their lifetime, without having to leave their community to do it.

David Briston, MD, MS, is a boardcertified pediatric cardiologist with AdventHealth for Children. He is one of only a few dozen cardiologists in the entire country to have completed the two-year fellowship in adult congenital heart disease and the only such physician in Florida. He sees patients at his office on Wickham Road in Melbourne as well as offices in Celebration, Orlando and Winter Garden.

Melbourne location: 6609 North Wickham Road, Suite 104 For appointments call: (407) 303-2001

feel connected

with nationally recognized children’s care in Brevard County Knowing that elite pediatric care is within reach right here in Brevard County is not only comforting, but empowering.

AdventHealth for Children’s clinic in Melbourne brings multiple pediatric specialists together in one place including pediatric cardiology, urology and general surgery. It’s your link to Central Florida’s largest pediatric care network, to help you feel comfortable, feel connected, and feel whole.

Call today for an appointment: 407-303-KIDS AdventHealthforChildren.com/VieraClinic

for Children

19-AHFC-06704

Formerly Florida Hospital for Children Brevard Medical City 6609 North Wickham Road, Suite 104 | Melbourne, FL 32940 19-AHFC-06704 Space Coast Living Magazine September 2019 Childrens.indd 1

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HEALTH

SPONSORED

Stephanie Hill Photo provided by Health First

QUICK ACTION SAVES STROKE VICTIM’S LIFE WOMAN CREDITS IMMEDIATE CARE FOR HER SURVIVAL

BY SARA PAULSON HEALTH FIRST

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tephanie just didn’t feel right after a walk on the beach. So, she decided to rest in bed for a few minutes, suspecting her piercing headache might be dehydration. But, when she tried to reach for a bottle of water, she couldn’t. The right side of Stephanie’s body was paralyzed. She was gripped with terror, thinking about the pact she’d made to herself after losing her husband six years prior – a pact to get her three children to self-sufficiency in the aftermath of losing their father.

administering intravenous tPA, which dissolves blood clots. Stephanie was able to make a miraculous recovery.

“Well,” Stephanie recalled thinking. “This is it.” If she hadn’t been able to summon help from her daughter and get to Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center, it very well could have been it. But the Neurosciences team at the Melbourne hospital was able to quickly respond, providing her the crucial care she needed at that critical moment. Her care team recognized a massive clot was responsible, quickly performing a thrombectomy and

Stephanie had been expecting permanent speech loss and paralysis. She was just hoping to survive the stroke.

“I didn’t know that help was just around the corner, and that the professionals at Holmes Regional would not only save my life but reverse all of the damage that had come on so suddenly,” Stephanie said. “Within hours, I went from being paralyzed and unable to speak, to back to normal – good as new.”

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Today, she is alive and well and hoping her story will inspire others to never ignore troubling symptoms. “Don’t delay,” Stephanie urged. “Don’t sit there. Don’t do the ‘wait-and-see’ approach. Even if one person hears this and thinks, ‘Oh, if I go to Holmes, and they do what they did for that lady…’”

HEALTH

SPONSORED

IN A CRISIS, COULD YOU ‘STOP THE BLEED’?

HEALTH FIRST’S FREE TOURNIQUET TRAINING CAN SAVE A LIFE – AND HAS

BY SARA PAULSON HEALTH FIRST

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s soon as the bullet tore through Jake’s left thigh, he knew he needed to move fast. He dropped to the ground, crawled three steps and told his friend to hurry over to his truck.

Jake Moore , Photo provided by Health First

“Go get my tourniquet,” Jake recalls saying, as he was unable to walk.

Jake tried talking his panicked pal through the process but “ended up taking it from him and putting it on myself.”

Within five minutes, Moore had employed the medical-grade emergency device and was en route to Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.

He survived and didn’t even need surgery.

Had the accident occurred two months prior, this story might be tragically different.

But Moore and his wife were among the first participants of Health First’s “Stop the Bleed” civilian training nearly three years ago. The free course teaches the public basic but critical life-saving skills, focusing on tourniquet use and pressure application to curb bleeding.

Stop the Bleed isn’t intended to turn the average citizen into a first responder.

It’s more about how to prevent a critical situation from taking a deadly turn before rescuers arrive. With an emphasis on improving the wellness and health of Brevard residents, life-saving lessons such as bleeding control are among the ways Health First gives back to the community.

“If I hadn’t had the tourniquet, a whole array of things could have happened,” Jake said. “It could’ve been much, much worse.

"Having a tourniquet on hand and knowing how to use it was drastically life-changing.”

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COMMUNITY

CHRISTIAN CARE MINISTRY GIVES BACK A LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF CCM’S ANNUAL DAY OF SHARING ARTICLE AND PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CHRISTIAN CARE MINISTRY

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haring is at the heart of Christian Care Ministry’s Medi-Share program, a national health care sharing ministry headquartered in Melbourne. In celebration of 25 years of members sharing each other’s medical bills, last year Christian Care Ministry (CCM) committed to sponsor an annual Day of Sharing on the first Saturday of every October. This event is an opportunity for its employees and members to extend sharing into their local communities by partnering with local non-profit organizations.

CCM’s CEO, Scott Reddig, explains the “why” behind this movement. “We want to see Christian Care Ministry go beyond Christians helping Christians and impact our local communities. We want to show God’s love through acts of service.” The theme for Day of Sharing is, “Find a need, Fill the Need, Impact the Kingdom.”

This year, CCM employees served non-profit organizations in Melbourne, FL, and in Colorado Springs, CO, their secondary location. CCM also has a number of remote 120 : S PAC ECOA ST L IV IN G | S PAC ECOA ST L I V I N G .CO M

employees and a group from Illinois volunteered at a local homeless shelter. A total of 420 volunteers served at 27 organizations, including 310 in 15 different Brevard County non-profits.

Keith Gee from the Children’s Hunger Project was overwhelmed by the efforts of the volunteers who packed 1620 backpack meals in two hours. “It is unbelievable what the Christian Care Ministry team accomplished on Saturday!

I always look forward to CCM volunteers supporting Children’s Hunger Project.”

Another team partnered with Love, INC. to paint the outside of an elderly couple’s home. They completed everything but the trim work on the Day of Sharing and returned the next weekend to finish the job. Sam Abraham, the CCM team captain for this project said, “I don’t like to leave a project partially finished. We wanted to complete the job. It was an incredible blessing to help this family and experience their joy in having a newly painted home.”

SPONSORED

The Brevard County non-profits that benefited from CCM’s efforts were: Brevard Rescue Mission, Brevard Zoo, C.I.T.A. Rescue Mission, Children’s Hunger Project, Habitat for Humanity Brevard, Holy Trinity Thrift Store, Liberty Bell Museum, Love, INC., Marine Resource Council, Nana’s House, Salvation Army, South Brevard Sharing Center, Space Coast Seafarer’s Ministry, The DOCK, and The Haven for Children.

Not only did CCM team members support area non-profits with their service on October 5th, but in preparation for the Day of Sharing they hosted “Sharing Fridays” in September, bringing in requested items for four area non-profits such as food, diapers, and toiletries. Shari Hoover from Brevard Rescue Mission expressed the sentiments of the recipient organizations, “Our mothers are so grateful for the generosity of your CCM employees. I brought back a car full of items that will last for several months.”

Christian Care Ministry’s commitment to service and the local community is evidenced by the generous offering of up to 24 hours of paid time to volunteer in the community for all full-time employees. “Christian Care Ministry is at its heart, a service organization," said Stephany Eley, civic affairs liaison for CCM. “We serve our members by facilitating the sharing of their medical bills. Our team members have a heart for service, not only in their work at CCM but in their local communities. More than 50% of our employees volunteered their time on a Saturday for Day of Sharing which is truly remarkable and shows the heart of who we are and what we do.”

Happiness is a

Healthy

Smile

Beverly Rose, DMD

Always Gentle, Always Friendly

Family Dentistry | Cosmetic Dentistry | TMJ/Neuromuscular Dentistry Relaxation Dentistry | One-Visit Crowns & Fillings Metal-Free Dentistry | Porcelain Veneers | ZOOM! Whitening Digital X-rays (90% less radiation)

Beverly Rose, DMD 2755 North Wickham Road, #101, Melbourne, Florida 32935

(321) 259-4666 www.BeverlyRoseDMD.com Five Star Customer Service ★ Elegant & Comfortable Office ★ Complimentary Consultations

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SPONSORED

tasks such as climbing stairs.

(630) 715-6881 coachjaya4health.com coachjaya@coachjaya4health.net

C

oachjaya4health was created with the objective of helping people better manage their weight and health through healthy habits.

Dr. Jaya Prakash Certified Health Coach

Although a physician by training, Coach Jaya was the victim of diabetes, asthma, hypothyroidism, reflux and metabolic syndrome. She had 100 pounds of excess weight and had difficulty performing normal

Jaya was searching for answers.

She followed every “diet” there was, even consulted nutritionists and begged her doctors for answers as the list of medications and the cost – financially, physically and emotionally – kept increasing. And then she found this clinically proven program that transformed her life.

So, Coach Jaya became a certified health coach. She is living a life that she dared not imagine before.

Coach Jaya is free of medications and reversed metabolic syndrome.

For a woman who could not step on a step stool before, she successfully completed (and in time for a medal) Disney 10K. Coach Jaya is passionate about helping others to regain and maintain their health!

That is how Coachjaya4health was started. We also offer opportunities for those who want to help others to join our mission.

Located at: 903 Jordan Blass Dr. Suite 102 Melbourne, FL 32940

(321) 425-5050 valderramaortho.com

Dr. Valderrama and her ortho staff provide early treatment, traditional, clear and lingual braces, and clear aligners treatment options in a relaxing, personalized and trusting environment.

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SPONSORED

Patricia C. Deisler, MD Oncology (Board Certified)

845 Century Medical Drive, Suite B Titusville, FL 32796 (321) 529-6202 parrishhealthcare.com

D

r. Patricia Deisler completed her undergraduate studies at Columbia University and medical degree at Weill Cornell School of Medicine in New York. She then finished her Internal Medicine residency at St. Luke-Roosevelt Hospital Center and Hematology-Oncology Fellowship at Cornell University Medical College.

Dr. Deisler established successful Oncology practices both at the Maine Center for Cancer Medicine & Blood Disorders and the Mankato Clinic in Minnesota. She served in leadership positions in a variety of institutions that included co-director of the Breast Center and chairman of the Tumor Board for Southern Maine Medical Center.

Dr. Deisler believes in delivering world-class cancer treatment in a loving and caring environment for every patient.

DEC EMBE R 2019: 123

PRE-SALE STARTS NOW! Founders Rate Special

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HURRY, OFFER EXPIRES 12/31/2019 *See Anytime Fitness for details.

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6300 North Wickham Rd. | Melbourne, FL Across the street from Fresh Market

321-622-6750 www.AnytimeFitness.com

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Schedule a complimentary medical-spa consultation with one of our providers, receive a 25% discount off facial fillers & body enhancements.

SERVICES OFFERED:

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Medical spa: Cutera Secret Radiofrequency Micro-needling Nonsurgical fat reduction Cutera Xeo Laser hair removal Laser skin resurfacing & rejuvenation Vaginal rejuvenation Botox, Dysport & Restalyne Facial fillers 321-253-3944 2 Suntree Place Melbourne, FL 32940 familypracticeofsuntree@gmail.com

Family Practice of Suntree and Viera on Facebook FamilyPracticeSuntreeViera.com

EDUCATION

THE POWER OF WORDS

HOW JAIMIE ENGLE USES HER BOOKS TO AFFECT POSITIVE CHANGE

BY SARA SANTORA MANAGING EDITOR

Photos provided by Lauren Edinger, Lady Byrd Productions

B

eing a novelist is no longer as glamorous as it once was, though the profession is still as important today, if not more so than ever before. Yes, a book is a form of entertainment, but it is also the key to helping each of us better understand who we are, and how we interact with one another; though literature has the power to lead us to fantastical worlds, it also helps us journey further into our own.

Author Jaimie Engle understands the unique power that words have. She tells me that, as a child, when reading Alice in Wonderland for the first time, “I remember being on that boat and gasping, and then I was in my room.” From that point forward, she decided she would also become a storyteller.

Engle has authored several books, most for children and young adults, and for her, the storytelling is twofold. Yes, she wants young readers to be excited about the adventures upon which they will embark when reading one of her novels, but she also hopes they learn about kindness, patience and compassion.

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Her first novel, The Dredge, is a YA Sci-fi/Fantasy novel.

Though readers are taken somewhere they’ve never been, Engle says the book has a much deeper meaning. “I didn’t realize, at first, that this book was about bullying,” says Engle. “But as I looked at it, I realized that it was.”

Since her realization that she had subconsciously written a book that tackled bullying — born out of a time when her own son was being bullied while in school — she decided to try to use the book as a way to teach teenagers about the power of words. So, she began to visit local middle schools and created an anti-bullying presentation built around the book.

"When I work with kids, I try and get them to see the world through the eyes of their peers,” says Engle. She asks the students, “If you know someone is acting ‘off,’ couldn't you ask them if they are okay instead of assuming they are being a jerk? Maybe their parents are getting a divorce or their dog just died... you never know what people are going through and sometimes, they simply need a friend."

Years after one of these presentations, a boy told Engle’s son that her presentation had saved him from killing himself. For Engle, this is a reminder of why words are so important and is one of many motivating factors for her to keep writing.

We’re more than just a home health care company

Engle not only speaks at local schools, but has been a guest speaker at Barnes and Noble, and recently spoke at the FAME conference in Orlando, FL, where she spoke about how cosplay is a way to story build and build character.

“I love the cosplay,” says Engle. “It connects you to readers in a different way.”

Engle was just recently picked up by a publishing company, and through them, she will re-release her book The Dredge, as well as the other books in the series. She also just recently released, Write a Book That Doesn’t Suck, a non-fiction guide for aspiring novelists in need of some guidance.

We’ve all heard the old adage, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Our words have power and it’s up to us how we use them. For Engle, the answer is easy: she is using her power for good.

For nearly 20 years, the VNA has focused on caring for patients and our community • • • • •

Chronic disease management Post-surgical nursing care Physical therapy Medication management Free community blood pressure and sugar screenings • Community flu shot clinics

The Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission®

Ranked in the top 25% of home health agencies in the country.

321.522.4868 www.vnatc.com

License# HHA299991471

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Pineda Crossing Bar & Grill has been serving the area for years and is known as “The Home of the Casual Gourmet,” which means classic comfort food with a gourmet twist.

Some favorites include seafood arriving fresh from the Port and steaks cut from aged midwestern choice beef. A tradition since 1996, Pineda Crossing Bar & Grill is a 16 time Best of Brevard with dishes prepared by a Culinary Institute of America Chef that has been with them for 20 years. Don’t miss out on happy hour here where the locals go.

Hours Monday CLOSED Tuesday 11AM–10PM Wednesday 11AM–10PM Thursday 11AM–10PM Friday 11AM–10PM Saturday 11AM–10PM Sunday 4–9PM 321.259.7760 Location US1 & Pineda Causeway 2515 Roberts Road Melbourne, FL 128 : SPAC ECOA ST L IV IN G | S PACECOAST L I V I N G .CO M

Known for its authentic Italian cuisine and atmosphere, Amici’s Italian restaurant has been a local favorite for years. From classic dishes to gourmet pizza and desserts made by Maria at the Amici's Bakery, the options are endless. Amici’s is a true homestyle Italian experience lovingly run by Dashi, his wife Valentina, and their two sons.

Whether you come for the food or the festive atmosphere, you'll be so happy with both.

The restaurant also offers an extensive selection of wines and catering is available for parties and gatherings.

Hours Monday 10AM–10PM Tuesday 10AM–10PM Wednesday 10AM–10PM Thursday 10AM–10PM Friday 10AM–11PM Saturday 10AM–11PM Sunday 4PM–9PM 321.255.5377 Location 7720 N. Wickham Road Melbourne, FL

The Dock Bar and Grill is open daily for lunch and dinner, featuring a casual seafood menu and handmade crafted cocktails. The 5,000 squarefoot covered waterfront deck is the perfect place to wile away an afternoon or enjoy live entertainment Wednesday thru Sunday evenings.

Hours Monday 11AM–10PM Tuesday 11AM–10PM Wednesday 11AM–10PM Thursday 11AM–10PM Friday 11AM–11PM Saturday 11AM–11PM Sunday 11AM–10PM 321.757-0142 Location 6485 S. US-1 Rockledge, FL

bmw

margaritas for

Mangroves

Holiday Fundraiser for the Lagoon December. 6, 2019 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m

enjoy:

1432 South Harbor City Blvd.

Melbourne

Complimentary Tapas & Margarita Service |Live Music | Silent Auction | Live Auction Prizes | Winning Margarita Contest Announcement | Keynote Speaker Tickets: Doors open from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. * $40 Limited Admission. Please purchase tickets through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com bmw-margaritas-for-mangroves-or call 321-725-7775.

To participate, donate, or sponsor this event, please message Steve at SharkeyMRC@gmail.com.

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• All of the right state of the art equipment for safety • Highly skilled, drug free & experienced employees

DEC EMBE R 2019: 129

DIRECTORY Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service www.gattos.com

Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service is Brevard’s go-to for friendly customer service, leading tire brands and ASE-certified technicians. Started by Mike Gatto in 1971, Gatto’s continues to be a locally owned and operated family business with 6 locations across the county. Whether you have a car, truck, RV or a commercial fleet, Gatto’s is dedicated to providing quality work at an honest price.

Live Longer Medical

102 5th Ave Indialantic, FL - (321) 327-2980

Live Longer Medical brings 25 years of experience helping executives, celebrities and athletes reach peak performance. Live Longer Medical is focused on identifying root cause with solutions unique to each patient’s biochemistry. Live Longer Medical helps maximize life with innovative therapies and advanced medicines designed to improve energy, enhance beauty, increase sex drive and expand brain power. Now accepting new patients. Certified in Integrative Nutrition, Anti-Aging and Peptides.

Visit livelongermedical.com.

Garage Experts of Brevard

5585 Schenck Ste #10 Rockledge, FL - (321) 878-8065 The leading lifetime warranty, epoxy floor coating, cabinet and organization company. They install the highest quality lifetime warranty epoxy floor systems as well as custom cabinets and other storage solutions. Garage Experts of Brevard is a local, independently owned franchise with Garage Experts. Call them today for a free estimate on how they can help transform your dirty, dingy garage into an extension of your home.

Sunrise Facial and Oral Surgery 7155 Turner Road, Suntree - (321) 255-7724

Dr. Kim, a respected Board Certified Facial Cosmetic Surgeon, has extensive training in facial cosmetic procedures from Botox to facelifts. He is extending complimentary Facial Cosmetic Evaluations and $500 off Facial Cosmetic Surgery for the remainder of 2019.

Drs. Schmid, Kim and Kossak practice a full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery with expertise ranging from corrective jaw surgery and dental implants to wisdom teeth removal.

Visit SunriseOralSurgery.com.

TACTFUL TEXTILES EVENTS & DESIGN Palm Bay, FL 32907 - (321) 418-9754

Tactful Textiles specializes in decorating home interiors, weddings and birthday parties. You aren’t sure how to pull that room together, but you know it needs a little TLC. We can assist, design is a visual story woven together with the right mix of texture, tone and colors. Our gift is to create beautiful spaces that reflect uniqueness, being distinctive to your style. Contact us and discuss how we can take your space from house to retreat.

YOUR LISTING HERE

Annual DIRECTORY Listing Plan CALL 321-622-5986 ADVERTISING@SPACECOASTMAGAZINES.COM

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2019

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Life Force

Your Cancer Care Team Teamwork is a Powerful Force in Fighting Cancer.

Teamwork has been the basis of many of the world’s great achievements. It is also a powerful way to fight cancer working together to meet the needs of every cancer journey.

Your Parrish® cancer care team includes medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, nurses, social workers, dieticians, pharmacists, spiritual counselors and other medical professionals.

And because Parrish Healthcare is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, the cancer care team can work directly with Mayo Clinic specialists—the care you need, close to home.

Brevard’s ONLY Commission on Cancer accredited program

Take our FREE CANCERAWARE

RISK ASSESSMENT

Visit parrishhealthcare.com/ healthaware

parrishcancercenter.com Healing Families—Healing Communities®

theSCENE TREASURE ISLAND BENEFIT GALA

Laura and William Boyles

Jerry and Judy Allender and Sheriff Wayne Ivey

On October 12th, Port Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal One was transformed into a Pirate Port of Call, as the Jess Parrish Medical Foundation celebrated its Treasure Island Benefit Gala, to support The Children’s Center. The Center is a one-stop childhood development resource providing an array of services to the community. The Hooks ‘n Tails costume contest, great food, auction and dancing were enjoyed by all.

Jessie and Bob Kirk

Amanda Stratford Photography | Photos provided by Jess Parrish Medical Foundation

Don and Susan Morse

Becky Walters and Rick Wrubel

Mickey, Liz and George Mikitarian

Jennifer Trastelis and Dr. Nick Trastelis

THANK YOU TO OUR TREASURE ISLAND GALA SPONSORS

Presenting Sponsor

The Shores of Plenty Sponsors

William & Laura Boyles X Marks the Spot Sponsors Allender & Allender, Port Commissioner Jerry & Judy Allender Brevard Business News* Coastal Ambulance Service Florida Today* Bob & Jessie Kirk / Kirk Management L.L.C. Space Coast Living*

Pirates Cove Sponsors Berman Hopkins CPAs The Broome Law Firm, P.A. / Chris & Kelley Broome Canaveral Port Authority Century Pharmacy CSI Leasing GT USA HealthFund Solutions, LLC The Mikitarian Family

Julius Miller Scholarship Fund Ron Norris, Inc. - Buick, GMC, Honda & Ford Palm Point Behavioral Health Hospital Pearson Doyle Mohre & Pastis LLP RUSH Construction, Inc. TeamHealth Terry & Barbara Terhune

Mermaid Lagoon Sponsors Ambassador Services Inc.

MedFast Urgent Care Centers, LLC

Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc.

Medtronic

Winnie & Steve Brewer

Parrish Home Health

ClearBridge Investments

Power Wellness

Cocoa Beach Hospitality / Transportation Association

Howard & Sandra Rinker

Herman & Joyce Cole

Rocket City Real Estate / Holly Carver & Lisa Earnhardt

Johnna & Bob Dillow

Dr. Philip Simpson

Edward Jones - Ashley M. Byrne

Space Coast Daily*

Florida Cardiovascular Association, P.A.

Catherine Spencer

Florida Power & Light Company

Stina Bee Marketing*

Genesis VII, Inc. / Robert & Karen Jordan

Dr. Tanya Taival, Obstetrics & Gynecology

Dr. & Mrs. William F. Hogan

Bill & Rachel Terry

Hospice of St. Francis

TLC Engineering for Architecture

Integrity Fixed Income Management, LLC

Els van Engelenburg

Island Lincoln Jaguar Land Rover

VITAS Healthcare

Marty & Terry Lee

John & Diane Weaver

Jaime & Melissa Lugo / Space Coast Bounce

WFTV / Cox Health Marketing

Turmy Lum & Oscar Sieveking

Fred & Misty Wilson

Bill & Jean McCarthy

*In-Kind Sponsor

For more information, call JPMF at 321-269-4066 or visit parrishmedfoundation.com

theSCENE

CANDLELIGHTERS: LADIES' NIGHT OUT Each year, the Candlelighters of Melbourne host Ladies’ Night Out, which is both a fundraiser and an incredible party. This year, the theme was 70s disco, and everyone in attendance was decked out in their best 70s attire – There was an Elton John, a group dressed as the Bee Gee’s and a group dressed as the Village People. This was truly a night to remember, and everyone in attendance helped raise thousands of dollars to help in the battle against childhood cancer.

Photos provided by Candlelighters of Brevard

02 08 20 



A NIGHT OF STARS - KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE AT CANDLELIGHTERSOFBREVARD.ORG OR 321.728.5600

theSCENE

CASINO NIGHT In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Serene Harbor held its Casino Night Fundraiser to help raise money for those affected by domestic violence across the Space Coast. Hosted at The Grand Manor, this was an evening full of casino fun, delicious food, drinks and raffle baskets. Among the speakers present was Maribel Garcia, a survivor whose story helped, not only educate and inform those present but give hope to survivors that they too can overcome tragedy.

Photos provided by Serene Harbor from sereneharbor.org/casino-night-photo-gallery

LET US HELP YOU

FIND YOUR DREAM HOME www.SpaceCoastMLS.com

Space Coast Marathon and Half Marathon Cocoa Village December 1, 2019 6:00 a.m.

Running Zone Foundation and Space Coast Runners welcome you to the 48th running of the Space Coast Marathon and Half Marathon – Florida’s oldest marathon and the second year of the new Big Bang Series – The Next Generation (2018-2021). We invite runners and walkers alike to experience one of the most beautiful USATF certified waterfront courses on the east coast of Florida.

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Card Party 1493 South Fiske Boulevard Rockledge, FL 32955 December 6, 2019 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Cost: $15 Cocoa-Rockledge Garden Club is hosting our annual Card Party at our Clubhouse. Please come and join us for a fun day, including lunch, door prizes and card games of your choice. Please bring your own cards or games.

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The Nutcracker Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts December 7, 2019 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Cost: $25 Space Coast Ballet Company’s Production of The Nutcracker will be accompanied by the Brevard Symphony Orchestra at the King Center for the Performing Arts.

Professionals from Boston Ballet along with community talent deliver a show that will leave you amazed and proud at the quality of our Nutcracker performance in Brevard County!

Holiday Vendor Day Kiwi Tennis Club December 6, 2019 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

HO HO HO! Get ready for the holidays at Kiwi Tennis Club. We have carefully selected our vendors for a unique holiday shopping experience. Shop early, and then watch Kiwi’s Tennis Pros play in the Health First Friday Night Lights Exhibition starting at 6:30pm.

DIVINE MERCY MELBOURNE CENTRAL CATHOLIC ACADEMY CATHOLIC HIGH Jan 26 | 9 AM – 1 PM SCHOOL Jan 29 | 9 AM – 2 PM

Jan 27 | 9 AM – 2 PM

Merritt Island | (321) 452-0263

Melbourne | (321) 727-0793

Jan 26 | 9 AM – 11 AM Jan 28 | 9 AM – 2 PM

Jan 27 | 9 AM – 2 PM and 5 – 7 PM

ST. MARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

HOLY NAME OF JESUS CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Rockledge | (321) 636-4208

Indialantic | (321) 773-1630

Jan 28 | 9 AM – 2 PM

ST. TERESA ST. JOSEPH OUR LADY OF LOURDES CATHOLIC SCHOOL CATHOLIC SCHOOL CATHOLIC SCHOOL Jan 28 | 9 AM – 2 PM Palm Bay | (321) 723-8866

Melbourne | (321) 723-3631

Titusville | (321) 267-1643

Jan 30 | 9 AM – 2 PM

OUR SAVIOUR CATHOLIC SCHOOL Jan 30 | 9 AM – 2 PM

Cocoa Beach | (321) 783-2330

ASCENSION CATHOLIC SCHOOL Jan 31 | 9 AM – 2 PM

Melbourne | (321) 254-1595

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT | MORAL RESPONSIBILITY LEADERSHIP | FAITH FORMATION

† Tour campus and classrooms † Meet administrators and teachers † Receive admissions and financial assistance information

SERVING STUDENTS IN PRE-K3 & VPK4 THROUGH GRADE 12 | VISIT BREVARDCATHOLICSCHOOLS.ORG DEC E MBE R 2019 : 141

Sky Fall – A James Bond Themed Gala Center for Collaboration December 7, 2019 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Cost: $100 The Friends of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Brevard Present SKY FALL, The Fourth Annual James Bond Gala to Benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center of Brevard a collaborative non-profit organization established to serve the most vulnerable children in our community. Join us to see who wins Brevard’s TOP BOND 2019 contest to become the Protector of Brevard’s Children.

Gateway to Christmas Gateway Community Church December 7, 2019 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Join us for our annual Christmas Festival. Games, raffles, silent auction, vendors, live Christmas trees and food! Balsam Fir trees will be available for sale. If you would like to preorder a tree to pick up the day of the event, please call the church office at 321-267-7064. Proceeds will be used for facility repairs

Santa Stumble Pub Crawl Cocoa Village December 14, 2019 6:00 p.m. – 11:15 p.m.

Cost: $18 in advance or $25 the day of The theme is RED and GREEN, mostly. We are getting a jump on the Holidays and all the related parties. Wear your Santa, Mrs. Santa, elvish, Grinch, or whatever Holiday garb you wish. Costume Contest and other shenanigans.

Food available at the start and the next three stops.

No costume required to participate BUT core group WILL be costumed! Modest prizes and adoration of friends for costume contest winners.

You may PARK at the Elks Lodge if you are participating in the Pub Crawl!

50/50 Drawing for The Children’s Hunger Project Starts at 6 pm at Elks Lodge 1532, followed

by Norman’s Raw Bar, Murdock’s Bistro, Pub Americana and Dog N Bone.

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Submit Your Event Jingle Bell 2 Miler Satellite Beach Library December 21, 2019 5:45 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Tis the season to run or walk with friends and family! Santa and Zippy the Gecko bring this holiday favorite to Satellite Beach with jingle bells for your shoes and Santa hats!

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New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner & Dance Hilton Melbourne 200 Rialto Place Melbourne, FL 32901 December 31, 2019 – January 1, 2020 7:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.

Cost: $125 per person

REE FOR F

Cost includes: •

•

•

•

7:30-8:30: Social Hour with Klaus Kolb on piano. Three-hour open bar begins.

8:30-9:30: Dinner with Floor Show. Double-entree plated dinner and a floor show featuring the marvelous Swingtimers Vocal Trio.

9:30-12:30: Dancing to the amazing 20-piece Swingtime Big Band.

Noisemakers, champagne toast and a balloon drop at midnight.

Want to stay overnight? Contact the Hilton Rialto at (321) 768-0200 for a special room rate.

BREVARDCOUNTYEVENTS.COM There are many things to do on the Space Coast. Don’t miss out on the fun! Head to BrevardCountyEvents.com for a comprehensive list of events that are happening around the Space Coast. To be listed in our calendar, submit your event at www.brevardcountyevents.com.

SEE AND BE SEEN Sign up for the Brevard County Events e-newsletter. Specially developed to keep you up-to-date on all the latest news, announcements and happenings around the Space Coast! Sign up online at: SpaceCoastLiving.com.

Contact Telephone Number: 321-339-7705

New Year’s Eve Dinner and Dance with Swingtime, a 22-member Big Band with vocalists Sally Hart (from the Lawrence Welk Show), Len Fallen and the Swingtimers Vocal Trio.

Ring in the New Year with continuous music at a party like you’ve never seen before!

Two words for this event: Sell Out! It’s been a sell-out every year since we launched it, and this one will be better than ever! Join us for an evening that brings back the cool and classic swagger of New Year’s celebrations with the Big Bands. We look forward to ringing in 2020 with you!

We have a new, online-only ticketing process that enables you to pay, select your table and print the tickets directly from your computer. If you wish to sit with friends at the same table, you may opt to buy all 10 seats at the table simultaneously or ask your friends buy their tickets at the same time.

DEC EMBE R 2019 : 143

For more information or to schedule an appointment call 321-419-1551 or visit myfcmg.com

Continuous Commitment to Orthopaedic Excellence and Compassionate Care

Allison Wade, MD

First Choice Welcomes Dr. Brian Hamzavi, MD Orthopaedic Surgeon, Fellowship trained in Sports Medicine Now scheduling new patient appointments

Donald Vliegenthart, MD

Orthopaedic Surgeon Fellowship trained Foot and Ankle Specialist

Orthopaedic Specialist Pain Management, Non-Surgical Orthopaedic Care, Auto Injury Care

Our Specialties • Joint Replacement

• Shoulder Pain

• Orthopaedic Surgery

• Hip Arthroscopy

• Carpal Tunnel

• Foot & Ankle Reconstruction

• Sports Medicine

• Total Joint

• Pain Management

Brevard’s First Choice for Physical and Occupational Therapy We treat your joint, muscle, and nerve pain — our therapists will get you back to your active life style!

Our therapists are certified in Graston® Technique Six locations to better serve you: Melbourne • Suntree • Indian Harbour Beach •

• • •

Viera Palm Bay Barefoot Bay

Our new location in Barefoot Bay opened July 2019!

www.MYFCMG.com

@myFCMG

Provide Healing and Hope to a Grieving Child This Holiday Season ¡ Bright Star is a specialized children’s program for grief and loss that encourages the expression of grief experiences through creative, positive play within a peer group setting ¡ Commonly called “silent grievers,” children deal with the loss of a loved one in a unique way, and their path toward healing is different than adults ¡ Activities led by professional staff with advanced degrees in Counseling and Social Work, as well as prior experience in dealing with bereavement ¡ All of this delivered at no cost to the family

Your gift of any size to the Health First Foundation will ensure grieving children and their families celebrate a brighter holiday season.

Make your gift online at HF.org/gift or mail your gift to the Health First Foundation 1350 S. Hickory St., Melbourne, FL 32901

1350 S. Hickory St. ¡ Melbourne, FL 32901 ¡ HFgive.org ¡ Foundation@HF.org