JANUARY 2013 % THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BLOOMINGDALE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION SINCE 1980

QUOTE OF THE MONTH“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

Albert Einstein

Volume XXXIINumber 1

Strength in numbersMembers of Bloomingdale’s Mu Alpha Theta demonstrate the right formula. See story, page 4.

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Santa and Mrs. Clausvisited Bloomingdale resi-dents on Saturday, Dec. 1at the Bloomingdale Spe-cial Taxing District (BSTD)office off Bell Shoals Rd.Approximately 70 childrenshowed up to sit on San-ta’s lap during the three-hour visit. Elves were onhand to keep the eventorganized; snacks andcrafts kept waiting chil-dren occupied, and eachchild left with a candycane treat and a small toy.Bloomingdale Home-owners Association spon-sored the event making itfree for Bloomingdale fam-ilies who were asked onlyto bring a canned fooddonation. All foods collect-ed were later donated toECHO.Bloomingdale children

asked Santa for a variety ofspecial gifts this Christ-mas, but some were con-tent simply with the expe-rience of visiting the NorthPole couple. The Martin

family brought four chil-dren to see Santa and Mrs.Claus. “I asked Santa for aPS3,” said one of the Mar-tin boys. “I like the candycane and beach ball,” ex-

claimed his brother. Mar-tin family adults thought itwas a great experience fortheir kids, “We really ap-preciated that food collec-tion was part of the event.”

Bloomingdale children treatedto a special holiday visit

SUZANNE JONES

Kevin Williams prepares to share his wish list with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Kevin hasbeen visiting Santa in Bloomingdale for the last 10 years (his whole life).

The Martin brothers show off some of the treats givento them during their visit with Santa.

By SUZANNE JONES

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0003245822-01

Yard of the Month

BY KIM MILLER

The Yard of the Month had a holiday theme this year, as the day-and-night photos of Randy and Mandy Ruscin’s home, 4011 Shadowhill Drive, inValrico, show.

The Bloomingdale Gazette’s yard of the moth contest is sponsored by Ace Hardware of Bloomingdale. Send your nominations to inblooming-dalenews@gmail.com or call (813) 681-2051. Winners, such as the Ruscins, receive a $25 gift card redeemable at Ace Hardware of Bloomingdale.

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YOUR INSIDECONNECTIONSBLOOMINGDALEHOMEOWNERSASSOCIATION INC.

PO Box 7221,Brandon, FL 33508Phone: (813) 681-2051

E-mail: blooming-dale.homeowners@gmail.com

Meetings: first Tuesdayin January, March, May,September and Novemberat 6 p.m.

Web site:bloomingdalegazette.com

President:Jim HarrisVice president:OpenSecretary:Daniel BerkowitzTreasurer:Dennis OsbornDirector at Large:Open

T H EB L O O M I N G D A L E

G A Z E T T E

The official publicationof the BHA since 1980Post Office Box 7221,Brandon, FL 33508Editor: Suzanne Jones

Phone number:(813) 681-2051

E-Mail:inbloomingdale-news@gmail.com

Web site:bloomingdalegazette.com

The Gazette is publishedby Sunbelt Newspapers202 S. Parker Street,Tampa, FL 33606-2395Ph: (813) 259-7479Advertising: 627-4771

The Gazette is deliveredfree to Bloomingdaleresidents on the firstSaturday of each month.

Service OrganizationsMacDill Family Resource Center, 710 Oak-

field Drive, Suite 153, Brandon, offers servicesto members of the military and their families,including legal assistance, fax/Internet access,tax preparation and filing, free computerclasses and more. Call (813) 655-9281.

Brandon Newcomers Club: The BrandonNewcomers Club meets at 9:30 a.m. the thirdWednesday monthly September through Mayat Brandon Community Center, 502 E. SadieSt. The nonprofit social service organizationaims to help people adjust to their new homeand community and make new friends. Theclub also contributes annually to charitythrough fundraisers. Call (813) 643-3281.

Elks Dinners: Elks Lodge 2383, 800 Centen-nial Lodge Drive, Brandon. The lodge hostsdinners open to the public at 6:30 p.m.Wednesdays and breakfasts from 8 to 11 a.m.

the second and fourth Sundays. Call (813)685-6469.

Connecting Businessmen to Christmeets at7:30 a.m. Wednesdays at Village Inn Restau-rant, 1995 Lumsden Road, Brandon. Call (813)299-9219 or (813) 240-4511.

BBC Brandon Business Club meets at noonWednesdays at Top’s China Buffet, 1528 W.Brandon Blvd. to share information and leadswith local businesses. Call (813) 654-3100.

Masons: Brandon Masonic Lodge 114, 203N. Moon Ave. Degree Night is 7:30 p.m. thefirst and third Thursdays. Business meetingsare 7:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursdaysmonthly, preceded by family dinners at 6:30.Call (813) 689-4221.

Kiwanis: The Greater Brandon KiwanisClub meets from 7:45 to 9 a.m. Thursdays atBen's Family Restaurant, 704 E. BrandonBlvd., Brandon. Call (813) 685-7411 or go towww.brandonkiwanis.org.

Lions Club: The Brandon Lions Club meetsat 6:30 p.m. the first and third Thursdays for asocial, followed by a dinner meeting at 7 p.m.at Limona Improvement Association, 610 Lim-ona Road, Brandon. Call (813) 651-1010.

Greater Seffner Area Chamber of Com-merce has its membership luncheons at noonthe second Thursday monthly at First BaptistChurch of Mango, 11619 Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr. Blvd. Call (813) 506-3914 for in-formation.

Shrine Club: The Brandon Shrine Club, 125Skywood Drive, Valrico. The club meets thelast Monday monthly, beginning with fellow-ship hour at 6 p.m. and followed by dinner.Call (813) 681-6933 or (813) 654-1612.

Beta Omega master: The Beta OmegaMaster Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi is a social/service organization. Chapters in the regioninclude Riverview and Brandon. Chapter

SERVICE, Page 10

Bloomingdale’s Mu Al-pha Theta team broughthome several trophiesfrom the Dec. 4 Hillsbor-ough County MathematicsBowl at USF. Mu AlphaTheta is the National HighSchool and Two-Year Col-lege Mathematics HonorSociety with more than93,000 student membersnationally. Every Hillsbor-ough County Public schoolwas represented at theDec. 4 event, with mostschools sending at leastone full team of 16 stu-dents. The BSHS teamplaced fourth overall,bringing home trophies inGeometry, Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus and Calculus.Bloomingdale’s Mu Al-

pha Theta chapter consistsof 128 members and issponsored by mathemat-ics teachers KimberlyMas-son, Susan Flaws, SusieJennings and Susan Daily.Masson, who has served asclub sponsor since 1996,describes the most re-warding part of her role as,“working with studentswho are enthusiastic aboutMathematics and seeingthem succeed in competi-tions.”Students compete as

both individuals and inteams. Individual trophies

are based solely onindividual scores; teamscoring is the sum of thefour individual scoresplus the score in theteam round. On averagestudents dedicate onehour per week after

school preparing forcompetition. The experi-ence of competition dayis well worth the timecommitment accordingto junior Ashley Erikson.“Competing is a lot of

fun,” she said. “You get

to hang out all day withpeople who enjoy mathas much as we do.”Mu Alpha Theta’s next

competition will be heldin the spring again atUSF. The date has notyet been announced.

Mu Alpha Theta demonstrates the right formula

PROVIDED

Mu Alpha Theta shows off Math Bowl trophies at USF. Pictured, first row (left toright): Koustav Dutta, Brendan Chen, Travis Brimner, Rachel Devillier, Ashley Halstead,Katie McLean, Ashley Ericson. In the second row are Joe Gallagher, Chris West, TannerChastain, Jared Horner, Tristan Phillips, Matthew Yeatts, Kyle McKishnie, Sam Braver-man, Ian Ludden

By SUZANNE JONES

ResultsGeometry - Team: 2nd;Individual: Tristan Phillips- 5th and Travis Brimmer- 7thPre- Calculus -Team: 4th,Individual: Chris West -7th, Ashley Erikson - 10th,Koustav Dutta - 11thAlgebra 2 - Individual: JoeGallagher - 12thCalculus - Individual: IanLudden - 6th

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BSHS finished first atthe Hillsborough Educa-tion Foundation’s TakeStock in Children’s Stridesfor Education Tampa Bay5K Scholarship Walk heldon Dec. 8 at the TampaBay Times Forum. TakeStock in Children provides“scholarships, mentorsand hope” for studentsthroughout Florida. TheHillsborough EducationFoundation organized theTampa Bay walk to benefitstudents in HillsboroughCounty. BloomingdaleHigh registered 276 stu-dents for its team andearned the title of TopOnline Team by generat-ing over $10,000 in onlinedonations, far surpassingtheir fundraising target of

$5000.“We had 11days to orga-

nize a team for this walk.At the outset I would havebeen happy if we raised$2500,” commented BSHSwalk organizer Leena Has-bini.On the day of the event

Bloomingdale registered70 student walkers whoalso performed a flashmob dance to Psy’s “Gang-nam Style.”“Kicking off the event

with a flash mob was areally fun thing for ourteam to do together,” saidBSHS sophomore CassieNewman. Newman helpedorganize and lead the flashmob. “The other walkersseemed to enjoy it and itseemed to energize every-one.”Bloomingdale students

earned 20 community ser-vice hours for participa-tion by attending the threeteam meetings and help-ing assemble goodie bagsin advance of the walk.“The students’ partici-

pation in this event makesme truly proud to be a

Bull,” commented Ms.Hasbini.Two Bloomingdale stu-

dents ranked the highestof the walk’s Top OnlineParticipants. Senior Vin-cent Roth raised $2600 andwon an iPad, the Founda-tion’s top individual par-

ticipation incentive. KieraTocci finished second byraising $2020 in donations.The team’s efforts bankedan automatic $7500 inBSHS scholarship fundsthrough bonus awards of$5000 for top fundraisingteam and $2500 for regis-

tering over 250 walkers.With additional participa-tion-based funds allocatedto Bloomingdale by theFoundation, BSHS antici-pates awarding over 15 in-dividual $1000 scholar-ships to this year’s gradu-ating seniors.

PROVIDED

Bloomingdale High School students demonstrate team spirit and school pride at the Take Stock in Children’sStrides for Education Tampa Bay 5K Scholarship Walk.

Bloomingdale studentswalk for education

By SUZANNE JONES

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When does a robot needtraining? When it getsrusty! The robotics club isnew at Bloomingdale thisyear, but these studentsare anything but rusty. OnDec. 8 the MechanicalBulls, as the club is known,competed in just their sec-ond Ring It Up tourna-ment. Ring It Up is the2012-2013 FIRST TechChallenge (FTC) gameplayed by robots that areconstructed using a com-bination of motors, con-trollers, wireless commu-nications, metal gears, andsensors, including infraredtracking (IR) and magnetseeking. The object of thegame is to score morepoints than an opponentby placing weighted plas-tic rings onto pegs of a rackplaced in the center of thefield of play.While the Mechanical

Bulls placed 12th out of 14

entries in this most recentHillsborough Countyleague tournament, clubsponsor Sarah Branamcouldn’t be more proud.“We have some stiff

competition in ourleague,” she said. “We area new club competingagainst the likes of Mid-dleton High School,which specializes in engi-neering and has threeteams competing thisyear. Last year one oftheir teams won the Ro-botics World Champion-ship.”Like all BSHS clubs,

robotics is allowed onefundraiser, so start-upcosts have also been anissue this first year out.Despite the challenges,Branam says, “the stu-dents stay so positive.Their strength is workingcollaboratively.”This year’s Mechanical

Bulls team is comprisedof nine students re-

presenting all four gradelevels. The team spendseight hours per week onaverage preparing forcompetition. Why?“I am having fun, and

participating in the clubhelps prepare me forcollege,” offers AmandaHymer.

Hymer plans to pursuemechanical engineeringin college and as a career.“What we learn in ro-

botics, like programmingand engineering, can beused in jobs when wegraduate,” echoes team-mate, Andrew Blood-worth.

The Mechanical Bullsare looking ahead to thenext league tournamenton Jan. 19 in WinterHaven, and then it is onto League Champion-ships. FTC games changeannually, so while theclub cannot prepare spe-cially for next year’s

game, the group willevaluate this season’s ex-perience and set expecta-tions for the future. Con-gratulations to the robot-ics club on their first yearup and running and toSarah Branam who is alsothe 2012 MathematicsTeacher of the Year.

Suburban robotcowhands

BLOOMINGDALE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Mechanical Bulls prep robot for tournament competition at Nov. 17 league meet at Hillsborough Senior High. Pic-tured Left to Right: Eli Santos, Tyler Neidhardt, Rene Hernandez, Anthony Owhadi and Amanda Hymer. Not pic-tured: Brendan Chen, Olivia Fletcher, Josh Johnson and Andrew Bloodworth.

By SUZANNE JONES

A record number ofBloomingdale juniors andseniors – 418 – were recog-nized for their efforts inthe classroom during aNov. 29 academic break-fast. These students re-ceived academic lettersbecause they earned aweighted GPA of 3.5 orhigher in the previous yearand exemplify the highstandards and traditions ofBloomingdale Senior HighSchool.Principal Mark West

lauded the students andchallenged them to usetheir intelligence and theknowledge gained at BSHSas they move forward topost-secondary endeav-ors. Four special awardswere given out to seniorsduring the breakfast. Fivestudents were recognizedas National Merit Com-mended Students: AllisonLehr, Daniel Monaghan,Vincent Roth, Amelia Tamand Matthew Yeatts. Alys-sa Best was recognized as aNational AchievementOutstanding Participant.National AchievementSemi-Finalists includedChristian Allen and AshleyMontgomery. BSHS hasthree students as NationalMerit Semi-Finalists: Tra-vis Bird, Ian Ludden andJames Rentz.

KIM MILLER

BSHS junior and senior academic stars are treated to bagels, juice and a well-deserved break from their secondperiod classes. Pictured on left: Dylan Sepessey, Robbie Bullara, Travis Bird, Arianna Fraley, Chris Bosek and RyanWicks. Pictured on right: Michael Alejandro, Michael Ramoska, Julie Roggeman, Tori Roccaforte, Sean McKenna andZack Carter.

BSHS students recognized foracademic excellence

By KIM MILLER

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BBEESSTTOFBBRRAANNDDOONN

The Brandon News & Tribune Readers’ Poll 2012

BBRRONZEONZEWINNER

A teacher is so muchmore than someone whoimparts education; he orshe can be an inspiration,a mentor, a friend, a wellwisher, a positive rolemodel and a counselor allrolled into one. There isalways one teacher thatstands out, one that weremember years later be-cause of the way our liveswere touched by him orher. Teachers of the Yearare selected by the othereducators with whom theywork in their respectiveschools.These teachers take

their jobs seriously. Theyare passionate and ded-icated individuals whostrive to touch the lives ofour children in numerousways. Congratulations tothe following teachers whowere appointed 2013Teacher of the Year in ourneighborhood schools:Kathy Mulvihill (Alafia Ele-mentary), Elizabeth San-chez (Cimino Elementary),Michael Williams (BurnsMiddle), Anthony Pendino(Bloomingdale High).Editor’s note: This is

part one of a two-part sto-ry. Ms. Mulvihill and Ms.Sanchez are featured inthis issue. BloomingdaleHigh School’s Mr. Pendinoand Mr. Williams, BurnsMiddle School Teacher ofthe Year, will be highlight-ed in the February 2013issue of the Gazette.

Kathy MulvihillAlafia ElementaryKathy Mulvihill has

been with Alafia Elemen-tary since its opening 25years ago. She says she wascompletely taken by sur-prise when an entourageof people appeared in herclassroom with flowersand announced that she

had been selected Teacherof the Year. “I neverdreamed of it and am veryhumbled by it all,” Mulvi-hill said.Two of Kathy Mulvihill’s

grandparents were educa-tors. She remembers thatthey were teachers duringthe Great Depressionwhen only one teacher in

the familygot paid.Her grand-father waspaid his sal-ary but hergrandmoth-er was notpaid a pen-ny. Despitethis, Mulvi-

hill’s grandmother contin-ued to teach knowing thatthe children in her schooldepended on her.“My grandmother was a

wonderful role model anda great storyteller,” shesaid of one of her greatestinspirations. “The more Ithought about what shehad done in her life, themore I wanted to do thesame.” Mulvihill attendedMiami University in Ox-ford, Ohio, the same uni-versity from which hergrandmother graduated.In 1999, Kathy lost her

husband. During that hardtime the one thing she saysthat she looked forward towas walking into the class-room and looking at thefaces of the children.“All my problems went

away at that time,” shereflected. “They need youto be sharp and ready to goand that’s how I had to be.Those children gave memore that I gave to themthat year.”In addition to Teacher

of the Year, Ms. Mulvihillwon the Ida S. Bakeraward, which is given to aneducator who goes aboveand beyond to meet di-verse needs of the student

population.

Elizabeth SanchezCimino Elementary“Cimino Elementary is

staffed by some of the fin-est and most dedicatedteachers in HillsboroughCounty, so naturally I feelvery much honored to

have beenchosen torepresentour schoolas Teacherof the Year,”said Eliza-beth San-chez.She grad-

uated fromFlorida State Universityand has been teaching inHillsborough County for14 years. During her ten-ure, Sanchez has taughtelementary grades firstthrough fifth as an excep-tional student education(ESE) teacher and as a reg-ular education teacher.She also held the positionof ESE Specialist at CiminoElementary, but the class-room has always beenwhere her heart is.“I appreciate the chal-

lenge of working with in-

termediate students toprepare them for futureeducational experiencesand to grow in responsibil-ity,” she said of her currentrole as a fifth grade teach-er. “It also helps that theolder students can under-standmy amazing sense ofhumor!”Sanchez says that the

key to teaching is makingthe classroom a placewhere students can findjoy while learning.“I am passionate about

writing and encourage mystudents as well as mypeers to embrace writingin their daily lives,” shesaid.Since being named

Teacher of the Year, San-chez says she has beenasked to reflect on herchoices and beliefs as aneducator.“Instead of viewing

these requests as a taxingresponsibility, I havefound it to be refreshing,”she said. “Through thisprocess I have reconnect-ed with myself and thereasons why I have chosento work with children. Ifeel blessed to have hadthis opportunity.”

Area chools announce teachers of the yearPart one of a two part series

By SHAPHALI JAIN

ElizabethSanchez

KathyMulvihill

The Bloomingdale Highboys wrestling team maybe considered unsung he-roes at BSHS, but thisdoesn’t throw them. Tothe contrary, the team’s2012-2013 call to action is“No Excuses!”Under the direction of

first year head coach JimJones, the Bulls are 14-3 asof Dec. 12. Coach Jones isleveraging the three dis-tinct wrestling styles thathe and his two assistantcoaches, Greg White andDarin Synhorse, bring tothe mat. His team learnfrom their diverse experi-ences and the wrestlerspersonalize the approach-es. So far, the formula isworking.Coach Jones’ would love

to see the community andthe students get excitedabout wrestling.“I have a great group of

kids, and exceptional as-

sistant coaches,” saidCoach Jones. “We all workreally hard, and with eachmatch I see improvementin all the kids. The parentsupport has been phe-nomenal.”The lone senior on the

team, James Wiehle, hasbeen wrestling at BSHSsince his freshman year. Asa junior he made it to thestate meet, but didn’t per-form to his expectations.This year he is confident ofmaking a better impres-sion. Wiehle explainedthat the new coaching staffis tough, and the twicedaily practices (one beforeschool and one after) areintense, much harder thanprevious years.“It takes a lot of com-

mitment and discipline ev-ery day,” said Wiehle. Healso appreciates exposureto three styles of wrestling.“They have helped mebroaden my moves so I’mnot so predictable.”

KIM MILLER

Bloomingdale Senior James Wiehle (top) vs. a wrestlerfrom Alonso wrestler at Dec. 12 meet.

Wrestling: the unsungheroes of Bloomingdale

Remaining matches:Jan. 11-12 Manatee High School/Hurricane ChallengeJan. 18-19 Brandon High SchoolJan. 23 Newsome High schoolJan. 25-26 Wharton High School/County TournamentFeb. 1-2 TBD/District TournamentFeb. 8-9 Osceola High School/Regional TournamentFeb. 15-16 Lakeland Civic Center/State Tournament

By KIM MILLER

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Second year girls bas-ketball head coach JoelBower could not be happi-er with his team’s start thisseason. At the end of No-vember the girls’ team was4-0, a huge improvementover his first year, whenthe team had a total ofthree wins all season. Hecredits the team’s successso far to hard work duringthe off season, playing in asummer league and at-tending camp. With onlyone senior and the core ofthe team being sopho-mores, coach Bower feelshis team is right wherethey should be and arebuilding and improving inthe right direction.“Our real test will be

when district play begins,”he admitted. “We play in areally tough district, but ifthe girls continue workinghard and have the will towin, we may do fairlywell.”Senior, Kreshara Miller

says she loves the compe-tition and aggressive playin basketball. She likes thefeeling of being strongerand confident while play-ing. The team’s sopho-more talent was evidentwith their 62-57 defeat ofarch rival Brandon Nov.28. Sophomores JaquelineMayo and Serena Grantcontributed 14 points eachto push the Bulls past theEagles.The BSHS boys basket-

ball will have a fight forsecond in their district, ac-cording to head coach JoeWillis. Teams in the Bulls’district are evenlymatched with the excep-tion of Wharton HighSchool, this season’s favor-ite. Nonetheless, CoachWillis feels his teamwill dowell.“We make mistakes, but

we take those mistakes,learn from and build onthem.” explained Willis.During the preseason,

Willis tried many combi-nations of players towardthe goal of putting the bestBulls combinations on thecourt each game. He willuse those bench playerswho are able to acclimateand contribute. JuniorGrant Townsend has beenplaying basketball sincethe 7th grade and re-marked that he likes theintensity and excitementof the game, and how the

crowd responds to the ac-tion on the court. Town-send enjoys that fans areso close that their respons-es to plays and the cheer-ing positively affect theBulls game play.CoachWillis urges BSHS

basketball alumni to getinvolved with the team.For more information hecan be contacted at jo-seph.willis@sdhc.k12.fl.us.Fans can cheer on theBulls at one of the up-coming games.

It is time forbasketball atBloomingdaleBy KIM MILLER

KIM MILLER

Kreshara Miller(12) and Nuri Troy(10) fighting for position to receive an in bounds pass from Regan Lee (10)

KIM MILLER

Jose Cruz(11), George Brammeier(11), Todd Kaiser(10) going for the rebound

Bulls boysJan. 8 @ Newsome* 8p.m.Jan. 9 Spoto @ BSHS 8p.m.Jan. 11 Wharton @ BSHS*8 p.m.Jan. 18 @ Durant* 8 p.m.Jan. 19 vs Ridgewood(Ulrich Family Classic) @4:30 p.m. at WiregrassRanch High SchoolJan. 22 @ Plant* 7 p.m.Jan. 23 Middleton @BSHS 8 p.m.Jan. 25 @ Tampa BayTech 8 p.m.Jan. 28 @ Plant City 7p.m.Feb. 1 East Bay @ BSHS 7p.m.Feb. 4-9 District Tourna-ment @ BSHS TBD* denotes district games

Bulls girlsJan. 8 @ Newsome* 6:30p.m.Jan. 9 Spoto @ BSHS6:30 p.m.Jan. 11 Wharton @ BSHS*6:30 p.m.Jan. 18 @ Durant* 6:30p.m.

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January is National Financial Well-ness Month. Since many New Year’sresolutions focus on saving, earning, orspending money wisely, now is theperfect time to get started. If you thinkit’s impossible to improve your finan-cial situation when the country is in arecession, think again. Here are 10things you can start doing today toprotect and grow your assets.

Live within your meansIt is recommended that no more

than 50 or 60 percent of a person’smonthly income be spent on basiccosts such as food, mortgage, car andother essentials. If you are spendingmore than that, cut back.

BudgetTo live within your means, start by

developing a budget. A budget is sim-ply a way of assessing and limiting howmuch you spend and what you spend iton; it does not need to be a strictspending plan. Simply put, a budgethelps you know at the end of themonth where money went.

Spend smartKeep frommaking purchases you

will regret by following these tips. It istempting to buy something because itis on sale, but only purchase a saleitem if it is needed. If you find yourselftrying to rationalize a purchase, it isprobably something unnecessary. Pur-sue alternative brands rather thanbuying only those which are familiar.Only purchase items you can afford.

DiversifyTo diversify means to invest in many

different places to minimize risk. Ifyour stocks crash, you still have yoursavings account. If the bank closes, youstill have your mutual fund. Rememberthat low-risk investments, such as cer-tificates of deposit and money marketaccounts, have a low return, whilehigh-risk investments, namely stocks,have a high return. Diversify by choos-ing investments with varying degrees ofrisk to maximize your return and mini-mize your risk.

Use credit, not debitProtect yourself from identity theft

by primarily using credit cards. Whileboth debit and credit cards are subjectto identity theft, the credit card hold-er’s liability is limited to $50 for anyfraudulent use. A debit card holder’sliability is limited to $50 only if he orshe notifies the financial institutionwithin two business days after thelearning of the loss or theft. After thattime the debit card holder’s responsi-bility increases and is potentially un-limited.

Be smart with your credit cardKeep the number of credit cards you

possess to a minimum to avoid build-ing up debt, creating a higher risk, andhurting your credit score. Pay your billson time to avoid late fees.

Create an emergency fundTake left over money from each

month and set it aside as an emergencyfund. This can be used for natural di-sasters, burglaries, or medical proce-dures. Keep it somewhere safe, like abank account or a safety deposit box.

Save for the futureAssuming approximately 50 percent

of a person’s income is spent on neces-sary costs such as food and mortgage,the other half should go into a retire-ment fund, savings account, or in-vestments.

Pay off loans earlySpend your golden years enjoying

life, not paying off your mortgage. Usemoney left over at the end of themonth to pay off part of your car loanor mortgage. Once those payments areout of the way, you will have moremoney to spend on kids, grandkids oryourself.

Just spend lessSpend less now so that you will have

more to spend in the future. Be carefulwith your money, live within yourmeans, and use common sense.

Financial Wellness:10 things to do in 2013

By MADEE PRETHER

You’ve heard aboutidentity theft on televisionand read about it in maga-zines or newspapers. Butbelieve me it is very real.We have had an increasein reported cases of iden-tity theft from residents inthe Bloomingdale area.Oftentimes identity

theft begins with a lost orstolen wallet. If this hap-pens to you, take the fol-lowing actions:1. Contact card issuers

and report your credit andidentification cards as lostor stolen. To prepare forsuch a loss, take a fewminutes now and make aphotocopy (front andback) of each identifica-tion card and credit cardin your wallet. These ac-count numbers and thephone numbers to call willcome in handy whenreporting your loss.2. If your wallet has

identification in it, imme-diately report the loss ortheft to law enforcement.Timing is critical. Thesheriff's office will take areport for lost propertysuch as a driver’s license,a Social Security card,passport, military ID or aMedicare card. Once thereis proof of a theft or use ofthe items, the crime be-comes identity theft.3. Consider requesting

an initial 90-day fraudalert with one of the threecredit reporting compa-nies: Equifax (1-800-525-6285), Experian (1-888-397-3742), and Trans

Union (1-800-680-7289).An alert, which is free ofcharge, helps thwart anyattempts to use your in-formation to open fraudu-lent accounts.Personal information

may also be stolen fromyour mail or trash can; bydevices used to “skim”debit card numbers; byhacking into electronicemployment or medicalfiles; and through email ortext “phishing,” whichasks for your personalinformation under theguise of a legitimate busi-ness.Here are seven simple

fraud prevention mea-sures that you can takeimmediately to protectone of your most valuablepossessions, your credit.• Monitor and review

your credit report to en-sure accuracy of yourcredit information. Youmany request a free creditreport from each of thethree credit reportingcompanies every 12months through www.an-nualcreditreport.com.• Never carry your So-

cial Security card. Keepthe card in a secure placeat home.

• Never give out person-al information unless youinitiate the call or youknow the caller. This goesfor requests that come viathe computer. Never openup an unknown email.• Password protect all

accounts, avoiding simplepasswords. If you havebeen a victim of an in-ternet scam or have re-ceived an e-mail that youbelieve was an attemptedscam, file a complaintwith the Internet CrimeComplaint Center atwww.IC3.gov.• Mail outgoing items at

the post office, not in yourresidential mailbox. Re-move mail from yourmailbox promptly. Whenordering new checks, askif you can pick them up atyour local branch insteadof having the checks deliv-ered.• Pay close attention to

billing cycles. A missingstatement could be thefirst clue to an identitytheft issue.• If you are the victim of

identity theft, report theincident to the FederalTrade Commission viaphone at 1-877-IDTHEFTor online at www.ftc.gov.

Identity theft canhappen right herein Bloomingdale

Sandy CapitanoHCSO Community Services Officer

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Strep throat – the pain-ful diagnosis is toppedonly by its anxiety in-ducing informer, the giantswab. Strep throat is ahighly contagious bacteri-al infection especiallyprevalent during themonths of Novemberthrough March. Patientsusually complain of asore, scratchy throat withdifficulty swallowing food,

and sometimes evenliquids. Most sorethroats are caused byviruses and clear up ontheir own, but a smallportion are caused bythe Streptococcus bacter-ia; hence the name“strep throat.”In addition to throat

pain and difficulty swal-lowing, strep throatmanifests itself withseveral symptoms in-cluding red or swollentonsils, tiny red spots atthe back of your mouth,

swollen and tender neckglands, fever and head-ache, rash, stomachache and vomiting.Diagnosis and treat-

ment of strep throat isstraightforward. Althoughit is possible to haveseveral of the abovesymptoms and not havestrep throat, a throatswab is the best way todiagnose the infection.After confirming that theinfection is strep, anappropriate antibioticwill be prescribed for

you. Along with medici-nal treatment, be sure toget plenty of fluids, rest,eat soft foods, garglewith warm salt water,and change your tooth-brush 24 hours afterstarting the antibiotic todecrease reinfection.Prevention is easy:

wash hands often, andtry to keep them out ofyour mouth; cover yourmouth when coughingor sneezing; and, do notshare eating utensils ordrinking glasses.

Open your mouth and say ahhhBy KIM MILLER

RN, BSN

Some people love thesweet and salty combina-tion of chocolate coveredsnack foods.Chocolate dipped pret-

zels and candy coated nutsmove over.Maria Vasquez, winner

of December’s EverythingDipped in Chocolate con-test, indulged her familywith a cutting edge snack –chocolate dipped Doritos!Congratulations Maria.The Bloomingdale Home-owners Association hopesyou enjoy your prize, a boxof Belgium chocolates anda package of peppermintbark.

KIM MILLER

Prize winning snack, chocolate dipped Doritos.

What’s crunchy, salty and chocolaty all over?

Charles Lamb proclaimed, “New Year's Day isevery man's birthday.” T.S. Eliot mused, “For lastyear's words belong to last year's language. Andnext year's words await another voice.” This monthwe asked Bloomingdale community residents toreflect on the upcoming year and share their NewYear’s resolutions.Eric Cannon decided on a personal trainer. Rath-

er than procrastinating, he got a jump on the NewYear and started training in early December. “I’malready feeling changes and heading in the rightdirection after 20 years.”Carla W. responded, “I haven’t thought that far

ahead.”“We can’t have the same craziness we had this

year, so we are going to do something different,”declared Max Prether.Miranda Sullivan’s goal is to keep applying for

scholarships, get ready to graduate and prepare forcollege. Going into 2013 Miranda describes herselfas a “combination of scared and excited.”Peter Jensen’s goal is to “incorporate more pro-

fessional music” into his life for 2013 as he pursueshis goal of high school graduation and college ad-mission.Vicki Stamper says that her number one goal for

2013 is fitness. “I want to find an exercise routinethat will fit into my daily routine.” She is not a fan ofdiets because she knows that she will give in to herlove of chocolate. Vicki’s second goal is to “lightenher load” of stuff in her house and get better orga-nized.A Bloomingdale East resident is ready to move on

after 20 years. He said, “My goal is to finalize mydivorce and have an epic 2013.”Burns Middle School Resource Officer, Deputy

Bradley replied, “Get back with me.”

Bloomingdale Buzz

What is your NewYear’s resolution?

By DEE PRETHER

River, 5415 Palm RiverRoad, Tampa. Call (813)626-5066.

Riverview Chamber ofCommerce offers mem-bership luncheons at 11:30a.m. the fourth Tuesdaymonthly at Riverview CivicCenter, 11020 Park Drive.Call (813) 234-5944.

Eagles Activities: TheEagles Lodge, 1810 FrontSt., Valrico.Meetings are at8 p.m. the first and thirdTuesdays. The Auxiliarymeets at 8 p.m. the firstand third Thursday. Break-fast is served from 8:30 to

meetings are 7:30 p.m. thefirst and third Tuesdays.Meetings rotate and are inmembers’ homes. Serviceprojects include A KidsPlace, and Life Care ofBrandon. Call (813) 672-4301.

The Greater Palm RiverCommunity Civic Associa-tionmeets at 6:30 p.m. thethird Tuesday monthly inthe Fellowship Hall of FirstBaptist Church of Palm

11 a.m. the first, third andfifth Sundays. Wednesdayis spaghetti night from4:30 to 7 p.m. Call (813)685-4173.

Beta Chi chapter: TheBeta Chi chapter of Epsi-lon Sigma Alpha, a leader-ship and service organiza-tion, is seeking womenwho have a desire to helpthose in need. The chaptermeets the second Tuesdaymonthly. Meetings rotateand take place in mem-bers' homes. Call (813)654-6968 or (813) 657-4603.

Rotary Clubs: The Rota-ry Club of Tampa Eastmeets at 12:15 p.m.Wednesdays at theCrowne Plaza Hotel, SabalPark, 10221 Princess PalmAve., Tampa. Lunch isserved. Call (813) 654-3100.The Brandon '86 Ro-tary meets for breakfast at7 a.m. Fridays at The Brid-ges, 11202 Dewhurst Drive,Riverview. Call (863) 559-4635.The Rotary Club ofBloomingdale/FishHawkmeets at noon Mondays atFireside Grill in FishHawkPark Square, 16132

Churchview Drive, Lithia.Call (813) 643-7025. TheBrandon Rotary Clubmeets at noon Tuesdays atCenter Place Fine Arts &Civic Association, 619 Von-derburg Drive, Brandon.Call (813) 685-4343.

Toastmasters: BrandonToastmasters meet at 6:30p.m. at Providence WestCommunity Center, 5417Providence Road, River-view. Call (813) 495-9061.Toastmasters Internation-al meets at 6:30 p.m. thefirst and third Tuesdays inroom 7, upstairs at St. Ste-

phen Catholic Church,5049 Bell Shoals Road, Val-rico. For information, e-mail tcummings2@tampa-bay.rr.com orcwood@ststephencathol-ic.org or call (813) 625-2444. The Valrico Toast-masters meet at 7 p.m. thesecond and fourth Tues-days at Campo FamilyYMCA, 3414 CulbreathRoad, Valrico. Call (813)504-4535.

Send club news to, Kathy Vance,email kvance@tampatrib.com orfax to (813) 259-7676.

SERVICEFrom Page 4

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0003242446-01

(813) 657-85871819 Providence Ridge Blvd., Brandon, FL 33511

www.SuperiorALF.com/Brandon

Assisted Living Lic. #AL97390003242446-0

46-01

00032424

242446-01

(813) 657-85871819 Providence Ridge Blvd., Brandon, FL 33511

www.SuperiorALF.com/Brandon

Assisted Living Lic. #AL9739

Dementia CareSpecialized, compassionate & fun atmosphere.

A unique, home-like community for those at all stages of Alzheimer’sdisease & dementia. Ask about our “Day Stay” services.

• Nurses 24 Hours a Day• Alzheimer’s Support Group• Extended Congregate Care• Respite Care

Caregiver tip: Do not try to rationalize withsomeone who has dementia. It just won’t work.Be agreeable; and, if you need them to dosomething, ask them to help you.

Happy New Year from your com-munity sheriff’s office. As withany new year, we hope for joyous

moments, and we prepare for chal-lenges that may await us as individu-als, the community and at all levels ofgovernment. The Sheriff’s Office willcontinue to make significant progressin providing Bloomingdale and thesurrounding areas of HillsboroughCounty with a safer and more secureplace to live, work, run your businessand raise a family. The safety and secu-rity of the residents, their homes andbusinesses in our community and thecounty our reason for being here.

Get involvedHomeowners’ associations, please

ensure your representation on theBloomingdale Area Community Coun-cil (BACC), which helps residents stayinformed on important issues affectingour communities. The BACC meets the

third Thursday of eachmonth at the Blooming-dale Community Stationon Erindale Drive. We arealso working to increasethe number of residentsserving on the sheriff’s“Volunteer Citizens Patrol

Program.” Residents interested inhelping make Bloomingdale a saferand more secure community may con-tact the Sheriff’s Community OutreachDivision at (813) 247-0944 for informa-tion on this program.

Focus on safe drivingCommunity law enforcement offi-

cers have noticed a significant numberof accidents involving teen drivers.Families, please work hard to stopteens from suffering life changing acci-dents, which often are due to talkingand texting while driving and are com-pounded by poor seat belt habits. Safe

driving practiced by all drivers in thecommunity helps improve traffic flowand lessens congestion. By slowingdown and obeying traffic laws preventsaccidents that that tie up traffic, andmay cause deaths or serious injuries.We challenge each of you to make ityour personal resolution in 2013 toslow down, drive safer and obey all ofthe traffic laws.

Secure your propertyOpen garage doors and unlocked

vehicles are two common securityoversights that continue to contributeto crime in our community. To helpfight crime, it is simple – just lock upyour homes and your vehicles. Takepersonal responsibility for your prop-erty, your home and your vehicles. Noone will miss themmore than you.Also, be a good neighbor and watchout for your neighbors. Don’t make iteasy for the bad guys.

Many of you may be thinking, “Wehear these same safety and securitysteps over and over every year.” That’strue – we hope the reminders will spurresidents to action. The simple fact issafety reminders don’t work until youtake action and do them!

Special thanksMajor changes are taking place with-

in the Hillsborough County Fire De-partment that will directly affect thevolunteers at the Bloomingdale Volun-teer Fire Department Station. Full-timefirefighters will be taking over the sta-tion. Our thanks go out to the manyvolunteer firefighters and their familieswho have faithfully served and protect-ed us over these past many years. Theirdedication to duty and personal sacri-fices saved lives and property. We wishall of them the very best in their nextendeavors.HAVE A GREAT 2013!

Community Station Notes

Help us help the community in the New Year

CurtisWarren

It’s an annual holidayritual – how to dispose of aonce-live Christmas tree.Hillsborough County of-fers these options:

♦ Curbside PickupCurbside pickup of live

Christmas trees is avail-able to County solid wastecustomers by followingthese steps:Remove all decorations,

lights and tinselCut the tree into sec-

tions no larger than 4 feetlong and 6 inches in diam-eterPlace curbside on your

next yard waste collectionday

♦ Yard Waste Process-ing FacilitiesHillsborough County

solid waste customers canskip the post-holiday bluesof seeing their once-liveChristmas tree sitting bythe curb – and spare thehassle and work of cuttingthe trees into smaller piec-

es for pickup - by takingtrees directly to a YardWaste Processing Facility.The sites are open Mon-

day through Saturday(with the exception of holi-days, such as ChristmasDay and New Year’s Day)from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.- Falkenburg Road/Re-

source Recovery Facility:350 Falkenburg Road,Brandon. Phone: (813)744-5599- South County: 13001

U.S. Highway 41, Gibson-ton. Phone: (813) 671-7611- Northwest: 8001 W. Li-

nebaugh Ave., Tampa.Phone: (813) 264-3816Customers should bring

their current tax bill andproper identification to ac-cess the Yard Waste Pro-cessing Facilities, and beable to unload the treesthemselves. Customersshould also remove alldecorations, lights and tin-sel. Artificial trees are not

accepted at the yard wastesites.Non-County residential

solid waste customers candispose of yard waste bypaying a tonnage fee.For more information

about Hillsborough Coun-ty solid waste collectionand disposal services, visitwww.hillsboroughcoun-ty.org/solidwaste, or call(813) 272-5680.

♦ MulchAnother idea is to chop

or grind live Christmastrees and use as mulcharound trees, shrubs andflower beds.For more information

regarding recycling liveChristmas trees, contact:Lynn Barber, Florida-

Friendly LandscapingAgent, Hillsborough Coun-ty and UF-IFAS Extension,barberL@hillsborough-county.org, (813) 744-5519ext. 54105.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,How Lovely Were Thy Branches

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The Elks Hoop Shoot Free Throw Program is anational event that encourages competition, connect-ing and success. Brandon area elementary and middleschools held preliminary hoop shoot (free throw)contests at their school sites. The winners from eachschool then participated in the Brandon Elks Lodge’slocal contest, which was held on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012at the First Baptist Church of Brandon’s MAC (Min-istries and Activities Center). The Nov. 10 winners go onto compete in the district competition on Saturday, Jan.5, 2013 in Sebring Florida. District winners will competeat the state level on Jan. 19, 2013 in Umatilla, Florida. Ifsuccessful at the state level, students move on to thenational level in April 2013. Nationally approximately2.5 million students participated in the 2012 event.These children worked hard and hopefully will go on todo well at the next level.

PROVIDED

Nine Brandon-area winners of the local Elks Hoop Shoot Free Throw Program will compete at the district contestSat., Jan. 5, in Sebring. Four of the winners, those from the 8/9-year-old division, are Keyara Bromley, left, CaitlynHayden, Breyanna Wright and Caleb Hott

Local Elks lodgehosts free throw

contestBy DENNIS OBSBORN