Wisdom, Wit and a Warm Welcome
When WOW asked Bette Vance if she’d serve as a willing subject of our February Profile, Vance had a unique response.
“Well, do I have to tell the truth?”
Yet this witty and engaging 79-year-old Vineyards resident needs no embellishment. Her positive attitude and ability to laugh at herself have enabled Vance to enjoy her senior years to their fullest.
And Vance isn’t ready to slow down.
A graduate of Indiana University, Vance majored in speech pathology. “I had three deaf uncles and a deaf cousin. I thought that I might one day have a deaf child myself,” she explains.
Though she never had to use her therapist skills with her own children, she enjoyed her career working with her students. Her first teaching job was in 1954 and earned her an annual salary of $3,600.
When her husband Charles and she decided they’d had enough snow and ice, they decided to make Florida home. After moving to Tampa, Vance continued her career as a speech pathologist another 13 years in Hillsborough County School District. In January of 1993 Vance retired. Yet she never stopped learning about her profession. Though now retired for 19 years, she declares, “I still read my professional journals to keep up with changes and new ideas!”
When contemplating a move to simplify their living arrangements in retirement, Westchase captured the Vances’ attention, despite the community still being in the development stages at the time. Staying true to their past, the couple selected a lot by the large pond in The Vineyards. “All my homes have been by the water,” she explains.
Plans were drawn and with a few changes and additions, their dream home was completed. “We were the seventh family to move into The Vineyards and moved on March 7, 2000, onto lot seven,” she recalls. Vance advises there are still 26 original families in The Vineyards, which now includes 120 homes.
She stays on top of these statistics as a member of the Westchase Welcome Committee. “I waited a few months after moving in before volunteering to see if anyone else wanted to do it.”
When no one else signed up for the job, Vance was glad to fill the spot she has now held for more than ten years. “I wait until they settle in and then I deliver the welcome bags and a plant and just tell them about the neighborhood.”
The Welcome Committee certainly wasn’t the first of her volunteer endeavors. While her children were young, she served as a Bible school teacher, Brownie and Cub Scout leader, city historian and library trustee. “Service is the rent you pay on earth,” she says of the motto she tries to live by. “I can’t take credit for that quote, but it’s something I follow.”
Vance recalls one project she worked for in the Westchase community that didn’t draw the praise she had originally hoped for. “I worked on a committee to bring McDonald’s to Westchase and not everyone was happy about that at the time,” she recalls.
Sadly, her husband Charles passed away just two years after moving to Westchase. Photos and memorabilia fill her home as reminders of their 44-year marriage. Her advice for a long and happy marriage is simple. “Just respect one another and touch often,” she says. “What I miss the most is the touch of his hand or the hugs we shared. I see people together today and I just want to push them closer together,” she chuckles. “I think couples just get out of the habit of that after a while,” she observes.
When asked about her favorite Valentine’s Day with Charles, Vance instead cites the most memorable. “Charles didn’t bring flowers one year,” she recalls. Tapping into the drama courses she took in college, she describes the situation. “I went into my acting mode and made my best scene with tears and crying, the works!” she says with a giggle. “There was never a problem after that because he never forgot again!”
Vance now fills her days with travel and sharing great times with friends. An active member of the Westchase Senior Group, she enjoys the monthly outings and gatherings of the club. Her travels have taken her to destinations around the world. She recently celebrated her 79th birthday in Portugal.
The truth is, Vance’s wit and wisdom make this Westchaser quite unique. Her neighbors are fortunate to have her setting out the welcome mat.
And Vance wouldn’t have it any other way. She has loved spending her retirement in Westchase.
“I’ve never been bored,” she declares, “not for a minute.”
By Lisa Stephens
Stephens, a resident of West Park Village, is always looking for interesting Westchase residents to profile. She can be contacted at lmsfla@verizon.net.
A Good Neighbor – and Still in His Teens
In November the WCA Board announced the winner of the Nathan Lafer Good Neighbor Award and he was the youngest recipient in the award’s history.
WOW’s Westchase Profile often introduces a community volunteer who works to enhance the lives of others. This month’s subject doesn’t fit the profile of our typical Westchase volunteer. He isn’t over the age of 30, employed full time, retired or busy raising children. Yet the project he started from his home has grown over the years and his parents’ garage isn’t large enough to hold it all now.
Ben Stein was a high school student when he organized the first Westchase Thanksgiving Food Drive. Now one of the largest contributors to Metropolitan Ministries during the holiday season, the annual drive involves our entire community, giving every Westchase resident an opportunity to be a part of something great.
Never underestimate Westchase youth.
Born in Chicago, Stein explains, “We moved to Florida when I was 8 and I barely remember snow, so Tampa is home!”
While he is currently a student at the University of Florida, Stein’s parents, Jonathan and Martha Stein, and his siblings Alex and Casey reside in The Estates of Harbor Links. During his middle and high school years, Stein was quite active in community service projects.
Through his involvement with the National Federation of Temple Youth, he served on the executive board of the Southern Tropical Region. One project that remains dear to him is Camp Jenny. The camp provides an opportunity for Atlanta’s inner city youth to attend a four-day camp run by Jewish youth from across the southeastern U.S. “Those were children who never had a chance to go to summer camp and I plan to stay active in that project,” he says.
Stein also served in the City of Tampa Mayor Youth Corps, a service-oriented program involving community projects and leadership development activities for youth. As a Boy Scout, Stein also served as senior patrol leader and achieved the level of Eagle Scout.
When preparing for his Bar Mitzvah ceremony, Stein decided to hold what he now calls a “mini” food drive his Estates neighborhood. When later considering ideas for his Eagle Scout project, Stein decided to expand the drive to include more of the Westchase community. To help advertise his idea, Stein says he met with WOW Publisher Chris Barrett. He also met with several community leaders and made a presentation at a Westchase Community Association meeting to explain his project. “I also reached out to Publix and Sweetbay and we put up banners and went door to door with flyers to create community hype.”
That was in 2008 and his goal for that first year was to collect 20 turkeys and 2,000 pounds of food. Each neighborhood had assigned community captains to cover their own areas to collect the donations. He covered his own neighborhood. Stein recalls, “My mom drove a van and we just ran down the street running back and forth from the van to homes loading the food.”
The central location for gathering all the donations together was a U-haul truck parked at the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center. Stein was overwhelmed at the level of interest and eagerness of residents to help. “People would come to me straight from Publix with turkeys and food to donate. Several even promised to match our goal!”
As a result, Stein far exceeded his initial hopes for the project. The first drive involving the entire community raised 120 turkeys and 6,300 pounds of food! Donations the second year doubled. By the third year, an additional truck was added for collection. The 2011 drive gathered 11,000 pounds of food and 146 turkeys as well as monetary donations and gift cards.
The donations are taken to Metropolitan Ministries. Stein describes the organization as “more than appreciative.”
“The main guy there that first year just came out and hugged me. He showed me the impact our efforts made.”
For his work providing food for the needy, Stein was awarded the Golden Barrel Award by Metropolitan Ministries. “They gave it to me but I really feel like it belongs to our community,” he adds.
Stein is reluctant to take much credit for coming up with the project that has grown into such a success. “I just thank my parents for their support of me in these endeavors. They always gave me personal liberty and freedom to try things and learn from them on my own instead of holding my hand and guiding me through.”
Congratulations and many thanks to Stein for adding to the reasons why Westchase is such a great place to live!
By Lisa Stephens
Encouraging Dads to Get Involved
According to Radcliffe resident Eric Holt, girls aren’t the only ones who just wanna have fun.
Dads do too. As president of the Westchase Dads’ Club, Holt is on a mission to make the group the top independent fundraiser for Westchase Elementary School.
Having fun while making money isn’t new for Holt. As a student at Tulane University in New Orleans, he accepted a position with Anheuser-Busch. Competition was stiff for the coveted position in the promotions and merchandising department, but Holt secured the spot. He must have been just the right size to wear the caped blue, red and yellow costume.
The costume was required to play the part of “Bud Man” while promoting Anheuser-Busch products in college bars. “It was awesome,” he chuckles.
Holt originally chose Tulane because of its academic reputation. But life in New Orleans proved to be fun outside of class as well. “When I put down the books, there was a lot to do. I worked hard and played hard,” he recalls.
After graduation, Holt stayed in New Orleans another year and continued to work for Anheuser-Busch. He passed the “Bud Man” costume to another anxiously awaiting applicant while he moved into a position as a sales representative for distributing. His career and experience with the company grew as he moved into various positions, including business analyst, revenue and pricing management and category manager.
When an offer to move to Tampa presented itself, Holt and wife Tamara considered their options. After hearing from his best friend, a Westchase resident at the time, about everything the community had to offer families, they decided to make the move from Kansas City to Florida.
For his family, which now includes their children Graham and Reid, life here has proven to be everything he thought it would be.
Holt’s involvement with the Dads’ Club began when Graham brought home a flyer one day from school. “I made an inquiry about it and then I received an e-mail stating they were looking for possible board members,” he says. Holt spoke with the then president of the club and decided to become active. “I saw a great mission and wanted to be a part of developing the club and adding to what they had started.”
Holt gathered a few neighboring dads together and asked them a simple question. “What would you like to do with your kids?” From the meeting, Holt came away some great ideas and an understanding of what dads wanted in a club. They wanted opportunities to spend time with their kids without having to attend dry monthly meetings or commit to countless volunteer hours.
Staying true to that lesson is just what the club is all about today. No membership is required and families are able to just “opt in” to the events as they are planned. Some events are free and just for fun. Others are opportunities to work together with fellow parents to raise money for the school and benefit the community. “We wanted to create something that provides value and supports the community,” he says of the club.
The Dads’ Club is now a 501c3 organization and news about the club is distributed via flyers to students and e-mail blasts to parents. “Not every event is a fundraiser but our main mission is to raise funds for the school,” he explains.
Last year the club raised over $3,000 and donated a $750 drum set to the music department with funds raised at a dance held by the club. The club also partners with local businesses to raise money. For their Bowling for Burgers event, they partnered with Five Guys to support the fun. “We’d like to see more local business sponsorship to support our mission and their own business goals,” Holt shares.
Holt invites any dad interested in becoming involved to get on the e-blast list to receive club information. The contact address is westchasedadsclub@gmail.com.
Upcoming events will include the Westchase Movie Night, when the movie Polar Express will be shown. “We’ll be there with glow sticks, snacks and drinks!” he promises.
In January the club will host a Texas Hold ’Em poker event to raise money for the club itself. This will be the first event the club has held to raise money for the club instead of the school. So, dads, get on the e-blast list and sign up for some fun with the kids!
Thanks to Eric Holt, it’s never been easier.
By Lisa Stephens
Stephens, a resident of West Park Village, is always looking for interesting Westchase residents to profile. She can be contacted at lmsfla@verizon.net.
Giving Newcomers a Proper Westchase Welcome
While Westchasers will welcome many into their homes this month, Shires resident Trish McKay takes welcoming to a whole new level.
McKay’s welcoming responsibilities aren’t limited to the holiday season. As chair of the Westchase Welcome Committee, McKay and her cohorts welcome new residents year round. Often before the moving boxes are cleared, a village representative from the Welcome Committee arrives bearing a bag of delights for the new faces of Westchase. McKay ensures this process runs smoothly and she works diligently to collect new items for the black canvas totes containing gifts and coupons from local merchants.
Originally from Chicago, McKay recalls growing up in a big city. “My mom and dad were proponents of public transportation, so I got to know the system very well at a young age,” she recalls.
While McKay sometimes misses the culture and opportunities Chicago had to offer her as a young adult, there is one thing she doesn’t miss. “I don’t miss those winters!” she says. She often passed the coldest months scoring strikes and spares in white-soled shoes. “Bowling leagues were huge,” she chuckles of her home town. Visits back home are now limited to summer and fall.
McKay graduated from Mundelein College, which is now Loyola University, as a communications major with a minor in business. After graduation she began employment with an insurance agency, which eventually brought her to Tampa in a sales position. As if from a movie scene, she met future husband, John, in the laundry room of her apartment complex. “After a month we finally went out,” she explains.
Two years later, the couple was married at St. John’s Episcopal Church in south Tampa. They are now parents to daughter, Jamie, a sophomore at Alonso High School.
“It’s the best time of my life,” McKay cheerfully reveals when asked about the perils of parenting a teenage daughter. “She has her driving permit now and we really are enjoying high school!”
Her advice to parents expecting treacherous waters during these years is simple. “Always allow them to voice their opinions so you can keep communication open. Let them know they can come to you and tell you anything.”
Yet she has a couple of warnings as well. “Teach them good judgment and be the parent first and friend second.”
One activity the McKay family enjoys doing together is training their family pet. Shelby is a 5-year-old Golden Retriever and was just certified to be a therapy dog. They plan to take Shelby into nursing homes and hospitals to visit patients who are unable to enjoy pets of their own.
As for her Welcome Committee responsibilities, McKay says it isn’t something that takes up a lot of her time, but she enjoys it greatly. Fortunately, she has seen an increase in home buyers over the past year as the number of bags distributed monthly has been increasing. She estimates approximately 15 bags are delivered each month to addresses she receives from the Westchase Community Association.
Once she receives the list, she forwards it to approximately 30 representatives who make up the Welcome Committee. Those village representatives deliver the bags to new residents in their own neighborhoods. Of course, summer months are busier than the winter months as people tend to move while school-aged children are on summer breaks.
McKay advises anyone who might own a local business to contact her if they’d like to include a free gift or coupon in the bags. It’s a great way to let new residents know you’re here.
She also encourages anyone interested in becoming a village volunteer to contact her (854-2684 or jmckay05@tampabay.rr.com). There are currently a few neighborhoods in need of a volunteer and the time requirement is minimal. Bags are kept by each representative at his or her own home so inventory is always readily available.
The only other thing you’ll need is a friendly welcoming smile for your new neighbor!
By Lisa Stephens
Stephens, a resident of West Park Village, is always looking for interesting Westchase residents to profile. She can be contacted at lmsfla@verizon.net.
A Survivor Broadcasts Hope and Balance to Caregivers
Many Westchase parents not only have to find appropriate childcare, they also have to find ways to care for aging parents. Westchase radio show hose Kim Linder offers them a helping hand.
Juggling responsibilities associated with caring for a parent can sometimes wreak havoc with the quality of life and even the health of a caregiver. To help guide those who are caring for ailing loved ones, the West Park Village resident and local radio personality strives to make the path a little smoother.
As a child, Linder never imagined that one day she would host her own radio show or that people would ever look to her for advice on anything. “I never had that kind of confidence in myself,” she shares.
Originally born in New York, Linder moved often before finally settling in Chicago, where she spent most of her teen years. Linder’s father passed away when she was very young. When she and her mother went to live with her grandmother, Linder had her first experience with caring for an ailing family member. By high school graduation, she had also lost her mother and grandmother.
Feeling pretty much alone, Linder was somehow able to avoid the bad decisions teenagers can sometimes make, particularly when faced with peer pressure about drugs or alcohol. “I was always a hopeful kid and knew things would get better for me one day,” she recalls. “I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, but I certainly knew what I didn’t want for myself and I listened to that inner voice.”
After graduating from Rider University, she went to work for a local newspaper. This decision turned out to be a great one for Linder in more ways than one. While working as an administrative assistant, she fell in love with her boss. Her husband Jack and she will celebrate 33 years of marriage this month. “We created the family I never had,” she says.
Once their older children decided to reside in Florida after graduating from Florida colleges, Linder and her husband also made the move with their youngest son. “I wanted him to feel close to his siblings because I never had that,” she explains.
Together Jack and she created several publications over the years. “I did the editorial and it was my first experience of seeing how different parts of things come together to work as a whole.”
A project with an event planner eventually led Linder to become a professional caregiver consultant. When someone suggested she apply for a marketing job for an assisted living facility, Linder did just that. “I loved it!” she recalls. “I worked with families and seniors helping them make decisions and I felt like I had a real purpose.”
After taking a cruise with 45 caregivers, Linder realized just how much help folks in this situation really needed. She started Senior Holistic Living in an effort to provide caregiver coaching. She explains the holistic part of her venture as looking at each person’s situation as a whole. By breaking down and evaluating the different aspects of the caregiver’s life, Linder helps determine the best course of action. “I don’t try to sell people,” she explains. “I’m just a resource to help direct and support them while they try to help a family member.”
Common questions she is often asked include when someone should bring the patient into their own home to live, how to pay for certain services and where to get help for transportation to and from doctor’s appointments. Linder says creating a sense of balance is often the biggest struggle for caregivers trying to hold down jobs while caring for children and an elderly parent. She addresses their issues with guests on her weekly radio program, The Caregiver Hour, each Monday at 10 a.m. on 1250 AM WHNZ. Linder says this experience of helping others has changed her life immensely. “This has made me feel connected to a passion and a purpose,” she explains.
To share her experiences of triumph over tragedy with the younger set of society, Linder has participated in the Great American Teach In, where she shared the importance with students of never giving up on themselves. “I told them about my own challenges growing up and then I explained where I am today!”
No wiser words could be broadcast from someone who never gave up on herself.
By Lisa Stephens
Stephens, a resident of West Park Village, is always looking for interesting Westchase residents to profile. She can be contacted at lmsfla@verizon.net.
The Westchase Dogfather
Since he retired two years ago, life for Pasquali Luiaconi has certainly gone to the dogs. This Radcliff resident wouldn’t have it any other way.
Luiaconi grew up in Tampa but spent the summer months in New York with his father as a golf caddy. “With the money I earned, I bought my car, clothes and anything else I needed,” he explains.
After graduating from Jefferson High School in Tampa, Luiaconi served the next four years in the U.S. Navy. Stationed in Jacksonville, Luiaconi traveled the world. “I went to Cuba and Holland, all over the place,” he says.
After returning to Tampa, Luiaconi took a position at Stainless Steel Service and Supply Company and enrolled in a welding and fabrication program at Hillsborough Community College. That was the beginning of his 30-year career in the sheet metal business. Starting out in the shop as a press brake operator, Luiaconi worked his way up in the industry. Before retiring two years ago, Luiaconi worked from home as an outside sales representative, calling on the numerous contacts he’d built up over the years.
Like most working folks, a full-time job meant a lot of lunches out. Many of those lunches were from hot dog carts he spotted along the streets while calling upon customers. “I’d have a hot dog for lunch most of the time,” he recalls. “I joked about retirement saying that when I did, I’d wear a bikini and sell hot dogs!” he laughs.
Today, part of that story has come to fruition.
These days Luiaconi can often be found standing behind the cart and serving up the Sabre dogs he’s long had a taste for. Instead of the bikini he’d promised, he sports a T-shirt he designed himself emblazoned with the name of the business he now operates on his own schedule. His “DogFather’s” hot dog business takes Luiaconi to various events around Tampa Bay. “I looked at everybody’s cart and I knew exactly what I wanted in my own,” he explains.
After designing a cart that was bigger and lighter and included more burners and a wash basin, he took his requests to a local cart manufacturer who built it for him.
The DogFather serves both hot dogs and Italian sausages. A favorite, he says is the Tampa Dog, which includes cheese and special sauce made by a local chef. “I also add a secret ingredient to the sauce,” he winks.
He’s enjoyed the venues to which his cart has taken him – the Clearwater Jazz Festival, WWF wrestling events, birthday parties and, most recently, the season opening of the West Park Village pool in Westchase.
When not serving up dogs, Luiaconi spends time saving them. Through Greyhound Pets of America, his wife Cindy and he help place retired greyhounds. After losing their beloved Yorkie, Mitzi, the couple started looking into greyhounds. After learning how they’re rescued and what happens to them once they’re off the race track, the couple took in four of the dogs themselves. Kramer, Diva, Rock and Gabby have all been worth the effort, he says, citing the love these retired dogs give back.
Like kids, the dogs can be a bit costly. “I’ve had to re-sod my backyard three times now,” he explains. But Luiaconi wouldn’t give them up. “These dogs are our babies,” he shares.
When he isn’t serving up or rescuing dogs, Luiaconi turns his attention to serving his Radcliff neighbors as the community watchdog. “We’re really tight,” he says of his neighbors, who work together keeping a watchful eye on the comings and goings of strange cars. “I take down tag numbers of suspicious cars and sometimes knock on the door if I know my neighbor is out of town and a car is parked in their driveway,” he says.
Patrolling the neighborhood is much easier for Luiaconi since purchasing his blue electric scooter.
He enjoys touring the neighborhood, sometimes even late at night “It’s just fun to do and you’ll see me when least expected,” he warns. “We have a task force and with one phone call, we’re like a SWAT team at your door. You don’t want to sneeze hard in Radcliffe,” he chuckles.
Thoroughly enjoying his retirement, Luiaconi says he has a simple philosophy. Live your life every day. Work hard and know your goals. He adds, “Have a good doctor and talk to your wife.”
Sounds like a great retirement plan!
By Lisa Stephens
Stephens, a resident of West Park Village, is always looking for interesting Westchase residents to profile. She can be contacted at lmsfla@verizon.net.