Quilting is Sew Much More… Fun!

 FCS/4-H Summer Quilting Camp program for youth was held July 13-17, 2009 8:30am to 4:30pm in the Women’s Building at the Pasco County Fairgrounds in Dade City.  There were 10 youth and 9 volunteers who participated.

The youth were surprised to see all new sewing machines that were donated by local individuals and organizations.  (That made it a lot easier on the volunteers since some of the Extension machines used in the past dated back to the 1950’s.)  The room was filled with samples of family quilts on loan from many of the volunteers.  Many people donated fabric and other supplies as well, the $25 fee that covered lunches, morning and afternoon snacks, some supplies and sewing kits, etc. that the students took home to encourage continuing their newly learned skills.

Participants (youth as well as adult volunteers) learned all about the different types of quilts, the color wheel and fabric selection, basic sewing and safety skills, how to cut squares, piece/sew/press them together to make a 9-patch quilt top/wall hanging of their own design, add batting, quilt, finish/bind and label their creations.

Anyone who did not finish or would like to do even more can come to the Sew New sewing club that meets in the Women’s Building at the Pasco County Fairgrounds in Dade City, the 2^nd & 4^th Saturdays of the month from 9am to 2pm.   Come join us!

For more information, contact Betsy Crisp, Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Faculty,  at the Pasco County Extension office (352) 521-4288.   

  Coordinator: Betsy Crisp, Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Faculty

Instructors (3): Jim Dennison (lead); Amy Grief; Judy Rose

Volunteers (5): Janet Collura, Gloria Jasinski, Peg Morgan, Carolyn Stratton, Marge Vanyur

PHOTOS (attached):

1.Alyssa-Betsy pressing.jpg – Betsy Crisp, Extension FCS agent, shows Alyssa Hall how to save time by using the press

2.Brooke-Morgan-Caroline.jpg – Volunteer Caroline Stratton shows Morgan Blommel (next to cousin Brooke Blommel) how to use the new sewing machine

3.EmilyB-Judy teaching how to tie quilt – Instructor, Judy Rose (who is also a Master Gardener) shows Emily Burgess how to tie a quilt

4.Extension Program sign.jpg – Extension Program sign at the Pasco County Fairgrounds pointing the way to the quilting camp in the Womens’ Building

5.James quilting.jpg – James Phipps busy quilting

6.Janet-Gloria helping James-Payton.jpg – Volunteers Janet Collura (sitting) and Gloria Jasinski (who is also a Home & Community Education volunteer) helping Payton Yargus and James Phipps get started sewing their quilt blocks

7.Janet serving lunch.jpg – Janet Collura, local caterer, volunteered to prepare/serve a delicious lunch each day of camp.  Kids and volunteers enjoyed every bite!

8.Marge-Shelbie.jpg – Volunteer Marge Vanyur (who is also a Home & Community Education volunteer) helps Shelbie Denney thread the new sewing machine

9.EmilyB-Gloria with batting.jpg - Gloria Jasinski (who is also a Home & Community Education volunteer) helps Emily Burgess with the batting for her wall hanging

10.Paton quilting.jpg – Payton Yargus busy quilting

11.Saidie-EmilyN-Jim measuring.jpg – Lead instructor, Jim Dennison, measures quilt squares for Sadie Collura and Emily Nathe before they can continue on to next step.  He believes “Measure twice – stitch once!” (the students learned how to rip seams)

12.Alyssa-Morgan-Amy.jpg – Instructor Amy Grief, stoops down to show Alyssa Hall and Morgan Blommel how to wax their thread to start quilting

13.EmilyN-quilt top layout.jpg – Emily Nathe stops to admire the layout of her 9 squares before she begins sewing them together

14.Caroline-Morgan.jpg - Volunteer Caroline Stratton shows Morgan Blommel how to stitch a straight line and  ¼” seam.

15.EmilyB-Sadie-Amy.jpg - Instructor Amy Grief, shows Emily Burgess and Sadie Collura how to use the new sewing machines

16.Day 1 – Betsy welcomes youth.jpg - Betsy Crisp, Extension FCS agent, welcomes the group of 9 adults and 10 youth to the summer camp and explains all the different types of quilts hanging around the Women’s Building from patchwork, cross-stitch, appliqué, crazy quilt, and more – “the possibilities are only limited by your imagination!,” she says.

17.Thank you Instructors-volunteers.jpg – We could not have done this one-week camp without the generous donations of time, money, sewing machines and materials from these volunteers as well as others in our community – THANK YOU!  Left-to-right, front row: Janet Collura, Judy Rose, Amy Grief, Marge Vanyur and Caroline Stratton; back row: Jim Dennison, Betsy Crisp, and Gloria Jasinski)

The Binghams thank all those involved with "Helping a Veteran In Need". 

Steve and Kathy Bingham thanked The Republican Club of Central Pasco, Pasco Republicans for Veterans, the Kathryn Starkey campaign (Republican for State Representative, District 45) and Brian Olmstead of Window Genie for painting their house on Saturday, July 11th.  Steve Bingham was crippled by a stroke 2 years ago. Project "Helping a Veteran in Need" was on hand to help him with a job that he is now incapable of doing both physically and financially. Steve served in Vietnam and the groups' volunteers felt is was their turn to serve him. 20 painters answered the call and completed the job in 3 hours.

 Window Genie's owner Brian Olmstead added to the project by donating his company's services to clean the Bingham's windows. The Republican Club of Central Pasco paid for a professional pressure washing to prep the house for painting.  The paint was donated by Home Depot and Glidden Paint with assistance from State Representative Will Weatherford (District 61).

Just a few photos of our trip. Very proud of my daughter Jessica, 15, & her friend Lauren, 16, of Wiregrass High in Wesley Chapel choosing to spend their summer vacation volunteering in South Africa (45% AIDS tin-shack community).

Picture 107 is the girls with Lily & her grandson Ngobile, who has AIDS, (his mom died of AIDS) that we helped by buying material to help rebuild her house and buy her some food and clothes, which was stolen when she was robbed two days before we got there. They prey on the old. I have been helping her for 2 years since my first trip.

237 is girls with Leto. He has AIDS and his 6 sons died in war and his wife left him when he got sick. Jessica was amazed how happy he was for the life he lives.

239 is Letos home

365 is the girls with a family of 11 in a small home. I have had a relationship with them for 2 years.

214 is girls with some of the kids on the street.

Jennifer Murphy, Market President for Pasco, Hernando & Citrus Counties along with Joe Riggs, VP District Manager of East Pasco & Citrus Counties  for Wachovia Bank were the bearer of the good news that The Wachovia Foundation awarded East Pasco Habitat for Humanity a grant for Habitat’s building program.  They were very pleased to present John J. Finnerty, CEO/President of East Pasco Habitat for Humanity with a check in the amount of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) to assist with the project “Secure Foundations”.

The Wachovia funds are underwriting a physical foundation for a home to be constructed in the fall at property located in Dade City.   The Wachovia Foundation’s mission is to build strong and vibrant communities, improve the quality of life, and make a positive difference.  East Pasco Habitat for Humanity feels honored that the Foundation believes the work Habitat is doing is vital in accomplishing the goals of The Wachovia Foundation.

Habitat for Humanity is a “hand-up not a hand-out” and their mission is to help eliminate sub-standard housing in East Pasco County.  Every day, hundreds of low-income families battle for survival, not only facing the plight of poverty itself, but also the anquish of watching their children suffer in deplorable living conditions.   With the help of businesses, foundations such as The Wachovia Foundation, and individuals, the work of Habitat is making a difference!

Hudson Library Teen Volunteer Wins Trip to L.A

Zach Belyea, a 10^TH grader at Hudson High School, is the grand prize winner of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Summer Slam Reading Jam!  Zach has won an all expenses paid trip for two (Zach’s mother is going with him) to Los Angeles, California to attend the Pay-Per-View Summer Slam event on August 23, plus $200 spending money.  In addition, the Friends of the Hudson Library will receive a check from the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for $1,000 to be used for purchasing library books and materials for teens. Zach has logged more than 500 hours as a teen volunteer at the Hudson Library and is President of the Teen Advisory Board (TAB).

The promotion required that participants checked out books from libraries between June 24^th and July 16^{th and} ask for a promotional WWE mini-poster. Each mini-poster had an identifying number to be used for the random drawing, which was held July 17.  Zach checked the WWE website and was thrilled to learn that his poster’s number had been drawn. Five hundred nationwide libraries took part in the sweepstakes; all libraries in the Pasco County Library System participated.

 July 31, 2009-05

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Relay for Life-Trinity visit Hope Lodge in Tampa

West Pasco (July 28, 2009) - On July 21st fifteen committee and team members from the Relay For Life of Trinity visited Hope Lodge in Tampa and served ice cream sundaes to thirty cancer patients and caregivers currently residing at the Lodge. This Hope Lodge is located near Moffit Cancer Center, but one young resident from Brooksville is receiving his cancer treatment at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
The 19 year old had a spinal tap that day and had not felt up to eating anything until the ice cream arrived. A man from Mount Dora said he was going to enjoy the ice cream because once he begins receiving radiation therapy for his throat cancer he will be unable to swallow and will need to have a gastrostomy tube inserted directly into his stomach so that he can receive liquid feedings.
 

The Lodge has 40 two-room suites and can house one cancer patient and one caregiver in each suite. There is a movie room, a game and puzzle room, a pool room and a communal dining room. The Lodge provides free lodging and support during a time that is very trying for the cancer patient and caregiver. Most residents stay for three to six weeks, but the longest resident stayed for three years. The American Cancer Society built this Hope Lodge in 2002. It cost $10 million to build and costs $1 million per year to maintain.  The staff, the patients and their caregivers voiced their gratitude for the Relay For Life and the money it has raised because part of that money helps maintain the Lodge.  
 
Relay For Life is the signature event of the American Cancer Society. It is a unique, fun-filled, overnight event that brings together communities to celebrate survivors (anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer), remember loved ones who have battled this deadly disease and raise money for the fight against cancer. Money raised funds cancer research, education, advocacy and patient services (like Hope Lodge).
Relay For Life is the largest fundraising walk in the nation. The 2009 Relay For Life of Trinity was the largest in Pasco County, raising $116,000 for the fight against cancer. Many volunteers are needed to organize such an event - to recruit teams, seek community support and sponsorships, coordinate logistics, plan entertainment, and lend their support in any way needed.

The 2010 Relay For Life of Trinity will be held in the stadium at Mitchell High School in May 2010. The theme will be “Once Upon a Cure”. Mary Davis, Marketing & Publicity Chair of the 2010 Relay For Life of Trinity, says, “Individuals who are willing to give their time and energy to help plan this exciting event will be making  a commitment to fight back against cancer so that one day all cancer survivors will live happily ever after.”

The committee for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Trinity is looking for volunteers to help plan their 2010 Relay. They are holding a planning meeting on Tuesday, August 4, at 6 p.m. at the Joseppi’s Italian Touch Eatery (4016 Little Road, NPR). For more information on the August 4th meeting or the Relay For Life of Trinity, please contact Event Chair, Sheila Stiles, at 727-944-8602 – day or 727-849-1397 – evening. To find a Relay For Life in your community, contact the American Cancer Society at 813-949-0291.

July 31, 2009-03

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Lowry Park Zoo's Indian Rhino Calf Debut & Naming Contest

NAME THAT RHINO!  Help Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo Name the Endangered Indian Rhinoceros Calf

Small Steps for a Big Baby as She Begins to Explore Exhibit

TAMPA, Fla. (July 29, 2009) – A 3-week-old endangered Indian rhinoceros (also known as the great one-horned rhinoceros) calf born at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo July 7 continues to develop and is beginning to explore her habitat in the Asian Gardens exhibit area.  The Indian rhino birth is a significant conservation milestone for the Zoo and for this endangered species, with less than 60 Indian rhinos living in AZA-accredited zoos in North America. 

Zoo staff reports that the calf, estimated to be 75-80 pounds at birth, continues to nurse and has “filled out” considerably.  Indian rhino calves can gain an estimated 100 pounds a month for their first year of life, which means the new calf will likely double in size in this first month.

In addition to gaining weight, the calf is well-bonded with mother “Jamie” who has met and exceeded expectations as a first-time mother said Dr. Larry Killmar, the Zoo’s director of collections.  “Indian rhino cows are known to be extremely protective and always close by, ever watchful and attentive to their calves.  Jamie is no exception – we are very pleased with her progress as a first-time mother.  Step by step, she will allow the calf to become more adventurous and independent, while keeping a close eye on her playing in mud wallows and exploring the yard.” 

The calf is not yet named, but the Zoo has launched a naming contest on its web site for the entire online community to participate.  A selection of Hindi names -- starting with the letter J in honor of mother Jamie -- are posted online and included below (in alphabetical order). 

· Jaba (jeh-ba)“a flower or hibiscus”

· Jahki (jaan-kee)  “of the earth”

· Jama (jeh-ma) “daughter”

· Janya (jahn-YAH) “born of the earth”

· Jaya (JAY-ah) “victory or victorious”

The female calf will receive the name with the most votes; one vote per email address.  Voting will continue through August 14.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Indian/Nepalese Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan (SSP) maintains a record of all captive specimens of that species in North America.  According to the SSP’s most recent report in June 2009, there were a total of 54 Indian rhinos among 17 AZA-accredited institutions in North America, with just nine animals born in the last three years.  Indian rhinos are listed as an endangered species, with an estimated wild population of about 2,000. 

The Indian rhinoceros is one of five species of rhinos worldwide and one of three species found in Asia.  It is native to the remote, swampy grasslands of India, Assam and Nepal.  Weighing several thousand pounds on average, the Indian rhino’s most distinct feature is a single horn on the end of its muzzle (three species have two horns), which is composed of keratin – the same protein that forms human fingernails and hair.  The species has a unique upper lip, known as a prehensile lip, which acts as a hook to grasp onto plants and food in its herbivore diet (grass, twigs, bamboo shoots, water hyacinths and various produce). Indian rhinos have been described with “armor-like skin” due to the presence of skin folds, however the skin is actually supple due to frequent wallowing in water and mud.

The gestation period for Indian rhino pregnancies is approximately 16 months. When born, calves normally weigh in the range of 75-100 pounds and will nurse throughout their first two years. 

About Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is operated by the Lowry Park Zoological Society, an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to excellence in education, conservation and research. Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and has been named the No. 1 zoo in America by both Parents magazine (2009) and Child magazine (2004).  The Zoo is located at 1101 W. Sligh Avenue in Tampa, one mile west of I-275 (exit 48) and is open seven days a week, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with extended hours on select nights during the summer.  Parking is free. Visit LowryParkZoo.com or call (813) 935-8552 for information.  Also find the Zoo on Facebook and Twitter.

 July 31, 2009-02

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Wesley Chapel, Florida – The "Wings of Wesley Chapel", Chapter FL1-L2 of the Gold Wing Road Rider's Association (GWRRA) invite you to our monthly gathering on Tuesday, August 4^th  at 6:00pm. We Gather at Amici's Pizza  (26252 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Lutz, FL 33559-7206 ) the first Tuesday of each month rain or shine.  We eat at 6:00pm with the FUN starts at 7:00pm.  If you can't make our monthly gathering but enjoy riding you can check out our calendar online at www.FL1L2.com and meet us for a ride.  Come PLAY with us! 

Gold Wing Road Riders Association is a social organization for owners and riders of Honda Gold Wings and Valkyrie but we welcome riders of all motorcycles. We are dedicated to the GWRRA motto, Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge while enjoying the freedom of belonging to a non-profit, non-religious and non-political organization. Our chapter is always open to new participants and anyone who shares our love for motorcycling.

 For more info, contact Howie Taylor at 813-505-4126 or visit www.FL1L2.com 

 July 31, 2009-01

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New Tampa Chamber at Stonewood Grill