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Children Come Out To Enjoy Lions Annual Christmas Party

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By BARBARA ROUTEN

Tribune Correspondent

Published: December 24, 2008

BRANDON - For the past 18 years the Brandon Lions Club has hosted a Christmas party for foster children referred by Melvin "Mac" MacNeel, executive director of Foster Angels of Hillsborough County. This year almost 30 children attended the Dec. 11 gathering at the Brandon Lions Clubhouse.

Chairman Kevin Rees and Lions Harold Elza, president Bob Nixon, vice president Mike Kirk, Ben Brown, Art Schmidt, Judy Brown, Kenneth and Karen Trussel and Bo Hurley and family members served children and families at the party.

Lindsey Ragsdale, Newsome High School Leo Club advisor and intensive reading teacher, came to help out along with club members Kyle Raymond, vice president Marcof Omar and others.

Brandon High School Leo Club members, including seniors Victoria Samuels, president; Steven Lisenby, treasurer; and Yanira Sanchez, secretary, colored with the children, distributed gifts and helped serve pizza, barbecue, macaroni and cheese, wings and veggies.

Lisenby said, "The more we did, the more fun it was, helping out the community, cleaning up, working with kids."

William and Andrea Redman of Tampa attended with six of their eight children. Through the years, they have fostered about 600 children.

"We couldn't do it without support," said Andrea, who also volunteers with the Foster Angels group. Their church, friends, family members and area organizations help them.

The Redman children had been to this party before. They were on the lookout for the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Rough Riders Inc., a Gasparilla krewe that in years past had brought large, beautiful teddy bears for them.

The kids were not disappointed. Five Rough Riders arrived in slouch hats, navy shirts, khaki slacks and blue-and-white dotted neckerchiefs with great cuddly bears for the children.

Susan Moyers of the Thieves of San Lorenzo krewe worked side-by-side with the Rough Riders.

The two krewes distributed 10,000 bears throughout the year to children in hospitals and shelters, giving "the kids something to hang onto in tough times," said John Howell, chairman of the teddy bear committee.

"We're helping out with Toys for Tots, too," said Steve Hall, a member of the Rough Riders board of directors, "since a lot of Marines aren't in town."

After the children received the teddy bears and parade-type beads, the eagerly awaited Santa Claus arrived. He called them by name, gave each one a gift and wished all a Merry Christmas.

Concert Features Brandon Players

SUN CITY CENTER - A fundraiser to help renovate the 210-seat Rollins Theater will include four bluegrass shows, from 1 to 3 and 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, and from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, in the Rollins Theater, 970 Cherry Hills Drive. The public is invited.

The shows will feature Ron Block, guitarist and banjoist for Allison Krauss and Union Station, and teen bluegrass-sensation Sierra Hull, mandolin player.

Brandon resident Cory Walker, on banjo, guitar and resonator guitar, and his brother Jarrod Walker, on mandolin, also will play. The two have been perfecting their craft for several years and perform as the Bluegrass Parlor Band with Cory and Jarrod Walker. This summer the brothers participated in a youth exchange tour to Japan. Cory also works with Sierra Hull in her band Highway 111.

Beth Lawrence, bassist for the Mark Newton Band, and Kelly Emerson, local banjo-playing son of award-winning musician Bill Emerson, also will participate in the concerts.

Tickets are $17 and are available from 9 a.m. to noon at the Atrium Kiosk, 1910 S. Pebble Beach Blvd. Credit card orders may be made by phone at (813) 642-0606.

Area YMCA Volunteer Honored

VALRICO - Miller Dowdy of the Trinity Advisory Group recently received the 2008 Ray Campo Leadership Award. He was honored for his exemplary leadership skills and community service to the YMCA.

Dowdy is a board member of the Campo Family YMCA, the major gifts chairman for the Brandon Area YMCAs' Building Strong Kids campaign and also led Campo's Family Fun Pool project.

He has been a board member of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, founding member of the Brandon Community Center and the Eastern Hillsborough County Economic Development Council, and served in 2007 on the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission. Dowdy also has volunteered at First Baptist Church of Brandon, the Brandon Area Youth Soccer League, Bloomingdale Little League and with the Newsome High School Marching Band.

Send news and photos of community interest to Barbara Routen at The Tampa Tribune, 505 W. Robertson St., Brandon FL 33511, e-mail neighbors@tampabay.rr.com or call (813) 657-4531

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