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Little Red Wagon Founder, 10, Is Finalist For Hero Award

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By BARBARA ROUTEN, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 2, 2008

Updated: 01/31/2008 05:22 pm

VALRICO - Hundreds of thousands of Americans have voted online to choose three hero finalists younger than 16 for the Alexandra Scott Butterfly Award, one of the sixth annual Volvo for Life Awards. One of the finalists, 10-year-old Zach Bonner, is a Valrico resident.

Alex Scott, for whom the award was named, raised more than $1 million for pediatric cancer research before passing away at age 8 from cancer. Her parents choose the award winner each year.

Zach began his philanthropic endeavors at age 6, when he gathered 27 truckloads of supplies to help people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. Since then, he has sent $600 and $7,000 worth of toys to children in Red Cross post-Katrina shelters. He held a holiday party for about 700 young Katrina victims living in FEMA trailer parks.

His Little Red Wagon Foundation collects and disseminates backpacks filled with supplies to needy children across the country. In his latest charitable endeavor in November, he walked from Tampa to Tallahassee to raise money and awareness about the more than 1 million homeless children in the United States.

Because Bonner is a finalist, Volvo will donate $10,000 in charitable contributions to his Little Red Wagon Foundation. If Scott's parents select him as the overall winner, his foundation will receive $25,000, and Volvo will pay his travel expenses to attend the Volvo for Life awards ceremony in New York on March 19.

"To be one of the top three finalists for the Volvo for Life Butterfly Awards means so much to me," Zach said. "It is an awesome honor. The $10,000 donation that the Little Red Wagon Foundation will receive will allow me to help so many kids. I have so many projects I want to do, and this money will allow them to become a reality."

Volvo has honored more than 17,000 "everyday heroes" since the company started the Volvo for Life Awards six years ago, donating millions of dollars to the charities they represented.

For information about the awards, visit www.volvoforlife awards.com. For information about Zach and his philanthropic efforts, visit www.little redwagonfoundation.com.

Foundation Benefits From Pizza Day

BRANDON - California Pizza Kitchen, 827 Brandon Town Center, held "Pizza Day" at its grand opening celebration Dec. 10 and gave proceeds from dine-in pizza sales to the Greater Brandon Community Foundation.

Kevin Jarvis, general manager of the Westfield Brandon California Pizza Kitchen, presented a $5,000 check inside a pizza box on Jan. 18 to Anne Nymark, president of the foundation.

"It was a very pleasant surprise," Nymark said. "We truly appreciate this wonderful gesture by the California Pizza Kitchen. The donation money will go to fund our charities."

Jarvis said the whole staff gave "100 percent support to make this a very special opening," and they plan to do more for the foundation. "It's good to give back to the community, and that feeling extends to the whole staff at the Westfield California Pizza Kitchen," he said.

The Greater Brandon Community Foundation was "founded and established by Anne Nymark and Arlene Waldron in 2003," said Deg'er Saner, media chairwoman for the foundation. It "is a nonprofit organization to raise funds for charities in the local community with a mission to improve the quality of life and shape the future by creating public awareness, developing resources and supporting initiatives that address local needs. Its vision is to provide a link between those with resources and those who need help, to mobilize individuals to become active partners in the building of a better community and to be a permanent resource for the needs of the future."

For information, visit www.brandonfoundation .com.

Shell Show Organizers Seek Spectators

SEMINOLE - The 60-member St. Petersburg Shell Club invites the public to its 61st annual Shell Show from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 23 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Seminole Recreation Center, 9100 113th St. N.

"There will be exhibits, door prizes every hour and shells and shell-related items for sale," said John Jacobs of Seffner, the club's newsletter editor.

"I'm retired Air Force," Jacobs said. "MacDill was my last assignment, having arrived in 1993. I've been a shell collector since 1975, when I was stationed on Guam. Shortly after arriving here, I found two shell clubs in the area, the other being Suncoast Conchologists in Clearwater.

"Each member has their own way of collecting," he said. "Some collect only dead shells on the beach, some land snails, some fossils, others are general collectors. ... Live collecting of shells is done by members but under strict guidelines."

The Shell Collector's Code of Ethics establishes parameters for live collections to protect mollusk colonies.

Adult admission to the shell show for nonmembers is two clams - or rather, $2. Members and children younger than 15 accompanied by an adult may enter free.

More than 70 years ago, the St. Petersburg Shell Club was organized to encourage shell collecting, marine conservation and malacology - the study of mollusks, which "include snails, squid, octopus, clams, oysters, scallops, slugs, etc.," Jacobs said. Its education committee teaches Tampa Bay area students about the local marine environment.

Monthly meetings are open to the public and held at 7:30 p.m. the second Friday from September through May at the Science Center of Pinellas County, 7701 22nd Ave., N., St. Petersburg. Jacobs will speak at the meeting Friday. His topic will be "Fossils: Is it a fossil or just dead?"

For information about the show or the club, visit www.stpeteshellclub.org.

Arts Council Names New Board Members

BRANDON - The Greater Brandon Area Arts Council met Jan. 14 and elected new board members for 2008. They are: Kim Hall, president; Anne Drewry, vice president; Candace Knapp, secretary; Walter Kuck, husband of Tampa Tribune correspondent Cheryl Kuck, treasurer; Meletha Everett, membership chairwoman; Laura Perez, youth representative, Rose Smith, media team; Cheryl Kuck, media team; Lisa Rodriguez, media team; Wayne Otto, media team; Bjorn Andren, Web master; Adriana Audi, Web team; Jenny James, Web team; Charlene S. Jones, hospitality coordinator; and Heather Ochalek, Minnette Webster and James Graves, members at large.

The arts council invites the public to the next board meeting at 6:15 p.m. Feb. 11 at the office of Kim Hall, 322 W. Robertson St., Brandon.

Snippets

The Riverview Detachment of the Marine Corps League will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at American Legion Post 148, 7240 U.S. 301, Riverview. Anyone who has served a tour with the Fleet Marine Force, including active duty or former Marines and Navy Corpsmen, may join. Call Jack Skelding at (813) 672-1778. ... The Greater Brandon Chapter No. 4442 of the AARP invites the public to a brown-bag lunch meeting at 11:30 a.m. Monday at the Brandon Recreation Center, 510 Sadie St. Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee will discuss security and safety for seniors. Call Mary Starling at (813) 689-2890.

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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