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Tag: Roy De Jesus

  • Lakeland ‘man of iron’ inspires others to chase dreams

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    LAKELAND, Fla. — A young Polk County man is attempting an incredible feat.

    Robert Norris has already signed his name in the Guinness World Records.

    Now, he is aiming for history and to change minds about what people with disabilities can achieve.

    What You Need To Know

    • Robert Norris is training to complete The Great World Race

    • Norris is now in the Guinness World Records as the first athlete with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman® triathlon with no guide

    • Norris documents his journey in his social media channels


    Warming up before a run on a cold January morning, 22-year-old Norris and his Lakeland Runners Club training partners are at the starting line of a journey that almost seems impossible.

    The workout is around beautiful Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland.

    During a water break, Norris spoke about the challenge happening in November later this year.

    “The Great World Race,” Norris said. “Seven marathons in seven continents in seven days.”

    You got that?

    The famed 7-7-7 is a multiday marathon with a total distance of more than 183 miles spanning the globe.

    “What he’s planning on doing is just something I myself cannot even dream of being able to do,” said Mark Dailey, who trains Norris.

    Dailey helped Norris with the bike ride portion of a triathlon.

    Norris participated in the Arizona Ironman® recently.

    It is the first he completed while signing his name in the Guinness World Records as the first athlete with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman® triathlon with no guide.

    You can see part of Norris’ mission statement on his social media pages, to “get fit with Robert Man of Iron…this is all about mindset.”

    His YouTube page is full of motivational videos.

    He started training for all this extreme competition just two years ago.

    He is not like other super athletes.

    It is his super abilities that make him stand out.

    Harry Araya also runs with Norris around Lake Hollingsworth prepping for the Great World Race.

    “For him to go out and prove to everyone that he’s able to do it unguided, it’s just absolutely amazing,” Araya said. “It inspired me to do better at my events.”

    They all have a simple message.

    “It’s all about following your dreams, chasing your dreams, and realizing that you can do whatever you set out to do,” Dailey said.

    Just taking Norris’ word for it to “stay fit, get outside, it’s a great day to go running,” and the impossible looks a lot more possible.

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  • Pinellas military family serving vets during Season of Giving

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Pinellas County military family has dedicated their lives to service.

    The family patriarch, a World War II U.S. Navy veteran living at a Bay Pines VA assisted living facility, inspired his family to give back.

    What You Need To Know

    • Mr. Harlan Springer served in World War II in the U.S. Navy

    • He now lives at the Bay Pines VA Community Living Center

    • He has inspired multiple generations of his family to give back and serve other veterans like him at Bay Pines


    At 99 years old, Mr. Harlan Springer has lived a remarkable life.

    “I’m thankful for being here because I never expected to live this long,” said Springer.

    Like many of his greatest generation peers, they have many remarkable stories to tell.

    Springer recalled when he enlisted in the Navy during the war, and it was him “having two brothers and a friend in there” that was not about to keep him home.

    The Veterans Health Administration produced a video of Springer documenting time in service.

    Springer was stationed on a destroyer vessel of a carrier fleet in the Pacific theatre of the war. Now, he lives at the Bay Pines VA Community Living Center in St. Petersburg.

    Spectrum Bay News 9 sat down with Springer to learn more about his life story and legacy, like the remarkable date he joined the war.

    “You see, it was June the sixth of 1944, and many years later I found out it was D-Day,” said Springer.

    Stories like Springer’s inspired generations after him, especially hitting closer to home.

    Chelbie Harrison is Springer’s great-granddaughter, and helped push Springer in his wheelchair around the facility for his daily stroll.

    “It’s very often, his name will pop up on the screen, and then my great-grandpa is ready to be picked up,” said Harrison.

    Harrison works at Bay Pines VA as a nursing assistant.

    “I get to see how his day is going and get to tell him about mine,” she said. “And I get to tell him about the newest things happening with his great-great-grands, who he always enjoys hearing about, right, Grandpa?”

    “Oh, yes!” responded Springer excitedly.

    While Cole Long, Harrison’s brother or Springer’s great grandson, is also making the rounds at Bay Pines as a registered nurse.

    Their mom, Christine Long or Springer’s granddaughter, also works at Bay Pines VA.

    Every year she works to organize and participates in the Adopt-a-Veteran program.

    Over the years the combined family has supported hundreds of military families to celebrate the holiday season.

    All three family members are immensely proud of the service they provide, and said they are inspired by their remarkable grandfather and his friends at the VA.

    “I take pride in being able to give back and take care of the veterans who took care of us and fought with their lives to have our freedoms,” said Harrison.

    “They’ve been through a lot so it’s nice to give back to them,” said Cole. “It’s rewarding.”

    As for Springer, it is another Christmas he is celebrating and even crafting gifts for the youngest of the generations, his great-great-grandkids.

    And he is looking forward to another milestone for the holidays.

    “You know I’m 99 and I understand I got a one percent chance to make it to 100…so statistically,” he said. “But I’m going to do it, I’ve decided.”

    He has had 99 remarkable years and now one big reason to be thankful this holiday season.

    Find your local Veterans Health Administration Community Living Center for more information on healthcare and support. 

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  • Parrish Grandma Club celebrating the holiday season

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    PARRISH, Fla. –– A group of high school seniors in Manatee County started a club three years ago where the requirement for membership is to invite a grandma and love on them.

    Hence the Grandma Club began.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Sandy Angilly moved to Florida after retirement and needed to meet new friends

    •  Sandy’s granddaughter Mia decided to form a school club to help other grandmas connect with friendships

    •  The Parrish High School Grandma Club has grown and is connecting a multigenerational group of women


    Sandy Angilly is excited this holiday season to be decorating with a group of multigenerational friends.

    As she was crafting an ornament, she said it is a “great experience for someone at my age looking to be taking on something this new.”

    She is referring to her new social club.

    Sandy moved to Florida from Rhode Island in 2022.

    She is a retired nurse who cared for cancer patients and is no stranger to challenging moments.

    “Everyone would say, ‘well how could you do that?” she recounted. “Well because maybe you could brighten somebody’s day who is going through a terrible time.”

    Mia Polseno is a senior at Parrish Community High School in Manatee County.

    With graduation months away, students need to complete community service and other requirements to be eligible for scholarships and other awards. But this requirement is not just a task to check off.

    If you listen closely to Mia, she takes after her grandma, Sandy.

    “It’s a lot more than just signing off the hours on paper and turning it into the office,” said Mia. “We wanted to do something that we could see make a difference because it brightens our day.”

    To create a social network for Sandy as a new Floridian, Mia and a group of her friends created the Grandma Club in 2022.

    “I hadn’t had to think about how to make friends in a long time,” said Sandy.

    From making Christmas cookies to crafting decorations, the club does more than just bring the ladies together. The ladies meet new friends and spend time with other young women once a month in different social settings.

    Other events include making floral arrangements, pottery painting, bracelet making, etc.

    “You know what, sometimes it’s good to be put outside of your comfort zone,” said Sandy.

    What Mia did not realize is how many other women in the community would appreciate a club like this, such as 92-year-old Marion Balancia.

    The high school girls often pick up Marion and give her a ride to the events, which take place once a month.

    “It’s nice seeing our acts of kindness like trickle down to areas and people reaching out help us,” said Mia.

    Mia is referring to the support the club has received from other organizations and businesses. One of them is the Parrish Fire Department which provides the community room at the fire station where meetings happen.

    For Sandy, the time spent in her new social club has translated to new friends. But most importantly, Sandy has shared more time with her granddaughter Mia.

    “It’s a wonderful experience all those generations melding together, you know,” she said. “The kids are great.”

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  • Local Toys for Tots youth ambassador inspiring more service

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. — As we look ahead to Thanksgiving and Black Friday this 2025, the holiday giving season really ramps up, and one Bay area teen is showing the way for others to do more community service while getting inspired by his dad’s own service. 

    Paxton Dulski, a senior at Clearwater’s Calvary Christian High School, has made it his passion project to organize Toys for Tots collection sites.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Paxton Dulski, a senior at Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, is a Toys for Tots National Ambassador

    •  He says he is inspired by his father’s service to his country as a Marine veteran and his community as a law enforcement officer

    •  Dulski has been promoting toy donations at the different sites he has set up in the Bay area


    Paxton loves to spend a lot of time on the baseball diamond at Calvary Christian as one of the team leaders.

    As with any teenager, his life is centered around activities like these.

    But his passion is in volunteering.

    “Like the opportunity to help others,” Paxton said. “So, I think I can use the Toys for Tots platform to like show the blessing that I have to others and to bless them.”

    A run through of his days takes him from school to various locations where he has placed the Toys for Tots collection boxes, at least 10 of them.

    He is in fact a National Ambassador for Toys for Tots, a nonprofit created at the behest of the Marine Corps in 1991.

    As it states on their website, the basic mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Program is to collect new unwrapped toys and distribute those toys to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas.

    And Paxton has been helping for years, starting first as a volunteer for the program.

    He has a big reason and inspiration which drives his service to the community.

    One of his deliveries is at Largo Police Department and City Hall.

    “He is motivated, he is empathetic, he’s a giver,” said his father, Lt. Ryan Dulski. “This is a passion that he had.”

    Those words of praise come from — you could say one of Paxton’s biggest inspirations — his father.

    “That’s probably the best part of it, you literally have a child helping children and he’s learning from it at the same time,” said Lt. Dulski.

    It is this year’s Toys for Tots theme — children helping children.

    Paxton has been all over Pinellas County logging hundreds of hours to set up the toy collection boxes, from bingo nights at the neighborhood clubhouse to box set-ups at mom’s work.

    All the while, dad said Paxton is maintaining a nearly 4.5 GPA, and he is also a leader for the baseball team.

    “Those are time-intensive things, both studies and being a student athlete but to tag on volunteering and hundreds of hours of volunteering,” said. Lt. Dulski.

    Paxton would say it is the service of his father, who also happens to be a Marine veteran, that he is trying to emulate.

    He wants others to find their own inspiration.

    “I just hope that they can make an impact too,” said Paxton. “Because like I said, I started out volunteering and that’s one of the biggest blessings that you can help others.”

    As they say, it is much better to give than to get.

    A motto we can all live by this holiday season.

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  • Pioneer Florida Museum and Village to hold Civil War reenactment

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    DADE CITY, Fla. — The Pioneer Florida Museum and Village in Dade City will host a Civil War reenactment on Saturday.

    But there is more going on than just witnessing a battle.

    There will be living history presentations such as traditional blacksmith and carpentry demos.

    It will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Spectrum Bay News 9’s Roy De Jesus previews the event above.

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  • Ukrainian Sarasota resident dancing for world championship

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    SARASOTA, Fla. — The World DanceSport Federation Championships are happening this weekend.

    Team USA is well represented by one of our new Sunshine State residents.

    Born in Ukraine, Dmytro Roshchupkin now has a home base in Sarasota where he is inspiring others by his story.

    What You Need To Know

    • Dmytro Roshchupkin is competing for the U.S. in the World DanceSport Federation Championships

    • Dmytro evacuated Ukraine when the war broke out and was taken in by the Sarasota community

    • He thanks the people who have helped him transition into his new life


    Dmytro is swinging into every dance practice with a smile.

    At 21 years old, he is also a dance instructor with inspirational advice.

    “There is no challenge that you cannot overcome,” said Dmytro. “If it is there, you are capable. And when you are able to overcome it, it just makes you a different person, and you are in a better place than you have ever been before.”

    He is not just talking about learning how to dance, though.

    The war in Ukraine forced him to leave his homeland when he was just a teenager.

    “When the war started, it kind of changed everything,” he said. “We had to leave the country. I stopped dancing for, like, probably like a year.”

    He moved from Ukraine to Germany first.

    Coincidentally, Dmytro returns to Germany for the championships this weekend. 

    His grandparents, who also evacuated the war-torn city of Kharkiv, are also there.

    Dmytro’s parents and siblings are in New York after fleeing the war.

    But Dmytro’s experience shortly after the start of the fighting was just a temporary pause from doing what he loves.

    He finally landed in Florida, where he is heating up the dance floor.

    “Dima has been there through, like, thick and thin,” said his practice partner Alexis Aker. “He has definitely shown me the groundwork and the blueprint of ballroom.”

    Aker is also a dance instructor at the Sarasota studio where Dmytro teaches.

    She affectionately calls him Dima and is now his dance disciple.

    “He has this eagerness for knowledge, and it really elevates everyone in the room,” she said.

    She is also lending her time to get him ready for his next challenge which is taking on the best from other countries in the World DanceSport Federation Championships.

    She said it is how Dmytro has managed the war experience that really stands out.

    “It’s just really inspiring how much he was focused on all the people, on all his students,” she said. “He gave himself to his students and that was like wow…I want to be like that one day.”

    For Dmytro, he would not have it any other way.

    It is the people who welcomed him to his new home that inspire him.

    “It’s the people who greeted me that warmly on the first day I came here. Meeting me at airport, giving me all that love and shine,” said Dmytro. “And being so nice to me when I didn’t even speak any English at the beginning.”

    But he does speak perseverance and soon hopes to talk championships.

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  • A look back at The Center of Anna Maria Island’s inspiring recovery efforts

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    ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. — The Center of Anna Maria Island became the central hub for recovery in a community battered by back-to-back storms.

    The damage Helene and Milton left behind, you can still see today.

    During the time shortly after the storms passed, The Center also became a symbol of community and inspiration.

    What You Need To Know

    •  The Center of Anna Maria Island turned into the community’s recovery hub

    •  Christopher Culhane is the center’s Executive Director and said the yearlong efforts to get back to normal have been tough

    •  The Center has been providing youth sports and other activities for the community which relied on it for hurricane relief


    The Anna Maria Island community suffered major impacts twice, however, the place most residents consider a home base also became a beacon of hope.

    Holmes Beach resident Brooke Svoboda said she has lived on the island for years and The Center on Anna Maria Island became an integral part of the days after the storms.

    “And then the supplies started coming in and it was a home. You got a smile when you started coming in, warm food, supplies,” said Svoboda. “They know it’s the heartbeat of this community and they know the island would not be the same without it.”

    A year later, the community center’s children are scoring big during the center of youth soccer league games, which started back up for the fall season a couple of weeks ago.

    Ironically, that league start would put it on the same timing as the storms arriving a year ago.

    “The hurricanes damaged a little bit of everything on the island,” said The Center of Anna Maria Island Executive Director Christopher Culhane, as he started talking about his recollection of the storms. “Pretty dramatic. All of the tennis court. All of the higher fencing, all of it got blown over. The scoreboard we lost as well. “

    A newly installed scoreboard is now up. And what caused all of this is a bad memory for most residents in the Bay area.

    From fires bursting from downed power lines to rushing water over submerged streets, the moments right after the hurricanes were incredibly challenging and a chaotic scene.

    The double impact of hurricane winds and flooding devastated Anna Maria Island and anything on it.

    But Culhane also said something else happened soon after.

    “The Center stepped up with many other organizations and started a volunteer effort to put the island back together,” he said.

    Neighbors were in need, such as Svoboda, who relies on The Center for her family’s youth activities.

    A year ago, she relied on them even more.

    “We did stay on the island. We didn’t evacuate,” she said. “And after the hurricane hit, we came to The Center, we got supplies. It was like our home when everything was chaos and destroyed.”

    And more started to happen.

    The Center would then help plant almost 30,000 plants to renourish the beaches.

    They also held a relief concert last November with Lynyrd Skynyrd, raising more than $400,000 for temporarily unemployed AMI hospitality workers.

    The Center being so close to the water, like everything else on Anna Maria Island, also faced its challenges.

    It has been a yearlong effort to get back. The sod on the soccer fields had to get redone. The fencing and tennis courts are not fully restored.

    Nevertheless, they are playing on them today.

    The Center and its staff got recognition for all the arduous work they did over the year, and following their social media one can see how much.

    As well as the efforts continue even today to inspire others like Svoboda’s son, Parker.

    “We started a little business, and we thought it would be good to donate some back to the Center,” said Parker. “And we’ve done it enough to get to have our jerseys.”

    Proceeds from Parker’s printing business is going back to The Center to help in other ways.

    Because the kind of teamwork you see on the field during the youth games is also what happens on Anna Maria Island, according to Culhane.

    “This community steps up,” he said. “The Center wouldn’t be here without the community. And the community always stands strong with events like this past year.”

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  • Feather Sound resident spreads hope a year after Helene

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. — A year ago on Sept. 26, Tampa Bay area residents woke up to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

    Some of our neighbors are still facing challenges.

    Some still rebuilding and some trying to make it better for the community.

    What You Need To Know

    • Lisa Crawford, who lives in the Feather Sound neighborhood of Clearwater, is still working on her home rebuild after Helene a year ago

    • Crawford’s contractor started the work in May

    • Crawford is spreading positivity by handing out wristbands with messages of hope


    Lisa Crawford experienced the same uncertainty that came after the storm.

    Her contractor is still nailing down the final changes to her home.

    “Everything is coming out great,” she said. “The paint just needs some touch-ups.”

    The contractor, Alex Erazo, worked on the crown molding finishes of the project earlier this September.

    Crawford had to wait until May to get started on her rebuild.

    She retold her experience from that night in late September of last year.

    “When’s it going to stop? Like we didn’t know if it was going to be three inches or three feet,” she said. “We truly did not know that, and we sat on the stairway and watched as the water started to rise.”

    She lives in the Feather Sound community of Clearwater, on the edge of Old Tampa Bay.

    What she saw out her window that night was what was supposed to be a golf course.

    But it had become something different.

    “We watched furniture, little furniture floating by and we sort of giggled about it because we didn’t know what else to do,” she said.

    She confessed it was no laughing matter.

    At daybreak, she had about a foot of water inside her home. The entrance to her neighborhood was underwater.

    She said her story is like other recollections from that morning.

    The wooden floors of her home had to be ripped out. Some of the rooms and walls on the lower level of the house had to be gutted.

    Crews tossed out the furniture to the curb, while piles of debris soon covered driveways.

    Today, the recovery work is ongoing.

    Erazo, who is working on Crawford’s home with the rebuild part of the project, said he started the cleanup phase a week after Helene passed through at other homes in the area.

    One year after Crawford’s kitchen got wrecked, it is just now starting to measure up to her expectations.

    Meantime, Crawford is also building up her community. She started an effort to share positivity.

    “Just to spread the message,” Crawford said. “Let’s stay strong, we’ve got each other’s back. We’re here, all you have to do is ask.”

    She created hundreds of wristbands with messages of hope and is handing them out.

    “As devastating as it feels, you do get to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

    She wants other communities to spread the message too and is accepting requests from people who contact her through the Nextdoor app.

    She admits it does take a long time to recover, and others have had it worse. She said though to stay positive through the process.

    And Helene is only half of her story.

    She evacuated before Hurricane Milton which impacted the Bay area a couple of weeks after Helene. She came back to find more damage to her home such as a hole in her bathroom.

    Like the Trop in downtown St. Pete which had its roof torn apart, Crawford’s pool cage got ripped apart too.

    But even on a cloudy day, she still believes there is a rainbow after every storm.

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  • Seminole High volleyball player with prosthetic inspires self confidence

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    SEMINOLE, Fla. —  Seminole High School JV volleyball player Shaleigh Hirtzel is working on her dream of playing at the collegiate level. 

    She is also an inspiration not only for her moves on the court, but also for the drive and determination it took for her to get there.

    Shaleigh gets a lot of attention when playing.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Shaleigh Hirtzel, who plays with a prosthetic, made the Seminole High School JV volleyball squad

    •  Shaleigh hopes her story inspires other student athletes to overcome their obstacles

    •  Teammates and coaches say her positive attitude is great


    For one thing, she is quite vocal, pushing her teammates to do their best in every play.

    In turn, her teammates love her.

    But really, it is the way she plays and that is with a prosthetic.

    “Obviously, every time you try something new, it’s going to be hard,” Shaleigh said. “And I’ve never had a forearm before, and this is basically acting like that.”

    As Shaleigh explained, she was born with a limb difference.

    How she is similar to other young athletes is in the desire to be the best.

    Her coach at Seminole High said it is her attitude on and off the court that has resulted in great improvements in her game.

    “I love her determination to get better,” said coach Chad Mowrey. “She wants to improve every aspect of her game regardless of if it’s a difficult task or an easy task.”

    More specifically, it is her positivity.

    Shaleigh is a 10th-grader, and she has only been playing for about three years.

    “And I think that shows everybody else, if she can do it, so can others,” said coach Mowrey.

    She is serving up a lesson in confidence to kids facing adversities.

    “Kids that are like me, I want to be able to inspire them,” Shaleigh said. “And show them, even though you’re different, you can still do it.”

    She also has a message for others.

    “Then, also help the kids out who don’t have a limb difference understand it better,” she said.

    No matter the challenge, she is overcoming it and having fun while doing it.

    Shaleigh has big plans and aspirations.

    She would like to get the attention of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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  • Seminole High volleyball player with prosthetic inspires self confidence

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    SEMINOLE, Fla. —  Seminole High School JV volleyball player Shaleigh Hirtzel is working on her dream of playing at the collegiate level. 

    She is also an inspiration not only for her moves on the court, but also for the drive and determination it took for her to get there.

    Shaleigh gets a lot of attention when playing.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Shaleigh Hirtzel, who plays with a prosthetic, made the Seminole High School JV volleyball squad

    •  Shaleigh hopes her story inspires other student athletes to overcome their obstacles

    •  Teammates and coaches say her positive attitude is great


    For one thing, she is quite vocal, pushing her teammates to do their best in every play.

    In turn, her teammates love her.

    But really, it is the way she plays and that is with a prosthetic.

    “Obviously, every time you try something new, it’s going to be hard,” Shaleigh said. “And I’ve never had a forearm before, and this is basically acting like that.”

    As Shaleigh explained, she was born with a limb difference.

    How she is similar to other young athletes is in the desire to be the best.

    Her coach at Seminole High said it is her attitude on and off the court that has resulted in great improvements in her game.

    “I love her determination to get better,” said coach Chad Mowrey. “She wants to improve every aspect of her game regardless of if it’s a difficult task or an easy task.”

    More specifically, it is her positivity.

    Shaleigh is a 10th-grader, and she has only been playing for about three years.

    “And I think that shows everybody else, if she can do it, so can others,” said coach Mowrey.

    She is serving up a lesson in confidence to kids facing adversities.

    “Kids that are like me, I want to be able to inspire them,” Shaleigh said. “And show them, even though you’re different, you can still do it.”

    She also has a message for others.

    “Then, also help the kids out who don’t have a limb difference understand it better,” she said.

    No matter the challenge, she is overcoming it and having fun while doing it.

    Shaleigh has big plans and aspirations.

    She would like to get the attention of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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  • Polk mother of three beats cancer with support her three pillars

    Polk mother of three beats cancer with support her three pillars

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    WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — In today’s Pursuit Unlimited story, we look at how faith can play a significant role in recovering from illness.

    A Polk County mom of three is telling her story of how she overcame a cancer diagnosis with support from her community, a place she finds comfort in and a little help from above.

    What You Need To Know

    • Kate Sauers, a mother of three, battled Lymphoma cancer and beat it over the last year 

    • Kate relied on her community, her faith, and the Carol Jenkins Barnett United Way Children’s Resource Center

    • She now teaches a Learning with Littles mommy class at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in Winter Haven


    Kate Sauers gets emotional recalling her journey in the last year and a half.

    “This picture is really special because this is at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa,” Sauers said.

    She met with a Lymphoma specialist who told her exactly what she needed to hear.

    “And we saw a specialist there who had specialized in Lymphoma, and he said you are done, you’re in complete remission. There isn’t cancer there.”

    Before that, doctors diagnosed her on her daughter’s third birthday.

    Sauers is now cancer free, and she is relishing her mommy time.

    She teaches a Learning with Littles class at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in Winter Haven.

    Her husband is the pastor there.

    Sauers credits her village which helped her get through the challenges.

    “I just think moms need a tribe of people,” she said. “Sometimes mommy is lonely, sometimes it’s hard.”

    Ashley Wilson is a part of Kate’s tribe and told us why it helps in uncertain times.

    “Having that tribe or that village to be that sounding board,” Wilson said. “Oh, my kid’s doing this, is that okay? Like, what should we be doing and how should we be handling this?”

    Most of all, Sauers leaned into her faith.

    “I felt like God wanted me to be here still and that I had a purpose with these kiddos and that’s part of what kept me going,” said Sauers.

    For her sense of self, this mommy also relied on a safe space.

    “I didn’t tell people right away that I had cancer and so I was wearing a wig, and it was just nice to have a place to go where I could be just Kate the mom,” she said.

    That is at the Carol Jenkins Barnett United Way Children’s Resource Center in Lakeland.

    The Center helps families with early childhood development classes.

    And it is a place Saures considers helped her be the best mommy, despite her condition.

    “This has really given me the opportunity to do that when I was diagnosed with cancer, during cancer time and now.”

    Where she has found healing in faith, community, and knowledge. 

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  • Life is still Gouda for hurricane victim who helps others

    Life is still Gouda for hurricane victim who helps others

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    TAMPA, Fla. — The #TampaStrong is trending since the storms impacted the Bay area.

    What You Need To Know

    • Sasha Kelly, who owns Life is Gouda in South Tampa, lost a lot of her belongings in Hurricane Milton

    • Kelly had rallied local businesses and volunteers in relief efforts for Hurricane Helene aftermath

    • The community is now coming to Sasha’s aid

    It is a rallying cry to overcome the challenges presented by hurricanes Helene and Milton.

    In the Moms of South Tampa Facebook group, one mom and her community are doing just that.

    Sasha Kelly started the week by looking at her belongings that remain after Milton.

    “We were able to salvage just a few pieces of furniture and stuff that were in plastic totes and some other stuff,” Sasha said.

    Inside her home in the Ballast Point neighborhood of South Tampa, Sasha barely had words to describe what she has lost.

    “I know it’s just things and they can be replaced,” she said. “But seeing your son’s bed completely saturated and how much he loves his bed, or you know just…you work hard, and it could all be gone just like that.”

    About three weeks ago, the day before Helene hit, Sasha got her permit to open her storefront, Life is Gouda, Charcuteries.

    That grand opening still has not happened.

    Because the day after Helene, a different mission began to rally local businesses and volunteers.

    “We all just got together and started assembling,” she said.

    She turned her kitchen into a meal making factory.

    Then she helped hand out more than 1,300 meals to Helene-affected families, Title 1 schools, and others who were hungry at a time of need.

    “Our community is so beautiful of how it all came together in the darkest times to bring a little light into what we’re going through right now,” said Sasha.

    Which takes us now to days after Milton.

    Again, she is at a loss for words.

    “It’s just gutting,” she said. “Like so many people are out there picking up pieces of their life.”

    But something else has happened.

    That help handed during Helene has made its way back for Milton recovery.

    Eric Sanchez, a dear friend, showed up to move her remaining furniture.

    “It’s very crucial to extend your hand in moments that we really need it,” Sanchez said. “I think she’s a phenomenal caring person and she’s always the friend that you need when it’s most needed as a lot of people have experienced.”

    People have signed up to provide her meals for the rest of the month.

    She says her work to help others will not stop either.

    She says, “Where I’m needed for help and how I can help.”

    Because for her, life is Gouda and so is her #TampaStrong community.

    Sasha is very thankful to all the volunteers and people who have helped her personally and with relief efforts.

    She is pursuing that still and will be donating 10% of her proceeds from Life is Gouda to recovery organizations.

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  • Eckerd College students feeling good by feeling safe

    Eckerd College students feeling good by feeling safe

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Through September, Weapon Brand, a small business in St. Pete, is offering free self-defense classes to a select group.

    The company’s classes mix fitness with practical skills for personal empowerment.

    Weapon Brand offers other courses in personal safety as well.

    What You Need To Know

    • Weapon Brand self defense is holding free courses for Eckerd College incoming freshmen  

    • Weapon Brand’s classes mix fitness with practical skills for personal empowerment
    • 22 Eckerd College students new to campus life are taking the class


    A group of students from Eckerd College recently took the high-speed combatives self-defense workshop and is feeling good by feeling safe.

    Madison Prois is jumping into something new.

    “I at least jump off the Pier once a week and I can’t wait to keep getting in the water,” Prois said.

    She is new to the area and is getting into self-defense as she starts her in her first year at Eckerd College.

    “I do carry around pepper spray so that’s also helpful but that could always go wrong,” she said. “It’s not always going to work.”

    Prois plays for Eckerd’s beach volleyball team.

    Her teammate, Ella Kloepper, who is also a new at Eckerd, took the class as well.

    The class instructor, Brian Anderson Needham, explained what the students get out of high-speed combatives.

    He said it is “basic instruction on how to avoid danger if they can avoid it.”

    It is also about how to fight out of an attack while also getting in a good workout.

    Needham is the co-owner of Weapon Brand.

    The retired Marine gave the free class to 22 Eckerd students new to campus life.

    The program is part of their orientation in more ways than one.

    “This maybe a new time for them to be in a community and an environment that it’s a little bit different,” Needham said.

    What is not different, said Needham, are the skills needed to feel safe. 

    Prois and Kloepper are feeling empowered.

    “I feel like I’m leaving with confidence,” said Kloepper. “If I was put in a situation, I have many ways that I can get out of it and a way to feel safe around campus and out.”

    Prois said it is “definitely worth it and I could definitely use it in the future.”

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  • Lotz of Blessings packs snacks for food insecure students

    Lotz of Blessings packs snacks for food insecure students

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Lotz of Blessings nonprofit in Clearwater has a pretty simple mission, which is to organize events throughout the year to help the less fortunate.

    They provide snack bags for children who are food insecure.

    They provide blankets and sleeping assistance to the homeless.

    They provide school supplies for kids who went back to school recently.

    What is most impressive is that the organizers of this group are other children.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Lotz of Blessings nonprofit in Pinellas helps out with their volunteer programs

    •  Their Pack a Snack program fills bags of snacks for students who are food insecure

    • The nonprofit is partly ran and organized by student volunteers 


    Their most recent program is helping make tummies feel full and kids feel good ahead of the long Labor Day Holiday weekend.

    In that event, about 55 volunteers with 30 children among them lined up to pack snack bags while they got a lesson in kindness.

    Reese Gatchell is a third grader who is participating in the Lotz of Blessings pack a snack program.

    “I feel like it’s a kind way to open up to people and help people,” said Reese.

    Lotz of Blessings’ Advisory Board Member Rowan Cowley explained how the pack a snack program works.

    “Well, they’re volunteering and packing bags for kids who are food insecure,” Rowan said.

    Rowan is a seventh-grader in Pinellas County and is helping other students.

    He partly runs the show at the Lotz of Blessings.

    “We organize all of the projects that we do like this,” he said. “We do this monthly.”

    Most recently, they did a back-to-school bash.

    “Got donations of a bunch of school supplies and gave it to kids who need supplies for the school year,” said Carter Lotz.

    Carter’s parents came up with the idea for Lotz of Blessings.

    Carter, who is also in seventh grade, is also an advisory member as well and he has been doing this nonprofit work for about seven years.

    “At first I felt confused because I was young,” Carter said.

    But then, it made Lotz of sense.

    “I feel good cause I get to help,” he said.

    And little Reese is well on her way to possibly becoming a student advisor at Lotz of Blessings because of what they do for the community.

    “It can go around,” Reese said. “You can pass it to other people. You can say, ‘Hey do you want to help at this place,’ you know…it’s kind of contagious.”

    It is a good feeling everyone should experience.

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  • Mt. Vernon Elementary sends new teachers on shopping spree

    Mt. Vernon Elementary sends new teachers on shopping spree

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Mt. Vernon Elementary Principal Nikishia Dixon said it is through community partnerships with private companies such as Office Depot that the Pinellas County school can supplement the student experience and help teachers with adequate resources.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Mt. Vernon Elementary gifted their new teachers with $100 gift certificates

    •  Teachers used the money to buy supplies ahead of Back to School Day on August 12

    •  Principal Nikishia Dixon says community partners help supplement school resources


    For the past couple of weeks, teachers and administrators have been getting ready for the big Back to School Day on Monday.

    Mt. Vernon Elementary welcomed their new teachers with a special surprise.

    With donations from the local Office Depot store, Mt. Vernon surprised their newly hired educators with a $100 shopping spree.

    From crayons to planning calendars and label makers, the teachers from Mt. Vernon shopped for their supplies ahead of the big day.

    Madison Cossairt, a new first-grade teacher, got a nod of approval from Dixon when she looked at the items in the shopping cart.

    Akela Harris, who is also a new teacher, described what it is like leading up to the first day.

    “So, this is my favorite time of the year,” Harris said. “Back to school, it just brings me like to a Christmas feeling.”

    And if it is like Christmas, Dixon is the one delivering presents.

    Dixon handed out the gift certificates to about a dozen new teachers at her school.

    She said it is to reassure the new hires.

    “So, I want them to know that they made the right choice,” Dixon said. “I know I made the right choice, but they made the right choice by picking Mt. Vernon Elementary.”

    Harris said it goes beyond helping the teachers.

    “Some people look at it as the teachers are getting these supplies,” Harris said. “But really, it’s for the kids.”

    After they finished shopping, the new teachers took a tour of their campus and unloaded their supplies to get their classrooms ready.

    Atiana Mason, who is starting a third-grade class at Mt. Vernon, showed off her new supplies.

    Cossairt got excited to make her new classroom cozy for her students.

    They are good feelings, that Dixon said are simply priceless.

    “The smiles and the faces of the kids, there’s no paycheck that can give me the feeling that that gives me,” Dixon said.

    Dixon added the opportunities like the one her new teachers experienced make it all worth it.

    Dixon said the community partners help Mt. Vernon every quarter with donations.

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  • Girls Rock St. Pete summer camp Rocks Jannus Live

    Girls Rock St. Pete summer camp Rocks Jannus Live

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Girls Rock St. Pete is having their fifth summer camp rock concert this weekend at Jannus Live.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Girls Rock St. Pete having performances this weekend at Jannus Live

    •  Girls and gender-expansive youth gathered for a week to learn instruments and band together for the show

    •  The program inspires resiliency, confidence, and support among youth


    The rock show performances begin at 6 p.m. and you can find tickets on this link.

    About 50 young summer campers ages eight to 17 took a week to learn instruments and banded together to perform in front of the expected large crowd on Saturday

    Spectrum News went to the summer camp jam session where the campers learned to rock out and to transform.

    Mazzy Tateishi is 12 years old and attended her second year of Girls Rock St. Pete.

    “Coming into this, I’m super nervous,” Mazzy said. “And coming out, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it’s like the best experience in my life.’”

    This week, she learned the drums.

    Jesse Miller is the executive director of the Girls Rock St. Pete.

    She told Spectrum News the participants are picking up more than how to play the instruments.

    “To figure out how to write a song in five days on an instrument you’ve never played before with people you’ve never met,” Miller said. “So, it sounds impossible, but what the campers realize is that they can do this.”

    The empowerment Miller describes is transformative.

    She said what they learn in camp can crossover to other parts of their lives.

    “Fill up a toolbox that helps their self-confidence and then after camp take that into the world,” Miller said.

    The camp counselors are professional musicians who volunteer their services.

    They told us every minute of the camp is to help give the young students who range in age of eight to 17 a voice and inspire confidence.

    Charlena Howard, a rising senior, has been doing GRSP since she was nine years old when she lived in California.

    “I feel like this place is a great place to find your people and fit in,” Charlena said.

    The camp is a place where “hitting the wrong note” is welcomed.

    “If you are encouraged to make mistakes, and you keep on making mistakes and keep getting better, what you teach yourself is how resilient you can be,” said the director of the program.

    Mazzy said that is what this camp is all about.

    “It just makes you feel so supported because you come in and it’s like one big family,” said Mazzy. “Everyone is there for you, and you always have a smile on your face. It’s just awesome.”

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  • Beach Responsibly Project founders wants to clean up Treasure Island

    Beach Responsibly Project founders wants to clean up Treasure Island

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    TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — All the visitors to Tampa Bay area beaches could lead to a big beach cleanup effort after Fourth of July festivities as a small business in St. Petersburg is having a cleanup event on Saturday morning in Treasure Island to try and help in those efforts.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Beach Responsibly Project beach cleanup event is Saturday, July 6 at 8 a.m. 

    •  The nonprofit started as an offshoot from Chris McCormick’s beach lifestyle business, The Sandbar Clothing Co.

    •  The group hopes to expand to more beach cleanup efforts in the area


    The Beach Responsibly Project non-profit organization started as an off shoot of Chris McCormick’s beach lifestyle business — The Sandbar Clothing Company.

    The headquarters are in downtown St. Pete.

    However, this weekend McCormick and his girlfriend Shannon Estes-Larkin, who also helps run The Beach Responsibly Project, will be at the beach where more volunteers are needed to participate in the beach cleanup event.

    The couple can be found picking up trash at Treasure Island Beach. On one particular morning, they grabbed their gear of trash picker devices and bags to put what they collect in the sand.

    McCormick and Estes-Larkin started their day in Treasure Island as usual. They live right on the beach and make it their mission to keep it clean.

    They hope others join them this Saturday.

    “Two days after the Fourth of July, it’s usually a pretty trashy day,” said McCormick.

    The Beach Responsibly Project cleanup effort will get underway at about 8 a.m. The meeting spot is at the Treasure Island public parking on 104th Avenue and Gulf Boulevard.

    “I don’t think it’s anything that people do on purpose, but things get left behind,” said McCormick.

    From towels to typical trash, they couple even picked up beach toys left behind.

    However, not everything that gets collected ends up in a dumpster.

    “We separate anything that needs to be separated,” McCormick said.

    “Recyclables from stuff that can actually be disposed of and then kind of go from there,” Estes-Larkin added.

    The event hopes to get more people involved in future beach cleanups.

    “I know it’s like a very popular spot for not only visitors but for our own communities too,” said Estes-Larkin. “So, it’s really important to keep our beaches clean and to just make sure that we’re doing our part to be a part of that.”

    McCormick said if the event is a success, they would like to expand into other locations to do beach cleanups.

    As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

    For McCormick and Estes-Larkin, they just like keeping Treasure Island clean.

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  • The Visual Bucket List sends Polk County family to Australia

    The Visual Bucket List sends Polk County family to Australia

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    WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — If you could pick anywhere in the world to visit, where would you go?

    What You Need To Know

    • Lily Light and her family are visiting Australia thanks to The Visual Bucket List Foundation    

    • The foundation started in 2016 after the co-founders received a gift for their daughter with a visual impairment

    • Lily will get to scratch off items on her bucket list such as snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and visiting zoos

    It is a “bucket list” question for us all, and a Polk County family got great news. They are scratching a trip of a lifetime off their list.

    The Visual Bucket List Foundation picked the Light family in Winter Haven and are gifting 12-year-old Lily with a trip to Australia.

    Lily has a condition which severely and permanently debilitates her eyesight.

    ABOVE: Lily’s dad talks about the trip

    The Visual Bucket List Foundation grants wishes to children like Lily.

    This week, the nonprofit’s co-founder, Christine Myers, also handed Lily a new camera she can take on the trip.

    Lily is planning to put it to good use in documenting this voyage. She loves animals and has always wanted to visit the Great Down Under.

    ABOVE: Lily talks about her upcoming trip to Australia

    “Kangaroo has been my favorite animal since I was very little, and I have absolutely loved all the animals in Australia. I’m really excited,” Lily said. “I’m going to get to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. I’m going to get to go to two different zoos.”

    The story behind the foundation is also amazing.

    “The Visual Bucket List Foundation is a pay it forward,” explained Christine Myers. “So, for us this is our way of giving back the gift we received for our daughter back in 2016.”

    ABOVE: Christine Myers talks about The Visual Bucket List

    Lily’s family is leaving later this summer to Australia, which will be that country’s winter season.

    They are all overly excited and feeling good.

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  • Pinellas Park’s Patti Johnson Farm’s contests help with outreach

    Pinellas Park’s Patti Johnson Farm’s contests help with outreach

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    PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — The City of Pinellas Park wants you to know about one of their relatively new offerings from Parks and Rec.

    In one of the most densely populated parts of the Sunshine State, animals roam in the fully functioning Patti Johnson Farm.

    What You Need To Know

    • Pinellas Park’s Patti Johnson Farm was established in 2022 and is open to the public 

    • They’ve recently held contests featuring some of their farm animals to show the public about their education programs

    • You can plan a visit by going to their website

    They are having feel-good contests to get more awareness of what is happening there.

    Spectrum Bay News 9 went there for a visit recently, as they were finishing an online competition with the community for the prettiest pig. 

    The Patti Johnson Farm has their own pig. Penelope is the resident piggy at the farm.

    It was established just two years ago, and the farm is now open for business.

    “You can just show up, which we have an entrance gate,” said Tammy Peterson who is one of the farm managers. “We have a large cowbell; you ring the cowbell, and we can hear it all over the farm.”

    You will also hear the animals of course.

    From a piggy to a turkey’s gobble, you will also find goats, a donkey, a horse, a steer, and several other Old MacDonald favorites.

    Tammy Peterson is one of the farm managers at Patti Johnson.

    She told Spectrum News their business is to educate the public with this living classroom.

    Last month, in a video taken by city workers and posted on the city’s Facebook page, they handed out prizes to the best in show.

    “We started out with a rabbit and chicken show competition,” said Tammy. “That’s where it started. And then we were like what other animals can we do?”

    Penelope is part of the inspiration for Pinellas Park’s prettiest pig contest.

    Patti Reed, who is a member of the city council, produced the online contest.

    Her late mother Patti Johnson, who was also a council member in Pinellas Park, spearheaded the idea to obtain and develop the farm, according to farm manager Tammy’s retelling.

    For the contest, participants sent in their pet pig pictures online.

    Two piggies are receiving the honor.

    Tammy said the competitions and other farm events will continue as they bring awareness to the farm.

    They hope to be a common classroom destination for schools in Pinellas County and the rest of Tampa Bay.

    “Kids can go in the garden, pick items for a pizza and hopefully we will have like an outdoor kitchen where we can make pizza,” Tammy said. “And they can add their ingredients from the garden in the pizza. Cook the pizza and then they could eat it, so it’s really farm to table.”

    So, it is not only the animals on this farm that will get some attention.

    The farm is producing their own fruits and vegetables to feed the animals.

    The produce will be used for the school presentations and other activities.

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  • Polk County grads teach chess to kids from migrant families

    Polk County grads teach chess to kids from migrant families

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    POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A pair of Polk County High School standouts will walk the stage of the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on Monday, May 20 at their graduations as role models to the migrant community.

    What You Need To Know

    • Christian Cortes and Freddy Bautista coached their RCMA team of young chess players to a top three finish in Polk County competition

    • It’s the first time the team participated in the competition for a game they have recently started learning

    • Christian is headed to Stanford University after graduating as valedictorian; Freddy is headed to Cornell University

    • More Good News headlines

    Christian Cortes graduates as valedictorian from Mulberry High School and is headed to Stanford University. Freddy Bautista graduates from Bartow High and is headed to the Ivy League’s Cornell University.

    The two friends, who spoke with Spectrum News in a recent story about Hispanic graduation rates, have overcome tall odds and become first in their class with top honors.

    Before the culmination of the school year and their high school careers, they shared a bit of theory on their chess game to a younger generation.

    Cortes capped off a successful year by coaching his chess team to third in the county, top 10 in the entire district.

    The team, however, only started learning the game at the beginning of 2024.

    Freddy is the co-coach and will be the first in his family to graduate high school.

    “I just thought it would be great to have the same opportunity for the kids that don’t have the same opportunity,” said Freddy about coaching the children at the RCMA-Mulberry Community Academy.

    The team is made up of children who come from migrant families at the RCMA-Mulberry Community Academy.

    Both coaches know their chess players’ situations well.

    “We went through the same things, we went through the same stories,” said Christian. “Now, how can we connect with each other and enjoy each other and enjoy each other’s times.”

    Christian and Freddy have shared experience with the young RCMA students of having the challenges as a migrant family.

    Now, they are sharing chess game theory and other tips for school success, in whichever language is best. 

    “Sometimes it comes out better in a different language and I think that’s a beautiful thing about chess, it doesn’t matter what language,” said Freddy about his coaching which he did in Spanish at times.

    What they are communicating is having success in the game of life.

    “I don’t have these challenges, I don’t have to spend 12 hours in the sun picking strawberries day after day after day,” Christian said. “I get to be here; I get to teach these students and get the opportunity to go to school.”

    Both are knowing and showing their students they can overcome the challenges their parents faced to make a better move forward.

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