WORDS: Sheri Roca
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
“What are those kids playing?” is a question that is still asked by both adults and kids when they drive by GT Bray Park during a weekday evening, as both boys and girls practice for the Manatee Wildcats Lacrosse program. Lacrosse is stated to be the oldest game played in North America, with its origins stemming from the Native Americans in the Northeast as …
WORDS: Emma Taylor
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
The USA Fence main office on East Cortez Road is a humble building that one may easily pass by without knowing what a bustling company operates within. The offices line one main hallway and all of the doors are open—an environment that seems to reflect the Glasgow approach to business and service.
On the wall that flanks CEO and founder Butch Glasgow’s office and …
WORDS: Gabrielle Versmessen
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
The title of General Counsel for the School District of Manatee County may sound like an ordinary job, but Mitchell Teitelbaum (MT) brings a vibrant personality and unique passion to his career that makes this particular General Counsel one of a kind.
According to the school district’s website, the position of General Counsel is “hired by and reports directly to the Superintendent. He provides …
WORDS: Sheri Roca
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Popi’s Place Family Restaurant in Ellenton is a cozy, diner-style restaurant known for its home-cooked meals and friendly service. It is one of five Popi’s restaurants currently owned and run by the Ameres family. It is truly a family-run business in every sense and proudly advertised as “one of the few remaining Florida restaurants that is chef-family owned and operated (since 1983)”. The original …
WORDS: Merab-Michal Favorite
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
With a great appreciation of books instilled in her as a child, Bronwyn Beightol recognized the power of literacy early on. She still remembers her father’s reading voice, the sound of him turning the pages of their latest mystery novel, and even the smell of a new book opened for the first time. It was the love of the written word she carried with …
WORDS: www.parents.com
Eating meals together just might be the ultimate parenting hack. What else can you do in an hour that will improve your kids’ academic performance, increase their self-esteem, and reduce their risk of substance abuse, depression, teen pregnancy, and obesity?
Over the last two decades, study after study has shown that simply taking a few minutes each day to turn off screens and genuinely connect with each other …
WORDS: Sheri Roca
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
The Lakewood Ranch Swim Association, or LRSA “Lightning,” began in 2004 as a co-ed summer recreational program at the Lakewood Ranch Athletic Center and has blossomed into a year-round competitive USA swim team and a proud member of Florida Swimming, Inc.
In fact, in 2021, more than 20 kids on the team qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics, approximately 10 of which made the …
WORDS: Amy Treis
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Reading Rainbow is an American educational children’s television series that originally aired on PBS from July 11, 1983, to November 10, 2006. This valuable show emphasized and encouraged children to dive into the world of reading. The show also educated the viewers on how to use a library to find these cherished books.
If there is one constant throughout the decades, it is the …
WORDS: Sheri Roca
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
At Tara Elementary School in Bradenton, 28 students are learning to build and code their own robots! Tara is one of only about 10 schools in Manatee County to offer the very popular Robotics Club. If they qualify, these schools will compete against each other at the regional tournament for the honor of battling it out at the state competition this year. Tournaments are …
WORDS: Bre Jones Mulock
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Autumn skies cloaked in shadow and misty rain hovered above an emerald green pasture, as 12-year-old Mason Kramer – donning a tucked-in black T-shirt, red plaid button-down, jeans, boots, and a curved-rim, suede cowboy hat – sauntered proudly into a dim-lit barn clutching a rope that led his beloved Donkey across the damp, brick pavers.
As a drafty breeze whistled through the barn, …
WORDS: Sheri Roca
PITCURES: Whitney Patton
Bradenton native Nathan Hoeksema – Chick-fil-A owner, philanthropist, humanitarian, patron, benefactor, supporter, angel.
In June 1993, Nathan was a shy 15-year-old at Bradenton Christian school, looking for a summer job. He had hopes of making enough money to buy his first car. His older sister and some friends from school, worked at the local Chick-fil-A in DeSoto Square mall, so he decided to start …
WORDS: Bre Jones Mulock
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Dappled late afternoon sunlight filtered through a sprawling leaf canopy that seemed to gingerly hug a sleepy northwest Bradenton street as nine-year-old Madeline Pye zipped down the asphalt on a scooter, her auburn ponytail trailing behind.
Pausing to say hello, a dog walker smiled, and a neighbor busily trimmed a hedge to manicured perfection. The Pye family had just eased into their driveway, …
WORDS: Bre Jones Mulock
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
With stifling summer heat so thick you could almost see it hovering tauntingly above a field dotted with bright, white cotton, 10-year-old Ross Hodges – with his grandmother’s pantyhose pulled over his face to protect him from inhaling fibers – feverishly worked his pitchfork atop a cotton tractor that soared into a vast turquoise sky on his grandparents’ west Texas farm.
Trees are …
WORDS: Rachel Spivey
PICTURES: Kelly Beavers
The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County (ELC) is proud to unveil the newest member of its mobile educational fleet. Meet the Dream Machine, where children are asked to play, dream, and then achieve!
The Dream Machine is a 2001 International 3400 local church bus that was transformed into the ELC’s latest mobile classroom. The Dream Machine is fully renovated and designed to inspire …
WORDS: Amy Treis
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
“You don’t have to be a foster parent to do foster care. Use your voice for those who can’t speak up for themselves.” Tori Hope Petersen, FFY (Former Foster Youth), spoke these words in the hope of raising awareness for the beauty of becoming a foster parent.
It is a vital role that will aid in the success of children who are in the …
