WORDS: Sheri Roca
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Talent appears in many varieties, styles, and proportions. There are those that can lift our emotions with music and brilliant scientists that help shape the world. We recognize talented painters and artists from decades and centuries past, and we pay to watch athletes, gymnasts, and dancers perform and compete. But it seems to me that true kindness and a giving spirit are completely undervalued …
WORDS: Gabrielle Versmessen
When the devasting news started to emerge on January 12th of this year that Paul Sharff, Chief Executive Officer at the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County, had suddenly passed away, there was an outpouring of profound grief. It hit hard. It was very hard for two ladies …
WORDS: Merab Favorite
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Just as the crest of the sun started to spill over the horizon, he placed his bicycle on the rack, hurled his bag of equipment over his shoulder, and headed down the familiar trail at Robinson Preserve.
Once he arrived at the perfect spot, Mac Carraway assembled his camera. He waded into the shallow water looking to the mangroves for his most sought-after subject, …
WORDS: Carlee Colonneso
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Carol Butera’s path to philanthropy began with an interest in helping others. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Carol received her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Northern Arizona University. After graduating, she moved to Kentucky and started working as a Crisis Intervention Counselor from midnight until 8:00 in the morning. This experience of seeing the pain and struggles that families have …
WORDS & PICTURES: Gabrielle Versmessen
“GO, SLOW, and WHOA!” are words one can hear children shouting when participating in the CATCH Early Childhood program. These catchphrases are readily recognized and easy to remember for young students when identifying healthful foods. Although the CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) program has been nationwide since 1988, Manatee CATCH has been around for about three years. The program is facilitated by the Early …
WORDS: Christa Hardin, MA
“Mom, did you email my teacher back about the survey?” One of my teens was asking me while another one was simultaneously pulling on me to print something their other teacher wanted them to have before lessons began. The third child was giving me that painstaking look of trying to be patient while I tended to the other two.
I loved that they wanted my …
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 …
