The Pasco Tribune - A Section of The Tampa Tribune - July 22, 2005
By: Janet Watson, Staff Writer

Dade City - Can a couple dozen people from faith communities, government agencies, schools, businesses, governing bodies, and civic and non-profit organizations who share a belief in The American Dream really improve the lives of children who live in poverty right here in east Pasco? They believe they can, because they are people in key positions, who are sharing their resources and bridging gaps to make it happen.

The American Dream (TAD) movement is based on the conviction that all children should be able to take advantage of the opportunities that this country offers. Ownership in that dream should be every child's heritage, participants agree, no matter what his socio-economic background may be. TAD's motto is "Think Globally - Act Locally," and it is stressed that its vision could be replicated in any American community.

Initiated by east Pasco's Toys for Tots director, Bob Loring, assisted by Jessica White, Assistant Coordinator of Student Activities at PHCC, TAD has a three-year history. Its very first Congress was held in 2002, when delegates signed a Declaration of Congressional Intent and formed partnerships leading to an expansion and efficient use of existing social service programs.

The Fourth Congress of American Dream Practitioners was held on July 14, 2005, on the east campus of Pasco-Hernando Community College (PHCC) in Dade City and provided an opportunity to evaluate what has been put into motion as well as the network, exchange information, and brainstorm ideas that could accomplish more good.

Gathering volunteers in the cause of paramount to making TAD a viable solution to social ills, and Dr. Randall Stovall, PHCC East Campus Provost, welcomed the group with observations about volunteerism. While one out of two citizens in Utah said they participate in volunteer causes, only one in four Floridians say the same thing.

"We can do better," Stoval said, knowing, perhaps, that he was preaching to the choir, but outlining some of the benefits of volunteer work that these folks would be able to use persuasively, to gather more to their cause. Dr. Stovall announced that the PHCC gymnasium will be used for this year's distribution of Dade City's Toys for Tots in December, to the delight of all who are inv loved in that project.

"It will be so much warmer, more welcoming," Jessica White said, "and getting families to come on campus will be a good thing."

Exposing youngsters to new experiences and endless possibilities is Loring's mission.

"If we do this right'''," he says wistfully, and he begins to imagine those possibilities - that someday they could be students at the college, they could work in our communities, they could be customers in our businesses, they could help distribute Toys for Tots.

There were reports form a number of people who are involved in this year's brand new STEPS (School Tools that Empower and Promote Success) community plan of action that resulted directly from last year's post-congressional brainstorming sessions and was modeled on a similar program that was started in Lacoochee four years ago. This year STEPS began with pre-school physicals for needy children coordinated by medical service groups, Marine Corps League, Toys for Tots volunteers, and others, at three different locations in Zephyrhills, Dade City and Trilby on July 9. In August there will be a distribution of school supplies at those locations and in Land O' Lakes.

American Dream practitioners are grateful for legislators who help demystify government for those who need to get things done and make things happen for needy families. At last year's Congress State Senator Victor Crist presented some very practical information about the legislative process. Both State Representative Ken Littlefield and County Commissioner Pat Mulieri were keynote speakers at this year's Congress.

Commissioner Mulieri presented TAD with Resolution No. 05-243 from the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, commending American Dream Practitioners on their 4th Congress. Rep. Littlefield emphasized the importance of having a coalition of people who aren't just spending their lives looking forward to retirement.

"You are investing your lives in the lives of others," he told the TAD participants.

Denny Mihalinec, of the Greater Trilby Community Association and Honorary Mayor of Trilby, is an example of someone who makes that kind of commitment. Milalinec loves the tri-community area of Trilby, Lacoochee and Trilacoochee but is very much aware that little has changed there over the past 50 years. Once a center of local industry and commerce, no work exists there anymore. Mihalinec would love to see Lacoochee Industrial Park renovated so that jobs, as many as 300, could be restored to the area. Both GMC and WalMart had expressed an interest in the 90 available acres in the past, but bad roads and lack of a regional water system plant contributed to their going elsewhere. The Pasco Economic Development Council is working with the association to explore future possibilities.

Meanwhile, a Crime Watch Patrol has been an extremely successful facet of the Community Association's "weed and seed" program, and partnerships have been formed with agencies such as Career Central and area churches like Dave Raley's New Life Assembly. Community Unity nights and a Saturday Night coffee house offer residents activities that bring them together for social interaction.

The Trilby Trails development and upscale Hunters Hills have improved the tax base in the area and Mihalinec is hopeful that one day a majority of residents here will show more than a passing interest in the community.

"I think it's just a matter of time until they will want to bring their businesses out here," he says. Job-training for positions that will be available would be a big step toward making the tri-community flower again.

Matt Hillen, who is finishing up his second year as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with East Pasco Habitat, outlined what that organization has done to restore dignity to families by helping them to purchase affordable homes and build neighborhoods in which they feel some ownership. Once again, partnership has been a goal and Habitat has recently partnered with the Pasco County School District and WalMart to provide starter "libraries" in recently-built homes.

Now in its eleventh year, East Pasco Habitat has constructed 36 homes, and recycling of aluminum cans and inkjet cartridges is providing more money for the cause. At the Congress, Hillen managed to network with Corvin Morris, President of the soon-to-be-built Toyota of Wesley Chapel. As a result, it looks as though the first Wesley Chapel "can house" for collecting recyclables is on its way.

A lot of that kind of networking was going on at the Congress. When George Jarlsik of the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee began talking about the very basic needs of "his" kids, Dave Raley and Denny Mihalinec responded with a rousing, "You've got friends here! What do you need?"

That kind of cooperation is so encouraging to Bob Loring, who claims that he underwent a personality change when he went from a job to a calling. He previously had thought he could be either pleasant or annoying, but now, as Loring pushes his cause forward, he believes he is "pleasantly annoying."

He is deeply appreciative of the cooperative efforts of Zephyrhills Police Chief Russ Barnes and his force, Rotary clubs in the area, and so many individuals who have jumped aboard the TAD train, but Loring's voice can still take on a "pleasantly annoying" edge.

"If you're going to be part of this you have to be able to continue it every year or set it up for someone else to continue it," Loring points out. He's not about to let anything drop.

Future TAD plans include building on the STEPS program and providing seminars at PHCC in a wide variety of community-building subjects such as grant-writing and community skills, for which TAD practitioners would earn education credits and use to help them open doors for needy children.

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