The LOLA News from your neighborhood

Precision Kia Of Wesley Chapel’s “Pay It Forward” Recognizes Troops
“Books For Troops” Program One Of Five Charities Competing For Donation

Each month, Precision Kia of Wesley Chapel has a fun, but philanthropic, contest for the greater community good. Choosing up to five different charities to compete for a $1,000 prize, they let social media participants, i.e. Precision Kia Facebook friends, decide which charity is worthy of the coveted prize money.

This month, The General Federation of Woman’s Clubs (GFWC) New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club has been invited to compete in Precision Kia’s “Pay It Forward” event in support of their project, “Books for Troops”. The project began in October of last year with a goal of collecting 1,000 books to ship to deployed troops. As of today, more than 6,000 paperback books have been collected, but according to the club, only 5,000 have been shipped due to monetary constraints.
“Juniors budgeted $1,000 to cover the shipping costs of the project,” says project chairperson Patricia Murphy. “This donation from Precision Kia would allow us to ship an additional 2,500 books to our troops overseas. “The project is such a rewarding experience, and we to receive thank you notes from our troops, which is such a joy.”

Beginning Wed., Feb. 1, Precision Kia of Wesley Chapel will have the new competitors posted and anyone with a Facebook account can vote once a day. Just visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/precisionkiaofwesleychapel then click the “like” button. You then will be able to place your vote by posting on their wall “Books for Troops” every day until the end of February.

Fans get to vote as much as they want, but only one vote per day per fan will count. The charity with the most votes at the end of the month will be given the donation.

If you would like to make monetary donation toward postage for the remaining books, please visit the GFWC New Tampa Juniors website www.gfwcnewtampajuniors.org and click the donate button on the bottom of the page.You also can “friend” “Books for Troops” on Facebook or visit the blog BooksforTroopsTampa.wordpress.com for more information about the project and requests for volunteers.

Beat The Heat Chili Cook Off

Ierna’s Heating & Cooling will be hosting their first annual “Bring the Heat” Chili Cook Off for the surrounding Lutz area Saturday, February 18, 2012 from 11am-2pm. This family fun event featuring live music, a bounce house, raffles and five chili competitions will be open and free to the public! The chili contest has a low entry fee of $20 and only 150 contestant spots are available. A seventy-five dollar prize will be awarded for each category: Ladies Choice, Judge’s Choice, “Feel the Heat” (hottest), and the “Academy Award” for the most innovative; to be chosen by Intensity Academy Gourmet. The grand prize is five hundred dollars for the People’s Choice!

This entertaining event will be held at the new Ierna’s Heating & Cooling headquarters: 18843 US Hwy 41 North in Lutz near the old brick school house. “We plan to make this an annual event to support the community which has supported us,” said Charlene Ierna, Vice President of Ierna’s Heating & Cooling. True to form, Ierna’s is giving back to the local area; proceeds from this event will benefit a local family in need.

To submit a contestant application, please e-mail: LoranT@IernaAir.com.
To learn more about Ierna’s Heating & Cooling’s community involvement go to: www.IernaAir.com, call (813)948-6355, or visit the company’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn sites/pages.

PRN Holds Fund Raiser For Florida Exotic Bird Sanctuary

Preferred Referrals Networking Inc. (PRN), a non-profit organization held its third fund raiser - “Migrating Flamingos” for the Florida Exotic Bird Sanctuary.
The event was held on January 17 at the Winn Dixie on US 41 Hwy North, Lutz.
Winn Dixie was proud to be the first corporate sponsor for this event.

PRN meets every Tuesday at Elsa’s Mexican Restaurant on US 41 and Sunset Lane (behind McDonald’s). For more information on PRN please visit www.prnfl.org.
For more information on the Florida Exotic Bird Sanctuary visit www.flabirdsanctuary.com.

GFWC Lutz/Land O’ Lakes Accepting Donations

The GFWC Lutz – Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, Inc. is gearing up for their annual Flea Market on March 2, 3, and 10. If you would like to donate good useable items, please bring them to the Old Lutz School, 18819 US Highway 41, Lutz, FL on any Monday or Wednesday between 9:00 a.m. and noon starting February 1, 2012. We are also accepting donations on Saturday, February 11 and 18 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The Club is a 501 (c )3 organization and can provide a tax exempt receipt if you wish. All donations should be clean and in working order. No large appliances, please.

This is a very popular sale which helps the community both by allowing people to recycle useable articles and a source to purchase great items at bargain prices. The GFWC Lutz – Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, Inc. belongs to one of the world’s largest and oldest volunteer organizations. Funds raised through the Flea Market will be redistributed to various local charities.

The club can arrange to pick up large furniture pieces you wish to donate. If you have any questions, please call Phyllis at (813) 949-1937 or Pat at (813) 948-4752.

UPS Store Lutz/Land O’ Lakes Helping To Send Love To Troops

According to the Department of Defense, there are nearly 1.5 million active U.S. military personnel. To help residents show their support and send messages to loved ones serving our country, The UPS Store® located at 23110 State Road 54 @ Collier Pkwy, is launching Operation: S.W.A.K. (Sealed With A Kiss).

Operation: S.W.A.K is an initiative to deliver Valentine’s Day greetings to U.S. troops and veterans. From now through Feb. 14, the Land O’ Lakes/Lutz The UPS Store will provide free first-class postage (up to 45 cents) for one-ounce valentines and letters to U.S. military personnel stationed overseas or to veterans in VA hospitals.

“A handwritten card or letter is a simple way to pay tribute to the efforts and sacrifices of the brave men and women who serve our country,” said Elise Mysels, The UPS Store franchisee. “Each and every card is a valuable reminder of home for the soldier who receives it.”

Eligible mail must be addressed to a specific U.S. serviceman or woman at an assigned APO/FPO address or a specific veteran residing in a VA hospital, and must bear a valid return address. Mysels recommends people send their greetings by Jan. 31 for overseas delivery by Valentine’s Day, although cards and letters will be accepted through Feb. 14.

“Many people are using email as a quick means of communicating with loved ones overseas, but nothing compares to the sentiment of a handwritten card or letter,” said Mysels.