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April 2024
Volume 22, Issue 4
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CELEBRATING 22 YEARS OF PUBLISHING P OSITIVE COMMUNIT Y NEWS
ROBERT L. HOWARD FOUNDATION HONORS FALLEN SHERIFF’S DEPUTY WHILE GIVING BACK TO COMMUNITY & STUDENTS
By Madeline Gardner
PRSTD STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID MANASOTA, FL PERMIT #1456
Serving seven around to collect doyears in the army nations. By the end of and 18 years with the evening, members the Hillsborough of the Sutherland County Sheriff’s OfLodge No. 174 gave an fice (HCSO), Robert additional $1,000 to ‘Bobby’ L. Howard the foundation. was no stranger to In December 2023, protecting the lives the Rivercrest comPictured from left to right: Katie Fuhrmeister, memof others. On June munity, located at ber of the Rivercrest Event Committee; Joe McGee, 23, 2023, Howard Rivercrest HOA president; Kacey Folger, Robert L. 11560 Ramble Creek lost his life in a mo- Howard Foundation president; and Shelley Ayala, Dr. in Riverview, parttorcycle accident on nered with Events member of the Rivercrest Event Committee. his way to a Defender by KC LLC, Folger’s law enforcement mocompany, to host its torcycle club event. S’mores & Stores As the family and the event. The event is community grappled centered around both with the loss of the Santa and the Grinch beloved Ruskin resgiving s’mores away ident, Kacey Folger, while attendees enjoy Howard’s fiancee, belive music, food trucks came determined to and access to more preserve his memory. than 40 vendors. Fol“We knew we had ger has helped plan to keep his legacy this event for the past alive,” said Folger. three years, tradition“We were witnessing ally awarding the prothe community grieve and mourn just as we ceeds to a nonprofit in the area. This past were. Bobby touched so many lives, and we year, however, the nearly $1,000 raised was didn’t want that to stop just because he was awarded to the foundation. This year’s S’mono longer physically with us.” res & Stores event will also donate all proIn November 2023, only three months af- ceeds to the Robert L. Howard Foundation. ter submitting a formal application, Folger Using these generous donations and othwas notified that the proposed Robert L. ers from previous events, the foundation is Howard Foundation had been successfully currently looking to offer four $500 scholregistered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Folger arships to students at East Bay High School, formally announced the foundation to the Howard’s alma mater. Applications are due community and began accepting donations by Friday, June 7 to robertlhowardfoundaon Thanksgiving. tion.org. . The organization’s first official donation “Everyone I meet has a story about Bobby was gifted by Sutherland Lodge No. 174. that warms my heart,” said Folger. “… The Hosting its annual award dinner on Novem- stories I hear of how Bobby changed, influber 21, 2023, the Masons invited Folger to enced or touched their lives [are] beautiful. attend as Howard was honored as one of These stories fill my heart and make me feel the organization’s community heroes. Upon close to him again.” giving a speech discussing Howard and Visit the Facebook page or the website at the foundation’s mission, a hat was passed https://robertlhowardfoundation.org/.
RIVERVIEW RESIDENT COMPLETES THE SIX MAJOR WORLD MARATHONS, BECOMES SIX STAR FINISHER
By Jane Owen
On March 3, After a friend Riverview resicompleted seven dent Tammy Dotmarathons in sevson joined an elite en continents in group of worldseven days, Dotson wide runners was inspired with with her Tokyo friends to earn the Marathon finish. Rock ’n’ Roll RunDotson, age 49 ning Series Hall and an Air Force of Fame (which veteran, became a needs the compleSix Star Finisher, tion of nine Rock completing the six ’n’ Roll Running largest and most Series marathons renowned maraor half-marathons in the world. thons). Then, they The six Major Tammy Dotson completed the Tokyo Marathon decided to work on March 3, her sixth Major World Marathon, World Marathons towards their Six earning her the Six Star Medal and the title of Six consist of three in Star Finish. Star Finisher. the Unites States “I am grateful in Chicago, New to have had the opYork and Boston portunity because and three overseas not everybody does. in Berlin, London I run for those that and Tokyo. The Six can’t,” Dotson said. Star Finisher feat Dotson loves runis not an easy one ning because it is a to accomplish, not stress relief for her just because of the and a way to encourmiles involved but age other people. also because of the “You’d be surselection process to compete in the es- prised what the human body can achieve teemed marathons. once we put our mind to it. It starts in the Dotson completed New York in 2018, mind. A made-up mind is unstoppable,” Chicago (her favorite and fastest of the Dotson said. six with a time of 4:44:30) in 2019, BerNow an accomplished endurance athlin in 2019, Boston in 2022 and London lete, Dotson has completed 17 marathons in 2023. (Marine Corps PR, 4:34) and the IRONDotson ran her first marathon in 2006 MAN 70.3 Chattanooga. Her next goal after receiving a notice in the mail inviting is to complete a half marathon in all 50 her to an information session about doing states before she turns 50 in January. She something meaningful. She went to the has 7 to go. Dotson is listed on https:// session having no idea what it was about, www.worldmarathonmajors.com/sixand she ended up running the Kona mara- star/hall-of-fame thon in Hawaii. “I had no idea what it was. I showed up at the information session and they were BRANDON BALLET .............................PG 3 talking about creating a charity team to RIVERVIEW HON MAYOR .............PG 5 do a marathon. Never in a million years would I have imagined myself doing a COLD CASE SOLVED ..........................PG 6 marathon,” Dotson said. “I tell people I did SUMMER CAMP.....................SECTION 2 it because I needed something to occupy EYE ON BUSINESS.................PGS 46-47 my time and my mind.”
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