Dr. Teena Hughes Pediatrics Adds Dr. Roger Hughes & Celebrates 20 Years!


Dr. Teena Hughes (red shirt), Dr. Roger Hughes, III, and the staff at Teena Hughes, M.D., P.A. Pediatrics on E. Fletcher Ave. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Teena Hughes)

For two decades now, Teena Hughes, M.D., has treated children at her private practice in the University Medical Park at E. Fletcher Ave. and N. 46th St., about five minutes south of Tampa Palms.

As her practice celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2021, Dr. Hughes is excited to welcome her son, Roger Hughes, III, D.O., to Teena Hughes, M.D., P.A., Pediatrics.

For now, the name remains unchanged, but both doctors agree the partnership reflects exciting growth.

Caregivers bring their children for routine care and well checks, including free prenatal consultations for moms-to-be. School and sports physicals are offered, as are vaccines. The providers also treat illnesses and injuries in children, and the doctors also are on staff at AdventHealth Tampa.

Dr. Teena Hughes is a Board-certified pediatrician who earned her M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) degree from the University of South Florida (now known as the Morsani) College of Medicine, followed by a three-year residency at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. She then spent seven years practicing in a health care group before launching her own private practice. 

Dr. Roger Hughes, III, joined the practice last July after completing a three-year pediatric residency through the University of Florida at Sacred Heart hospital in Pensacola, FL. Prior to that, he earned a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 2013. He then earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, FL, in 2017.

“Initially I went to medical school thinking I would see adults, but in the third year you do rotations and I did pediatrics here in Tampa,” he says. “I loved it, so from there, it just kind of worked out.”

While Dr. Teena doesn’t expect it to happen anytime soon, the long-term plan is for Dr. Roger to eventually run the practice when the time comes for her to retire.

“The patients are excited and thrilled to meet him,” she says. “They’ve all heard about him over the years, and it’s nice to have someone to learn the ropes and get to know all the patients.”

In addition to helping with hospital rounds at AdventHealth Tampa and sharing the after-hours phone calls, Dr. Roger brings an influx of fresh ideas to the practice.

“It’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of and ask questions to,” says Dr. Teena.

She also says that some patients prefer to see a man, so she’s glad that he is now available to those patients.

Because she’s been in practice for more than two decades, Dr. Teena now sees the children of people who were her patients when they were kids.

“You have to be flattered,” she says, “It’s nice to see everybody grow up.”

In addition to the two doctors, patients also may see the practice’s two advanced nurse practitioners — Kelsy Overton, APRN, and Ashleigh Mader, APRN.

As a private practice, Dr. Teena says she and the other practitioners in her office offer more individualized service and have a better rapport with their patients than what you might find at some of the big pediatric groups. 

For example, when her patients call after hours, she knows exactly who she’s talking to. That’s different than the big groups, where doctors have to see patients from several different offices.

Dr. Teena Hughes Pediatrics offers benefits typically associated with a larger practice, such as extended hours. In fact, the office open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, but the plan is to expand those weekday hours to 8 p.m.

“We want to be more available for working parents,” she says, “and prevent emergency room visits.”

Jennifer Statz is a mom of three kids who moved to Westchase, but wouldn’t even consider finding a new pediatrician.

“I love them so much that I happily drive 30 minutes,” she says. “They’ve seen my kids grow up, and they’re almost like friends to me.”

While her kids have been cared for by Dr. Teena since her oldest child was born, they have seen Dr. Roger, too.

“I feel equally comfortable with them both,” she says. “I love seeing Dr. [Teena] Hughes, but it’s great to have both of them there. She’s got the experience and he’s full of all this new knowledge.”

Jennifer says that all of the practitioners at the office — and the staff members, too — are warm and genuine, and make her feel at ease, especially when her kids are anxious about vaccines or seeing the doctor in general.

“I always feel like they listen to my concerns, address them appropriately, and do whatever it takes to help me understand why they’re recommending a particular medicine or whatever it might be,” she explains. “I always leave there with everything I need.”

Covid Testing & Vaccines

While the office never closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Hughes says there were many fewer patients over the past year, who would usually be seen for school physicals, sports physicals, and to be treated for illnesses they may have picked up at school.

“It’s now ramping back up,” she says, while the office continues to follow all protocols and guidelines recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) & Prevention.

The office also offers Covid-19 testing, which does take a couple of days to get results from the lab. And, thanks to the new CDC guidelines, the Pfizer Covid vaccine is now available at the office for anyone ages 5 and older and the Moderna vaccine is available to anyone ages 18 and older. 

“You do not have to be a patient to come in for the vaccine,” Dr. Teena says. 

The practice also has ramped up its partnerships with manufacturers and companies looking to improve their products, offering research trials to patients, if they want to participate.

For example, a current study gives new parents six months of free infant formula plus incentives to participate.

“Formula companies are always doing research to improve,” Dr. Teena says. “It’s great for a new mom who needs formula. These are tried-and-true companies, so it’s not experimental.”

She says the current projects have created an entire research department at her practice, which now includes five people. Active projects include vaccine trials for meningitis and pneumococcal pneumonia. Dr. Teena says rapid Covid testing should begin soon, and she’s also hoping to start Covid vaccine trials for children.

“It’s completely voluntary and if people don’t feel comfortable, they don’t have to participate,” she says. “We participate because it helps medicine to be new and innovative and helps patients.”

Teena Hughes, M.D., P.A., Pediatrics is located at 4444 E. Fletcher Ave. at N. 46th St. in Tampa. For appointments and more information, call (813) 903-0060 or visit TeenaHughesPediatrics.com.

Esthetics813 Helps Renew Your Mind, Body And Spirit


The team at Esthetics 813 (l.-r.) includes Crystal Santos, Kurt Wickiser, Hannah Mazzilli, owner Kyymara Rose Scott, Tyra Richardson and Anna Mazzei. (Photo: Charmaine George)

Kyymara Rose Scott has owned Esthetics813 for seven years and, in that time, she says she has lost count of the number of clients who have entered looking or feeling frazzled who left with a little slice of peace and happiness.

Providing that transformation is exactly why Kyymara started Esthetics813, which is located at the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and County Line Rd., in front of the Super Target (a few doors down from Anytime Fitness).

Kyymara says she knows all about feeling frazzled, and the need to undo that feeling. When she was in her early thirties, life threw everything it had at her. First was a divorce, followed by a job selling insurance that she hated, followed by a cancer diagnosis.

“It was the most horrible, painful experience of my life,” she says.

In between cancer treatments, when Kyymara needed some zen, she visited a spa for soft massages — her body was too run down from cancer treatments to tolerate a traditional massage — and facials. They helped her relax and escape, if even for only a few minutes.

One day, while waiting in the lobby for her appointment, she couldn’t help but stare at the woman working there, and her big smile.

“I asked her, ‘Are you always this happy, or is this just for us?,’” Kyymara recalled. “And she told me, ‘I work at a spa, everybody is happy to come here. Why wouldn’t I be happy?’”

It was that moment that Kyymara says set her on a path that led her to open Esthetics 813, where she runs a spa that relishes wellness, renewal of your spirit and satisfying happy clients by offering a plethora of comforting and revitalizing services.

Although she had attended the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, NY, for advertising when she was younger, Kyymara reversed course and returned to the Dominican Republic, where she spent much of her youth,  and attended a skin care institute for 18 months. 

She then returned to the U.S. and studied Esthiology for a year at the Aveda Institute in Clearwater before opening the original Esthetics813 in the Windfair Professional Center behind Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in 2013.

As her business grew, so did the need for a larger space. In 2019, Esthetics813 moved in front of the SuperTarget.

She says that unlike other “closed cabin” type designs, Esthetics813 is loft-style, like you might find in Europe, California or even the Dominican Republic, where Kyymara used to wash hair as a teenager at a spa so she could afford to get her own hair done every Saturday.

Because a different location fell through, Kyymara says the current spa was built with “blood, sweat and tears in the 11th hour.” She says she couldn’t have done it without husband Kurt “The Duke” Wickiser.

Lourdes Alers has been coming to Esthetics813 since the original spa opened in the Windfair Professional Center. With her husband working and her kids at a friend’s house, Lourdes decided to pop in at an Open House.

“I was going to get a free swag bag and then take off, but I ended up being the first one there and the last one to leave,” she says. “I booked a facial and I haven’t looked back since. (Kyymara) works her magic and I trust her completely.”

Esthetics813, however, offers more than just facials. It offers body sculpting and wraps, microneedling, waxing and tanning, various light treatments and a variety of spa packages.

Kyymara strongly believes that visiting a spa shouldn’t only be a birthday present or an occasional treat for you; it should be a regular part of your wellness and self care. And in fact, she says the majority of her clients come in once or twice a week.

Clients are provided a robe and a glass of water or wine, and all of their personal items — especially their cell phones — are put away in a locker. The spa’s staff — Anna Mazzei, Tyra Richardson, Crystal Santos and Hanna Mazzilli — make it a personal experience by remembering what you like, right down to your drink preference. 

The most popular treatments are often seasonal and, for this time of year, “everything that has to do with stripping away the old and rejuvenations are very popular,” Kyymara says. “That includes chemical peels, micro-needling and miraculously, and to my delight, body treatments.”

The Art Of Body Sculpting

Body sculpting is the most requested spa treatment, which Kyymara thinks may be a byproduct of the Covid-19 pandemic, which trapped people inside and led to many of us putting on a few extra pounds.

Body sculpting (see after-and-before photos on the next page) involves eliminating cellulite and localized fat through muscle therapy and non-invasive ultrasonic cavitation, which uses vibrations to break down fat cells, which can then be expelled via lymphatic massages.

Other popular body treatments are waxing and tanning.

“These were all very popular in the Dominican Republic,” Kyymara says. “I tried to get people to like it here but couldn’t at first. But now I’m like, ‘Yes!’”

Esthetics813 also has two nurse practitioners on staff to administer Botox and other fillers, which remain go-to treatments for many.

Another offering at Esthetics813 is Red Light Therapy (RLT; see photo above), which Kyymara says was created by NASA “so it’s actually rocket science!”

Kyymara says RLT helps cells bind themselves together again, which helps skin and muscle tissue re-tighten, helping to reduce wrinkles, cellulite and sagging.

Blue Light Treatment (BLT) oxygenates your skin, helping with acne, and Green Light Treatment (GLT) helps reduce inflammation, Kyymara says.

Kyymara thinks there are many things that differentiate her spa from others, and one she is most pleased about is that facials at Esthetics813 are oxygen-centric, as opposed to merely products with oxygen in them.

“We use actual oxygen,” she says. “It’s antibacterial and we infuse it, so it penetrates the skin. It fills, plumps and gives you a nice glow. It’s a more advanced facial.”

Kyymara says Esthetics813 uses top-of-the-line effective products like HydroPeptide, PCA SKIN and FUSION.

Always looking to offer the latest and the greatest, Kyymara says her spa will soon be offering a Blow Out Bar, to liven up your hair-do, which is expected to open by Nov. 1.

There are even treatments for men, including facials and upper and lower body waxing.

“We even have man-sized slippers and robes, so you can be comfortable and not feel like you are tip-toeing around in a woman’s space,” Kyymara says. 

Kurt jokes that while men may be hesitant to try the spa, “Once you try it you won’t want to leave.”

Each service can be purchased individually, and Esthetics813 also offers VIP memberships. Groups and parties also are welcome.

Because the community has been so good to her, Kyymara does what she can to be good to it, too. She is an Ambassador for the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club and recently organized a fashion show that raised $1,600 for Bridging Freedom, a child and human trafficking rescue organization. She has even run a diaper drive for the Oasis Pregnancy Care Center. 

Esthetics813 is located at 1051 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Its hours by appointment are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call (813) 474-4486 or visit esthetics813.com.

As We Grow Counseling Helps Children & Young Adults With Special Needs

Game Nights hosted by As We Grow Counseling have been an effective way of improving the social well-being of children and young adults with special needs. (Photos: Charmaine George)

For 14 years, the licensed therapists at As We Grow Counseling have helped people of all ages in Wesley Chapel and the surrounding areas tackle relationships and personal growth.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Melissa Amaya started the practice in Seven Oaks in 2007, when her son, Ethan, was born. He has special needs and was often at therapy appointments five days a week, so starting her own practice gave her the flexibility to care for him.

Now that he’s older, Melissa has found another way to help him and others like him meet some of their unique challenges.

As We Grow Counseling is offering opportunities for kids and young adults, ages 4-21, with ADS, ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities and other unique needs to socialize and learn life and social skills.

“One of my son’s disabilities is autism,” says Melissa, “so I was trying to find a group to help him learn social skills, like how to start conversations with other kids and about unwritten social cues, and also life skills, like how to do laundry and go grocery shopping.”

When she couldn’t find such a program, she decided to tackle it herself, and began offering groups in June.

“I need to do what I enjoy and what comes from the heart,” Melissa explains. And she asks, “Who better to start these than someone who is a clinician and competent in this area, who also is a mom who has a child with special needs?”

Melissa earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from Monmouth University in New Jersey, and then her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree with a specialization in Family & Child Therapy from Fordham University in New York City in 1997.

When she first went to college, Melissa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and advertising. However, when she went to work in the pharmaceutical industry, she quickly realized she wanted to do work that was more meaningful to her.

She says As We Grow Counseling helps people in many ways throughout their lives. “You grow as a couple, as an adult, or even as a senior citizen, but you’re still growing and learning.”

As We Grow sees people of all ages for therapy, from kids as young as age three up to adults, including couples and individuals.

The practice currently has 20 clinicians who all work part time. Melissa says most are doing teletherapy, but some clinicians are beginning to return to in-person counseling sessions. They work during the day, in the evening, and on weekends, including both Saturdays and Sundays.

Groups & Special Events

While she believes that individual counseling can be effective for kids with special needs, she recognizes that they often already spend big chunks of their time at appointments such as physical, occupational and/or speech therapy, so she recognizes the benefits of the social and life skills groups.

“When we do the groups, they learn so much from their peers,” she says. “It’s a more comfortable setting for them.”

Groups are offered for children ages four to 19, broken down by age group, and kids with any disability can participate. There is one group just for girls, while other groups are mixed.

Jeanne Harrison (left) and Melissa Amaya

“It helps them with confidence building,” Melissa explains. “A lot of kids with special needs also have anxiety, which prevents them from fully interacting with their peers, getting a job, and even advocating for themselves at school — just to ask for help if they need it. These are skills they need everywhere in life.”

And then, to practice the skills they are learning in their groups, As We Grow Counseling now offers Game Nights and special “bonus” events.

Jeanne Harrison (left) and Melissa Amaya

These might be cooking classes, pottery painting or going to Pinot’s Palette or Main Event. A field trip to an Escape Room was held for October and an outing to Grand Prix Tampa for go-karts and miniature golf is planned for Saturday, November 13, and an outing to watch a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game is coming up on Tuesday, December 14. 

While the special events require an advance RSVP, Game Nights do not. They are for ages 5-21 and include crafts, dancing, a movie, indoor badminton, corn hole, pizza and even visits from therapy dogs, when they are available. 

Melissa heads up Game Nights with an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher, Jeanne Harrison, and the support of volunteers. 

Upcoming Game Nights will be held Fridays, November 19, and December 3,  at the Seven Oaks Community Clubhouse, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. The cost is $20 per child.

Parents are welcome to stay but can choose to drop their children off. Kids can come to all of the activities, or just the ones that interest them or fit their schedule.

The social skills groups have limited space and are generally paid by insurance. As We Grow Counseling takes all major insurance plans except Medicaid and also accepts the Gardiner Scholarship. 

“There’s a huge need,” Melissa says. “The biggest hurdle I have is getting the word out to people.”

Shonda Brown is mom to Ahmari, an 11-year-old with high-functioning autism and ADHD. She recently noticed that he has struggled with some issues, such as feeling resentful of the differences he has noticed between himself and other kids.

“It’s a blessing to have found something in the midst of a storm,” says Shonda, who also has been a therapy patient of Melissa’s for several years. 

Ahmari started middle school this year, which Shonda admits was a little scary, especially since she was exhausted from the daily phone calls she was getting last school year. But, her son’s involvement in the As We Grow programs has been beneficial.

“I just talked with his school counselor and she says he’s doing great,” Shonda says. “I haven’t gotten one call from a teacher, and he has six teachers now! He also has outstanding grades.”

She thinks some of the growth she’s seen is because, at Game Nights, he’s around both guys and girls of all different ages, and they are showing him maturity. 

“He started off quiet and now he’s raising his hand and loves to sing and dance,” she says. “It allows him to be him in his own element without having to worry about any judgement.”

Shonda adds that she really appreciates the hour or two she gets to herself while Ahmari is at his skills group or Game Nights, whether she uses it to go grocery shopping or just sit in her car and enjoy the peace and quiet.

“It’s amazing,” Shonda says. “I hope Melissa can branch out to more parents. I don’t know where I’d be without (As We Grow Counseling) and without her.”

As We Grow Counseling is located in Seven Oaks at 2240 Twelve Oaks Way, Suite 101. To learn more about the opportunities for children with special needs, call Melissa on her cell phone at (813) 442-2971. To make an appointment, call (813) 838-4807. Or, to learn more about the practice, visit AsWeGrowCounseling.com. 

Kids Are All Smiles When They Visit Dr. Duga & Dr. Feeney

Dr. Paul Duga has built a large, loyal following in his more than two decades in New Tampa, where a fun atmosphere is a hit with kids…and their parents.

Deanna Crawford was enjoying dinner with her best friend Julie Simon 20 years ago when she first met Paul Duga, DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery). Dr. Duga, who recognized Julie as the mother of three of his patients, came over and chatted for a bit. 

“This guy comes to the table, she introduces him and he was the nicest, jolliest guy I think I’ve ever met in my life,” Deanna says. “I was like, ‘Who was that?’”

“That’s the kids’ dentist,” Julie said.

“Well, he’s going to be my kids’ dentist, too,” said Deanna, even though she didn’t have any children at the time.

Guess how the story ends?

Eight years later, Deanna showed up with her son Tyler, who was 2, for his first dental appointment.

“He made a great first impression,” Deanna says, chuckling. “I don’t think I’ve ever even told him that story.”

Tyler is now 14, and about to have his braces removed. Deanna’s daughter Ella Grace, 7, is a patient as well. And, well, not that Deanna is bragging or anything, but — zero cavities!

Deanna’s choice was simple — she wanted someone who would make her kids feel at ease, maybe make them laugh or smile, and make a trip to the dentist something the kids would look forward to, rather than dread.

Since opening his pediatric dentistry office more than two decades ago, that’s the one philosophy that has always guided Dr. Duga.

“We provide one-on-one, private, patient-driven care,” he says. “We provide dentistry that is safe and healthy, and also non-threatening, so kids don’t grow up with an irrational fear of dentists.”

For veterans of the office, there is nothing threatening about Dr. Duga, Dr. Feeney & Associates Pediatric Dentistry, located in the Somerset Professional Park in Tampa Palms, off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at Amberly Dr.

Duga and his partner, Shawna Adams-Feeney, DMD (Doctor of Medical Dentistry), both have engaging and outgoing personalities, and mix in a fair amount of fun and humor to take the edge off any patient’s visit.

Dr. Shawna Adams-Feeney’s happy demeanor takes the fear of sitting in the dental chair away for even the youngest children. (Photo: Charmaine George)

The dentists also are reassuring, important in these heightened safety-first days of a pandemic. Dr. Duga assures parents that their kids, and their teeth, are always in good hands.

While some modifications were made because of Covid-19 — such as adding Plexiglas barriers at the front desk — Dr. Duga says there were no drastic changes because his office always considered most of the health and safety precautions as standard practice.

“As far as social distancing is concerned, our office was almost designed for it,” Dr. Duga says. “Our floor plan allows us to keep families all separated and safe.”

He recognizes, however, that many people are even more anxious these days, so the staff does everything it can to counter that.

“We always try to maintain a spirit of positive-ness,” he says. 

About The Doctors

While Dr. Duga established the practice in 1998, he says working with Dr. Feeney — as he has since she joined the practice in 2005 and became his partner in 2009 — gives children the option to choose the dentist with whom they feel more comfortable.

“I really appreciate having Dr. Feeney here,” he says with a smile. “If a kid is struggling to connect with me, maybe the next visit he or she might want to go to Dr. Feeney. We do everything we can to keep the children comfortable.”

Both doctors are Board-certified pediatric dentists.

Dr. Duga earned his DDS degree from the Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, WI, and then worked as a general dentist in Milwaukee. He went on to earn his Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry in New Orleans.

Dr. Feeney (pictured above) earned her Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, after receiving her DMD degree from the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston.

Parents like Deanna will bring their kids to a dentist at the first sign of teeth.

The doctors encourage parents of their youngest patients (they treat children from age 1 up to about age 18) to bring their kids  in every six months to maintain good dental health.

Drs. Duga and Feeney provide examinations, cleanings, sealant placement, tooth repairs (such as fillings and crowns), as well as cosmetic whitening and orthodontic alignments.

“We do continuous growth evaluation, bite evaluation, and provide guidance through early orthodontic care,” explains Dr. Duga. The practice also offers braces and Invisalign invisible aligners for its patients, although they do also refer some patients to orthodontic offices, when needed.

For a child who has special needs or is too young to cooperate, a parent can choose sedation dentistry. An anesthesiologist comes in to safely manage the sedation, so the dentist can focus on fixing the teeth and getting them healthy.

“We do accept dental insurance, but we’re not an insurance-driven office,” says Dr. Duga. “Insurance is a contract for paying bills, not health care.”

The staff will gladly help parents of patients and potential new patients understand their insurance benefits.

Happy Patients

Kids like the perks, too, such as fun in the lobby — including video games and TV screens on the ceiling and headphones in the chair, so they can watch while laying down. Plus, they get to pick the flavor for their toothpaste and receive a coin at the end of each visit, which they can exchange for a small toy.

“I’ve seen kids since they were one or two and now they’re going off to college,” says Dr. Duga. “You get to know these families. It’s been a wonderful thing.”

Deanna couldn’t agree more. She lived in Land O’Lakes when she started bringing her kids to the dentist, but now lives in Spring Hill. She jokes that she drives past “a million dentists” on the way to Dr. Duga, but when her dad asked her why she doesn’t find someone closer, the answer was simple.

“Why do I need to when I know what I’m going to get with Dr. Duga?,” she told him. “I’m happy and my kids feel safe and happy there. What else do I need?”

The pediatric dental office of Dr. Duga, Dr. Feeney & Associates is located at 15293 Amberly Dr. To learn more about the practice, visit DrDugaDrFeeney.com or call (813) 631-1100 to schedule an appointment or to find out more about your insurance/payment options.

Quail Hollow Girl Donates 70 Backpacks To Local Shelter

Rachael Mendohlson, an 11-year-old who lives in Quail Hollow, says her life is pretty idyllic.

“I’m blessed and lucky to live on a beautiful ranch with my parents and sister,” she says, where she helps care for 40 chickens, 20 cows, five cats and two rabbits.

That’s why, when she heard about a kid her age in Kansas who provided gifts to children staying in a homeless shelter, she thought she could do something similar in her community.

Rachael asked her dad, Lane, to help her get started.

Lane sought out a family shelter in Pasco County and found out that Rachael’s timing couldn’t have been better, as the county’s very first shelter that accommodates families is opening this month in Port Richey.

Rachael’s plan was to pack new backpacks with toys and activities so that kids arriving at the shelter would be greeted with a bag full of new items just for them.

To fund her idea, she planned to use one dollar from every dozen eggs she and her sister sold from their egg business.

That’s where Lane stepped in again, offering that his company, Vantagepoint AI, would pay for the backpacks and toys so that Rachael could have enough funds to make an impact quickly, making a donation that would pay for 70 backpacks, along with toys and activities to fill the backpacks.

Rachael and her sister, 8-year-old Abby, sorted the toys by age and packed all of the bags themselves, including items such as coloring books, colored pencils, a book, fidget toys, and magnetic drawing toys for the younger kids, while choosing items such as a watch and a hat for older kids.

“Being a girl and going to school, I know Pop Its fidget toys are very popular,” she said, “so I made sure to include a lot of those.”

In early October, Rachael was invited to bring her donations to the new shelter and speak to invited guests at the shelter’s opening ceremony.

She said that if she can do something good to bring someone else happiness, that’s what she wants to do.

“I hope a kid will see the backpack and think, ‘Oh my gosh, someone really cares about me,’ and that will give a little spark to make someone happy,” Rachael says.

Lane says he wants to pass on what learned from his parents to the next generation. “I want to instill those values of gratitude and giving people a hand when they need it in my own daughters,” Lane says. “It’s so important that they grow up that way.”

It seems he’s doing just that, as Lane says that Abby has expressed interest in finding her own way to give back, thanks to her inspiring older sister.

“Giving back is my way of saying thank you,” Rachael says, “because I’m grateful that I have such an amazing life.”