Author: Celeste McLaughlin

USF Federal Credit Union Offers Sterling Service In Tough Times

Like all businesses, the USF Federal Credit Union (FCU) has been forced to adapt and change throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, while many businesses have struggled, the USF FCU has continued to thrive.

The credit union’s New Tampa branch, which opened in the fall of 2018, is located at the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and Imperial Oak Blvd., in the Trout Creek area of New Tampa, just south of County Line Rd. (across from Burger King).

While the New Tampa location’s lobby shut down in March, its drive-through window has remained open throughout the pandemic.

Now, several months into the crisis, USF FCU’s main branch on the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida has reopened for regular business hours, while the New Tampa lobby is open by appointment only.

A History Of Helping

From humble beginnings more than six decades ago, when it was founded in 1959 with just 16 members and total assets of $505, the USF FCU has grown to more than 60,000 members and $800 million in assets.

While it originally served only USF faculty and staff, today, current USF students and alumni are eligible to be members, along with employees of more than 40 affiliated companies that have business partnerships with USF. That list includes Tampa General Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center, Darden Restaurants (the parent company to Bahama Breeze, Olive Garden, etc.) and more than 40 other companies, listed at USFFCU.com/eligibility.

The USF FCU offers personal banking services — from checking and savings accounts, to money market accounts and CDs (certificates of deposit), auto loans, home loans, personal loans and more. The credit union also offers business banking.

The difference between USF FCU and a typical bank, explains brand and promotions manager Bill Steiger, is the credit union’s focus on serving its members.

Online Banking

One way the USF FCU has kept both members and employees safe during the pandemic has been by education members about how to bank without leaving their homes.

Steiger says a new online banking platform was rolled out about 18 months ago. As of January 2020, about 58 percent of members who had a checking account with the credit union were using it.

That changed during quarantine and safer-at-home orders.

“We made tutorial videos to show people how to deposit a check with their phones,” Steiger says. “We did a promotional campaign and educated people on how to use digital banking, and saw success in getting people on board and using it.”

He says now, 97 percent of members who have a checking account use online banking to make deposits through their phones or to complete other transactions.

“That has helped us to be able to continue to serve our members,” Steiger explains.

USF FCU also served front-line workers in the midst of the pandemic.

Between April 9 and May 5, USF FCU provided catered meals for a total of 950 front-line workers at Tampa General Hospital, AdventHealth Tampa and AdventHealth Covid-19 testing sites, plus other hospitals in the Tampa Bay area and the USF Police Department.

“It was our way of giving back,” Steiger says.

The credit union also served its members in the most flexible way possible.

Knowing that some members were furloughed or laid off from their jobs, USF FCU made hardship loans available with very low interest rates. Members also were offered a “skip-a-pay” option, which doesn’t reduce the amount owed, but extends the length of the loan.

“That gives our members the ability to not have a car payment one month, for example,” says Steiger, “which is important if you’re furloughed and not getting a paycheck.”

Steiger adds that USF FCU also has been busy with home and auto refinance loans, which allow members to lower their monthly payments and save money during this time of great need.

PPP Loans, Too

Knowing that businesses were going to need assistance to navigate through the pandemic, USF FCU also made it a priority to help its business customers during these most difficult of times.

“We were one of the first credit unions in the area to offer Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through the federal government’s Small Business Association,” Steiger says, “allowing us to manage the loans to small businesses and single-owner businesses.”

He says the credit union has provided 486 PPP loans — totaling $18 million — which are fully forgivable by the federal government, if all conditions are met.

Kelly Stuart Williams, owner of Pegasos Public Relations, has been a member of the USF FCU since 1990.

She says she had never previously considered using the credit union for her business banking needs until she received an email from USF FCU that shifted her thinking.

“They were very proactive in letting all their members know they were staying on top of the PPP loan program,” says Williams, who realized she wasn’t hearing that from any other bank.

She says she reached out and opened a business account, and was able to be one of the first to fill out an early PPP application.

Unfortunately, like a lot of small businesses in our area, Williams’ initial PPP loan application was rejected. But, the credit union representative told her not to worry. They would help her get positioned for the second wave of loans.

“It was so different,” Williams says. “The other banks (she looked into) have a policy that if you’re not already a business banking customer, they’re not doing your banking loan.”

The second time around, Williams did receive a PPP loan from USF FCU, and she says she couldn’t be happier.

Now that she has qualified for and received her PPP funds, Williams is counting on USF FCU to keep her informed regarding the forms and processes to have the loan forgiven.

“Sure enough,” she says, “they are way out front from anyone else I’m hearing from.”

Steiger says that’s the goal.

“We were pleased to be able to offer that and really help those people keep their businesses going and their employees employed,” he says.

Sterling Award Winner

While serving its customers well may sound like a matter of opinion, there is at least one objective indicator that measures USF FCU’s effectiveness in its business practices.

In June, the USF Federal Credit Union was honored with the Governor’s Sterling Award.

This exclusive award goes to companies in Florida that are “high performing, role-model organizations, both private and public, who demonstrate superior management approaches and role model results.”

Fewer than 100 organizations in Florida have earned the award since the Florida Sterling Council was created by the state legislature in 1992.

USF FCU is only the second credit union to ever win the coveted honor.

Steiger says that USF FCU began working to put these best practices in place more than four years ago.

“Our organization was getting larger, so we wanted to be sure that our processes were constantly improving,” he explains. “The Sterling process is a very detailed and rigorous set of activities to show continuous improvement and performance excellence.”

This is the first year that USF FCU applied to have examiners evaluate their business, and Steiger says it was “truly a tremendous honor” to receive the Governor’s Sterling Award during this first attempt.

The New Tampa branch of the USF Federal Credit Union is located at 20610 BBD Blvd. The lobby is currently open by appointment only. The drive-through windows open at 8 a.m. weekdays, closing Mon.-Thurs. at 5 p.m., and at 6 p.m. on Friday. It also is open 9 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit USFFCU.org or call (813) 569-2000.

bank credit union

Tie-Dyed Masks = More Toys For Kids At St. Joe’s

It’s the accessory everyone’s wearing this fall, and not because it’s the hottest new fashion.

Local ordinances throughout Florida have made face coverings mandatory, and some creative Wesley Chapel kids have found a way to turn people’s need for masks into an opportunity to do good.

In The Lakes at Northwood neighborhood, located just off County Line Rd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd., the Burnett, Caruso, Peretsky and White families have 10 kids between them, ages 5-13. They often play together outside.

When the pandemic hit, the kids started talking to each other about doing something helpful in their community.

“They wanted to be able to help other kids, in light of what was going on with Covid-19,” says Katie Burnett, who is mom to Jackson, Mackenzie and Alaina.

Katie says her kids – along with Diana, Ellina and David Peretsky, Mason, Kate and Troy Caruso and Josiah White — came up with the idea to raise money and donate it to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa.

They started with a lemonade stand. The idea grew when Katie and her husband Matt, who own Kona Ice Wesley Chapel, received a box of plain, white, reusable cloth masks to share with the community.

That’s when the kids decided to sell not only lemonade, but individually designed masks, too.

They took their revenue from that first lemonade stand and bought a tie-dye kit. Then, they got to work making fun summer art, using dozens of the masks as their canvases.

Their parents spread the word on social media, and then the kids took turns selling the masks on Saturdays in their neighborhood.

Late this summer, they tallied up their earnings and were able to make a $350 donation to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Parent company BayCare Health System’s senior vice president & Hillsborough County market leader Kimberly Guy stopped by the neighborhood and the families presented her with an oversized check — also made by the kids.

“They got really excited when Kim told them the money would be used to buy toys for kids at the hospital,” says Katie. “That helped make it real for them.”

Students Learning Virtually (For Now) At Excel Music

*John and Sheri Thrasher opened Excel Music on Cross Creek Blvd. in 2006. They have adapted their business model to meet online student needs during the pandemic.*

For more than 14 years, Excel Music on Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa has been teaching private music lessons to students of all ages. But lately, something has been very different than “business as usual.”

Since March, all of Excel Music’s students have been taught exclusively virtually.

“The nature of in-person music lessons doesn’t permit social distancing,” says Excel Music owner John Thrasher, “so we’ve chosen to do virtual lessons.”

He says the school’s building, located in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center on Cross Creek Blvd., has remained closed since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March. However, Excel Music’s 20 teachers and dozens of students are as active as always, teaching and learning from their homes.

John says all of Excel Music’s teachers are either university trained (many with Master of Music degrees) or they have at least 10 years of study and performing experience.

The music school offers lessons in voice and practically every instrument, with piano, violin, guitar and drums being the most popular, according to John, and quite a few students learning brass and woodwind instruments, too, such as trumpet, tuba, saxophone and clarinet.

Students work with the same teacher week after week, so although their teachers are now only on a computer screen, the student still know them.

“It provides some normalcy and routine in their lives, when a whole lot of normalcy and routines have been removed,” says John, who adds that the school has continued to add “a steady stream” of new students throughout the pandemic.

“Obviously, parents are just as interested in improving their children’s lives as they always have been,” John explains. “Music is still important, and virtual lessons are kind of the only way that you can do it right now.”

A Little Background Music…

John and his wife Sheri originally opened Excel Music in 2006, with the dream of providing the opportunity for young people to be trained for the kinds of careers and lives they once experienced themselves.

“We both had long careers in music, and were professional musicians who were able to make a living performing,” John says, adding that he was the drummer for country singer Mickey Gilley for many years, which gave him the opportunity to perform on TV, at the White House and for people all over the world.

In the 1990s, John and Sheri had success together with a band of their own in Japan called Tz, where he says they sold tens of thousands of CDs. They also found themselves immersed in a culture that revered teachers, which led them to start thinking about passing on the knowledge and experience they had gained to the next generation.

“We met tremendous people, saw great places, and made a living,” John says. “We started thinking, ‘What if some of the kids who come through our school can experience what we’ve experienced?’”

However, John says he and Sheri recognize that the vast majority of their students will not go on to have professional music careers.

“Our teachers are good enough for that type of student, but most of our students will go on to have another career, such as a doctor or lawyer or something else,” he says.

He adds that the goal at Excel Music is to provide students with an appreciation for music, plus provide the benefits of learning how to play and/or sing.

“There’s so much data about how great studying music is for your brain for spatial learning and big-picture thinking,” John explains. “There are always studies coming out saying that because music is a whole brain activity, when kids learn music, their math and other school skills improve, too.”

Kristy Sargent, who lives in West Meadows, says her 10-year-old daughter Regan has been taking piano lessons for more than a year with Excel Music.

“Both the school and her teacher have been so amazing,” says Kristy. “They’ve been very flexible with being online. It hasn’t been easy to have everything change so much, but they’ve done a really, really good job.”

Kristy says one of her favorite things is how well the teachers communicate. “It’s a fantastic school that feels very personal. It feels like they really care about you and your child.”

The Right Teachers, Too

John and Sheri want each one of their students to feel that way, so they carefully choose only the best instructors.

They ensure that every teacher they hire to work at Excel Music is background checked, has appropriate credentials, and truly knows both their instrument and how to teach it. John says that just because someone has a doctoral degree in music or some other accomplishment,that doesn’t mean they will relate well to teaching students.

“They have to know how to teach, which is a completely different set of skills,” explains John, who says that — over the last 14 years — he has tried to show New Tampa families that they can trust Excel Music to make great decisions about who to hire to teach for the school.

He says two teachers have been with Excel Music since it opened in 2006, and a number of others have stayed with the Thrashers for five, six, or eight years.

“We definitely have stability,” he says. “We’ve been doing this for a long time.”

Age Doesn’t Matter

And, while many of Excel Music’s students are kids, the opportunity to learn to sing or play an instrument is certainly not limited by your age.

“A lot of adults want lessons, too,” says John. “We get retired people who say they’ve wanted to play their whole lives, and now they’re finally going to do it.” He fondly recalls a man who came to Excel Music to learn how to play the trumpet at 86 years old!

*Dylan and Diya Arun give a thumbs up to online learning with Excel Music.*

John says the last few months have been extremely trying and that he and Sheri — like virtually all small business owners — are just trying day by day to make the best decisions they can for their company, their employees and their customers. However, at the end of the day, they feel really good about the nearly 15 years they’ve spent leading Excel Music in New Tampa.

“We’re putting music in people’s heads,” he says. “We’re not making widgets that end up in landfills; we’re doing this thing that’s good for our community and for the world in general.”

Excel Music, located at 10353 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite I, is open for virtual lessons only right now. For more information or visit ExcelMusic.org, call (813) 991-1177.

music

Local Girl Scouts Helping Dogs Despite Covid-19

*(L.-r.) Girl Scouts Amelia Beanland and Isabela DuBois present the “snuffle mats” they and their Troop 32801 made to Pasco County Animal Services, as part of their Silver Award project.*

We’ve all had to do some adjusting since the Covid-19 pandemic started in the spring.

For a pair of eighth grade (now ninth grade) Girl Scouts, the pandemic meant that they faced obstacle after obstacle while trying to earn their Silver Awards, which is the highest award given by Girl Scouts to its Cadettes, who are girls in sixth through eighth grade.

Fortunately for Isabela DuBois, who lives in Cory Lake Isles, and her project partner, Amelia Beanland, who lives in Cross Creek, they learned how to be flexible, adapt and persevere when things don’t go as planned.

The girls earned their Silver Awards before bridging to Seniors at the end of July.

Isabela has been a member of Girl Scout Troop 32801, which typically meets at Benito Middle School, since Daisies, when she was just six years old. Amelia joined the troop when she was in sixth grade. Currently, Troop 32801 has been meeting through Skype.

That’s just one of the changes the girls faced in trying to complete their project.

“Our project is called ‘Don’t shop, adopt,’” Isabela says. “We came up with it because we both have a passion for dogs.”

She says they researched puppy mills and worked to educate people about what they learned. They made a flier and created Instagram and Facebook accounts to educate people about the importance of adopting a pet, rather than shopping for one.

Then, they put their research into action by partnering with Pasco County Animal Services to support its efforts to rescue and find homes for dogs in need.

The girls made “snuffle mats”, which are used to hide food or treats for dogs. “We raised the money, bought the supplies, made them, and donated them,” Isabela says.

However, that wasn’t their original plan.

Isabela’s mom, Crystal, who is the assistant leader for the troop, says she was impressed with the girls’ ability to adapt.

Crystal explains that the project originally included three girls and was going to focus on awareness of pre-teen and teen anxiety. When one of the girls was diagnosed with anxiety, they thought it was too sensitive and came up with the new idea, focusing on helping dogs. Then, the third girl chose to do a different project, and Isabela and Amelia moved forward without her.

They started by organizing a volunteer day at the Pasco County Animal Services shelter in Land O’Lakes when Covid-19 caused the shelter to close its doors to volunteers. The girls had to figure out what to do next.

They called the shelter, which recommended they make the snuffle mats. The girls then raised the money to get supplies by hosting a “virtual bake sale,” where they delivered goodies to people who bought them online.

Isabela and Amelia then bought the supplies for the snuffle mats, including fabric and rubber mats with holes in them, and a representative of the shelter taught the troop how to make the mats via a Zoom meeting.

“They kind of got hit up against a wall and figured out a different way around it,” says Crystal. “They learned some strategy skills.”

The girls were each required to contribute 50 hours to the project, and both Isabela and Amelia exceeded that requirement.

“This took a lot of work,” says Isabela. “We had to change our project from our original plan, then we also had Covid, and we had to change it again. It got harder at the end because we couldn’t meet to do stuff. It was very difficult and stressful.”

Isabela says she is happy to have received the award, given by the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, but she is more proud of her efforts and says she learned a lot during the process. “I want people to know how to find a proper breeder, kind of like a background check, and how to adopt properly and make sure the pet they adopt is healthy,” she says. “And, if you don’t want a dog, you can still help. You can donate to shelters or volunteer at a shelter.”

Isabela says she and Amelia had money left over from their fund-raising efforts after they made the snuffle mats, so they asked the shelter what kind of food was used, then ordered it and had it delivered.

“People can do that, too,” Isabela says, “and it’s not super expensive.” She says her journey in Girl Scouts is far from over, as she plans to earn her Gold Award, too.

“We’ve done archery, camping, gone canoeing, paddleboarding, ziplining and horseback riding,” she says. “They teach you First-Aid and life skills you won’t learn anywhere else. And, you make friends. I’ve learned so many things that I never would have if it wasn’t for Girl Scouts.”

Search “Florida Girl Scouts against Puppy Mills” on Facebook and on Instagram at “Dont.Shop.Adopt.”

Girl Scouts puppy mills

Radiance Orthodontics Wants To Put A Smile On Your Face, Too!

Tampa Palms resident Kellie Lightbourne says she’s a very particular person, especially when it comes to her family and their teeth.

You’d expect that from a former Mrs. USA and veteran television personality.

So, when it was time for Kellie to choose an orthodontist for her 12-year-old twins, she went to several offices for consultations.

She says it was when she met Sam Jureyda, D.M.D. (Doctor of Medical Dentistry), of Radiance Orthodontics, located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center, that she knew she had found exactly what she was seeking for her family.

“Dr. J is amazing,” she says. “He sat with my kids, talked with them, interacted with them and made them feel welcome.”

That’s a big deal for Kellie’s son, Niko, who has special needs. Kellie feared he wouldn’t cooperate with an orthodontist working inside his mouth.

“Once Niko decides he’s not doing something, there’s no way he’s going to do it,” Kellie says. “I thought orthodontic treatment would be a nightmare, but now he’ll do it for Dr. J because he likes him so much. Now, I have no fear.”

Niko’s twin sister, Landyn, immediately liked him, too. “Dr. J was so different than all the other orthodontists because he actually talked to us,” Landyn says. “It wasn’t boring. He actually made it sort of fun and interactive. He made us feel very comfortable and he’s very funny.”

Dr. Jureyda has spent more than 25 years practicing orthodontics. Before moving into private practice in 2006 — and subsequently opening Radiance Orthodontics in 2016 — he taught graduate-level students at the University of Buffalo, NY.

As a former educator, he believes his own practice is improved by education, as he strives to give his patients access to modern options that lead to the best possible outcomes. He knows each patient has a unique set of needs and is sure to treat each individual with a personalized and completely customized treatment plan.

His goal is not just to treat the patient, but also to involve the patient in the process — even the youngest among them — so they are invested in their care and have a positive experience at Radiance Orthodontics.

“We believe in building a relationship with each patient,” Dr. Jureyda explains, “educating, supporting and encouraging them. We look forward to your visits as time spent with a friend, and we genuinely hope you will feel the same.”

Radiance Orthodontics offers traditional metal braces, along with clear braces, and also offers treatment with Invisalign^TM, which uses invisible, removable, comfortable aligners to straighten teeth. The method is constantly improving and is now so effective, it often works more quickly than traditional braces.

Adapting To Keep You Safe

Like all orthodontic practices, Radiance Orthodontics was required to shut down for several weeks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During that time, Dr. Jureyda and his staff continued to answer phone calls, text messages and emails to help their patients.

“Dr. J” provides quality orthodontic care and your health and safety are his top priorities. Photo provided by Radiance Orthodontics.

When the office reopened, the same stringent cleaning protocols that have always been practiced were followed, and enhanced procedures have been added, such as temperature checks and health screening questions.

“We have temporarily closed our waiting room and now ask our patients to wait in their cars,” says Dr. Jureyda. “Simply call or text us when you arrive, and we’ll let you know to come in as soon as your room is ready. We’re being extremely cautious at this time, to protect all of our patients and staff.”

‘Consultations Are Free?’

Justine (who asked that we only use her first name) is a University of South Florida medical student who recently began treatment at Radiance Orthodontics.

In January of 2019, Justine signed up with a company that promised to close a gap between her front teeth by sending her aligners in the mail. While her first choice would have been to go to an orthodontist in person, she didn’t think she could afford it.

“I don’t have dental insurance and I thought braces would cost $6,000 to $8,000,” she said. “I didn’t know consultations are free.”

Justine says the next 12 months with the mail-order company couldn’t have been further from her expectations. The aligners did not move her teeth, which caused them to not fit properly as she tried to continue her treatment. When she had questions — such as if the painful sores she was developing were normal — she had no medical professional to ask. She says the company’s customer service department replied in form letters that were sometimes not even relevant to her question.

When the aligners didn’t fit anymore, the company offered to send her modified aligners. She did her own impressions at home, and sent them in. She didn’t receive the new aligners for eight weeks. At that time, they no longer fit her teeth and she had to start over. After the third modification, with still no progress happening to fix the gap between her front teeth, she gave up. She decided she needed to see an orthodontist in person, and scheduled an appointment with Radiance Orthodontics.

She says she wishes she would have done it much sooner.

As she discovered, consultations at Radiance Orthodontics are completely free and are always no-obligation.

“The cost is much less than I thought it would be,” Justine says. “And it’s worth it. I’m a young adult without a lot of experience. I didn’t know there were discounts for paying in full, or that the pricing would be built around monthly payments and a payment plan.”

She says the experience is already vastly different than with the “do-it-yourself” aligners, including attachments being placed on her teeth to hold the Invisalign^TM aligners in place.

“Dr. J was listening,” Justine says. “It was such a stark difference than when I had no one to turn to.”

Serving The Community, Too!

One hallmark of Radiance Orthodontics is that Dr. Jureyda remains committed to being a partner at almost all of New Tampa’s public schools. As a business partner at our two high schools, three middle schools, and seven elementary schools, Dr. Jureyda actively supports the PTAs and students in our community.

“We truly miss being able to be out in the community and attending events at our local schools,” he says. “We consider it a privilege to support our local students and educators.”

To ensure that Radiance Orthodontics is accessible to everyone, especially during these uncertain times, Dr. Jureyda makes accommodations in both scheduling and payment plans. Some evening and Saturday appointments are available, and Radiance Orthodontics also works with patients to determine orthodontic benefits through dental insurance and provide affordable payment options.

“My reputation relies solely on how I treat each and every patient,” says Dr. Jureyda. “I take that very seriously.”

To read reviews about the practice, Google “Radiance Orthodontics,” where you’ll see that every review is a five-star rating. In addition to more than 100 ratings on Google, the reviews for Radiance Orthodontics on Facebook, Yelp! and Healthgrades are also exclusively five stars.

Radiance Orthodontics is located at 17427 Bridge Hill Ct., Suite A, in the Tampa Palms Professional Center. For more information, please visit MyRadianceBraces.com, search “Radiance Orthodontics” on Facebook, or see the ad on page 21. To schedule your free consultation, call or text Radiance Orthodontics at (813)-972-1100.

dentist orthodontics Sam Jureyda