Former New Tampa Resident Helping Veterans & Kids With Hippotherapy

At 11 years old, Sarah Clanton is finally learning to walk, thanks to the help of the special horses and people at Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center in Brooksville.

Sarah was adopted from an orphanage in Ukraine when she was five. At just 19 pounds, she had been kept in a bed all her life. Her mom, Yvonne, says she could barely sit up.

Yvonne and her husband, Jon, began helping Sarah in all the ways they could, including physical therapy, to help her learn to walk.

While Sarah has special needs, including blindness and other conditions, doctors could find no reason physically why she wouldn’t be able to walk.

“There’s no muscular or neurological reason she can’t walk,” Yvonne says. “It’s just that she’s missing all those milestones and all those years of development, and her brain just doesn’t have ability to put it together.”

Earlier this year, Yvonne decided to take a chance on something different. It’s called hippotherapy, and it uses the movements of a horse to help people like Sarah. Yvonne had heard about a place called Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center, so she decided to try it out.

“I did this just for the heck of it,” says Yvonne. “I didn’t really expect it to work.”

But, it has.

“It’s amazing,” says Yvonne. “We can walk with her now, just by holding one hand. Before, most of the time we just carried her — even around the house — because it was just easier.”

Yvonne and Jon have four other children. Of their five kids, three have some sort of disability, and their son, Sam, also benefits from hippotherapy at Emerald M. Of all the therapies her kids have experienced, says Yvonne, “Nothing has ever been as dramatic the change we’ve seen in Sarah.”

Lisa Michelangelo

(To purchase tickets to its Grand Opening Fundraiser on Saturday, October 20, 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., visit EmeraldMTherapeuticRidingCenter.org.)

Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center was founded by Lisa Michelangelo, a former New Tampa resident who is a physical therapist. For about eight years, she managed the physical therapy department at the Fit 4 Life Personal Training & Physical Therapy studio in Tampa Palms.

She and her family always loved horses, so in 2013 – when Lisa’s daughters were 13 and 10 – they moved out to Dade City, where they could have a larger property and be able to live with their horses, rather than boarding them elsewhere.

At that time, it occurred to Lisa that she had the opportunity to combine her love of horses with her professional career as a physical therapist.

Lisa did extensive continuing education through the American Hippotherapy Association to be able to provide this unique therapy.

“Through the use of a horse and movement, we target deficiencies and work on areas such as core strength, balance and walking,” explains Lisa. “The horse replicates human walking. I can put someone on the back of the horse, and they feel like they’re walking on air. Once we can recreate the walking pattern on the horse, we can also recreate it on the ground.”

In 2014, Lisa launched Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center on her property in Dade City.

“The name, Emerald M, comes from the emerald gem stone,” Lisa explains. “The emerald stands for hope, renewal and growth, and that’s what we provide to the people we serve. We provide hope and a renewed sense of self, and then they continue to grow.” She says the “M” is for her last name.

Lisa explains that participants in her program have a wide variety of conditions that bring them to her.
“We have kids and adults who come to us with autism, processing disorders, emotional disorders, cerebral palsy, paralysis and brain tumors,” she explains, “It’s a whole plethora of diagnoses.”

She explains that sometimes a child or adult can complete hippotherapy, because they have successfully overcome the condition that caused them to need the therapy. At that point, they graduate to therapeutic riding, which is where they learn horsemanship skills and how to ride.

In addition, Emerald M offers beginner riding lessons for siblings of program participants, too.

“We know it affects the whole family,” Lisa says, speaking of the conditions that cause people to come to her riding center for therapy. “Often, the siblings of the children with special needs are watching their brother or sister ride, and they want to ride, too.”

Growth… And Tragedy
A couple of years ago, Emerald M became a nonprofit organization, with Lisa as its founder. “Since then, the program has exploded,” Lisa says, explaining that word of mouth and practitioner support continues to draw new people into the program.

Soon, the programs Lisa offers outgrew the five-acre property she had in Dade City, so she moved the riding center to Brooksville.

She says the new property is only 5 miles from the former one, and her participants coming from places such as Wesley Chapel and New Tampa don’t mind the drive. Sarah’s mom, Yvonne, who drives from Zephyrhills, says the hour-long drive is absolutely worth it, for the amazing results they are seeing in Sarah.

“We had to make that move to accommodate the growth,” says Lisa. “The new property is much more suited for the kind of work that we do.”

In the midst of moving, the staff and volunteers at Emerald M experienced a tragedy. When a storm blew through the area, three of the riding center’s horses were killed by a lightning strike.

“It was tragic,” said Lisa, who adds that says she has had support from the organization’s board of directors and volunteers, and throughout the community, as supporters set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help with the cost of new horses.

“They will never be replaced,” says Lisa. “However, we have come through and have brought in some new furry friends. The new horses help to carry the load.”To celebrate the opening of the new location and to continue to raise funds for the organization’s mission, Emerald M is hosting a grand opening fundraising dinner on Saturday, October 20, from 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Helping Veterans, Too
About a year ago, Lisa began partnering with an organization called Veterans Alternative to help U.S. Military combat veterans and their spouses. Veterans Alternative helps veterans from all over the country, all branches of the military, and all eras of war, by providing a weeklong retreat to work through PTSD and other issues.

Lisa facilitates the part of the program called P.E.A.C.E., or “Powerful Equine Assisted Counseling Experience.” She says she comes alongside mental health providers who join these combat veterans and their spouses for a day of therapy with the horses at Emerald M.

Each horse has a story — what jobs they’ve done, or what hurdles they’ve faced — which are relayed by mental health counselors. And in turn, the veterans relate their own personal stories to the stories of the horses they are working with. Lisa says they begin to talk about things that might be challenging to them.

“It’s incredible,” she says.

Over the past year, 135 combat veterans have completed the program.

“We even have combat veterans who have found so much reward in this program, that now they’re out here volunteering, giving back by helping their brothers and sisters in the military,” says Lisa.

One such veteran is Franco Caro, a former U.S. Marine who served from 2001-05, and who deployed to Iraq in 2003. After leaving the military, he struggled with finding a sense of purpose.

“I tried to take my life nine times between 2005 and 2010,” he says. “To go from working nonstop in the military to being told you can’t do that anymore, you feel lost.”

Working with mental health providers and taking medications didn’t keep him from attempting suicide.

But, Franco’s last suicide attempt was in 2010, before he found something to give him the sense of accomplishment he was looking for.

Franco says he first encountered horses and the idea of therapy through riding and caring for them at a place called Rocking Horse Farm in New Port Richey. Just this summer, he was introduced to Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center, and he now volunteers there two or three times a week.

“I don’t realize how far I’ve come until I start thinking back,” Franco says. “When I go there, instead of overanalyzing myself, it allows my brain an escape to focus on something else.”

He explains that his role is to be sure the horse he cares for, named Anna, is ready to work with the hippotherapy participants. He grooms Anna, rides her to be sure she’s properly exercised, gets her tacked up, and makes sure she’s comfortable.

“I look over my horse from nose to tail, make sure she’s walking correctly, standing correctly, doesn’t have any wounds or discomfort,” Franco says. “She can’t tell me, so I form a strong bond with her. It puts me at ease, too, and Lisa’s getting a volunteer who knows horsemanship and what to do.”

Those volunteers, Lisa says, are essential. “I couldn’t do it without them,” she says.

Franco also volunteers with the P.E.A.C.E. program, where he can tell his story to fellow veterans and share how equine therapy has helped him. “They are very small, very personal groups, and we are there connecting with the veterans one-on-one,” Franco says.

Whether it’s working with veterans or kids with special needs, Lisa says she has been a part of incredible changes at Emerald M.

“Miracles happen out here,” Lisa says. “A lot of times, it’s unexplainable. It truly is the horses. I facilitate it, but the animals do have a sense that we can’t explain. The changes that we see out here are monumental for both families and individuals.”

For more information about Emerald M Riding Center, to donate to its GoFundMe campaign, or to purchase tickets to its Grand Opening Fundraiser on Saturday, October 20,5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., visit EmeraldMTherapeuticRidingCenter.org.

Local Schools To Benefit If Half-Cent Education Sales Tax Passes Next Month

The heat isn’t going away. Neither, then, are the uncomfortable conditions still being faced by many students in Hillsborough County, where the air conditioning systems at some schools appear to be held together by staples and duct tape.

Looking to address that situation, as well as many others, the Hillsborough County School Board (HCSB) voted to place a referendum on the General Election ballot on Tuesday, November 6, to help fill a gap in funding that has led to myriad of problems in our schools.

A half-cent sales tax increase referendum was hurried and approved in late August by the School Board, despite concerns the chances of passage would be hurt by competing against a transportation referendum already asking for a one-cent sales tax increase.

The education referendum for Hillsborough County Public Schools, the eighth-largest school system in the country, would raise an anticipated $131 million annually, or $1.3 billion over 10 years. Nearly half of that would go to fixing or replacing air conditioning systems in roughly 200 of the county’s 250 schools.

In New Tampa, every school would have its air conditioning systems replaced or overhauled by 2023, with the exception of Hunter’s Green and Tampa Palms elementary schools and Turner/Bartels K-8, all of which would have theirs done between 2023-28.

Every school in Hillsborough County is expected to receive at least $500,000 of benefit from the tax.

School Superintendent Jeff Eakins has been on the town hall circuit this month and last, visiting schools across the county (see picture).

He held a town hall at Wharton High on Oct. 1.

Ahead of his New Tampa visit, the Hillsborough County School District released a list on Sept. 21 of 1,785 projects that would be funded by the tax increase.

Here are the projects for New Tampa schools to be funded by the tax:

Benito Middle School — Years 1-5:  Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Carpeting Replacement Project, Generator Project, Hard-Surface Flooring Replacement Project, Repave Athletic Tracks, Replace Security System, School Interior Repainting Project

Years 6-10:  Replace Fire Alarm System

Chiles Elementary School — Years 1-5:  Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Carpeting Replacement Project, Fire Evacuation Improvements, Hard-Surface Flooring Replacement Project, K-3 Playground Replacement, Replace Fire Alarm System

Years 6-10: Grade 4-5 Playground Replacement

Clark Elementary — Years 1-5: Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Carpeting Replacement Project, Fire Evacuation Improvements, Grade 4-5 Playground Replacement, Hard-Surface Flooring Replacement Project, Replace Fire Alarm System

Years 6-10: Replace Aging Roof, K-3 Playground Replacement, Pre-K Playground Replacement

Freedom High — Years 1-5:  Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Carpeting Replacement Project, Elevator Modernization, Hard-Surface Flooring Replacement Project, Upgrade Classroom Network Infrastructure, Generator Project. 

Years 6-10:  Replace Aging Roof, Repave Athletic Tracks, Sand and Recondition Gym Floor, School Interior Repainting Project

Heritage Elementary —  Years 1-5: Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Fire Evacuation Improvements, Hard-Surface Flooring Replacement Project, School Interior Repainting Project, Upgrade Classroom Network Infrastructure

Years 6-10: Grade 4-5 Playground Replacement, K-3 Playground Replacement, Pre-K Playground Replacement

Hunter’s Green Elementary — Years 1 to 5:  Fire Evacuation Improvements, Grade 4-5 Playground Replacement, K-3 Playground Replacement, Replace Aging Roof, Replace Stage Lighting, Upgrade Classroom Network Infrastructure

Years 6-10: Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Exterior Paint and Waterproofing, Outdoor Court Replacement

Liberty Middle School — Years 1-5:  Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Exterior Paint and Waterproofing, School Interior Repainting Project, Upgrade Classroom Network Infrastructure

Years 6-10: Elevator Modernization, Replace Fire Alarm System, Replace Telephone System, Sand and Recondition Gym Floor

Pride Elementary — Years 1-5: Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Fire Evacuation Improvements, Grade 4-5 Playground Replacement, Pre-K Playground Replacement, Replace Aging Roof

Years 6-10: Elevator Modernization, K-3 Playground Replacement, Outdoor Court Replacement, Replace Telephone System

Tampa Palms Elementary — Years 1-5: Grade 4-5 Playground Replacement, K-3 Playground Replacement, Replace Stage Lighting

Years 6-10: Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Carpeting Replacement Project, Generator Project, Hard-Surface Flooring Replacement Project, Outdoor Court Replacement

Turner Bartels K-8 School — Years 1-5:  K-3 Playground Replacement, Pre-K Playground Replacement

Years 6-10:  Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Elevator Modernization, Outdoor Court Replacement, Repave Athletic Tracks, Replace Telephone System, School Interior Repainting Project

Wharton High — Years 1-5:  Air Conditioning Replacement or Overhaul, Fire Evacuation Improvements, Replace Aging Roof, Replace Fire Alarm System

Years 6 to 10: Carpeting Replacement Project, Repave Athletic Tracks, Sand and Recondition Gym Floor, School Interior Repainting Project

Is There A Smoother Future On The Horizon For New Tampa Blvd. Bicyclists?

The bike and pedestrian path along New Tampa Blvd. in West Meadows is showing its age.

If bike and pedestrian paths are supposed to offer safety and comfort to those riding or walking on them, then the one running along the north side of New Tampa Blvd. in West Meadows has failed, say many of those who frequent it.

That may, however, be changing.

Jean Duncan, the City of Tampa’s director of transportation and stormwater services, says that after years of urging from local residents, plans to resurface the aged pathway are now under way.

While there is no schedule or cost yet for the project, Duncan says the city will begin looking at the pavement condition, the drainage issues that leave much of the path puddled hours after rainstorms and any issues with the American Disabilities Act (ADA) in regards to things like wheelchair ramps.

“Once we identify all of that, we will lay out a schedule for a design, which will require us to go out and do some survey work,” Duncan says. “Once that is complete, we will go to construction.”

Duncan says the city is targeting spring of 2019 to begin the project.

That may not satisfy all of Brad Van Rooyen’s wishes for New Tampa Blvd. and its battered pathway, but it is better than nothing, the West Meadows Home Owners Association president says.

Van Rooyen says he has been in discussions with the city about the condition of the road and pathway for more than a decade.

“Walk that path from Publix to the (New Tampa Blvd. Gateway) Bridge and if you don’t twist an ankle, trip over a root or wear out your sneakers, I’d be surprised,” he says.

Van Rooyen may be using a touch of hyperbole to make his point, but he says he has seen people trip on the path, and one bicyclist who hit a bad patch on the pathway crashed to the ground and had to be transported via ambulance to a hospital.

The pathway, critics says, has worn through its original surface, is jagged, cracked and uncomfortable.

That was evident on June 28, when 100 or so bicyclists came out for a memorial ride in honor of Pedro Aguerreberry, the West Meadows resident who was struck by a car and killed while out riding his bike with his two young children.

The bike path was so bad, says Hunter’s Green resident Peter Mirones, that police officers directed the bicyclists to ride in the road.

“After the extremely tragic accident, the memorial ride definitely drew some more attention to it,” Duncan says.

Mirones took District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera out to the path on July 2 to show him the cracked, uneven surface and to take pictures. Viera then asked the city staff to look into it, which it will be doing.

Van Rooyen said that, at one point, West Meadows was going to pave the bike path itself, but then-District 7 City Council member Lisa Montelione, who represented New Tampa from 2011-16, told him it was the city’s responsibility.

Van Rooyen met with city officials, showed them pictures of the deterioration, which was so bad the city’s attorney, “actually made us leave the room, and within 48 hours, some of the really serious potholes and dropoffs were fixed,” he says.

But, they were not enough, as the popular pathway continues to lose its form. Van Rooyen says that almost the entire length of the path — roughly 1.5 miles — needs to be re-finished.

“I get it, the city has budget constraints, and every community has got issues,” Van Rooyen says. “I’m not ungrateful. It’s a step in the right direction. But, the way to solve the problem is to spend the money and get it fixed the right way, so we don’t have to worry about it for the next 15 years. Anything short of a complete repaving is like putting on a Band-Aid. Eventually, it has to all be done.”

Van Rooyen adds that he thinks the city needs to not only take a look at the bike path, but should examine New Tampa Blvd. itself as well, which has weeds and roots growing up through sections of it.

Van Rooyen says that the road was built to handle West Meadows traffic, but once the bridge linked the road to Tampa Palms, there has been a dramatic increase in traffic and it has taken its toll on New Tampa Blvd.

“The road has never been paved, never been seal coated,” he says. “The markings on the road have become so worn down you can’t see the turn lanes. And, you see more and more potholes.”

He adds that the city was under the impression West Meadows was handling its own roads, and anytime someone called the city they were passed along to the HOA or Community Development District (CDD). “Then it just fell off everybody’s radar,” he says.

At least for now, it appears to be back on the city’s radar.

Grandma Claire’s Reading Room Dedicated At New Tampa Library

Grandma Claire’s Early Learning Hive, a space handcrafted to combine youth recreation & education into a single experience, has been unveiled at the New Tampa Regional Library (NTRL) on Cross Creek Blvd. About 50 people, including the family of the longtime educator and librarian the room was named for, attended the ceremony at NTRL on Sept. 22.

Claire Unnasch, whose plaque is proudly displayed in The Hive, was a special education teacher, school librarian and middle school math teacher at South End School in Cedar Grove, NJ. However, the nickname “Grandma Claire” wasn’t coined until her later career as a volunteer at local libraries, where she discovered her immense affection for preschool-age children. Grandma Claire passed away in 2016.

Thomas Unnasch, Grandma Claire’s son, spoke at the unveiling, as children raced around playing and grabbing books.

“She would be beyond herself if she could see what we’ve created here,” Thomas said.

District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera and Hillsborough County’s director of library services Andrew Breidenbaugh also spoke at the podium, sharing their vision of recreating Grandma Claire’s Early Learning Hive for libraries across the District in the years to come, to spread Claire’s love for children & education even further.

The New Tampa Regional Library (10001 Cross Creek Blvd.) is open every day.

 

Chess Champ Has All The Right Moves

Cannon Farragut, an 8-year-old Hunter’s Green resident, recently captured a Florida State Chess Championship. Is there a national championship on the horizon for this chess wunderkind?

Chess began with a key on a laptop keyboard being plucked loose and set aside.

Then another. And another.

By the time William Farragut discovered what was happening and could stop Cannon, his then-4-year-old son, every key on his laptop had been removed.

“I was furious,” William says. So, as a solution for his uber-curious son, William bought Cannon his own, cheaper laptop. He loaded it with math and science programs, and randomly ran across a chess app and installed that, too.

“I was being totally stereotypical, but chess is for smart kids, right?” William asks.

Within a month, it was the only thing Cannon was playing. By watching videos of matches, he learned not only how the pieces move, but how to “weaponize” those moves by stringing them together and outsmarting the opposition.

His father was stunned.

Four years later, Cannon, now 8, is the Arnold Denker Florida State Champion in the 1800-under division. High-level chess players don’t generally compete in age groups, they compete against others in the same ratings group. Cannon toppled adults 3-4 times his age on his way to the championship at the 1800-&-Under level (more on this below).

In November, he will represent the U.S. at the World Youth Championships in Spain.

Then, in December, he’ll travel to the National Scholastic Chess Championships in Orlando, where the very best players in the country will be on hand to prove their rankings. Cannon is currently ranked in the Top 20 in the U.S. in his age group, but is in the top 10 of everyone in the 1800-&-Under rating group in the entire U.S.

Can he win a national championship?

“I think I can win,” Cannon says.

On a typical Tuesday night. Cannon breezes through the meeting room at Compton Park, which is filled with dozens of young New Tampa chess players, members of the invite-only Champions Chess Club coached by Tampa Palms residents Mark Ritter and his wife Tania Kranich-Ritter, a former New York State champion.

Cannon is happy, polite, affable. Even during his matches, he looks around the room, smiling, rising from his seat to walk around and watch some of his clubmates. On occasion, he’ll also practice his jump shot form, as Cannon also is a skilled basketball player.

But Mark, an internationally rated chess master and one of only five Level 5-rated coaches in the country, and Tania, who coached teams at Tampa Palms Elementary and Liberty Middle School to national championships in 2005 and 2006, respectively, were skeptical when Cannon, then 5, showed up at the club hoping to join.

“When I first came in, they almost pushed me away,’’ William says, laughing.

Cannon hid behind his father’s legs. The club was mostly older kids, Tania told William, with players from 3rd grade to high school, with ratings ranging from 500 to 2100.

William tried to explain that he thought Cannon had something, and Mark told him every parent says that. But, since they had already made the trip, Mark agreed to sit down at the chess board with the youngster.

After five minutes, Mark looked at William, and said, “You know, there might be something here.”

Cannon then played one of the lower-rated players in the club, and lost. The tears flowed. When he and William left that day, Mark wasn’t sure he’d ever see them again.

Cannon did come back, however, and lost again, and cried again, a scenario that repeated itself several times the first few weeks. He was, however, getting better every visit. When he was six, he officially joined the club.

Mark says Cannon’s appetite for chess was voracious, and he devoured more and more instructional videos as his rating started climbing and the wins began piling up.

Even more pleasing was that Cannon slowly transformed from a shy kid into a social butterfly, making friends easily and becoming one of the club’s most popular members.

“Cannon’s growing social skills emphasize a much-overlooked benefit of chess,” says Mark. “While most of the focus remains on improving one’s game and rating — too much in my opinion — important social behaviors, such as sportsmanship, communication and interaction, are part of the package, too.”

Cannon has rapidly evolved from a kid plucking the keys off his father’s computer keyboard to Florida’s best player among those with 1800-&-Under ratings, according to the U.S. Chess Federation ratings. As such, he rarely plays anyone who is not much older than he is, a fact that Cannon admits has created some awkward situations.

“I think they are more nervous than I am,” Cannon says. “I don’t think they want to lose to a kid.”

But, his recent Florida State title is certainly the biggest win of his career, at least so far.

“It is a big deal,” Cannon says. “This is like my first major tournament I won and that inspires me to keep going, so I can become a Grandmaster and beat Magnus Carlsen.”

Both are lofty goals — Cannon is currently rated at 1771; when you reach 2200, you become a Master, and at 2500 you are a Grandmaster. But,  Carlsen, the current World Champion, is a true chess prodigy with a rating greater than 2800.

Chess is a hard game that very few master. So, how has an 8-year-old managed to do it?

Tough to say, says Mark.

“Nobody’s answered that question,” he says. “His ability to see tactics and combinations that most players can’t is phenomenal. He has a natural ability for spatial relationships, pattern recognition, things like that. How do you define that? It’s just wiring.”

Well, there’s wiring and then there’s hard work. Cannon is a dedicated student of the game. He describes the chessboard as a picture, or a puzzle. He says he sees what to do in his mind, “which is telling me what to do, like connecting the dots. Where the line starts is my first move.”

Cannon’s tendency to move too quickly at times is one of his few weaknesses. When he sees a dot to connect, he does so, with supreme confidence, even if it only took him a few minutes to notice. Sometimes, he admits that there was a better move out there.

That didn’t stop him in Jacksonville, however, when he won his State title. That victory netted Cannon $800 and a trophy (photo) almost as tall as he is. He loves his trophy. The money, he says, “I’m giving to my mom and dad so they can have some of it.”

That should at least cover the cost of that laptop, new keys and all.