TAMPA, Fla. – Nov. 3, 2022 — Veteran’s Day is observed annually on November 11th honoring men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces coinciding with the anniversary of the end of World War I. That does not stop the Tampa Bay Charity from honoring Veterans through their Veterans for Vehicles Program all year long. Veterans who go through the program are referred to the charity through a verified agency and are required to make $100 monthly payments for one year, attend a Car Care Class and complete 36 volunteer hours back to the charity. WOS provides a hand up not a hand out to keep people working and sustain their independence.

“Our Vehicles for Veterans Program was created to help veterans re-enter the workforce after serving our country. The program started with funding through State Farm in 2009 with continuing annual support, making it easier for veterans to keep the jobs they have, get the medical care they need and keep them from sliding into homelessness,’ said Susan Jacobs, Founder and CEO of Wheels of Success.

The Wheels of Success car recipient Brad Houston, U.S. Army veteran, served on active duty from 2008-2011 and completed one tour in Iraq. He was also the awardee of a High Miler Award while in the military. Currently he is working outdoors for Screen Boss re-screening pool cages and needs to have reliable transportation to get to and from work. Houston is grateful to receive his car to make sure he gets to work on time and keeps his job .

“I know what it’s like first-hand to live without a vehicle. Our Tampa area is so spread out and because of that, it’s hard to do the things you need to do. It’s hard to function without a vehicle and the public transportation is not always time-reliable so you have to really budget your time. A car affects your living situation – and I know that from experience not having a home, where a car I used to have was my only shelter and I was living out of it. So getting a place to live and securing reliable transportation is huge for me,” said Houston.

About Wheels of Success:
Wheels of Success is dedicated to providing personal transportation solutions by partnering with the community in a circle of support to keep people working and sustain their independence.

Since June 2003, Wheels of Success has helped more than 1,500 families obtain or continue work by providing them with reliable transportation through a program of car repairs, vehicle replacement, related licensing services, car payments, down payments and car-care classes. For more info visit http://www.wheelsofsuccess.org

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Sept. 1, 2022 — Featured artist, Lance Rodgers will be exhibiting his newest body of work titled: “The Premonition’s Promise” at Woodfield Fine Art Gallery. The opening reception will be held on Friday, September 9 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM at 2323 Central Avenue in St Petersburg, Florida. The public is invited.

“This is the must-see art event of the year in St. Petersburg. An exhibition of the latest paintings by nationally renowned artist Lance Rodgers, who just happens to be a St. Pete native,” said Jim Woodfield, owner of Woodfield Fine Art. “Now his amazing new paintings will be on view and available to discerning collectors at our gallery.”

Rodgers is known for creating visual narratives through his use of realism to transport the viewer on a visual journey. Some are introspections, others are larger, worldly observations often laced with humor and symbolism. All are thoughtful in subject, design and execution. The Premonition’s Promise will be an interesting body of work true to Rodgers’ painting style.

“I’m excited to be showing my first exhibit with Woodfield Fine Art. I appreciate the way Jim works with, and for the artists in addition to his customers. He’s what I look for in a gallery director,” said Lance Rodgers, artist. “I’m looking forward to the opening.”

About Woodfield Fine Art Gallery
Located at 2323 Central Avenue in St Petersburg, FL  Woodfield Fine Art Gallery is known for representing and providing a retail outlet for Tampa Bay visual artists since 2015. Gallery owner Jim Woodfield continues his original intent of presenting laudable art works of local artists where art patrons can view and buy original art. As an artist, Woodfield understands the intersection between artist, gallery and clientele. For more information about the gallery visit https://www.WoodfieldFineArt.com

About the Artist, Lance Rodgers
Lance Rodgers is an award winning contemporary artist with a strong emphasis on painting and photography. Since 1980, Rodgers has displayed his art in numerous galleries, museums and collections in the United States and abroad. His work is on permanent display at The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Arts & Sciences Museum of Ormond Beach, Gulf Coast Museum of Art, the American Embassy in Madrid, Spain as well as numerous private and corporate collections. Rodgers resides and maintains a studio in the Old Southeast Artist Enclave in St. Petersburg, FL. For more information visit https://lancerodgersart.com

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Aug. 16, 2022 — Woodfield Fine Art Gallery presents a panel to dispel some of the mystique around acquiring art by hosting an informal, informative evening at The Poynter Institute on Thursday, August 25th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Patrons, collectors and artists on the panel will take part in an open discussion about buying, collecting, and commissioning art.

Host:
Jim Woodfield – Owner, Woodfield Fine Art Gallery – Jim is a gallerist, artist, art collector, and patron of the arts. After retiring in 2010 he focused his energies on his art and community of artists. Opening his gallery in 2015 allowed him to fulfill his dream of being immersed in the arts and providing an outlet for local artists to display and sell their work.

Panel Moderator:
Lance Rodgers –  Artist, Photographer – Known for his thought provoking paintings, Rodgers is an award winning contemporary artist with works in permanent collections of The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, The Museum Arts & Sciences in Daytona, as well as corporate and private collections.

Forum Panel includes:
Ken Rollins – Collector, Museum Director, Art Consultant – For 30 years Ken Rollins was an art museum director at the Museum of Florida Art, the Polk Museum of Art, the Gulf Coast Museum of Art and finally Interim Director of the Tampa Museum of Art. Currently, he is President of Rollins Fine Art, LLC, an art consulting company.

John Bayalis – Artist – John Bayalis earned a BFA degree in art and MFA degree in painting at the University of Delaware and taught art at levels from elementary school through college. He has been affiliated with fine art galleries throughout the United States including The Leslie Levy Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ and the ACA gallery in New York City.

Margaret Bayalis – Artist – Margaret studied graphic design/illustration at the University of DE. and director of publications at Wesley College in Dover, DE. Her artistic skills were employed as a courtroom artist and freelance illustration work. She has exhibited works in Maine, Rehoboth Beach and Wilmington, DE, including the Delaware Art Museum.

Susanne Byram – Collector, Patron, Restaurateur –  An art collector for years, Susanne has been involved in various art boards and charities in the Houston and Austin areas. She recently commissioned artwork for her restaurant. Susanne will talk about commissioning and working with an artist to make a concept come to life.

Space is limited. RSVP required to thall@doubletakefl..com
The Poynter is located at 801 Third Street S., St Petersburg with free parking.

ATLANTA – June 4, 2022 — SEE Company Inc., a Jacksonville, FL based company will be debuting their recently launched fashion line at the 2022 Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Conference in Atlanta, GA on June 7-9, 2022. The WBENC National Conference is the largest event of its kind for women business owners, welcoming thousands of women entrepreneurs and corporate executives ready to make connections and do business. To coincide with the conference, SEE Company will be introducing their new Brand Ambassador, Ericka Dunlap who will be representing the SEE Brand.

“After being a Corporate Leader at WBENC, I cannot think of a better place to debut our fashion line as a WBE than the WBENC Conference,” Bev Jennings, Founder & CEO of SEE Company, Inc. “We have designed our SEE Collection specifically with the business and professional woman in mind and like the WBENC organization, it reinforces our brand promise of diversity, inclusivity and sustainability.”

SEE Company will be engaging in the conference, WBE Marketplace and with Ericka Dunlap share fashion and accessory tips for business women that complement the SEE luxury brand.

“I’m excited to introduce Ericka Dunlap as our new Brand Ambassador. As a former Miss America, Ericka incorporated diversity and inclusion into her platform when competing and continued to advocate, which makes her a natural fit for SEE Company. Our core values and beliefs align and are pleased to have her on board,” Jennings continued.

“It is my honor to join forces with The SEE Company to showcase this fabulous and sustainable luxury collection that is all about seeing everyone elevate, professionally, personally and fashionably,” shared SEE Brand Ambassador, Ericka Dunlap. “Effortless and classic fashion has always been my style code. Between traveling, managing my businesses and being a mom, I strive to reflect an elegant style that makes me feel comfortable and look great; that is SEE.”

About Bev Jennings and SEE Company
After over 30 years with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and most recently as Head, Global Supplier Diversity & Inclusion, Jennings was a key leader in J&J becoming the first Healthcare company to join the elite Billion Dollar Roundtable. Jennings founded SEE Company Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida to partner with business leaders and decision makers in realizing their potential for transformational growth and success while cultivating diversity and inclusion. With the overall mission of SEE Company to “See Everyone Elevate” Jennings made the conscious decision to use diverse suppliers throughout her business structure. The SEE Collection embodies diversity, inclusivity and sustainability. For more information about the SEE Company visit SEECompany.co and SeeCoStyle.com.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – April 26, 2022 — A fishing tournament named CASting for Tampa Bay will take place on Saturday, April 30th beginning at 6:00 AM – ending at 2:00 PM. Entrance fee is $40 per boat with all profits being donated to Tampa Bay Watch.

“This is something we believed in and felt was a good cause in our area (our CAS project) to help protect Tampa Bay and keep our waters clean,” said student Raleigh Walker who created this tournament as part of an environmental school project with fellow classmates Dylan Kramer and Jorn Rutkis.

Inshore Slam (Snook, Redfish and Trout) are the target fish for the tournament with boats having the First, Second and Third largest slams winning prizes provided by sponsors. All fish will be “catch and release” unless size and season requirements are met by the FWC. A post tournament party will be held at Boaters Republic located at 3100 4th Street N., St Petersburg, FL 33704 at 4:00 PM

Tournament Rules:

• Boats can only leave at 6:00 AM and must return to dock before 2:00 PM
• All fish must be measured with standard ruler and pictures must include entire fish
• Boats are not to go beyond the Tampa Bay area-past the Skyway Bridge
• Maximum of 4 adults per boat – no limits on children
• Must have valid fishing license if over 16 years of age
• Must follow all FWC Guidelines for operating a boat safely

To register email:  CastingFTB@gmail.com

Payment can be made via Venmo: @Jorn_rutkis  Raleigh Walker can be reached at text/cell 727- 522-9368; Dylan Kramer at 727-422-4991 and/or Jorn Rutkis at 727-710-5915.

Sponsors include:
4th Street Tackle, Mangrove Bay Golf Course, Boaters Republic and Tampa Bay Watch

Prizes, Raffle Item donations include:

Boaters Republic, Harvey’s Grill, Crown Eurocars, Intrepid Boats, Due Course Marine Services, Neil Holland Fishing Charters, Freedom Boat Club, etc.