Renown Highwaymen Takes the Solo Road

Renown artist, Mary Ann Caroll, is stepping away from the nationally acclaimed Florida Highwaymen to do her first ever solo art exhibition.

The Florida Highwaymen started their craft in the 1950s in Ft. Pierce and consisted of 26 African-American artists, which was considered controversial during the segregation period.

Caroll was the only female of the group, but said she never had any fear of what people may do or think about her or the other highwaymen. "When I think of man, when I think of woman, it always spelled at the end with three letters. Same three letters, m-a-n ... I just looked at it as a job is a job. Whoever does it, does it. If it's a woman or a man, if you could do the job, do it. I've had to do a lot of manly labor and I'm not a man. So, I guess that's why I never paid any attention to it."

Caroll said she feels that even today, racism still lingers, though not as bad as before, but doesn't let it affect her, instead has used painting as her outlet during the times of struggle and made it easier for her to support her children, which she said was her primary motive for beginning the craft. "It was a tight life, but it was a right life," she said. "It was a good life."

Her daughter, Kandie Ingram, recalls growing up in her mother's world.

"I was too young to know what was going on," Ingram said. "All I know is we had fun a lot traveling, getting the perks, eating ice cream, you know, the perks. I didn't know the significance of it."

Ingram said that she and her siblings, along with their next generation, realized as they got older the importance of her mother's work, and that each are all adept in drawing, but have not pursued it as a hobby or career. On the other hand, Ingram said, she was into athletics, even though her mother had the kids help with matting and framing.

"Art conquers the mind ... You can drift away in art," Caroll said. "You can drift to places you've never been and just imagining yourself there. So, that is why I wanted them to be involved."

Caroll, who still lives in Ft. Pierce, said she paints only with oil paints, anything from abstract pieces to the landscapes of Florida's natural scenery that the Highwaymen have become famous for portraying in their pieces.

"The reason the landscapes are done so prevalent is because a lot of people who were here before, they come back and all the things are gone," she said. "And it's just not like it was. They may have a little lake on some land and when they come back, it's a condominium there or a shopping center ... Their desire was to get something that reminded them of home."

The landscape artwork that can now be seen being created by recent artists. Caroll said the story behind the Highwaymen's art make their work unable to duplicated and truly one of a kind.

"The [artists] now don't have any suffering to go through" she said. "They don't have any struggles. They are reaping the benefit that we have provided. They are reaping the benefit off our suffering and struggling ... They have never once been insulted [or] persecuted for just trying to do right."

Kandie said she is organizing the show to present her mother's talent.

"She doesn't know how great she really is because she gets so lost in a group of people," Ingram said. "Sometimes people just want you ... My vision for her is greater than she may even think because I know her work. I tell people when you get her work, you're getting all of her."

One person who has appreciated Caroll's aptitude is Barbara Chandler, who is the assistant manager of the Hannibal Sq. Heritage Center and said it was an honor to be able to showcase Caroll's work for an annual benefit that they have had for the past two years.

"I think what Mary Ann Caroll - of course, being the only noted female - brings to the table, is that femininity in her art, which is really nice to see. One of my favorite pieces is of a lavender Poinciana and one thing you can see in that, is a woman's touch and I think that's very unique in a male dominant field especially during the era of segregation."

Caroll said she won't stop at this show, but will continue producing art for shows to come.

"I could be painting with bad eyes or tired body, but it's something about painting when I get into it ... It takes the mind and this is why it's therapy, I believe. It can be therapy; take your mind from where you are to where you need to be," she said.

The purpose of the show is to not only represent Caroll's work, but also as a way to help fund ministries and to give back to God. "There's a lot of churches that don't have proper money," she said. "I survived. I thank God. And what He gives me, I give back to him, as I should."

The show is taking place on Aug. 13 at the Woman's Club of Sanford. For more information, contact Kandie Ingram via email at kandieingram@yahoo.com or telephone at 850-345-9381.

Homeless Shelter Makes Advances to Facility

Rescue Outreach Mission has been providing services to the homeless for 25 years and continue to find new and innovative ways to keep their residents comfortable and happy.

Their most recent addition is the playground and learning center and have made renovations the children's playroom, all of which are inside the Open Door Shelter for Women and Children.

Executive Director Ernie Hamilton said they accomodate to when the times change. "We wanted to make it suitable for today's children," he said. "It's just a change in the time. I'm sure five years from now, we will see things grow and change as we move forward. Just like any university or business, it always changes and this is going to be forever changing also to meet the needs of the community."

The Playground

The modern playground was put in the backyard of the Open door in 2010 and was refurbished by Leadership Seminole, who raised $75,000 for materials.

Wayne Weinberg, president of Leadership Seminole, said they were happy to have helped. "It puts smiles on each and everyone of our faces," he said. "It's pretty cool. It's great stuff. I tested it. I started swinging on it."

Tanishia Hunter, a case manager in the women's unit, said the former playground, which was an old, wooden kind, was not being utilized but the replacement has "livened" the children, who play at least three times a week.

Hunter said she enjoys seeing the residents socialize. "It's just good to see them come out together, not just one person sitting out here," she said. "But all the families come out here and socialize and they have fun. It's really good. This has really just made things better here for the kids."

The Learning Center

Four brand new Dell computers equipped with headphones were set up at four individual tables and are equipped with headphones for the residents of the shelter to use the internet for communication with family or to find jobs.

"All of our residents have to go down the road to the library to use the computer and I said, you know what it would be really good to have something here on-site," Hamilton said.

Residents will also be able to use the Access program to apply for food stamps, medicaid and cash assistance.

Hunter said due to the time limits for computer use and crowds at libraries, they were motivated to do this.

"We just wanted to make it easier for them to access what they needed, here," said Hunter.

The shelter received a $10,000 donation from Symantec for the costs affiliated with the multimedia room, but the paint, flooring and furniture was donated by Leadership Seminole Class 19, a group that provides volunteer services to the community.

The Play Room

Class 19 also assisted the shelter with remodeling the playroom. An engraved name plate has been placed on the door and reads, "Leadership Seminole Class 19."

"It's not like your regular at-home [playground]," Hamilton said. "It's like the city park, county park kind of playground. It is beautiful ... [It] has the state of the art brand new things in there for the kids to play with. It looks like a little classroom."

Hunter said that prior to the modifications being made, the play room only had a table with chairs and that that the room was falling apart. "They made it really look like a VPK room for the kids to come in and have so much fun and help develop their mental education. They love that room," she said.

Now, the room is packed with all different types of dolls, toys, games and even a kitchen for kids.

Mission Accomplished

Chantal Brazell has been living at Open Door with her two children, Aliyah, 2, and Walter, 4, for about a year and said the children love the playground. "They really enjoy it," she said. "They like playing, like getting stuff to learn and keeping active."

Walter said his favorite activity on the playground is the tire swing, and Chantal said Aliyah's favorite is the slide. "I have lots of fun," Walter said.

"It's a really good place," Chantal said. "They are very helpful. They help you get on your feet in the right way. They are positive people. They try to keep you positive. They try to keep you on the right track and try to help you the best way they can."

More Work Ahead

"My next vision is phase two," Hamilton said. "If things go the way it is with some things, we are for this office right here to be the learning center for the men. But right now, they can use next door."

Currently, there are 35 men, six single women, six families and 14 kids living in the shelters, and Hamilton said they are continuously getting more and are constantly full, serving 6,000 meals per month. He said he is eager to do more to help.

"We hope to expand our services even broader in the next year or two. A lot of growth is happening," he said. "We are one of the most employed counties in Florida. So when you think about Seminole County, you think money and you don't think poverty."

But he said that a homeless person can be anybody and no longer fits any stereotype.

"We are watching the face of homelessness change," he said. "The caliber of the person who lives here today is different. It's not just the alcoholic or the drunk ... It's families that are coming in here now needing help."

Hunter had equal sentiments and said she has grown a rapport with the women and children. "It's not the bum that you see on the street holding the sign saying, 'Will work for food,' " Hunter said. "It's the person who has the degree and who had a good job and had a good car. It has really changed. Homelessness has really changed. They are good people. We all are good people."

Sylvia Izquierdo is the administrative director and daughter of Mother Weaver, who had the vision to create ROM. Izquierdo said they are persistently working and that she thanks God for the Rescue Outreach Mission and all of the successful conversions they were able to make.

"We are just proud to be here; proud to be working in here," Izquierdo said. "When you look where we have come from in 25 years; you may see some of the old films of what it was to what it is now."

For more information, visit http://www.rescueoutreachmission.org.

Child Conducts Charity

John Loso spent his summer a little differently than most children his age. After a successful toothbrush charity drive at his elementary school in May, 11-year-old Loso decided to have at it again in the summer time.

Loso, a Sanford resident, collected over 800 toothbrushes at Wicklow Elementary School after he was touched by an episode of "60 Minutes" regarding the homeless population of Seminole County. This time, his goal has been to collect 400 toothbrushes, along with tubes of toothpaste and containers of floss, and to accomplish it all before school starts.

"It's something that I can help the community with because there's a lot of homeless people," Loso said. "And it's not just lazy people that don't pay the bills or anything; there's kids out there. It seems like a lot more kids than adults actually."

Chair of the Seminole Action Coalition Serving Our Needy (SACSON), Trace Trylko, said the numbers in Seminole County, especially Sanford, are extremely high. "Of Orange, Osceola and Seminole County, Seminole County has 25% of homeless of those three," he said. "And a good number of those are in the Sanford area."

Of the homeless population in Seminole County, 17% are veterans and 40% are women and children.

The number of homeless students in the Seminole County Public School system has increased to more 1,700 in this past year and majority have lived in various homes in short periods of time and because there is not enough room in homeless shelters, many of them live in motels, said Trylko.

Trylko is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of the All Souls Catholic Church where the Loso family attends and where the community can drop off contributions. The Loso family also has a partnership with a Firehouse Subs in Lake Mary.

The Firehouse owner, Suzanne Kelly, said many people solicit the business, but felt like John's mission was something she was interested in promoting. "We really try to partner up with good causes for our local area ... We try to do what's right," she said. "We knew it was a nice thing to do."

Janice Plescia is a member of a local group called the Bonkel Club and visited John and his mother at the Firehouse Subs on Wednesday to provide them with buckets filled with 250 items gathered by the 13 members of the organization. "We all decided right away, it was something we'd like to support," Plescia said. "Because it's a very worthwhile cause and with Seminole County as it is with the homeless, all of us should be doing something to help and this is just a small way that we can help. But I think it's a wonderful enterprise that he has. And for John to have thought of it and to come up with the idea and to move forward with it is a wonderful thing."

John thanked Plescia and three other group members for their supply who arrived, and they replied with sentiments such as, "Keep up the good work."

Plescia, Trylko and others have said they were amazed at the work John has done at his young age.

"He's 11 years old and he decided to do this on his own," Trylko said. "What more will he do? It's exciting to see what more he will do. How will he make a difference? What future leader will he become? And I credit his family because they want to have a heart for this issue at a time when honestly, not everyone wants to have that heart."

John's mother, Susan, said she is proud of what her son has accomplished. "He has a big heart," she said. "He just wants to help people. He's in the right place ... He's going to go far. He really is."

John said he plans to conquer more ways to help the homeless and that other projects are in the works. "[Mom] tells me to slow down; finish one thing at a time because I'm already thinking about the next one," he said.

John said he is happy with the work that he's done in order to assist the homeless children of the county and he said: "One kid can make a difference."

As of Wednesday, July 27, the Loso family has raised 2,046 items and hope to continue surpassing their target before the Aug. 15 deadline. All aggregated items will be distributed to Pathways to Home and Rescue Outreach Mission.

John and his mother paid a visit to the shelter on Thursday to donate items, which included one toothbrush, one tube of toothpaste and one container of floss in each package, to the children of the home.

Chantal Brazell has been at the shelter with her two children, Aliyah, 2, and Walter, 4, for about a year. She said she was thankful for John and his family to donate the toothbrushes to her kids. "That's a good that they donated toothbrushes," said Brazell. "My kids love to brush. I think it's a good thing that people who donate toothbrushes can teach kids how to keep their mouth clean. It's important. It's important for them to keep their breath smelling good and have healthy teeth."

ROM Executive Direct Ernie Hamilton said he is so appreciative of John's efforts because something as small as a toothbrush is so big for them.

"It's amazing," Hamilton said. "That's good teaching from his parents; already teaching him philanthropy and how to give. That's really good ... In this time, our operating costs are extremely high. We operate more people come in than we can [help] but God makes a way and we are still here."

For more information, email John at tiglet2@earthlink.net. To donate, visit the All Souls Catholic Church, or the Firehouse Subs at 3587 Lake Emma Rd. in Lake Mary.

Florida Colleges Increase Tuition to Compensate for Budget Cuts

Seminole State College, among other Florida colleges, will raise its tuition by 8 percent starting in the fall to counterbalance the budget cuts that the state has mandated.

The state funding for the schools was reduced by 9.5 percent, therefore in a June 20 meeting, the SSC's Dictrict Board of Trustrees agreed to this change which was passed in the Senate Bill 2000, or the appropriations bill, authorized by the 2011 Legislature.

Loraine O'Connell, a representative of the college, said the choice was out of their hands. "That all comes down to our legislature," she said. "All of the colleges and universities have to deal with who has the money and that's our legislature."

But according to Cheryl Etters of the Florida's Department of Education, the colleges and universities were permitted to decide if they wanted to raise the tuition and even more than what the state legislature proposed. "The legislation allowed schools to raise the tuition, it didn't require them to," she said. "So each college's Board of Trustees would have voted whether to do that."

Valencia College President Sanford Shugart said he did not want to meet the suggested 11 percent, but instead, like SSC, raised it by 8 percent. "Anytime you raise tuition, you do it thoughtfully and it's always regretful," he said. "You hate to pass more costs onto any students ... We are careful enough to raise it unless we have to ... We are still not at the maximum allowed by law this year and I hope not to get there ... We would not have raised the tuition at all if there was any way to offer them the education they're seeking without doing it, but we just couldn't."

In addition to colleges, Florida Universities made increases in their tuition, too. The University of Central Florida raised theirs by 15 percent, and an 11 percent increase would be seen with tuition and fees combined.

Chad Binette, associate director of UCF's news and information division, said regardless of the alterations, the university continues to be prominent. "Despite recent increases in tuition and fees, Florida's public universities still rank among the most economical in the country," he said. " 'Kiplinger' and 'The Princeton Review' this year have recognized a UCF education as one of the best values in the nation based on the quality of academics, cost of attendance and financial aid. Also, Florida universities now have the 48th least expensive tuiton and fees in the country."

Shugart had the same sentiments about Valencia's costs. "We are fortunate to live in a place that has had historically low tuition rates, so that when the state makes that shift, it doesn't make it too expensive for the students still ... The good news is, we still remain below the national median for tuition for two-year colleges," Shugart said. "We are well below the university system tuition so we remain a pretty good bargain. We can attend our students full-time for less than $2,500 per year."

Bright Futures Scholarship program also took cuts, as well, amounting to about a 20 percent decrease. At SSC in 2009-10 school year, there was 1,614 students, or 5 percent of the entire body, with the scholarship. These scholars received a total of $2.6 million in award in 2010-11.

Vanessa Karpf, an honors sophomore majoring in biology with Bright Futures, said the modifications complicates people's need for getting an education, and worries that her and her family's situation will get worse since they rely on her award for her college education and partially depend on it for their financial needs.

"Even though I do have scholarship, I would have to adjust some things," said Karpf, 20. "It's kind of heartbreaking for all that stuff to happen ... I think it's a flaw in the system and it needs to be fixed, it really does. I don't know how but I just know that it does ... I guess things change and you have to adapt but there's only so much you can adapt to."

Additional conversions made by SSC are a first-time tuition for students registering for Adult Education courses, such as ESOL, ABE/GED and adult high school, which will be $30 for Florida residents each term, compared to $120 for a non-Florida resident.

UCF Volunteers Goes to the Zoo

Phasey bean, and dog fennel, and bidens alba, oh my! Volunteer UCF is at it again. This time, they took a trip to the zoo and became botanists for the day to help maintain the environment for the wildlife.

The 10 young men and women arrived at the Central Florida Zoo on Saturday morning ready to pick, equipped with gloves, water bottles, bug spray, and active wear perfect for the summer weather.

Steve DeCresie, the park's senior horticulturist of seven years, led the way, giving a tour of the zoo and what he calls a "crash course" in botany. "This will take a lot of man and woman power," he said. And also asserted, "By the [end], you'll be wet, gross and somewhat muddy."

The VUCF gang were ready to go in their first visit to the zoo. Their task: to weed and spread pine straw in a dragonfly garden. "That's our mission," DeCresie said, then humorously hummed a melody, and in a comedically deep voice added: "Your mission, should you decide to accept it. Just make dragonfly pond look beautiful."

Chelsea Balkam is the director of the animal unit of the organization. "We have a very diverse group of people," she said. "Everyone is doing different majors , studying different things, but just love animals." Balkam started working for the committee two years ago when she was a sophomore and says she hopes to gain more knowledge about the zoo and what they do in conservation efforts.

The group followed DeCresie to the pond where they will be working and explained the process, saying they will mostly be focusing on ecology, but also hydrology, land use, some biology and zooology aspects and a brief medical lesson.

The pond system has been there since 2005 and is part of a farm water filteration system, which includes a pipe that connects to the St. John's River. DeCresie, a swamp lover, takes care of the swamps in the zoo, which consists of 117 acres of swampland. This one in particular is the black water river flood plain swamp, which is one of the 14 different types of swamps Florida has.

Surrounded by massive vegetation, DeCresie says it will take a lot of hands to do the job because the zoo staff has sprayed the weedkiller, herbacides, which he says they don't like doing, and because they have planted a innumerable amount of wildlife, which he gave them a lesson on how to identify, such as phasey bean, dog fennel and bidens alba and informs the group that they will be on a "scavenger hunt."

Balkam, who said she was "pumped," jumped up and down with excitement and smiled from ear-to-ear saying she was thrilled to begin. "I just love being outside," she said.

Max Lang is a pre-med major focusing on biology and was interested in helping out. "It just seems kind of interesting to do," said Lang, a senior. "Something different than my ordinary Saturday. Get to help out the zoo so that always helps. And I like the bio aspects, it goes into my niche of things that seem interesting." This is his first volunteer effort with VUCF, but usually does with Sherperd's Hope. "I do like to volunteer from time to time. It always treats me to help out."

Balkam says she was satisfied with the number of people who participated. "I'm like bubbling over with happiness," she said. "I only thought three people were going to come, so I'm really happy ... It's more than I expected, because it's a Saturday morning and it's the summer, so I didn't expect a lot of people."

Balkam says she hopes to make news friends as many of them did not know each other prior to this and signed up on the VUCF Web site.

DeCresie, who says he loves getting people in the mud, affirmed that the amount of people who attended was sufficient. "This group is perfect for dragonfly pond." he said. "I can't train really small kids, who sometimes just start to pulling anything, so it's nice when I get older, teenagers, college students and adults, that's when we usually do more difficult scavenger hunts."

Wet, gross and muddy two hours after they arrived, they reached their goal of edibles. Four bags were filled and ready to be taken to the animals, such as the camels, kangaroos and tortoises, all of which, DeCresie says, love the bidens and grasses. He exclaims it's a special treat for them because the plants surrounding the pond usually only gets picked by the end of summer because that is when it gets chaotic and needs to be pampered for the fall.

Following lunch, they will lay down the pine straw like "carpet or mulch," DeCresie said, and then the mission is accomplished for the VUCF volunteers.

"We can't do it without you guys," says Terri Clark about UCF. Clark is the community resource manager at the zoo and is one of the staff members assigns projects to volunteers. "We are just a small staff, a small non-profit so we have limited staff so for us to do everything that needs to get done, we cannot do it without volunteers. So we kiss the feet that you walk on. We are just so appreciative."

The zoo and UCF have a "great partnership," says Clark. Previously, a playground was built with countless UCF volunteers taking part. "We can't do it without them. We love them."

For more information about Volunteer UCF, visit http://www.vucf.getinvolveducf.com

Couponing Craze Charitable to Community

It's become an epidemic craze and has hit many households in the United States; "couponing" is what is getting families to save money for extra food items, not only for themselves but also for other families in need.

These couponers share their tricks and tips to mostly women, but even men, through TV shows, such as "Extreme Couponing," countless Web sites, including “Smart Couponing,” and blogs like, “Money Saving Mom.”

One of those enlighteners is Mary Edwards, who runs the Web site, "Couponers United." She teaches 40 classes a month on how to be a couponer in order to "give back to the community" and taught a local one Saturday, July 9, 2011 at the Epiphany Lutheran Church in Oviedo. "Just because you don't need it, you can help or bless another family," Edwards says.

Couponing 101

Edwards educated the students in the seminar that they can find coupons in stores, newspapers and print them off the Internet and then organize them in what she calls a "Coupon Binder" or in hanging folders. The clips are to be filed in categories and a litany of items must be created in advance to ensure preparation for shopping.

Deals and Steals

There is terminology behind the activity, including the word "stacking," which is used to describe the use of combining manufacturer coupons and store coupons, which is allowed at supermarkets and drug stores.

Edwards says she primary encourages her students to shop and coupon at Publix. "They are more coupon-friendly and customer-friendly," she said, and explained that each of these stores actually receives a reimbursement of their money by the company the coupon is for, therefore they don't actually mind customers using coupons.

Edwards says by stacking coupons, you may just end up walking out of the store with extra items at no cost.

Giving Back

Edwards says her initial purpose in conducting the meetings is to encourage people to donate to the needy by just providing those additional items purchased to local food banks, women shelters and religious institutions.

"I teach the classes to help you lower your grocery bill, but also to learn how to give back to the community ... We hope you give back to the food pantry or shelters in your area," Edwards asserted.

40 students of various demographics listened attentively, nodding their heads while taking notes and continuously saying, "Wow," and "I need to do that."

Church board member and two-year couponer, Cara Roesner, says she loves the benefits of couponing. "Of course with the way the economy is, any way to save money seems welcomed," she said. "I have a small budget for charity. I figured with coupons I could give more to the community. Seminole county has a really strong need for food, especially for children. Using coupons, I am able to donate double to triple what I was doing as far as food product."

Her 7-year-old son, Thomas Roesner, was by her side and added: "It helps you save money. You buy it with coupons or if it's on sale. Always."

Sisters Tara and Meera Harry say they are avid fans of the TV show, "Extreme Couponing." Tara Harry become an active couponer recently due to the influence of her younger sister. "She would make me cut through the Sunday paper and match it up to sales and we try to work together as a team," she said, adding that she noticed a drastic change of up to 50% in her savings since she started. "I won't go shopping unless there's a coupon or it's on sale and I try not to pay normal price."

One-year couponer Meera Harry concurred. "I told her, 'You're not going there unless we cut these coupons,' and in the end, you do save money, so why not? Why pay full price if you know you don't have to?"

Once they learned that expired coupons were beneficial up to six months for troops overseas, the Harry sisters donated an envelope filled with clippings to Fran Tivald or "Fran the Coupon Man," executive vice president of the Simple Truth Foundation, who accompanies Edwards to collect overage items.

"It's one of the best feelings that you can have as a human being," Tivald said. "That's what the essence of our organization is; in helping others you help yourself."

For more information, visit couponersunited.com

Geneva Woman Walks and Cooks for Cures

Deep behind the mom and pop restaurants and businesses at the conclusion of Oviedo lies an endless two-lane road equipped with sporadic quantities of roadkill and caution signs warning of turtles and deer, through miles of trees and grass leading to a little baby blue building that stands alone being swallowed by the acres of greenery. This structure, adjacent to a lake filled with alligators, is Jolly Gator Fish Camp restaurant managed by Mary Consolato, a philanthropist to the town of Geneva and abroad.

Consolato, for three years now, has been conducting events and cookout fundraisers about every other month at the establishment to raise money to provide for those sick with cancer and diabetes, which she refers to as a "silent killer."

The interior of the restaurant is embellished with fish and boat decorum with text reading such things as, "Boats 4 rent,"Hunters, Fisherman and Other Liars Gather Here" and "Gone Fishing. Be back for deer season," in between the large windows that permit the luminous sunlight to shine in and visitors to view out at the landscape scenery.

Consolato seats herself next to a window so she can observe the lake and explains that she became motivated to walk for diabetes 15 years ago when her nephew, Ryan, who was 11 years old at the time, was found to have juvenile diabetes, and eight years ago, one of her five children, Jason, became diabetic at age 27, both type one insulin dependent. In 2001, she became a volunteer, setting up tents and tables for walk and bike events at 5:30 in the morning, which she says she loves doing.

She recalls a sleepless night this year that she walked for diabetes awareness, as she does yearly for both diseases. "I tried laying down and I looked up at the sky," she said. "There are these pines all over, all around you. I was just laying on my lawn chair with a blanket and all of a sudden, I look up and it was just so cool," her blue eyes light up, "because of the light that they had in the pines, it just made this awesome view and I said I'm not going to sleep."

She began participating in the American Diabetes Association in 1996, along with Relay for Life in 2009, moving her way up to leader on her diabetes team, co-leader on the cancer team and has become manager of the restaurant after only a year employed, meanwhile running a flag retail business on the side. She says she has a knack for promotion. "That's my nature. It really is," she said as she laughed hysterically.

For the past two years, the two chili cook-offs she has executed for Relay amounted to $1,500 each time, which is donated to Relay in its entirety, she says proudly, adding that her team as a whole raised $5,000 last year and over $6,000 this year.

Consolato has dealt with many friends' deaths due to cancer, an innumerable quantity and says her walks became even more significant when she began building rapports with the patients.

The mood darkened a bit and her usually smiling face no longer portrays joy as she remembers a dear friend and fellow dart-player of hers who died of lung cancer eight years ago. He was expected to live up six months but he ended up passing away after a mere two weeks following the start of chemotherapy and radiation. "That was probably one of the hardest ones I had to deal with," she said. "We were so close and it was so unexpected. He was an awesome guy and all of a sudden he was there and then the next minute, he's just gone."

She also recounts the discovery of her nephew and son's illnesses. "I just deal with life," she said. "I've been through lots in my life. I lost a house to a fire ... It's like a death in your family. You just deal with it. I start with my gratitude list."

Consolato started using a "gratitude list" several years ago to remind herself of the litany of things she has to be grateful for despite the hardships faced in life, including her son's diagnosis. "Hey, he's alive," she expressed. "He has this disease he has to learn to manage ... Life is what it is. You have to accept it. I accept the things I cannot change. Of course change the things I can. My first question in anything I have in my life is, 'Can I change it?' "

30 minutes prior to the restaurant opening at 11 a.m., a couple inquires if they can be let in earlier after their long commute on a motorcycle. Consolato, without hesitation and a gleaming smile, hops up from the wooden bench where she located herself, to allow the customers to enter, open the kitchen, get the music flowing, and serve them drinks with two menus.

Consolato characterizes herself as a helpful, supportive person and that she seldom gets angry. When her son was diagnosed, she says she did not get discouraged or upset but immediately went into combat mode to fight for his health through advisory. "It's life," she said with a sigh as she thought about her son and nephew. "The reason why I do the diabetes walks, it's for all the research to hopefully find a better way to make it easier for them."

She says during difficult circumstances, while others are emotional or handling things uneasily, she's the one keeping everyone together and the go-to person for one to seek guidance.

Suzie Worske, a close friend of 12 years, a fellow volunteer and a co-worker of Consalato's, says they immediately connected and that she has been comforted by Consolato's words of wisdom. "She's very giving," said Worske. "The woman never tires. She gives and gives and gives ... She would do anything for anybody. I've never known her not to do anything she can to help anybody. Pretty much everyday you talk to her, I guarantee you're going to find something, at least one thing, everyday that she's doing to help somebody."

As she steps out of the building, Consolato hugs a customer then stands in the outdoor patio with the utopia that is secluded from the rest of the world, with nothing but green and water behind her like a painted portrait and as the wind slightly breezes passed her, she says she takes life as it is and concludes, "You've got to ask yourself, 'What can you do?' "

Upon exiting on a winding rocky trail driven on with trucks and waddled on by ducks, a sign to farewell reads, "Ya'll come back soon."

Consolato keeps her gratitude list always in mind and says serenity prayers daily, which she asserts are what gets her through life and that she feels "100%" that God inspired her to aid the sick. While continuing her present accomplishments, her future plans consist of assisting those with heart disease, as well.

"We're not guaranteed this second," said Consolato. "I'm not guaranteed this second in life."