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."

Casey Anthony Released From Jail

Casey Anthony is free from jail after three years behind bars in the Orange County Jail for charges of first-degree murder, manslaughter of a child, child abuse and four counts of false information provided to a law enforcement officers. She walked out of the front doors shortly Sunday morning shortly after midnight.

She was seen leaving the Orange County Jail about 11 minutes passed 12 in the morning, sporting a pink shirt and jeans and being escorted out with her attorney Jose Baez into a gray SUV. She was surrounded by countless deputies wearing bulletproof vests and mass amount more encompassing the building.

Anthony was acquitted on all but the final four charges on July 5. She was accused by the state for the murder of her daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, whose remains were found on Dec. 11 in a swamp in a wooded area around the corner from her family's home, after months of searching for the child, who was thought to be missing due to her mother's lies.

The state claimed she killed the 2-year-old by suffocation when she allegedly applied duct tape to her nose and mouth, but Anthony's defense argues the child died in an accidental drowning in the Anthony family's home on June 16, 2008 and covered up by her grandfather George Anthony, who was said to have placed the duct tape on the toddler's face and paid off a meter reader by the name of Roy Kronk to dispose the remains.

The 12 men and women of the jury originally voted 10 to 2 with majority not guilty, but some have stepped into the light to explain that they feel that there was not enough evidence to convict Anthony for murder, therefore acquitting her on the most serious charges, leaving an entire nation to react in anger.

Protesters gathered in front of the jail holding signs and yelling, "If you support Casey, go jump in front of a truck, "Baby killer," "A murderer has just been set free" and "Honk for Caylee" as innumerable aggregation of spectators observed from across the street and cars swarm by honking and yelling the same sentiments, as well.

Upon release, crowds stampeded to the street Anthony was exiting on, screaming. One man told a deputy, "It's a sad day in Orlando," and the sheriff replied, "It happens."

Susan Caplan arrived at the courthouse with her four granddaughters by the request of the 8-year-old for her July 17 birthday. "She's been following it," said Caplan. "She can't believe her own mommy would do it." Caplan said she and her grandkids are very upset with the jury's verdict.

Caplan and her family are from Pinellas County and she says she's ashamed to admit so. "I was in there watching them pick the jury," she explained, "and I'm very disappointed that Pinellas County jury found her not guilty of anything. Not manslaughter, not child neglect, nothing."

She says they came for a good cause; so they can remember Caylee. "We're not going to forget that little girl," Caplan said. "We're not going to forget. Her mother might live on but karma will come after her."

Three others, who traveled from various towns, have set up two tents which they call "Camp Caylee" - equipped with a cooler, fans and camping chairs - which they plan to stay at for a total of 24 hours from 3 p.m. Saturday until the following day. Sandra Oliver, Bree Thornton and Lori Richards met on the day of the sentencing and vowed to conduct a 24-hour protest the day Anthony would be released.

Oliver, who calls the jurors "jellyfish jury" because she says they lack a backbone, commuted from Deltona for the protest. "We needed one with a backbone," she said. "Stand up, America. We need to stand up and make our rights known and this was just such an injustice."

One protest material in particular that they presented was a book made out of yellow construction paper entitled, "What Really Happened to Caylee," which Thornton said she hopes is not a bestseller. The inside covered with the term "lies" abundantly on the left side and the right stating, "What did you really expect?" adding "Boycott" in capital letters at the conclusion.

Meanwhile, two protesters stood in solitary with signs that read, "Not guilty - Get over it" and "Not Guilty - People deserve second chances."

David Antolic arrived at the jail on Saturday at 2 in the afternoon and says he is protesting to support the Anthony family's civil rights and holds a "Not guilty" sign because he says that's what the verdict is and he believes that the aftermath of the public's reaction was dispensable.

"My message is that the media, the protesters, would-be vigilantes, everybody - they're looking to destroy Casey and her family's character," said Antolic, 24, an Orlando resident. "And you know, I really wish people would just respect due process and the judicial system, instead of doing all this, all this protesting and threats and violence. It's just not necessary. We're civilized people. We've got a system for ways to deal with these things and people need to respect that instead of taking matters into their own hands."

The car Anthony was seen departing from the jail in was viewed entering a Bank of America in downtown where attorney Cheney Mason's office is but leaving with many others resembling diverging in separate directions as what some suggest was a decoy, one location being the airport. Some have speculated that she arrived at the Orlando Executive Airport on a flight to Columbus, Ohio, in a learjet and a young woman with a long brown ponytail and a white blouse was seen running out of an SUV at the airport, but the actual destination of where Anthony is remains unknown.

Judge Recused Himself in Casey Anthony Hearing

Yet another judge recused himself from a Casey Anthony case. Circuit Judge Jose Rodriguez of Orange County, disqualified himself in the Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez v. Casey Anthony hearing, on Friday.

A motion for the emergency hearing Friday was filed by Fernandez's attorneys just a few days prior on July 14 to discuss pending issues and assign deadlines, which lasted only 20 minutes and spent entirely at the sidebar until the judge exited the courtroom of the 23rd floor stating the judge for the case was to be reassigned. Neither parties commented on the matter.

Gonzalez is suing Casey Anthony for defamation after she accused a woman by the name of Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez of kidnapping Anthony's 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, in 2008. It was discovered during the investigation that this was a fabrication, as Gonzalez does not know Anthony, leaving Anthony on trial for the allegations that she murdered her daughter, but was recently acquitted.

It is unknown how Anthony discovered the suggested name, but a Zenaida Gonzalez did view a home on June 17 at Sawgrass apartments, where a friend of Anthony's lived. Attorneys for the prosecution do not know if there is truth speculation of Anthony seeing the name on a visitation sign-in sheet in the office of the neighborhood.

"I don't know. I don't know," said Keith Mitnik, an attorney for Gonzalez. "I know there's evidence out there that suggests that may be a connecting point. I do not know and I need to ask her questions. That's part of what I need to talk to her about."

A motion dated June 1 was filed by Gonzalez's representation Mitnik and John Dill of the Morgan and Morgan law firm requesting that Anthony admit that the stories she created to disguise Gonzalez as the culprit in her daughter's alleged abduction were false, and to confess that the child died in an accidental drowning as Anthony's defense team theorized.

"These are things we piece together ... Will she ever say, 'I did that'? I don't know," Dill said. "But it's a piece of evidence in the case."

Dill added that that the defamation charges were not solely based on these actions, but also the fact that Anthony has denied viewing photographs of Gonzalez by investigators and has never averred that their client is not the woman Anthony spoke of in her falsehoods.

Mitnik says his client's life has been "turned upside down because of false statements made about her," adding, "We'll do anything in our power to get her, find her and bring her to justice."

Anthony, through her counsel Charles Greene and Allison Edwards on July 14, refuted Gonzalez's initial June 1 motion with their own motion objecting to concede to any of the proposed admissions, describing them as "vague and confusing," claiming they were "not reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence," denying Anthony privileges of her Fifth Amendment right.

Anthony also filed to strike Gonzalez's motion for the emergency hearing and to bar her deposition coordinated for July 19, refusing to reschedule and asks for a the court to schedule a case management conference to establish protocol. Anthony and her attorneys assert that there was no emergency due to the lack of any deadlines and set a date without consulting with Anthony and her representation.

Greene affirmed in the documentation, "Although she was acquitted of the most serious charges, it was a grueling experience that left the defendant emotionally and mentally exhausted," unable to continue with court hearings. The day the jury returned a verdict, Gonzalez served Anthony with a subpoena to corroborate the date of deposition, which counsel for the delinquent disputed on behalf of Gonzalez not initially contacting them on the issue.

"She's required to be there [at the deposition] and I expect people to follow the rules," said Mitnik. "It's not going to happen in jail. We wanted it to happen because the truth is where there's claims that her life is at risk, what a safer place to do the deposition in jail, number one. And number two, then we don't have to worry if she's going to flee or not. It's just irrelevant. We would be done with it. But it didn't - regretfully, it didn't happen."

In regards to what questions he will ask Anthony, Mitnik said "We'll just let her be surprised.

Anthony's deposition is set for the 19 at 10:00 a.m. at the law offices of Morgan and Morgan and was originally supposed to steam live on the law firm's Web site but Mutnik stated that is no longer going to happen, but a transcript will be accessible immediately, he said.

A judge in this case has been reassigned to Circuit Judge Lisa Munyon and a hearing is set for Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.. The trial is to be set for Feb. 2012.

"We are trying to paint a picture of justice," Mutnik said. "I plan to get there."

Couponing Craze Charitable to Community

Board members of the Epiphany Lutheran Church in Oviedo hosted a "couponing" class taught by Mary Edwards on Saturday, July 9, 2011, to allow people the opportunity to learn how to use coupons, not only for themselves, but for others who are in need.

Edwards runs a website called "Couponers United," that works closely with the non-profit organization, the Simple Truth Foundation of Central Florida. Edwards has been teaching the classes for two years but became a couponer four years ago when she decided she wanted to be a stay-at-home mother with her four kids, and now only spends $40 a week when she shops.

"The reason why we do classes is to teach people how to save money but ultimately we hope they give back to the community," said Edwards.

Edwards was inspired to teach classes after an incident at a grocery store when she was in line behind an elderly woman who was buying a box of cereal during a buy one, get one free sale, but did not take the free box.

"That's really what motivated me to to teach the classes and how to give back," she said. "Just because you don't need it, you can help or bless another family."

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 heard about Mary and how she teaches you to stretch your dollar, especially since 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."

Cori Lampe attended with her husband Roger. Neither are couponers, but hope to attain the title for themselves. "We'd like to learn about couponing," said the mother of three who hopes to donate to churches. "We need to save money."

40 students - young, old, men and women - were educated on how to coupon at each of the various stores, and terminology affiliated with couponing, as they listened attentively, nodding their heads while taking notes and continuously saying, "Wow," and "I need to do that."

"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.

Sisters Tara Harry attended the class for the first time after becoming an active couponer just a few months ago because of the influence of her sister, Meera. "She would make me cut through the Sunday paper and match it up to sales and we try to work together as a team," said Tara Harry, who noticed a drastic change of up to 50% in her savings since she started participating. "I won't go shopping unless there's a coupon or it's on sale and I try not to pay normal price."

Meera Harry, a one-year couponer, 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."

Edwards teaches about 40 classes monthly. Her next local meet is on Monday, July 11, 2011 at the Amaya Papaya Play Lounge which is a kid-friendly atmosphere for only $5.

For more information, visit couponersunited.com, where Edwards informs of "freebies," "couponing 101" and "deals and steals."

Casey Anthony's Release Recalculated

Casey Anthony was set to be released on Wednesday after after a calculation on Thursday was made of her time served of three years, or 1,043 days, for the four misdemeanor counts of lying to an officer, but now the Orange County court has extended her time to the following Sunday.

Casey was sentenced to one year per charge and fined $1,000 per charge, said Judge Belvin Perry Jr., chief judge of the ninth circuit court of Orange County, on Thursday. She is to pay the fine beginning Feb. 15, 2012, by $20 monthly payments.

Allen Moore, the public information of the Orange County Jail, says in an email that the court recalculated and the new projected date of release is July 17, 2011 rather than the initial date, July 13, 2011.

People have speculated how Casey would be released, whether by surrounded by intense security or if she was free to walk away on her own.

Moore explained when he added that the only statement being provided by the Orange County Corrections Department on its method of release for Anthony is as follows: "Due to the high profile nature of this case and intense, emotional interest by the public, appropriate measures will be taken to release the individual into the community in such a manner so as to preserve the safety of the individual and the public."

Anthony was acquitted on Tuesday, after a six week trial, on counts of first-degree murder, manslaughter on a child and aggravated child abuse. The state opened a case against her in 2008 accusing her of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony. Casey's defense team asserts that the child died by drowning in the family swimming pool on June 16, 2008, an accident that was covered up by the victim's grandfather, George Anthony.

The little girl's skeletal remains were found on Dec. 11, 2008, in a swamp in a wooded area not far from the Anthony family home. She was found with duct tape hanging from her skull, which the state argues was the cause of death.

Perry Waits for "Cooling Down" Phase to End Before Considering Release of Jurors' Names

Attorneys for media organizations and publications file a motion for Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. to release the names of the 12 jurors in the trial of Casey Marie Anthony. A hearing was held Thursday to discuss matters and Perry reserved ruling until the "cooling down" phase of the case is at ease before he approves or denies the motion.

Casey's first-degree murder trial ended on Tuesday, resulting in her acquittal that left many people angered and wondering why. She was accused of the killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, in 2008, by the suffocation of duct tape to her nose and mouth.

Rachel Fugate represented the Orlando Sentinel, WFTV, Tampa Tribune and the Associated Press, alongside Alison Steele and Anne Arsenhault who are the attorneys for the St. Petersburg Times. They disagree with Perry concealing the names of the jurors.

The jury has expressed to the court administration that they don't want to speak. What was supposed to be a press conference on Tuesday ended up not being so, after the jury declined to attend. "We asked each of them if they wanted or not wanted to talk and they indicated they did not want to talk," said Perry.

One of Perry's main concerns is the safety of the jury, which included five men and seven women. "Some people would like to take something out on them," Perry said.

Fugate said although the safety concerns are a legitimate matter, they are "not enough to weigh in favor of essentially having an anonymous jury" because it "strikes to the very core of our judiciary and our open court system." She said she would like the public to understand the verdict the jury has returned.

Fugate argues that while the trial was still in continuance, the jurors were sequestered in order to be ridden of any opinions provided by outsiders, but says at this point in time, there are people interested in contacting them "to ensure the legitimacy of the verdict."

"It is the right of the public in this community to ask the question," said Fugate.

Fugate also stated that not only to jurors have no choice to sit in at a trial, but witnesses are subpoenaed as well and have the obligation to face "intense public scrutiny" for opinions rendered.

"Do we now ask the citizens of Pinellas county to bare the burden of providing 24-hour protection to those individuals ... How long do they do it?" Perry asked.

He explained that Pinellas county, where the jurors were selected, was going through an extensive budget-cut and perhaps lack the funds necessary to put extra enforcement on safety, especially after a 3% reduction in deputies' and police officers' pay was made.

Fugate Steele expressed the urgency of collecting the names. "My clients would like the information as quickly as possible," Steele said. "It's already been two days."

A juror was interviewed already by the St. Petersburg Times but was in anonymity. An alternate Russell Huekler has already spoken out to networks, along with juror number three, Jennifer Ford.

In an interview with ABC news, Huekler said he agreed with the not guilty verdict his fellow jurors voted upon. "There was so much reasonable doubt," Huekler said. "The prosecution did not present the evidence that showed that Caylee had been murdered. They didn't show a motive."

Ford came forth Wednesday and expressed in an interview with Dateline that the jurors were "sick to their stomach with verdict," because they felt not enough proof was provided to convict Casey of murder.

Jurors number six is asking for $50,000 to be interviewed, but it is unknown if any networks have provided the offer.

It was released when the trial ended that they were sequestered at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel on Universal Blvd. in Orlando for the six-and-a-half week stay in the city. The chief of due process services for the Orange County Courthouse said the hotel met their needs for this high profile case, including state rates, security and flexibility.

"The hotel was willing to accomdate the Court's needs by housing the jurors in designated areas and restricting certain channels at no extra cost," Levey said. "Also, the hotel's dining areas were able to guarantee the jurors' privacy during their extended stay."

Perry decided not to give approval or disproval of the motion as of yet.

"There are some people who have exercised their right ... Their right to privacy; that they want to be left alone," he asserted. "That's where I find myself in a quandary."

"Let the emotions simmer down," Perry concluded.

(Photography by Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel)

Casey Anthony to be Released on Wednesday

Casey Anthony, the mother on trial for the murder of her daughter, was acquitted Tuesday on the charges of first-degree murder, manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse and is to be released from the Orange county jail on Wednesday.

Although her innocence was found by the jury in the first three charges, she was found guilty on four charges of lying to law enforcement officer, Yuri Melich. She was sentenced to one year per count and fined $1,000 per count by Judge Belvin Perry Jr. on Thursday.

On July 16, 2008, the day Casey's 2-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony was reported missing for 31 days, Casey gave a sworn statement to Melich that she was employed by Universal Studios, that she left her little girl with a babysitter named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, that she informed fellow employees Jeffrey Hopkins and Juliet Lewis that Caylee was missing and that her daughter called her on the babysitter's phone a day prior. Investigators have since discovered these were false allegations and there is no nanny.

Defense attorney Lizabeth Fryer - prior to Judge Perry imposing sentencing - argued that there was an issue of materiality and a violation of double jeopardy on the latter three counts, saying it's a "one criminal act with a single intent" and says the lies are "part of the same continuous act."

"Are you saying that Miss Anthony did not have time to pause, reflect and form a new criminal act?" inquired Perry, chief judge of the ninth circuit court.

"Yes," replied Fryer. And added, "There must be a separation of time." Fryer asserted it was solely in one interview and there was no break in time between each of Casey's lies.

Lead Prosecutor Linda Drane-Burdick refuted Fryer and the defense's argument, saying, "There is temporal breaks in between lies ... The lies occurred over three separate statements," including the ones that were not charged for, adding the litany of times when she lied, at 1 a.m., 4 a.m. and 1 p.m. and that countless false statements were provided by the delinquent.

Burdick, who arrived with colleague Frank George, but no Jeff Ashton for unknown reasons, said Casey intentionally misled law enforcement on a "wild goose hunt."

"As a result, those four separate, distinct lies, law enforcement expended a great deal of time, energy and manpower looking for young Caylee Marie Anthony," Perry said.

Casey already served three years of time equaling 1,043 days in the Orange County Jail, therefore the court will allow her to be released on July 13, 2011.

The state of Florida attorneys filed a motion on Wednesday that will fine Casey for $4,618 in tax costs in investigation, prosecution and reserved jurisdiction. She is to pay $20 payments per month beginning Feb. 15, 2012.

Judge Perry granted her the right to appeal, but must file for it within 30 days.

Prior to discussion, Perry questioned if the defense still requested him to reserve file for motion on the death penalty. Ann Finnell, death penalty specialist, was in attendance, but Attorney Cheney Mason exclaimed they will withdraw the motion.

Crowds of protesters stand in front of the Orange County Courthouse with signs, along with extra security who have surrounded the building by foot, bicycles and even horses.

It is unknown what Casey will do upon release, whether she will be going back home with her parents, George and Cindy, some speculate, or, as others suggest, will leave the state.

One protester, Mary Stratton, held a sign Thursday that reads,"Mommy, why did you kill me?" in purple paint with two painted hand prints of a child and said the verdict was "disgusting" because Casey "got away with murder."

She advises that when Casey leaves jail, she "moves out of Florida, so we don't have to worry about our own children," and that "she better have security."

Mary, a mother of two, was present alongside her 5-year-old, who came equipped with all her princess merchandise, including a chair.

(Photography by Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel)

Casey Anthony Acquitted for Child's Murder

Some called it the "trial of the century" and after three years, the moment everyone has been waiting for, a returned verdict from the seven women and five men of the jury who decided Casey Marie Anthony's fate, which was innocence for the death of her 2-year-old daughter.

Casey was arrested in Oct. 2008 and now, after six weeks, on Tuesday, the 25-year-old was found not guilty on the charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse annd aggravated manslaughter on a child, but found guilty on the four counts of false information to a law enforcement officer, Yuri Melich, who was in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.

Extra security surrounded the courtroom on the 23rd floor of the Orange County courthouse as the verdict was called. Casey held the hand of her lead defense attorney Jose Baez, who had a proud expression on his face when he heard the his client was acquitted for the first three charges and Casey cried as she glanced over at the jury from time to time.

Her father George Anthony held a folded tissue over his mouth prior to the verdict being called, and he and his wife, Cindy Anthony, were sniffling as they were about to hear their daughter's destiny. As each count was being read, George let out a big sigh of relief, but continued with no emotion, as Cindy's face filled with glee as shown by her smile. They left as soon as the court clerk was finished reading the verdict forms.

Their attorney, Mark Lippman, released a statement on behalf of George, Cindy and their son Lee. "While the family may never know what happened to Caylee Marie Anthony, they now have closure for this chapter of their life," he explained. "They will now begin rebuilding their lives. Despite the baseless defense chosen by Casey Anthony, the family believes that the Jury made a fair decision," based on the evidence, information and testimony provided in this case.

Lippman asks that everyone gives the family time to "reflect on the verdict" for them to move on in a private manner and has requested that any donations, such as toys and flowers, be donated to families in need as well as religious centers.

As everyone else was exiting the courtroom, the entire defense team group-hugged and the entire room was completely silenced but the loud cries of joy that emancipated from Casey and her attorneys, who were seen celebrating at a Terrace 390, a restaurant they frequently go to, just across the street from the courthouse.

Prior to the announcement, prosecutors Jeff Ashton and Frank George were smiling and laughing, but that all came to a halt once they heard the news. At the press conference following court proceedings, State Attorney Lawson Lamar said he could not be anymore proud of the work the 2500 men and women of the Orange County Sheriff's Office did.

"We are disappointed in the verdict today, the surprise, because we put together every piece of evidence," he said. He later added, "We did our job, the jury did their job," he said. "This is justice in America. We will go on to fight another tommorow."

Lamar did not take any questions and prosecutors Ashton, George and lead Linda Drane-Burdick did not comment, but all hugged each other and carried on.

Judge Jeanine Pirro of Fox News following the press conference said she felt like she was in the twilight zone. "It's almost as though this little girl disappeared without a trace ... You almost have to ask yourself, 'Was she even here?' " said Pirro. "But you have to accept the jury's verdict and move on."

What was supposed to be the jury press conference ended not as so when the jury decided not to answer questions. People speculate they are frightened or just interested in an incentive. Juror number seven was crying as she was discharged. Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. continues to keep the 12 jurors' names under seal.

Shawn Chaisson, a spectator who also participated in Texas Equisearch's search for Caylee, said he was feeling various kinds of emotions when he heard Casey was not found guilty and he does not understand the jury's decision. "You just have to throw your hands up and say, "What were they thinking?' "

Chaisson says her guilt is reflected in her behavior and that regardless of the decision of the jurors, this will continue to haunt her. "I think she has a life sentence already because she can't even walk down the street without looking over her shoulder. Ever," he explained. "Somebody is going to get that girl. Somebody will get her. You do not kill a baby and get away it, in this world."

Leonard Padilla, known for bonding out Casey in her first arrest said he did so because he thought the child was alive, but at this point regrets that he spent the money to release her from jail. "She's not guilty but she did the killing," he said. "It's the justice system we live under. We've got to go along with it," adding that he thinks she should get 15-30 years in prison for what he believes was murder on her part and a "panic dump" of the little girl's body in the hands of her own mother.

Trial-watchers and legal experts are already estimating she is released as early as the end of this week to as long as the end of the year, under the circumstances that she has already did three years of time.

At the end of the court proceeding, countless spectators waited outside of the front entrance of the courthouse chanting "Justice for Caylee." Deputies used yellow tape to block them away from the entrance.

Because there was no conviction, Casey will not be imposed to the death penalty but sentecning for her final four charges, on counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer, will be discussed in the courtroom on Thursday at 9 a.m.

As the crowd emerged from the courthouse, a man stood in solitary in front of the building playing the national anthem on his trumpet, saying, "This is for Caylee Anthony," said Anthony Kleine, "That's her voice being heard. Everyone has been focusing on Casey, George, Cindy, Lee, everybody else but Caylee, so I think she needs to be heard."

The little girl's skeletal remains were found on Dec. 11, 2008 in a swamp in woods near her grandparents' home, just four months after her third birthday, which she was not alive for.

(Photography by Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel)

State Rebuts, Casey's Fate in Hands of Jurors

The state of Florida gave their rebuttal against Casey Anthony's defense on Monday in her murder trial, allowing the 12 men and women of the jury to begin deliberation.

Casey Anthony is accused by the state for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony, by suffocating her with duct tape concealing her nose and mouth, but the defense theorizes that the toddler drowned accidentally in the family swimming pool, and was made to look like murder, by her grandfather George Anthony. Her remains were found on Dec. 11, 2008 in woods near the Anthony family home.

Prosecutor Jeff Ashton argued George was a loving father and a loving grandfather. As shown in his suicide note, he had no idea what happened to his granddaughter because the questions in the letter reflect his confusion, Ashton says, and believes the videotaped jail conversations he had with his daughter present that, referring to the videos as a "window into this relationship."

"George isn't this Machiavellian, self-serving monster that counsel has suggested ... You cannot read this letter and not see this man was in pain," Ashton expressed.

Ashton also discussed the science in this case, to the jury, stating the mandible remained attached to the child's skull because it was the duct tape that secured it in place, a theory lead defense attorney Jose Baez disputed when he called renowned pathologist Dr. Werner Spitz to the stand, who said the duct tape was applied after decomposition because there was no DNA found on the adhesive side.

"Dr. Spitz's version of the events is non-credible," said Ashton, as he outlined the circumstances Spitz and the defense claim that some "unknown person for unknown reason" took the corpse, put the tape on it and placed the body back, but as the jurors found out by other state experts, heat and moisture allow the DNA to vanish.

Ashton also argued that Spitz's comment about the cranium not being sawed open is not a "violation of protocol," as stated by their witness Michael Warren, an anthropology professor at the University of Florida. "Dr. Spitz's theory ... has now been disproved," Ashton told the jurors.

Air samples were collected from the trunk of Casey's car by Dr. Arpad Vass, the "unapologetic science geek," as described by Ashton, who said the interesting thing about Vass is that, "He loves what he does ... He loves the challenge of solving." Vass found a tremendous about of chloroform in the samples that he said blew him away with surprise.

Vass also stated the moment he smelled the sample of the trunk odor he knew right away it was of human decomposition, which the defense's witnesses argue was actually from the bag of trash that was found in the trunk, but Ashton fought back when he said there was no remnants of food left behind in that bag.

"The myth of the garbage has been disproved," Ashton said. "That smell was not from the garbage, it was from Caylee."

Lead prosecutor Linda Drane-Burdick followed up with a passionate rebuttal, making comments on the trash bag, as well. "That trash bag," she began, " was placed there as a decoy." She also added that when Casey left her car at the Amscot when she ran out of gas, she backed into the dumpster. "The dumpster was a decoy to keep people away from the car and make them think it's the source of the odor."

Throughout Drane-Burdick's closing rebuttal, she outlined Casey's lies, saying they were given to her parents as a way to "buy time" to be with her boyfriend and friends and classified her a "pathological liar" which she informed the jurors is not a reaction to grief.

"Everybody grieves differently," Drane-Burdick agreed. "But responses to guilt are oh so predictable. What do guilty people do? They lie."

She elaborated that a person who is feeling guilty makes like nothing is wrong, and that "was no way indicative of grief."

Burdick presented a jailhouse video clip of Casey's parents, George and Cindy, visiting her and her mother explains to Casey that people are speculating that Caylee drowned in the pool, in which the defendant's reply is, "Surprise, surprise," denying any truth in the theory.

"When Caylee is found dead ... Surprise, surprise," said Burdick. "No person would ever make an accidental death look like murder." The state argues that Casey used the tape to silence the little girl in case she revealed her and her mother's whereabouts to the rest of the family.

She went on to say that if the child drowned, she would be floating in a pool, not a swamp, which resembles how the mother felt about that child. "The ways these remains were disposed show complete indifference to the child; how the person who disposed of her really felt about her," she declared. "How Casey Anthony felt about Caylee."

The prosecutor concluded that while everyone else is questioning for Caylee and missing Caylee, Casey was with her boyfriend having a good time while her daughter is deceased in the woods.

"Whose life was better without Caylee?" asked the prosecutor. "That's the only question you need to argue in consideration why Caylee Marie Anthony was left at the side of the road dead." Then proceeded to cast a two photographs adjacent to each other portraying Casey, laughing and dancing with her friends and boyfriend at a nightclub, alongside a photograph of the tattoo she got when Caylee is allegedly-missing that reads, "Bella Vita," which translates from Italian to, "Beautiful Life."

Baez requested a motion for a mistrial, following the state's rebuttal, for improper comments made by the prosecutors, which Judge Belvin Perry Jr. denied.

The jury was given their final instructions and dismissed for deliberation at noon. They are not expected to discuss after 5 p.m., which court administration says will be their cut-off time until tomorrow morning.

Casey Anthony is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter on a child, along with four counts for providing false information to a law enforcement officer. If convicted, the delinquent may be imposed to a death sentence.

(Photography by Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel)

Closing Arguments, Attorneys Feud

The time had come for the attorneys to present their closing arguments in the State v. Casey Anthony trial, and heat really surrounded the courtroom on the Sunday at the Orange County courthouse, after lead defense attorney Jose Baez and prosecutor Jeff Ashton bickered.

Six weeks into the trial for the mother who allegedly murdered her 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, the attorneys, the judge and the jury all seem ready to done, but there was a shocking delay in the afternoon's court proceeding after Baez caught Ashton snickering at him during the defense's closing and angrily pointed towards him calling him a "laughing man" right in the presence of the jury which led to a side bar after Judge Belvin Perry Jr. sustained Ashton's immediate objection to Baez comment.

An unhappy Perry stopped the proceeding, excused the jury momentarily, to remind Ashton of the court rules about facial gestures and in order for the attorneys to view the clip portraying Ashton laughing with his hand over his mouth, after being previously warned at another point in the day when Baez confronted Ashton a first time.

Perry observed the clip and said both attorneys violated the order of the court, and demanded, "No more side bars. Enough is enough," and added that all conversations would be discussed openly in the court.

Perry explained, "There has been this accusation throughout the trial ... I don't watch you. I assume you are all professional that I don't have to watch ... Maybe I was misinformed when I thought you all were following the law."

Ashton replied in reference to the judge inquiring of the counsels wanted to watch the clip, stating, "I trust your judgment. I don't have to see it," but proceeded to doing so anyway.

After seeing the footage of his actions, Ashton made claims that he was just "smiling behind his hand," and was not at all laughing or shaking his head. "I was making sure nothing I said or did was seen by the jury," he asserted, and followed up with an apology.

Baez also apologized and said that after working with Ashton for three years, he did not wish for his colleague to be held in contempt because of the already "serious nature" of this case.

Perry concluded with a warning, "If it happens again, the remedy will be exclusion of that attorney," and the dispute will be left in the hands of their fellow lawyers.

Baez continued with his closing statements, arguing the state did not provide any proof that Casey murdered her little girl, but that everything led to her father, George Anthony, as mentioned in the opening statements.

"He refused to be upfront and honest .. He doesn't have an ounce of paternal instinct," said Baez.

He claimed that because of the photograph of Caylee opening the sliding door that leads to the outside of the Anthony home and the series of photographs of her climbing the ladder into the swimming pool, the jury can believe the cause of a death to be an accidental drowning.

Baez argued to the jury that the state wants them to speculate, saying, "We want you to base your verdict on evidence, not emotion," and adding that the state did not provide any evidence to make Casey the murderer in the case, but "pasted [her] as a slut, liar and party girl."

"They want to give the who without the how, where and the why," argued Baez.

Prior to the defense's closing, the state of Florida provided theirs initially via assistant state attorney Ashton, who started by elaborating on parenthood as he showed the last photograph of Caylee taken, on June 16, 2008, and a home video of Casey playing with the victim.

"It's easy to be a parent when you're playing with your child," stated Ashton. "But we all know being a parent is so much more than playing. Being a parent is about sacrifice."

The state alleges Casey had a choice to sacrifice between her normal life, where she partied with friends and boyfriends, or motherhood and the responsibilities of taking care of Caylee. "The choice she made was her daughter," he said, claiming Casey sacrificed her daughter for a life a freedom she so wanted greatly.

He informed the jurors that she did so by placing duct tape over the child's nose and mouth, suffocating her in order to keep her silenced from her grandparents ever questioning their whereabouts. Ashton claimed Casey's MySpace password, timer55, was a countdown from June 16, 2008 until Caylee's birthday, the amount of days Casey could stall her mother with lies.

"When Casey wants to do what Casey wants to do, she finds away," said Ashton, referring to her as smart and bright for the way she constructs her stories and her fabrications, which he named "Casey 3.0, it's a new version" of her lies.

Ashton concluded, "[Caylee] died because she could not breathe because her mom decided the life she wanted was more important."

Due to the late ending, the state's rebuttal will begin the following morning, and the jury is to be charged and deliberation will occur shortly thereafter. The verdict is expected to return on Monday. If convicted, Casey may have to face a death sentence.

(Photography by Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel)

Sanford Charity Opens Free Clinic

Known for their philanthropic nature and big hearts, the people of Harvest Time International have created another way to help those in need; this time with a free clinic for uninsured which opens in Aug. 19.

Sanford's Harvest Time was established in 2006, and since have helped the Seminole county community financially. With their community hope center, struggling families no longer have to worry about basic items, groceries and bills, because the organization provides a market filled with a variety of foods and household products.

Lena Smolinsky, the outreach and communications director, has been with the company since 1997 and said the need for medical assistance was substantial.

"One of the biggest needs that we saw besides food and housing is also definitely medical care," she said. "We did a survey in our community hope center with our clients and 60% of the people didn't have insurance and didn't have access to medical attention."

Smolinsky says one of the most significant priorities for Harvest Time to provide is "self-sufficiency" among families, which the hope center, they are able to help about 500 families achieve that goal.

Carrie Pope, the executive director of the Seminole County Medical Society, agreed about the drastic need for medical care in Seminole county and says they have been receiving an increased number of phone call regarding the issue. "It's becoming more and more of a difficult challenge just because there's so many people without insurance who can't afford insurance right now," Pope said. "It's definitely a continuing challenge."

When she heard the free clinic was opening at Harvest Time, she was thrilled. "I would love to learn more about it so that maybe we can work with them and work to help some of the patients in that area of Seminole county," she expressed.

One family in particular who are in need of medical help is the Cintron-Gonzalez family, who have been clients to the foundation for nearly two years. Maria Cintron, a single mother with two sons, has been lacking health insurance her entire life and now that she's unemployed, she is still not eligible for Medicaid like her boys are.

"Even if I start working, if I get medical coverage there, they take a lot out of my check," said Cintron, explaining that is why she never applied for the coverage at her jobs. "I'm blessed my kids have Medicaid."

Cintron, 43, says her biggest concern is that she may have diabetes because symptoms have become present and it's genetic in her family and after a visit to the emergency room recently when the medical staff wanted to test her for it, she denied because she was unable to afford it. Her last physical was a year ago and asserts that she must go every six months to a year, at her age, to ensure her health.

"Right now, I probably have diabetes and I can't do anything about it ... I don't know what to do," she said.

Cintron and her boys currently reside in Sanford, just seven minutes away from Harvest Time and when she heard the clinic was opening she was relieved that her worries were over and that was just a few minute bus ride away.

"It's good, it's very good. I'll probably be the first one when they open. I know I will. They are going to see my face like, twice a month," she said laughingly.

They receive phone calls everyday about it, but the clinic is still being undergoing work. There are five examination rooms and there will be an appointment system because they will have specialty doctors.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on the opening day, equipped with fundraisers, bake sales and booths where other organizations can be promoted.

The Smolinky's say they cannot wait for it to open because they are happy they are in their positions to help people and meet their needs, which they both said was more than just a job. "We just love to help people and also, the truth is, God brought us here," Smolinsky said.

Her husband, Andre, concurred, as he held their baby, Aurelia. "There's no other place I'd rather work. It's more than just a job for us. It's a calling."