Camp Invention makes its return to Plant City
Camp Invention will return to Plant City this year for the it’s eighth summer in the local area.
The five-day STEM-focused summer camp is organized by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, teaming up with local educators for over 30 years to bring communities a safe and hands-on camp.
The camp will run from June 6 to June 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended day hours available from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for an additional cost. Standard rates will cost $265 per student, with some discounts available.
Camp Invention will be held at the Arther Boring Civic Center, 2406 W. Reynolds Street, on the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds. For more information, visit www.invent.org/programs/camp-invention or contact Plant City’s local camp director Paul Coletti at pacman1988@hotmail.com.
To register your child for this one-of-a-kind summer camp, do so at www.invent.org/camp or by calling 800-968-4332.
Virtual Book Drive supplies books for
children in need
Goodwill’s BookWorks program continues to bring the love of reading to kids all over, putting books into the hands and homes of more than 25,000 children last year. For some children, it’s the first book that they have ever owned.
Some preschools are now allowing volunteers into classrooms to read and present each child with a book that they can take home after. After stories are read to the class, the teacher then presents each child with a book that was previously delivered to the school. In addition to in-person activities, the vast majority of volunteers engage the children with interactive online readings.
A virtual book drive will begin on April 1, running through the month until April 30 to supply the program for the coming year. People in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, Hernando, Marion and Sumter counties are encouraged to purchase books for the program through an online wish list, or to make a donation to the BookWorks fund that allows the program to purchase books from a wholesaler. Goodwill can purchase new storybooks for as little as $1 each.
To donate books through the online wish list or to make a monetary gift that will go toward the purchase of books, visit www.goodwill-suncoast.org and look for the Cat in the Hat link on the home page.
To volunteer for BookWorks, call 888-279-1988 and ask for BookWorks, or mail bookworks@goodwill-suncoast.com.
Goodwill’s BookWorks program is designed to instill a love of books and reading in children to establish the foundation for later success. For more information about BookWorks, visit http://goodwill-suncoast.org/bookworks/.
Former Plant City youth reaches final stage of Elks National Hoopshoot Competition
Brendan Smith, a former resident of Plant City, has advanced to the national round of the Elks National Hoopshoot Competition in the 12-13 year old boys division.
After living in Plant City for most of his life, previously attending Walden Lake Elementary School and Tomlin Middle School, Smith was introduced to the hoopshoot competition by Plant City’s local Elks Lodge #1727. Then, after moving to Georgia with his family in August, he was still able to participate in the competition by representing the Elks Lodge in Marietta.
Participants are given 25 free throw attempts in each round, with the highest-scoring kid in each division advancing through to the ensuing rounds. Smith successfully made 24, 24, 23 and 23 attempts in the local, district, state and regional rounds respectively to earn his spot in Chicago for the National Finals.
At the National Finals, kids from all 12 regions will converge for a chance to be named National Champion and have their name and picture enshrined as a part of a brand-new digital exhibit in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.