Beer, Brats, And Om-Pa-Pa Returned For 2nd Annual Lakeland Swantoberfest

by James Coulter

For the second consecutive year, Downtown Lakeland was transformed into Bavaria with beer, brats, and lively om-pa-pa music during the annual Suncoast Credit Union SwantoberFest on Saturday.

The Oktoberfest event allowed attendees to enjoy a “wunderbar” time in Munn Park with sausages, hot dogs, and other food prepared and served by the Interact Club, and with many hard beers and ciders, including German beers such as Beck, served at the central Bier Tent.

While enjoying their beer and brats, attendees could immerse themselves with German culture with a mustache competition, and authentic German music as performed by the Europa band. Children meanwhile could enjoy age-appropriate fun within the Kids Zone with inflatable games and other activities.

New this year was a brand new VIP experience provided by sponsor MyBox. At the special VIP section, guests could enjoy beverages and other treats within special two-floor modular trailers with a bar on the bottom and a special viewing area on top.

This year saw an even greater turnout than the inagural event last year, with more tickets being sold and more people circulating through the beer and feast lines, explained Amber Aaron, Director of Programs & Events at the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce.

The Lakeland Chamber has been partnering with Suncoast Credit Union to host the annual event. One the biggest challenges of pulling off such an event is gathering the resources and budget available; in the end, being able to pull off such a collaborative effort proves rewarding, Aaron said.

“That is what it is all about: it is pulling people together for something positive to support the community,” she said. “I enjoy chamber work and events are a passion of mine. So for this event, this is brand new to me, and it is real good to see it all coming together.”

Suncoast Credit Union has been hosting the event as a way to help give back to their community. The credit union had recently opened two branches in the county, with a branch in North and South Lakeland respectively.

Kristen Pepper, Vice President of Service Center Operations, appreciates how the event allows her business to achieve its goal of giving back to the community, as well as allow her to see the community in action.

“We are so passionate about the community and investing within it,” she said. “That is part of our mission: meeting people, improving lives, and that is what we have done today. It has been a big success and we hope to grow it bigger next year.”

Janette McElwain, Community Relations Specialist, also loves how the event allows her company to participate within the community, seeing how much they have helped make a difference within it.

“I love just seeing the heart of the community,” she said. “It is a great opportunity for Suncoast to give back in our mission, and we love having the chance to meet and network with the community.”

Teacher Loses More Than 70 Pounds To Inspire Healthy Habits For Her Students

by James Coulter

Danielle Harvey once weighed 222 pounds. She had been overweight for most of her life since childhood. Her weight often affected her energy. As a school teacher, she often played with children outside, but usually had to take a rest to catch her breath.

She had tried everything to lose weight. She tried old-fashioned dieting. She also tried special diets. She tried everything else. But nothing seemed to work for her.

Danielle realized that if she wanted to lose weight, she would have to do more than try temporary diets. She would have to make big changes in her lifestyle. She decided to do just that, not only for herself, but also for her students.

One year later, she has lost more than 70 pounds. Once she weighed 222 pounds. Now she is registering around 151 pounds. Aside from a slimmer figure, she also has healthier skin and plenty of energy. This especially proves helpful for her job as a preschool teacher at Miss Adele’s Learning Center in Lakeland.

“I have way more energy,” she said. “When we go outside, I rarely need to take breaks to sit down and cool off to take a breather. I have better energy to keep up with the kids throughout the day.”

More than simply improving her own health, Harvey went through her lifestyle change as a way to inspire her own students to live and eat healthier. Her own weight loss journey was prompted by a class, where she learned that more than 33 percent of children under age five are clinically obese.

“That number is ridiculous to me, so I decided to make a change within myself to help make a change to these children,” she said. “They are going to watch me and have questions and they did. So they decided to make changes too.”

The key to her own weight loss success has been through moderate eating and drinking more water. She keeps a 32-ounce Yeti tumbler of water that she drinks twice a day. Rather than give up certain foods, she instead opts to eat what she wants through moderate portion control.

“I didn’t want to cut out all food in my life,” she said. “I love food. I am a foodie. I did not want to be in shape and healthy to the point where you deprive yourself a taco or slice of cake now and then, so I do portion control, and that was the best thing I found that could work and stick with me.”

The healthy habits she has learned through her lifestyle change she now teaches her students. During recess, she encourages her students to partake in both exercise routines and free play. She introduces to them new produce such as avocados and chickpeas through their snacks and with special taste testing.

“They all have expanded their vocabulary for their fruits and vegetables,” she said. “Parents have called us and asked me for my recipe for tuna, because I have a four-year-old who is requesting tuna for lunch, and that is a huge motivation for me to do better, because the children are watching and they want to make changes too.”

Ronda McCalla is a teacher at the school and one of the parents who has been inspired by Harvey to help improve healthier eating habits for their family and their children. McCalla has been taught many helpful tips in introducing healthier eating for her two-year-old daughter, Daphne, from making pinwheel sandwiches to sneaking spinach into pancakes.

McCalla has seen firsthand how many children who would have otherwise been picky eaters quickly expanded their tastes for new healthier foods, often going home to ask their parents to buy the food for themselves.

“It has been a pleasure having Danielle here at our school, not only being able to see her story, but also how she has embodied a healthy lifestyle,” McCalla said. “She is a healthy positive person to have with us at school, so we love her.”

Debera Llosson, Director of Miss Adele’s, has seen how Harvey has transformed their school for the better. Harvey has re-organized its school menu to include healthier food options and portion sizes.

Debbie Horst, Quality Specialist for Healthy Habits, also attests to Harvey’s inspiration. Her influence has educated both children and their parents to live healthier lives, she said.

“She has been an inspiration to us all,” she said. “I appreciated all the hard work she has done for the school, the children, and the parents. So it was a positive change that has influenced so many lives to make it a much healthier environment.”

Harvey hopes to continue taking the knowledge she has learned through her healthcare journey and lifestyle transformation to inspire more students young and old. By improving her own health, she hopes to inspire others to do likewise.

“So even though it is a small school in a small change, it is a big step for a big change to make that number go down, and that has been my main goal,” she said.