By placing 88 small crosses on lockers in their school's main hallway on Thursday, a few Lake Placid High School students want to illustrate the message that 88 people die each day in Florida from smoking-related causes. ...more

November 17, 2009

Frank and Lois Vara of Lake Placid showed up at The Great Treasure Hunt on Thursday basically out of curiosity. ...more

November 1, 2009

I was invited to participate in the cancer fund raiser fashion show last year as a Realtor and an usher. I was told there were Realtors and cancer survivors that would be modeling in the show. When I mentioned that I was also a survivor, I was promoted to model. I was honored to participate in this wonderful fundraiser for cancer. I honestly did not know what to expect, but I found out in a hurry that we start with very ordinary people and turn them into professional models! The hours that go into this show are countless. The ladies involved in this show are so wonderful to work with. ...more

March 22, 2009

The recent Heartland Association of Realtors fashion show raised more than $15,000 for cancer research, according to organizers. ...more

March 19, 2009

Race Week will include an appearance by the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales. ...more

March 17, 2009

I fully endorse all of the great words in support of the March 7 "Celebration of Life" Fashion Show for the benefit of the American Cancer Society. Organizers at Heartland Realtors Association produced a well choreographed and beautiful fashion show with artist skill and professional integrity. The models enthusiastically gave of their time under the skillful eyes and tutorage of Sherrie Abraham and Dayna Carlton, both of whom maintained a laser focus, instilled confidence and guided the models to perfection. Dayna used a velvet-glove approach as light and gentle as a feather in teaching the model to walk, pose and turn gracefully. The models are amazing and beautiful women. Each cancer survivor has a compelling story of her ordeal with cancer, yet each possesses a resilient inner strength, a zest for life, boundless energy, and an optimistic attitude — the combination of which is infectious far beyond the individual woman. Not only were they models on the runway at Chateau Elan inside the Four Points Hotel, but they are models of how to deal with, overcome and beat a crisis in everyday life. I congratulate all of the models for a job well done! ...more

March 15, 2009

I would like to thank the Heartland Association of Realtors for producing the Relay for Life Cancer Survivor Fashion Show. As this is the first year I volunteered as a model, I was amazed at the number of people and the amount of preparation that went into this event. I also want to thank the hairstylists, lighting-sound-stage crew, Dillards, the Dress Barn, Chateau Elan Four Points and the guests at the event for their participation. Highlands County certainly is not lacking in public support when it comes to making an event successful. ...more

March 14, 2009

On March 7, the Heartland Association of Realtors sponsored its third annual Celebration of Life for the American Cancer Association. What a beautiful, uplifting event it was. Realtors and cancer survivors modeled clothes from Dress Barn and survivors modeled gowns from Dillard's in Lake Wales. Juan Pablo Alverade and his team of hair stylists and make-up artists worked on all the models and the women looked and felt beautiful. There were over 90 volunteers involved in this fashion show behind the scenes. When you find out that you have cancer, many thoughts go through you mind, one of them is, "will I live through this?" What with chemo and other treatments, loss of hair, etc., on Saturday these survivors looked in the mirror and beautiful women looked back at them. I know this because I'm a two time cancer survivor and I'm a 29-year survivor. ...more

March 13, 2009

The Heartland Association of Realtors held its annual awards banquet recently at Four Points by Sheraton Sebring, Chateau Elan. It was the first time the Realtors held their banquet at the hotel next to Sebring International Raceway. ...more

February 15, 2009

Cancer is a word, when uttered by a doctor, that strikes fear in the heart of anyone on the receiving end of the news. But breakthroughs in cancer research give more and more people hope. ...more

February 7, 2009