Giselle (PathSeeker’s CFO) and myself went to one of their Financial Literacy seminars to see if it would be beneficial to the people PathSeeker serves.  Our assessment:  It’s AWESOME! — The information was valuable, and very practical for helping people with their credit score.  We were pleasantly surprised that we learned quite a bit; even with Giselle’s financial background she learned several things about how credit scores are determined.  We highly recommend this program and in the future PathSeeker hopes to partner with 5/3rd to deliver a financial ‘one-two’ punch to help people get to a solid footing with their finances and credit.

What follows is the official Fifth Third write-up about the program with some specific contact information to get involved.  If you have any questions about our recommendation or experience, feel free to e-mail:  Brad@pathseekercenter.org

–Brad Washburn, PathSeeker Center Director

_______________________________________

Fifth Third Bank is proud to provide financial literacy and credit repair with valuable tips designed to help Tampa Bay residents understand credit and how to build a stable credit score.  Along with exclusive banking discounts and personalized services, Fifth Third provides a team of bankers devoted to meeting the financial needs of our clients today and helping them obtain their goals for tomorrow.  These bankers are easily accessible to the client’s needs and are available to conduct personal, one to one meetings with clients or provide valuable informational seminars onsite at no cost.

The primary focus of the program is to help educate clients about credit and help them repair and rebuild their personal profile to help them achieve their goals and dreams.  An important first step in building your credit score is to understand how credit works.  Fifth Third Bankers will assist clients with four key concepts regarding credit:

·       The different types of credit available to consumers

·       The factors that make up your individual credit score

·       The benefits of having a “good” credit score

·       Tips for successfully building, improving and maintaining your credit score

The Countyline Financial Center would love the opportunity to meet with any individual one on one to assist with their credit needs. Monthly seminars are held at the Financial Center to provide financial literacy to groups of individuals seeking to learn more about credit.

Please give us a call today if you would like a free, no obligation consultation individually or if you would like to attend one of the seminars that occur at the Banking Center.

The Fifth Third Bank Countyline Team

1122 Dale Mabry Hwy
Lutz, FL 33548
813-242-2400

John Lamberg                         Missy McManaway
Financial Center Manager         Personal Banker
John.lamberg@53.com             Melissa.mcmanaway@53.com

Office Guru/Virtual Assistant

We are in need of some office help. We have jobs that deal with non-confidential issues and some that require approval to work with client/confidentiality. Volunteers need to be able to work from home and have great communication through e-mail, phone or Skype.

Encouragement Volunteer Coordinator

Our director really stinks at being conscientious –his words. We need someone to help affirm, and build up our staff, donors, and volunteers for our ministry that needs connection. We are looking for a volunteer to work with a limited budget to minister to the staff and area churches with cards, get-togethers, . . . encouragement for the work and ministry PathSeeker does.

Brooksville Counselor

Looking for a ministry-minded person to build a practice and PathSeeker presence in Brooksville/Spring Hill. Interested person must have experience and background in ministry and Christian Counseling. A dedicated belief and support of PathSeeker vision, doctrine, and values is a must.

This is a paid independent contractor position.

Graphic Artist Volunteer

PathSeeker has an excellent web designer, but we are looking for someone with an interest and skill to do smaller graphic design projects for us. PathSeeker frequently needs to make fliers, bulletin announcements, and PowerPoint slides to promo special events. Any work you donate can be used to build your professional profile or donated as a gift-in-kind (tax write-off). Ideal volunteer position for a graphic arts student or individual whose hobby is graphic design.

Online Content Manager

Like most companies, PathSeeker has an online presence in several social media types. We need someone who can post content to Facebook, Twitter, our newsletter, Dr. Bohdi, blogs etc. We provide the content; you would have a calendar and timeline to get it posted.

Depending on competency and commitment, there is compensation available for this position.

Community Liaison

We need to get the word out about PathSeeker. Sometimes business, organizations, churches have need of our services but don’t know about us. Someone ‘chipper’ and charismatic is needed to interact with the local business community.

A liaison would

· Help us advertize locally

· Participate with other organizations to be involved in events

· Work together with restaurants to arrange promotions like our “Family Night at Beefs” event

Special Event Coordinator

PathSeeker plans to host a PathSeeker Family Comedy Night and Silent Auction in the fall. We need a person to organize and plan the event, including securing a location and coordinating the entertainment AND working with the Community Liaison to get silent auction items ready for the event.

% compensation is available for this position.

Tampa Bay Office Solutions, Inc. is your only Local Authorized Xerox Sales Agent! We have been servicing the Tampa Bay area since 1978 – and we have a solid track record of professionalism, excellent service and openness to our customers.  At Tampa Bay Office Solutions, ethics are the cornerstone of our success.  In short, we do NOT have unhappy customers because there are NO surprises!

Our mission is to provide the very best in customer satisfaction, service and support.  Xerox has been and continues to be, the world leader in office equipment. Xerox has a proud tradition of pioneering research and continues to be in the forefront of innovation. From multifunction printers, faxes, scanners, color and black & white copiers, we have the products to fit your needs.

In today’s complex business environment, Tampa Bay Office Solutions gives you the expertise to determine which of our many products can work best for you. We are dedicated to giving our customers the best solution and the best price for their office. Tampa Bay Office Solutions can handle whatever challenges you can bring.

Xerox recently signed a nationally negotiated contract with Provista that was designed specifically for Faith-Based organizations.  This agreement allows you to take advantage of significant discounts on ALL Xerox equipment as well as the many other services offered under the Provista agreement.  Best of all…it is FREE to you.

f you have not done business with Xerox before…give us a chance to show you just how easy and affordable we can be to work with.  We do all of our financing with Xerox Capital Services – NOT a third party finance company.  This means that we have a vested interest in you and your needs for the entire length of the agreement.

Please call or email us at any time to set up a short, no obligation consultation.  Or please visit our website at www.tampabos.com. to view the full line of Xerox products.

Thank you.

Ron D’Alessandro

President
Tampa Bay Office Solutions, Inc.
Authorized Xerox Agent
3812 W. Linebaugh Ave.#100
Tampa, Florida  33618
813.793.6021 (Office)
813.503.0988 (Cell)
813.287.1079 (Fax)

• Family Nights at area restaurants: This month the Carrollwood Beef O’Bradys sponsored a ‘Kids eat Free’ night on behalf of PathSeeker. We plan to offer more Family Nights in the months to come.

• Family Comedy Night: This fall we host a family – friendly night out featuring ‘clean’ comics and a silent auction. Stay tuned for more details . . .

• Family Focus: Every PathSeeker therapist is trained in counseling designed to bring families together. We all know that many families are broken — PathSeeker just wants to help mend them.

*PathSeeker works together with the community to support families!*

Articles and research studies have shown that psychological and physical stress affects how we perform and function, our health and especially our weight! In times of stress, many of us turn to food for relief, because we either do not have any other tools for coping or because the food is the most accessible and the quickest temporary fix.

The great news is we do not have to be victims of stress, and we can choose to deal with stress in a healthy manner that does not increase our waistline!

At Metabolic Research Center (MRC), we want to help those struggling with being overweight to set a course toward a healthier lifestyle. MRC began more than 25 years ago with a program that provides a nutritionally balanced approach to weight loss. MRC’s programs incorporate food from all four food groups and focus on weight management for life, using principles that address both sound nutritional practices and life management skills. More than simply making better meal choices, MRC’s philosophy teaches clients how to better deal with stress and how to overcome the emotional side of eating.

Melissa L. White, a licensed clinical social worker and member of MRC’s Medical Advisory Board, answered a few typical questions about how to recognize and cope with stress.

How do I recognize if I am stressed?

To be able to manage stress properly, we first have to identify our responses to stress. Different people react to stress in different ways. Some of us start feeling tense or start clenching our jaw, some become absent minded and aloof, some of us start feeling physical symptoms, such as a stomach or headache, and some of us are not able to identify stress until it is all consuming. Once we have identified our individual responses, we can start taking precautionary and corrective measures when things start to get stressful. We can also prepare and prevent when we know we are going to be put in a stressful situation.

How can I cope with stress in a healthy manner?

There are many coping mechanisms we can use to guard ourselves against or to combat stress. We like to recommend starting at the interpersonal level – how we think about things and our general attitude and approach to life. Do some “spring cleaning” in your head and work to get rid of negative thoughts and replace them with some positive thoughts, which in turn will foster a positive attitude.

As quoted in a chapter from the National Victim Assistance Academy Textbook under a section about coping with stress, “How you think can have a profound effect on your emotional and physical well-being. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. If you see good things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good; the reverse is also true. Eliminate words such as “always,” “never,” “should,” and “must.” These are telltale marks of self-defeating thoughts. Talk to yourself, switch negative self statements to positive statements. For example, “I can do (whatever it is you are setting out to do)” or, “I made a mistake, but I can do (whatever it is you are setting out to do),” or “I made a mistake, but I do a lot of things right.”

Positive affirmations are also a great way to start replacing the old, dusty, negative thoughts with clean, happy and freeing thoughts. Catch your negative thoughts, then repeat these statements like a mantra to yourself every day, several times a day. Some examples are: “I am capable,” I am smart,” “I am effective,” “I am doing the best I can,” “ I learn from my mistakes,” “I am loved,” “I can choose my thoughts,” and “I release my negative thoughts.”

Can proper nutrition and losing weight help me decrease my stress?

Yes! Research has shown that stress, which causes elevated cortisol levels, is linked to fat storage, specifically in the abdominal area. Stress also results in lowered metabolism, increased appetite and cravings for foods high in fat and carbohydrates.

At MRC, we provide one-on-one support, which allows you to lose weight quickly. In addition, we also teach you how to overcome emotional eating, so when you do experience stress, you know how to respond by making healthy lifestyle choices.

A great task to focus on this month is to educate yourself more about stress, take an inventory of the stressors in your life, and how you react and commit to trying new stress management tools each day. Remember, the more in control you feel of your stress, the more ability you have to make healthy choices for your mind, your body and your spirit!

Metabolic Research Center has three locations in the Tampa area – Citrus Park (6607 Gunn Highway); New Tampa (17407 Bridge Hill Court in the Tampa Palms Professional Park); and Brandon (435 Lithia Pinecrest Road). For more information, visit www.emetabolic.com or call 813.961.9585 to schedule a free consultation.

Become a fan of MRC on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metabolic-Research-Center/130938262893?ref=ts

Follow MRC on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/MetabolicRC