SKETCHES, SCRIBBLES & SCRAPS OF
INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE, PLACES
& ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE UPFRONT
La Florida Goes Digital
Park Vista to Macy’s Parade
Fairy Godfathers Work Magic
Steven Anderson and Andrew Ashton have been bringing the gifts of beauty
and self-confidence to women and girls with financial or medical problems
for almost 20 years through their My Fairy Godfathers Foundation Inc. They
provide and style hundreds of wigs without charge each year for patients
undergoing cancer treatments through their “Crowning Glory” program.
They make it possible for high school seniors in need to attend their proms
by providing a complete makeover that usually includes a dress and often
a date’s tuxedo, plus accessories, photos, transportation, a corsage and all
the trimmings through their “If the Shoe Fits” program. This year, 50 girls
from 16 Pinellas County high schools benefited from their generosity. Next
year, they hope to spread their “fairy dust” at Hillsborough County Schools
as well. Steven and Andrew also work with women who have suffered from
abuse through their “Mirror” program and provide scholarships to women
pursuing careers in the arts. Visit them at MyFairyGodfathers.net.
36 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2018
Vilma Buffman and her husband Zev, the
CEO and president of Ruth Eckerd Hall,
greeted guests at the groundbreaking
ceremony for the hall’s expansion.
Steven Anderson and Andrew Ashton of La Posh Salon in
Clearwater, affectionately known as the “Fairy Godfathers,”
prepared to work their prom makeover magic on high
school senior “Cinderella” Niesha Radovanic.
GRAM GRAM
Ruth Eckerd Hall
Expansion
A groundbreaking ceremony was held
for the final phase of Ruth Eckerd
Hall’s $21 million expansion project
in Clearwater. This stage of the expansion
will include the Kate Tiedemann and Ellen
Cotton Cabaret Theatre, the England
Family Welcome Pavilion and the Holt
Family Cabaret Stage. With almost half
of the “Expanding the Experience” capital
campaign completed, the updates to the
34-year-old complex are ready to be
finished. The new roadway and entrance
will be anchored by a lobby almost six
times the size of the original space.
La Florida: The Interactive Digital Archive of
the Americas was created by Dr. J. Michael
Francis, the Hough Family Endowed Chair
of Florida Studies at the University of South
Florida, St. Petersburg. It provides an interactive
multidisciplinary and comprehensive vision
that puts the Spanish exploration of Florida
into sharp focus. Francis, who holds a
doctorate in history, spent years uncovering
the history of our state and was featured on
the PBS documentary Secrets of Spanish Florida.
USF-St. Petersburg is seeking to raise support
for the project, as it continues and enables
others to digitally add to its vast treasure
trove of information. For more information,
or to become an underwriter of this project,
contact Julie Perrelli at (727) 873-4821 or at
jperrelli@usfsp.edu.
GRAM
Dr. J. Michael Francis credits his wife
Annie with helping him develop this
creative approach to history.
The Park Vista High School Marching Band from Lake
Worth has been chosen to perform in the 92nd annual
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The high school
band was selected from among hundreds of applicants
and is the only one of eight chosen to represent Florida.
The trip will cost $400,000, but will be a once in a lifetime
experience for the students. For information, call Connie
Whitehead at (727) 515-6336, or Robin Dillon at (561)
856-5500. Send checks payable to: Park Vista High School
Marching Band, c/o Robin Dillon, 7706 Oak Grove Circle,
Lake Worth, FL 33467.