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PLANT CITY
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SPORTS
Plant City kids make a splash at YMCA camp.
+ Observer goes online!
in focus
We dive into life with Durant alum Brooke Bennett. PAGE 13
PAGE 10
OUR TOWN
thursday, JULY 26, 2012
Faithful fun continues at area churches. PAGE 11
hometown hero
MOBILE MISSION By Amber Jurgensen | Staff Wrtier
By Michael Eng | Managing Editor
CALLED
DUTY
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Danielle Moore/Dreamy Portraits
Since we began publishing, one of the most frequent questions is regarding our presence online. Although our permanent website is still under construction, we launched last week a temporary site at PlantCityObserver.com. The site will feature all the print content — both in clickable and e-Edition formats — as well as web exclusives and multimedia features. But wait! There’s more! You also can keep in touch with us through our Facebook page. Want to pitch a story idea or need help promoting your business? You can get in touch with everyone on the editorial and advertising staffs with just a few clicks. And for those who prefer their social networking in 140 characters or less, follow us on Twitter: @PlantObserver.
To date, Shiloh Baptist Church has funded wheelchairs for 85 people through Free Wheelchair Mission.
U.S. Army Pfc. Ben Secor is about halfway through a nine-month tour in Afghanistan.
Courtesy photo
Top: Ben Secor says he thinks of his family constantly, including his nieces, who love their Uncle Ben.
+ Love is in the air in Plant City! The Rev. and Mrs. Dean Pfeffer, of Hope Lutheran Church, are excited to announce the engagement of their daughter, Kristin, to Mr. Emad (Eddie) Attalla, son of Magdy Attalla and Afifa Soliman, of Riverview. Kristin is a 2003 graduate of Plant City High School and a 2008 graduate of the University of Tampa. She is employed by the Hillsborough County School District as a seventh- and eighth-grade language arts teacher. Eddie is a 2002 graduate of Modern Academy in Cairo, Egypt, with a degree in computer science and currently is employed as an interpreter. A future wedding date is to be announced.
Shiloh rolls with wheelchair fundraiser
U.S. Army Pfc. Ben Secor, a Plant City native, is five months into a nine-month tour in Afghanistan. His family is counting down the days. Tammy Secor still has the pillowcase. And sometimes, when the reality of it all is too much to bear, she brings it close. It’s the pillowcase on which her son, U.S. Army Pfc. Ben Secor, rested his head the night before he left for a nine-month tour in Afghanistan. It still smells like him. Tammy is pretty sure her son would turn beet red at the thought. But, it doesn’t matter. She’s his mother. It’s her job to
embarrass him from time to time. Although Ben won’t return until Christmas, Tammy keeps a room for him at their Plant City home. It’s decorated with a plethora of patriotic antiques and knickknacks. A pillow with Ben’s photo printed on it sits in the middle of the bed. The photo was taken in July 2011, near the end of boot camp. He looks pensive, determined. His face is thick, his jaw strong.
`But, he’s only 20 years old. By contrast, a framed photo from the beginning of boot camp is on the night table. It had only been three months earlier, but Ben’s face is much thinner, his expression a cocktail of curiosity, questions and maybe even a little fear. Ben’s favorite clothes — Wrangler jeans and hunting T-shirts — are folded neatly
Brenda Langston was immediately captivated by a wheelchair on display at a Kissimmee Vacation Bible School Clinic last spring. It was like nothing the pediatric nurse had ever seen. A concoction of everyday household items, the wheelchair was made of a basic white resin lawn chair that fit comfortably into a steel frame with two mountain bike tires attached to it. “It was just an interesting thing,” Langston said. “It definitely caught my eye. ... So I asked about it.” The wheelchair turned out to be part of Free Wheelchair Mission, a Christian-based mission that sends wheelchairs to disabled people in developing countries. The design was created to be low in cost but durable enough for the rural terrains in which many recipients live. When Langston returned to Plant City, she suggested the mission to Shiloh Baptist Church Senior Pastor Joe Bowles and Nancy Willis, director of Vacation Bible School. They decided to challenge the kids at July’s Vacation Bible School to bring in change for wheelchairs. At the cost of $63.94 per wheelchair, Langston thought
SEE SHILOH / PAGE 6
SEE SECOR / PAGE 8
HOMETOWN HEROES
Hometown Heroes is a new feature in the Plant City Observer in which we profile veterans from Plant City. If you have a loved one currently serving or who has served in the past, please contact Managing Editor Michael Eng by email at meng@plantcityobserver.com or by phone at 704-6850.
INDEX News Briefs..........4
Vol. 1, No. 4 | One section
Cops Corner..........7
Crossword.......... 14
Sports................ 13
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