I'm not going back. We don't own winter coats or a snow shovel. I want to keep my Florida home and my dream of a retirement spent in the sunshine.
Our dream is a small one. We want to live in our modest cottage as long as we are able to take care of ourselves. We want to have a few close and dear friends.
Occasionally, we want an evening out at the low-cost movie followed by ice cream cones. We want to see the fruits of our love, our children, become parents and raise families of their own.
We do not ask for luxuries or special attention. We are just ordinary people who want to enjoy the benefits of the years that we spent working and saving. Our children received a higher education without a penny of government assistance. As parents, we swell with pride that those children built lives for themselves.
As our Florida dream sinks with the setting sun, we wonder if anyone cares. We are not alone in this disaster. Everyone who lives in Florida, and all who own property in this state, risk the loss of their dreams.
Every person, business, municipality and entity is touched by this crisis. The young who want to own a home and the families that need more space are being affected. Rents and the cost of consumer goods are affected by this crisis.
The irony of this situation is that the very means that we use to protect our dreams is now the thief stealing them. We buy insurance to secure our assets and to provide income if we become ill or die. Our legislators and others in the government are either too ill informed or relying on the insurance industry to solve our problem.
Another irony is that I am an insurance brat. You've heard of Army brats? Well, you can call me an insurance brat. My family, working in the insurance industry, has provided the money that has fed and clothed me. I have held both a property and casualty license and a life license. The insurance company that has raised our rates fourfold is paying our monthly income. My father always said, "Work for an insurance company and you will always have a job."
What can be done to save our dreams? We have a real opportunity this year, since it is an election year. We must raise our voices and demand a detailed and complete plan for dealing with the crisis from each candidate running for state office this year.
We can also contact our federal congressional representatives to demand that the federal government take control of insurance regulation. Insurance companies do not want federal control of insurance regulation. They want it left up to the individual states.
California provides earthquake coverage for its residents. We have a federal program to provide flood insurance - and that program should include all acts of God. If one program covered both floods and hurricanes, we would not have the question: "Was it flood damage or wind damage?"
We have the power of the ballot, with state and federal elections looming. Now is the time to arm ourselves with facts and to give our votes to candidates who will provide us with a detailed plan for handling this crisis. We must also be willing to tell the candidates that if they do not fulfill their promises, we will take action to remove them from office. We have to let them know we mean business.
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AIDS PARTNERSHIP INC. 6085 Park Blvd., needs buddies to work one-on-one with clients (training provided), volunteers to work in office and food pantry. personal hygiene products and nonperishable foods. Call 541-6638.
BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS OF PINELLAS COUNTY 918 West Bay Drive, provides adult volunteers to children from single-parent families. A new site-based program allows time-restricted volunteer participants to help in- and after-school activities. Needed: volunteers, especially men, and corporate sponsors for activities for children who are on the waiting list. Call 518-8860.
HOSPICE OF THE FLORIDA SUNCOAST 5771 Roosevelt Blvd., , provides end-of-life services to clients and their families. Needed: volunteers for thrift shop, office and patient and family support, items for resale at thrift stores and cash donations. Call 586-4432.
MISSING CHILDREN AWARENESS FOUNDATION INC. 13094 95th St. N. Needed: donations of school supplies, new toys for the annual Christmas party and cash donations for the Juvenile Photo-ID and Fingerprint Program. Call 585-5360.
RESOURCE CENTER FOR WOMEN 1301 Seminole Blvd., Suite 150, helps women and their families achieve emotional and economic stability and self-sufficiency. Needed: volunteers, pocket calendars, notepads, phone cards, staplers and stamps. Call (727) 586-1110.
STEPPING STONE 158 Ridge Road NW, provides transitional housing for families. Needed: volunteers to sort donations and to work with children, bus tokens, bedding, towels, kitchenware, paper products and cleaning supplies, medium and large diapers, dish soap, detergent, mops, brooms, shampoo, conditioner, coffee, tea, lemonade, cereal, pasta and pillows. Call 581-7882.
CLEARWATER FREE CLINIC 707 N Ft. Harrison Ave. This agency provides free health care to those who have no insurance and who do not qualify for government aid. The clinic treats nearly 7,000 children and adults yearly. Needed: cash, medical volunteers (physicians, nurses and pharmacists), non-medical (clerks and transporters), paper goods and office supplies. Call 447-3041.
COMMUNITY PRIDE CHILD CARE INC. 1235 Holt Ave. Needed: baby linens, baby toys and supplies, disposable diapers (medium and large sizes), baby wipes, double stroller, children's craft and school supplies, cash, children's clothing, children's playground toys, children's books, adult rocking chair, tricycles, tape recorders, household items, cleaning supplies, paper products, fax machine, volunteers to rock babies, sew bibs and cot sheets and to read to older children. Call 443-0958.
EVERYBODY'S TABERNACLE/HOMELESS EMERGENCY PROJECT 1120 N Betty Lane, provides shelter, food baskets, transportation and dinners for the poor. Needed: paper goods of all varieties, canned foods, gift certificates for children's shoes and clothes, diapers, grocery store gift certificates, working vacuum cleaners, working bicycles and bicycle locks, furniture, linens, kitchen supplies, blankets, bus passes, personal hygiene items, a computer (Windows compatible), educational software and toys, art supplies and money. Also needed: volunteer carpenters, thrift shop volunteers, bookkeepers/secretaries and tutors for high-school level students. Call 442-9041.
GRACE HOUSE (Religious Community Services) 1552 S Myrtle Ave., provides emergency shelter for families with children. Needed: volunteers to sort donations, to shop for groceries and to work with children, disposable diapers, sheets, blankets, feminine hygiene products, bus tokens, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, cleaning supplies, sugar, flour, cooking oil, children's snacks, juices, coffee, tea, lemonade, cereal, pasta, pillows, bed frames and mattresses and pots and pans. Call 446-5964.
RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE 503 S Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Needed: volunteers to sort donations, to shop for groceries and to work with children, disposable diapers, sheets, blankets, feminine hygiene products, bus tokens, full-size shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, paper products, cleaning supplies, sugar, flour, cooking oil, children's snacks, juices, coffee, tea, lemonade, cereal, pasta, pillows, bed frames and mattresses and pots and pans. Call 584-3528.
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