Author: Rick Hewett

Please help FYRE raise funds by purchasing a plate of delicious BBQ for $15 on Friday, November 4th from 5-8pm. FYRE will have their smoker setup at the Lake Lucaya Clubhouse at 11305 Lake Lucaya Drive, Riverview, FL. This also happens to be Lake Lucaya’s community Bunco Night! Play cards with your neighbors, enjoy BBQ, and support a good cause!

Proceeds will support FYRE’s Adoption, Foster Care, and Guardian ad Litem program. November is National Adoption Month. FYRE will sponsor a luncheon to promote fostering and adopting from Hillsborough County this month. Guest speakers will consist of: Children’s Network of Hillsborough County to provide information on how to become an adoptive or foster parent and financial programs to assist families, the Heart Gallery of Tampa to share the story of children currently in the system, and the Guardian ad Litem of Tampa Bay to inform people how they can become an advocate for needy children in the system. FYRE fortifies families and youth by providing training and education in life skills, leadership, finances, emergency preparedness, and other programs such as Scouting.

The BBQ meal consists of your choice of pulled pork or chicken thigh, potato salad, corn, roll, cookie, and a bottled water.

Donations are always welcome and appreciated.

Have a youth in K-12? Want a single event the entire family can participate in during the week-same place/time? We have a program for you and your family! FYRE’s Scouting program meets every Thursday at the Redeemer Church at 12404 Boyette Rd, Riverview, FL. Cub Scout Pack 481 (Co-Ed K-5) meets 6:30pm-7:30pm and the Scouts BSA Troop 482 (Boy) and Troop 483 (Girl) both meet at 7:30pm-8:30pm.

FYRE provides shoebox gifts to needy children worldwide annually which allows the Gospel to be shared through Operation Christmas Child. We focus our tangible support through the Redeemer Church’s physical collection site in Riverview, FL. You can get involved too. Bring your shoebox sized gift and drop it off at Redeemer Church during business hours Monday-Friday 9am-3pm or Sunday 8am-12pm before November 21st. For your convenience, you can also create a shoebox gift online by clicking on this link.

FYRE is excited to partner with the Riverview Chamber of Commerce and fellow businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations to better the lives of local families and solve local problems.

Over a 24 hour period, youth learned how to form highly effective teams, to plan, resource, and execute activities, how to assess individual strengths and weaknesses, to communicate effectively, and how to delegate with SMART objectives. Then boys and girls in middle and high school planned near-term activities for the next six months and medium range activities over the next year. Additionally, they learned cost estimation skills. With those skills they factored-in purchases of new high adventure equipment, the cost of maintaining existing equipment, and how much was required to pay for an ambitious and fun program year.

The training followed BSA’s Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST) curriculum. The modules were taught by senior Scouts who had graduated from National Youth Leadership Training and were guided and enabled by adults who were graduates from BSA’s Wood Badge Course.

If you are interested in your youth learning these skills to get ahead in life, check out FYRE Foundation’s Scouting programs. There are opportunities for the entire family to participate.

Comic Book legend, Bob Layton, and film screenwriter Hawk Ostby, were honored at a nonprofit event at the Tampa Theater on Thursday, August 4th. FYRE provides opportunities and resources to enrich Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). FYRE transported families in Southern Hillsborough County to the event where Mr. Layton and Mr. Ostby autographed posters, showed the movie “Iron Man”, and gave a question and answer session to the audience about art, print and film media, the business, and their beginnings. Youth were inspired to explore their own creative talents which could help them or others prosper in the future.

Bob Layton is an American comics writer, artist, designer, and editor with over 6,400 comic books credited to his name – a creative yardstick rivaled only by the late Stan Lee. He is most noted for his work on Marvel Comics titles such as Iron Man and Ant-Man, and for co-founding Valiant Comics.

Hawk Ostby is a Norwegian – American screenwriter and television producer , by films like Children of Men , Iron Man or Cowboys & Aliens became internationally known. With his colleague Mark Fergus , he developed the series The Expanse for television in 2015 .

Instructor Sara Curtis (13) and TJ Hewett (13) taught classes to five Scouts ages 12-16 on Saturday, July 23, 2022, leading to the five Scouts being awarded the BSA Snorkeling Award and BSA Standup Paddleboard Award.  Both Sara and TJ recently returned from a week-long summer camp at BSA Camp La–No-Che in Central Florida in June 2022 where they earned those awards themselves.  Within weeks they were both giving classes to others in their respective troops. Everyone had a blast.

One of the great things about the Scouting program is the opportunity for youth to learn how to lead.  First, they follow the youth Scouts elected over them using the “Patrol Method.”  Then they receive a wide variety of skills and leadership training.  Next they have opportunities to train other Scouts using the “EDGE Method”.  EDGE stands for Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, and Enable.  Teaching the youth how to plan and prepare to give classes, communicate, and effectively teach others no matter their age is a valuable life skill.

Parents were involved spending quality time with their kids and making memories while providing trained and qualified supervision.  If this is something you, your family, or a youth might be interested in please contact FYRE for more information about FYRE’s Scouting program for the entire family.