Several MiraBay residents started with an idea for a cookbook, and by the end of their hard work, they had raised $6,000 for the Apollo Beach Elementary PTA with the help of MiraBay Village’s Sweetbay supermarket.
Susan Schleif came up with the idea for a cookbook several years ago, but last September, she contacted several neighbors who then met and began their work on the cookbook. Nine months of collecting, tasting and perfecting recipes, and the Taste of MiraBay was complete. It sold out in less than four months with the help of the newly opened Sweetbay supermarket whose manager Steve Katic decided to buy the last 54 books to help support the group and Apollo Beach Elementary.
It was again Schleif’s idea to give any money made from the cookbook back to the community. Several Apollo Beach Elementary PTA members live in MiraBay, including Schleif’s neighbor. Giving it back to the children seemed like the perfect idea, so Schleif brought it to the cookbook committee and they all agreed.
The PTA members couldn’t be more excited to be receiving $6,000 from a group that had done all the work for the money themselves. Although a substantial amount, it’s only a drop in the bucket of the funds the PTA is looking to collect. Its goal is $165,000 in order to pay for a covered pavilion for the Apollo Beach Elementary basketball court. The pavilion would be a great addition for the school, giving the children shelter from the sun and heat while they rest.
For two years, the PTA has been collecting money from a silent auction and casino night, which it will hold yet again this year on December 5 at the SouthShore Falls Clubhouse. It also has other smaller fundraisers throughout the year, including selling business memberships for the PTA. It is also the only public school to participate in Brandon Westfield mall’s Cash for Class which allows anyone to turn in receipts from the mall to the concierge until September 30, in turn, giving money back to the schools which is configured by the receipts received. The PTA encourages those who can’t make it to the concierge to drop their receipts off at the school.
To pick up a cookbook, visit the new Sweetbay in MiraBay Villages located on U.S. Hwy. 41 in Apollo Beach.
For more information about helping about Apollo Beach Elementary’s PTA, email aise@Tampabay.rr.com.
