GFWC Brandon Service League held its 30th year of the Alice Storms Very Special Arts on February 18. Alice Storms was a prominent member of the Brandon community who had a special love for special needs children and was a charter member of Brandon Service League. She was responsible in 1991 for the first Very Special Arts. This event is a field trip for special needs kindergarten and prekindergarten children from Eastern Hillsborough County and is co-sponsored by the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System of Hillsborough.
The last Very Special Arts was held in February 2020, one month before COVID-19 shut the world down and at that time 267 children attended. Brandon Service League has now revived the event but at a new venue, New Hope Church. One hundred and forty-five special needs children attended this year, enjoying a morning of simple crafts, face painting, bubbles, magic shows, musical instruments and lunch. Fifty high school volunteers from Brandon Academy, Hillsborough County Virtual High School, Hillsborough County National Honor Society, Durant High School, Brandon High School JROTC and Bloomingdale High School assisted the children.
A wonderful group called the Linus Project made blankets for each of the children to sit on for lunch then take home as a souvenir of the day. Two magicians, Bob Klase and Rudy Hernandez, volunteered their time to perform for the children. GFWC Brandon Junior Women’s Club members donated their time creating and making crafts for the children to decorate. Brandon Service League made its ‘well-known’ hats for the children to decorate and wear, which has been a staple of the event for years. Publix Charities donated $250 toward food for the children. All in all, many hands made a wonderful day for the children.
The GFWC Brandon Service League was chartered and federated May 9, 1960. GFWC Brandon Service League is a proud member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. It is a diverse group of women dedicated to volunteer service. The league’s mission is to enhance the lives of others in the Brandon, Bloomingdale, Limona, Lithia, Riverview, Seffner and Valrico areas. Its community service projects, programs and events are tailored to the needs of its local communities.
Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month from September through May (excluding December) at the GFWC Brandon Junior Women’s Club at 129 Moon Ave. in Brandon. To get involved, visit https://gfwcbrandonserviceleague.org/.
