Join us in helping a beautiful family!

Please join us to help give our adopted family a beautiful Christmas!



As most of you know each year the ContraVest FAMILY, Friends, Vendors, Residents, and Contractors all come together to adopt Bernadette Hanlon our BEAUTIFUL FRIEND and CO-WORKER to give her 6 daughters a Christmas they will never forget!


For those of you who have not heard of Bernadette’s story, she is a single mom with 3 girls of her own and a less than 5 years ago her oldest daughter had a regular babysitting job to watch 3 little girls. Her daughter had an unexpected school event on the same night she had committed to babysitting. The girl’s mother’s name was Amy, that night Bernie offered to cover for her daughter by watching Amy’s girls in her home. Amy’s oldest daughter 13 at the time decided to stay home alone while the other girls stayed with Bernie. That night a turn of events drastically changed all of their lives forever. Amy’s ex-husband broke into Amy’s home tied up her daughter and waited with a knife for Amy to return. When Amy walked into their home she was brutally attacked and murdered in front of her 13 year old daughter. Luckily Amy’s boyfriend who was parking the car walked in just in time to save Amy’s daughter, he too was stabbed in the struggle and fortunately survived. Amy’s daughter’s had only one living relative a grandmother who was elderly and unable to care for the girls… Bernie took these distraught little girls into her home because they had no one. Their father was arrested and charged with their mother’s murder. Fast forward nearly 5 years, Bernie has spent countless hours fighting the system to protect these children. She spent numerous hours at trial to see that their father paid for his crime and numerous hours at doctor’s appointments for child counseling, she is proud to tell everyone that she was able to officially ADOPT the girls!


As you can imagine it’s a difficult job being a single mother of 6 girls! Bernie’s 3 girls have sacrificed so much by welcoming their new sister’s into their very small home. Amy’s daughters have suffered an unforgettable loss in the murder of their mom. No matter how difficult things have been Bernie has been the one constant in their life! Bernie is an “ANGEL” in every since of the word!


It is our honor each year to give this beautiful and certainly deserving family a wonderful Christmas one that they will remember and cherish for years to come! Christin, Wendy and Darla will head up the fundraiser this year! We ask that you donate whatever you can--no amount is too small! We are asking for donations in the form of gift cards (Visa, American Express, Wal-Mart or Target), cash or personal checks. Please make personal checks payable to Christin Tenpenny so she can cash them to make the actual purchases from the girls Christmas lists.


***Please bring in or mail donations to: C/O Christin Tenpenny, ContraVest Management Company, 237 South Westmonte Drive, Suite 140, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714. We appreciate any donation you can make to help this family. If possible would love to receive the donations into us by December 10th to give us time to shop for the gifts!


From our family to yours, thank you!


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2nd Annual Veteran’s Fest, Brandon | FREE Admission, Food, Raffle

Hosted by the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, the 2nd Annual Veteran’s Fest at the Campo Family YMCA (3414 Culbreath Road) will go down on Thursday, November 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Head to this family friendly Brandon event to commemorate all the veterans that have served in the U.S. military and enjoy over 60 vendors including a number of notable Brandon businesses, non profits, and veterans organizations.


In conjunction with the Military Affairs Council, the Veteran’s Fest will host a taps and flag raising ceremony featuring local veterans and ROTC students. A variety of family fun and entertainment will also be on hand including a raffle with proceeds benefitting the Military Council MacDill Endowment Fund. ECHO will also be on hand to collect food donations in exchange for raffle tickets as well. These are both great ways to help out the veterans that have done so much for our country as well as the less fortunate in the community around the holiday season.

Best of all, admission and food at the Veteran’s Fest come at no cost to you. This is a free event for the public. If you’re looking for a great, kid-friendly Veteran’s Day event in Brandon, check out the 2nd Annual Veteran’s Fest on November 10 at the Campo Family YMCA.

What is Veterans Day??

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

For more information go to http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-veterans-day.

Remember to thank our military for everything they do not just on veterans day but every time we see them, they made great sacrifices in order for us to keep our freedom.

Ther Perfect Turkey Recipe!!

Ingredients


1 (18 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed

2 cups kosher salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup dry white wine

Directions

1.Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.

3.Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.

4.Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

For more information go to http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/perfect-turkey/detail.aspx

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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