That's right. Today is the official WOMbat holiday, and we here at WOMbeat! are celebrating the day with our friends and family, along with the traditional WOMbat-shaped chocolate cake.

For those of you who do not have a WOMbat-shaped cake pan, we have included instructions in this link!

Just yesterday, we got the good news that WOMbeat! founder Linda Olson had been selected as one of the Tampa Bay 100 by Tampa Bay CEO Magazine.  This honor is bestowed upon one hundred business leaders from the Tampa Bay area who positively impact the region’s economic development and community.

On April 30th, Tampa Bay CEO Magazine will honor these one hundred business leaders at a special Gala Reception at the Quorum Hotel.  Honorees will also be featured in a special Tampa Bay 100 edition of Tampa Bay CEO Magazine.

Read more here!

WOMbeat! was recently selected to be a finalist in the Idea Cafe's annual "Innovation and Originality Grant" competition, but we need 100's or 1000's of votes to win.  So I am asking for your help in voting for WOMbeat! in this competition, as well as for forwarding this post to as many friends as possible who you think might be willing to vote for us as well.

I have listed the 5 simple steps below for voting for WOMbeat!  This should take you no more than 1-2 minutes tops to complete. 

VOTE NOW!

Thank you in advance!  (And be sure to leave a comment on the website with a link to your own website!  Get a boost from all the traffic we are getting - that's totally cool with us!!!)

What:            More than 200 volunteers from MetLife and Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, community residents, and organizers from KaBOOM! will join forces on Saturday, December 6 to build a new, safe playground at the Nick Capitano Boys & Girls Club. The new playground's design is based on drawings provided by children who attended a Design Day event in October.   

Why:             The new playground will provide more than 250 children with a safe place to play, replacing old, outdated equipment that will be removed to make way for the new playground. The playspace is a collaboration between KaBOOM! and MetLife Foundation, and one of more than 215 playspaces that KaBOOM! has helped construct across the country in 2008 in an effort to provide a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.

When:           Saturday, December 6

                     8:30 a.m. – Kick off and volunteer deployment

                     11:00-1:00 p.m. – Best time to view playground under construction

                     2:30 p.m. – Ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate new play area

                     (Note: all times approximate)

Where:          Nick Capitano Boys & Girls Club
                     1218 East Kay Street
                     Tampa, FL  33602

Who:             Hundreds of volunteers from the community

Visuals:         Before and after shots of the site

                     Samples of the original designs by children

                     Volunteers assembling brightly colored playground equipment

Volunteers moving 53,460 square feet of safety surfacing by hand

Ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the playground

Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay

For more than 80 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay (www.bgctampa.org) has provided young people in the Tampa Bay area with a safe place to learn and grow. Currently comprised of 21 facilities in Hillsborough and Pasco counties, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay annually serves 8,500 young people. Known as "The Positive Place for Kids," the Clubs provide guidance-oriented character development programs on a daily basis for children 5-18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key Boys & Girls Clubs programs emphasize character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation.

MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation was established by MetLife in 1976 to carry on its longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Grants support health, education, civic and cultural programs. In youth development, MetLife Foundation supports initiatives that provide young people with safe places to play and grow, mentoring and constructive activities, particularly during the after-school hours. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.

KaBOOM!

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,500 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, regional and national trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and the Playmaker Network – a national network of individual advocates for play. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

We've Been Busy...Very Busy!!

Just want to let you know that if you happen to see our WOMbat wearing a construction hat (like in this picture) on our website, please don't be concerned. It just means our WOMbats are busy working on the site.

WOMbeat! has been making some important changes to the site to speed up performance and lay the groundwork for some exciting new features coming soon.

If you see the WOMbat Construction Zone notice at www.wombeat.com, just check back again soon. And if you continue to have troubles, please email support@wombeat.com.

Thanks!

Everyone needs a pet wombat like this one!

By RICH SHOPES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 8, 2008

TAMPA - Ybor City's Seventh Avenue is one of American's best streets based on its cigar-making history, community activism and architecture.

The American Planning Association today picked Seventh Avenue as one of the nation's 10 best streets, along with Washington Street in Boston, Broad Street in Philadelphia and South El Paso Street in El Paso, Texas.

There is no first- through 10th-place ranking of the winners.

"This really is great news for Ybor," said Brenda Thrower, an economic develop specialist at the Ybor Community Development Corp. "We're ecstatic."

Tony LaColla, a planner and president of the Historic Ybor Neighborhood Civic Association, submitted the 30-page contest application about six months ago. The American Planning Association is a trade organization of planners and architects based in Washington.

LaColla said Seventh Avenue was the epicenter of the region's immigrant community and, to some degree, afforded safe haven from the Jim Crow laws elsewhere in the city that barred blacks from white-owned restaurants and shops.

Also, its cigar factories fueled Tampa's economy. "The cigar-making industry really put Tampa on the map," he said.

Robert B. Hunter, executive director of the city-county planning commission and president of the American Planning Association, didn't know LaColla had applied for the designation until three weeks ago when the avenue was listed as a finalist.

"I didn't want anyone to think he had any influence in this," said LaColla, adding that the award can be used to promote economic development and tourism to Tampa.

An award ceremony is set for 2 p.m. Nov. 12 in Ybor. The exact location is to be determined.

That's right.  WOMbeat! has revamped our Name Our WOMbat! Contest and relaunched it – this time with great prizes!  The contest starts today, and the deadline for submitting great WOMbat names is midnight on November 30, 2008.  http://wombeat.com/name_our_wombat 

Do you have some creative WOMbat names for our mascot?  We are looking for names that embody all things WOMbeat!  (trustworthy recommendations from people you know), or that are just plain fun. 

Of course, we must also thank our wonderful contest sponsors, including DoubleTake Designs (www.dbltakedesigns.com) who did the fantastic job with our contest page and Two Cups Connect (www.twocupsconnect.com) who is helping us to revamp our newsletter.  (You will see fantastic changes in our next email blast!)  But we also must tell you about some of our other wonderful prize sponsors, including Lowry Park Zoo, The NoHo Bistro, ToffeeToGo and Wombania.

For more information, please visit our website and look for the Name Our WOMbat! Contest link in every page footer, or simply visit http://wombeat.com/name_our_wombat.  Participation is free, but you must be a registered user of WOMbeat! to win!

Don't wait too long…