Melanie Brown-Culpepper-Beilke has spent her whole life in Polk County. At 17, she had her first child. By 19, she was in cosmetology school, and by 24, she owned her own salon. Raised by her grandmother, Granny Brown, Melanie kept the name “Brown” because it was so closely tied to who raised her and how the community knew her. Melanie was engaged to Michael Culpepper, and the couple had planned to marry in May, but the pandemic delayed their wedding until October. “Michael C

Every year on May 21, a quiet ripple turns into a wave—a movement known as National Legacy Day. For many, it’s simply a date on the calendar. But for Jill Thompson, Director of Legacy of Hope, it’s a living, breathing tribute to something much deeper. “National Legacy Day is May 21, and that is Inheritance of Hope’s Founder’s Day,” Jill shares. “It’s the day we started—May 21, 2007.” It all began with love. And loss. And the kind of strength that blooms in the face of unimag

“It’s a beautiful life,” Craig Pickos said of his recovery journey. Pickos (NCPRSS, RYT) is Polk for Recovery’s founder and executive director. The nonprofit is a Recovery Community Organization (RCO), a “grassroots movement led by and for those in recovery from substance use, mental health, or other obstacles to wellness.” September is National Recovery Month. In a lead-up to the observance of this month, which is held to “educate Americans that substance use treatment and m

For the first time since 2014, the Florida Mission of Mercy (FLA-MOM) will take place in Polk County. The free, two-day dental clinic hosted by the FDA Foundation is slated for May 31 – June 1, 2024, at the RP Funding Center (701 West Lime St., Lakeland). The FDA Foundation, which started in 1980, is the philanthropic arm of the Florida Dental Association. Over the years, they’ve given back to the community in various ways, from dental scholarships to support for clinics and

You’ve just received the news. It’s breast cancer. The diagnosis shatters you. Questions pile one on top of the other in your mind. What are you going to do? What toll will the treatment take? Are you going to lose your breasts? Are you going to lose your life? How will your family cope? How will you afford medical bills on top of all your basic needs? This is a familiar crisis to many women across Central Florida. Thankfully, there is an organization that seeks to ease the b

Winter Haven Public Safety is unrolling a comprehensive and holistic mental health program in the new year. The City of Winter Haven Mental Health Coordinator, Morgan Volpe, and Lieutenant Garett Boyd spearhead this flagship program. We spoke with Volpe about the program’s inception and what they aim to accomplish. Volpe, who recently finished her master’s degree in clinical mental health from Stetson University, has been in her role since April. Hers is a new position for t

According to the CDC, in the United States, in 2020, 1,603,844 new cancer cases were reported, and 602,347 people died of cancer. For every 100,000 people, 403 new cancer cases were reported, and 144 people died of cancer. In Florida, 115,000 were diagnosed, and 132,614 have died. In Polk County, 4,489 people have been diagnosed in one year. The far-reaching hand of this terrible disease has unfortunately gripped us all either directly or through friends and family. Winter H

After paying his way through medical school working in the shipyard and serving as a flight surgeon on the Yorktown during World War II, Dr. Benjamin J. Bond envisioned a “one-stop” medical clinic in Winter Haven. He selected pediatrician Dr. Rita Marotti, OB/GYN, Dr. T.C. Karamidas, and primary care physician Dr. William Steele to help him realize this vision. They opened Bond Clinic in the New Coker Building on June 1, 1949. 1954 Dr. Keramidas, Dr. Dorman, Dr. Bond, Dr. M

Winter Haven yoga teacher Prima Burney is ‘opening the door’ for others to navigate life and healing through her wellness and herbal alchemy business, Open Door Wellness. Using her own life experiences and talents to help her clients, Burney aims to solidify Open Door Wellness as a positive force in the community. Born in Winter Haven, Burney lived in Jacksonville with her grandmother until she passed away. At six years old, she came back to Winter Haven and didn’t venture ou

This year the world has faced sickness, death, job loss, strained social environments, injustices, and tragedies – everyday life has become unusual for many. Most of us have struggled with our mental health or know someone who has. We spoke with Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Antionette Pollard to learn more about depression and anxiety, when to seek help, how to cope during COVID-19, and the importance of mental health care. Pieces to Peace Counseling Antionette Pollard i

As a pastor at Heartland Church, I have the opportunity to see hundreds (if not thousands) of people each week. People may think I never get lonely because of the amount of interactions I have, but that is not necessarily always true. As a pastor, but more so as a human being, I need to have personal and intimate interactions with people. Community is vital. Community might be messy. But that’s what living in a community is like, right? I tend to be an introvert (that may sho

As the Director of Behavioral Health for Lakeland Regional Health, Alice Nuttall oversees the team of physicians, nurses, and qualified mental health professionals for both the inpatient behavioral health service and the outpatient behavioral health clinic. She is an involved member of the Polk County community, serving as the co-chair for the Polk Vision Exploratory Board. Nuttall, a Registered Nurse, has a degree in business as well as neuroscience psychology. Born in Lakel

In this first Summer Series, we’d like to demystify some of the latest, scientific findings on coffee! And hopefully, do our part to clarify and counteract all the misinformation that’s so easily found in our online feeds these days! Below, an amazing scientific review by our own medical expert – Jolian Rios, MD, ABIM Board Certified. MYTH #1: ALL STUDIES ARE SCIENTIFICALLY VALID Coffee has been widely studied – there have been hundreds of studies published about it over the

We have been isolated from one another for months now. Every routine has been interrupted and all of our usual social gatherings have either been canceled or extremely limited. The challenge with this is that we are social beings. We are created for community. Even the most introverted person cannot thrive in complete isolation. I have been a full-time professor of Psychology and Human Services for more than a decade and one of my favorite lectures deals with the psychology o

In honor of National Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 6 – Oct. 12), we sat down with the Lakeland Fire Department’s Fire Chief Douglas Riley and Assistant Fire Chief of Administration Rick Hartzog to talk about a few changes they’ve implemented within the department. These changes have addressed occupational cancer prevention, mental wellness, health and fitness, and firefighter safety. In a few short years, the entire culture of the Fire Service has evolved. Cultural evolution isn

The proof was in the pudding, or CBD rather, for Areli and Tony Bryan of Lakeland. Their personal experiences with CBD impassioned them to open a store in efforts to extend to others the CBD benefits that changed their lives. “I was dealing with a lot of anxiety and my friend told me about CBD,” said Areli. She did some research and with promising results, decided to give it a try. She said, “It helped me tremendously.” At the time, she was taking one medication for heart pal