Charity? Not in Ronda's World, Not if You Aren't On Her Good Guy List

Editorial by Lorelei Jackson
11.22.05

I hate Gays and Joe Redner, not to mention I will stop charity and the giving of donations to children that has Joe Redners name in any way shape or form attached to it!  That's what I can imagine Ronda Storms screaming to the "other" sponsors of the Charity "Auction for Angels" that Imago Magazine threw this past weekend.

What a hateful lady. (and I use the term lady  loosely since she stormed down the aisle to come within a hairs breadth of touching my nose with her nose, and screamed into my face in a particular county commissioners meeting)

Ronda's attempt to blackball Redner, and keep him [in her mind] from being a "good guy" by sponsoring a charity, backfired on her popularity polls (check out how badly and read other opinions here  and here).   Her hate filled and narrow minded conservatism is espoused in her every utterance.  Thank goodness not all conservatives use her brand of fundamentalism.

Ronda received an invitation in the mail for Auction for Angels and must have flipped out when she saw that her nemesis (Joe Redner) was a sponsor for the event. Redner donated $500 (the cost of a corporate table) to the event and along with several other legitimate businesses here became a sponsor of the event. Redner is well known for his generous heart and has helped many organizations and needy families in the past.

Storms decided that using her political weight against Tampa's adult entertainment king was more important than helping needy children. She tried her best to get Redner Enterprises'  banned from the charity event.  Storms called the other sponsors and told them it was inappropriate for Redner to participate.   "A little girl's image is being associated with the adult entertainment industry," Storms told the Tribune last week. "I'd like to know if that little girl's parents know about it." "Exploitation...ad nauseum...."

Well, to be honest Ronda, the association was only with the "words" JOE REDNER ENTERPRISES. Hardly exploitation, by any means of the imagination.

In Ms. Storms Letter to the Tribune November 22, to defend her position she practically accuses the Wyndham Hotel of "sordid" practices too, saying: "Not incidentally, certainly coincidentally, and absolutely ironically, another of the sponsors -- the Wyndham -- found itself in the news again this week. It seems that an exploiter of women and children and peddler of female flesh was arrested for flying a 16 year old runaway girl to our community and specifically to the Wyndham..." Of course Ronda does not say that the Wyndham, nor Joe Redner was in no way involved with this, nor did they know the people involved. She simply implies that Joe Redner and the Wyndham Hotel had something to do with it, or had some knowledge of it and therefore behaved "incomprehensibly irresponsible and dangerously". Balderdash! Just what is Ronda's point here?

Ronda's vengeful sabotage of the event didn't work as good as she had hoped, but it did hurt the event, much to her glee.  A few sponsors folded, A Gift for Teaching, which distributes school supplies to needy children, withdrew from the auction (shame on them), and some of the 250 expected attendees did not show, but the majority did not give in to the sadistic and political bullying.  A few needy children did triumph this day in spite of Ronda Storms.

Mr. Redner said that "people came up to me [at the event] and told me that if this had not happened they might not have even attended or donated to the charity, but, because of his involvement they did."

Adrienne Davis, publisher of Imago Magazine, said the auction came in under their goal and because of that, only five children will go to the "Blooming Place for Kids" camp this year instead of the planned fifteen kids. "We have never screened our sponsors, and we will not be screening them next year either", Ms. Davis said, "I don't know Ronda Storms, and she never called us, but her politics has hurt the children. It's not about the money, its about the kids."

Jan Horn, Executive Director and Founder of Blooming Place for Kids said the camp provides an intervention/prevention summer program, designed to build good character development through interactive sports, arts, and nature. Good values are nurtured through role models and activities that are designed and promote positive values and encourages teamwork, sharing and individual growth. The camps cost is $1200 per child, and the event, thanks to Ronda Storms came in $10,000 under their goal.

"Ronda does not know what kind of damage she has done. She put a kibosh on the event and there is no defending what she did," said Ms. Horn. "These kids come from very abusive environments, and from foster homes, now only five will go, not the planned fifteen."

What is it about a so-called leader in this community that causes them to swell up with indignation at the slightest act of kindness from someone they deem to be undesirable? A leader that would sacrifice a child's needs to her own selfishness is not a leader this community wants. If starving children needed food would you care where the food came from? Apparently, if you are Ronda Storms, the answer is "starve the children!"

If you would like to help the children go to camp you can contact Jan Horn:

Or visit their website Blooming Place for Kids