Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 5-21-21

Features
Love Of Crystals Is A Business Boom For Tampa Native
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
This Saturday, May 22, 2021, Tampa native Paula Hopkins will open her new store, Chakra Zulu Crystals, located at 4907 N. Florida Avenue.
Hopkins’s love and appreciation for crys- tals started as a child when she would collect them. She was fascinated by them. As she got older, her interest changed.
At 27, she fondly remembered one crystal that she carried around with her. She decided to order a rose quartz crystal. When she re- ceived the crystal, the packaging had the meaning of the crystal and talked about love, forgiveness, trust, compassion, and empathy. Hopkins was blown away.
She then began to research crystals, learn- ing the meanings and relating them back to her childhood. She believes that it was not co- incidence that she was drawn to them as a child.
She restarted her personal collection, kin- dled by her childhood collection.
The connection was powerful. She started gifting them to friends. She then opened her website in 2016. The website then took off and sales boomed.
The new store is Hopkins’ second physi- cal store, the first was shutdown because of COVID. Fortunately, her business continued to boom. The first store became her ware- house.
When people walk into her new store, she wants people to be curious and experience wonder, peace, and Zen. People should expe-
rience all that the Earth can offer in color pat- terns and textures.
Each crystal has its own vibration and meaning that goes with it.
Hopkins says that the future is great. She is planning on opening more stores and even- tually owning her own crystal mine in South America or Madagascar.
Hopkins was born and raised in Tampa and graduated from Hillsborough High School. She remains close to her parents and put her own roots down near them. She is the mother of two daughters.
Shoppers can also visit her extensive online shop at https://chakrazulucrystals.com.
PAULA HOPKINS ...Owner of Chakra Zulu Crystals
Pizzo K-8’s First Graduating Class Is Being Celebrated With Special Signing Day Event
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
On Friday, May 21, 2021 Pizzo K-8 school will celebrate its first “Signing Day”, for the first graduating class.
Modeled after sports’ sign- ing days, Pizzo has partnered with Making Moves with Com- passion, Inc. (MMC) and the Transformation Network of Hillsborough County.
This special day has been created to celebrate and show the children what is possible. Members from the School Dis- trict will be participating in the program, and each student will be recognized for their aca- demic achievement. Each child will also receive a shirt from the school they will be attending in the fall.
Amber Cronin, the prin- cipal of Pizzo K-8 says, “It is my favorite time of the year, when we get to celebrate the work the students have been doing all year long. This is particularly special because this is the first class of eighth graders graduat- ing from our school.”
“We get to celebrate and highlight all the amazing things they have done. The transition
to high school with the high schools giving out swag to the students they will have in the Fall is great. There is competi- tion between the high schools to give the best swag. This re- ally motivates our kids and lets them know that they are im- portant.”
Joselynne Forde, founder and president of MMC states: “Capacity, collabora- tion, and commitment are the keys to success, which is why MMC, Inc. became partners with HCPS’s FACE Transfor- mation Network. We want to ensure the success of our stu- dents in our underperforming schools. Mentorship is critical to the success of our children. Children who have mentors ex- perience a multitude of bene- fits.”
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