Brandon Friends, O’Brien’s Aim to Break Guinness 'Happy Hour’ Record

By D’Ann White

As the regional director for the YMCA, Laurie Ellis of Valrico was a community activist and longtime fixture in the Brandon area.

So, it was a surprise to friends and family alike when she decided to give up her successful career and travel to Nigeria to work for the international nonprofit Voluntary Services Overseas for two years.

"This was a dream of mine since I was 12 years old and I finally found the courage to leave the Y and follow that dream," said Ellis.

As a development adviser, her job was to come up with a five-year strategic plan for the poverty-stricken village where she was assigned. But the job entailed a lot more than planning.

"I got there in October and I was delivering a baby in November," recalled Ellis. "It was such an incredible experience. In the village where I lived, we developed youth programs and raised money and built a school. We got medical supplies donated from the United States and started a food bank."

However, the following July, Ellis received some devastating news that prompted her to halt her work in Africa and hurry home.

Her 34-year-old sister, Angela, a single mother of two, suddenly had a seizure that left her near death.

"At first, the doctors told us she wouldn't make it," recalled Ellis. "Then they said she would never talk or walk again."

Angela, a nurse at Tampa General Hospital, was at a friend's house when the seizure occurred. The friend promptly gave her CPR. But the seizure had stopped her heart and prevented the flow of oxygen to the brain.

The result was a permanent brain injury known as anoxic.

"I've done a ton of research into anoxic brain injuries," said Ellis. "It affects the entire brain. It's easier to rehabilitate someone who has had a traumatic brain injury or stroke than someone with an anoxic brain injury."

Suddenly Ellis found herself the caretaker not only of her severely brain-damaged sister but also her sister's two preschool children.

"Despite the doctor's predictions, Angela now walks and talks but her recovery has been a frustrating roller coaster ride," she said. "She keeps hitting plateaus despite physical and speech therapy. And we have a very short window to to try to retrain the brain."

To make matters worse, her sister had taken a leave of absence from her job as a nurse and had no insurance at the time of her seizure.

"We had to go through Medicaid, which doesn't pay for therapy," Ellis said. "I started to reach out to resources and found there's very little available for anoxic brain injuries."

When they discovered Ellis' dilemma, a group of friends decided to see what they could do to help. They approached Ellis about hosting a fundraiser.

Ellis still gets emotional when she recalls how her friends offered to do something to help.

"I couldn't believe it," she said. "This is such a wonderful group of ladies."

"We were only doing what anyone would do with a friend in that position," said Mary Boor who joined forces with Pat Magruder, Jana Broder, Becky Jordan and Arlene Waldron.

But the group of women didn't want to simply host a fundraiser with the requisite silent auction. They wanted to organize something that would get the entire community involved, said Boor.

"Everybody's so exhausted with big fundraising events," she said. "So we sat down and came up with something that wouldn't cost a lot. We wanted to do something fun while bringing awareness to the issue of brain injuries."

Working with Sean Rice, owner of O'Brien's Irish Pub of Brandon, 701 W. Lumsden Road, Brandon, the group came up with the idea of hosting, "The World's Largest Happy Hour."

"We want to put Brandon on the map so n Friday, Oct. 21, we'll be trying to break the Guinness world's record for the most people at a happy hour between 3 and 11 p.m.," said Magruder, who is handling the correspondence with the Guinness World Records representatives.

The entry fee will be $10 and will include a drink, courtesy of Rice.

"We figured that's an amount everyone can afford so everyone can participate," said Magruder.

The event will feature music from the 1920s to the 1960s, with a toast each hour, said Boor.

"We're encouraging people to dress up for the different decades," she said.

Even the kids are invited to this happy hour. From 3 to 5 p.m., there will be free soda and pizza as well as games, face painting and a bounce house.

"We're just so grateful to Sean for helping us out," said Boor. "He has a real heart for the community."

"That way families can come early and participate in the event," said Boor.

The women will presell commemorative coins for $10 that will be used as tickets to the event. Everyone purchasing a coin will be eligible to enter a raffle for a free television. The coins will be turned in at the event in exchange for a bracelet.

"I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and a big success," said Magruder.

"We hope to make this an annual event," added Boor, adding that the group has now formed the nonprofit Brain Injury Foundation of Brandon in the hopes of raising enough money to build a brain injury rehabilitation center in the community.

The group is currently seeking sponsors and vendors for the World's Largest Office Party. Anyone who would like to help can contact Arlene Waldron at 813-471-7110.