It's Your Business: Wawa invading Central Florida but not Southwest Florida anytime soon

Dave Osborn

The first Wawa convenience store has opened in Florida, with 100 state stores planned in the next five years.

But don't expect any in Southwest Florida for a few years. Gov. Rick Scott was in Orlando on Wednesday at Wawa's first state store to welcome its foray outside the Mid-Atlantic states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Each Wawa, a convenience store with gasoline pumps, provides 35 full- and part-time jobs. Wawa stores offer made-to-order hoagie sandwiches, various flavors of coffee and cappuccino and other products and touch-screen ordering for sandwiches, hot side items and deli meats.

Wawa, on its website, shows about a dozen stores planned for Florida in the next couple years but none in Collier or Lee counties. They will be in Orlando, Tampa, Kissimmee, Pinellas Park, New Port Richey and Port Richey,

Lori Bruce, a Wawa spokeswoman, was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

Arthrex increases support for charity to $5,000

Charity for Change has announced that Arthrex has renewed its support of the School "Giver" Program for the 2012-13 school year, increasing its support to $5,000.

Charity for Change's School "Giver" Program is provided free to 3,700 students at six elementary schools.

The program reinforces 19 state and district character traits while connecting children to 72 charities. Charity for Change itself is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that raises money to provide a free program. Learn more at charityforchange.org and facebook.com/charity4change.

Wells Fargo Foundation gives $10,000 grant to program

Quality Life Center's Believe to Achieve program has received a $10,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Believe to Achieve is a two-phase personal enrichment and job-training program that helps participants overcome obstacles and become strong, productive and self-reliant. Students also are taught techniques to overcome adverse thinking patterns so they can make decisions, solve problems, communicate effectively and acquire habits that will move them toward their goals.

For more information or to apply to the Believe to Achieve program, call Rafiq Mujahid at (239) 334-2797.

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