Planning Expo: Here are some of the sponsors of the Lehigh Acres Business Expo planned this upcoming weekend. They are from left to right, Jim Murphy, Dawn Mathisen and Dewey Tyler. The Expo is free and there will be food available and a bounce house at 205 Joel Blvd. in Lehigh from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Photo by Mel Toadvine

“You can control what happens in Lehigh!” is the theme for the Lehigh Business Expo set for Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Tyler Business Center at 205 Joel Blvd.

More than six local businesses and groups have come together to sponsor this event, said Dewey Tyler, who is hosting the Expo at his complex on Joel Blvd.

They include Realty World, Charles Aluminum Screening, Peace B Still foundation, the China Star restaurant, Royal Service Supply/ Armchem and City Mommy of Southwest Florida.

The Business Expo is free and the many vendors who will have booths at the fair are urging people to attend. They also are asking people in Lehigh to keep money here by “spending in Lehigh.”

The Expo will be held in the lobby and the large room adjacent to the fitness room at the Tyler Business Center.

“We are having a really great sampling of the community already planning to have booths here at the Expo,” Dewey said.

“There will be door prizes every hour and some of the vendors will be giving away gifts and sample products.”

“We believe this is an excellent opportunity to allow the people of Lehigh and the business owners of Lehigh to meet under one roof.

“You will be able to see what Lehigh has to offer. A lot of people are not aware of all the businesses and services available in Lehigh. Some of our residents drive to Fort Myers and other places to do business.

“If we do business with each other in Lehigh, we can save gas, and we can each make Lehigh a better place to live in,” Tyler said.

Some of the following have signed up to be part of the Expo:

Dolores D’Angelo, Avon Cosmetics; Janette Sweda, Spiritual Coffee Connection; Jeff Kaplan, RN., physical therapist and Your Living Essential Oils; Jackie Decker, spiritual medium and more; George and Miriam Anderson, Cruise One; Emmy of Emmy’s Salon; Tyler Tae Kwon Do; Dawn Mathisen of Mia Bella; Ramonza Ziegenfus, Partylite; Mike Armstrong, boxing and MJA Maintenance; Eldora Bakelman, Get Paid To Shop; Kitty Bryce, Anderson Funeral Home; Len Lagocki, Pre-Paid Legal Services; Julie Colley, Closing Search and Exam Title Co.; Country Roads Cafe; Stephan Terebieniec, Advocare; Al DeLeon and Associates Insurance Services; and Ontonio Designs, Graphics and Web Design.

“We have new vendors signing up every day,” Tyler said. “If there is another company or group that would like to be a part of this, they should call 368-0543 right away.”

Tyler said that people in the community are also being urged to bring new packages of baby and adult diapers to the Expo so they can be given to the Destiny Ministries Diaper Bank which will have a dropoff point there. The Diaper Bank is a non-profit organization out of Cape Coral run by Rev. Rebecca Hines. She solicits new packages of diapers from stores and from local residents and they are given to single moms with babies or to needy families and disabled adults who can’t afford to buy diapers. Hines says diapers for a newborn can cost several hundred dollars a month for a family. She also has a dropoff point at the United Way House at 1303 Homestead Rd. Diapers dropped off in Lehigh will be given to Lehigh moms and families, she said.

In March, Hines said diapers were given free to 196 families. That amounts to around 10,000 diapers, she said.

In addition the organization gives away clothes and furniture, which is also donated by the public.