Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 9-11-15 Edition

Local
Public Officials And Professionals Greet Students On First Day Of School
Elected and appointed officials and city and county professionals met at Nathan B. Young Middle School and greet students on their first day of school. (PHOTOS BY JULIA JACKSON)
Belinthia Berry, Brian Clark, Keith Harris, Felecia Harvey, N.B. Young Principal Nadine Johnson, Estela Gray, State Representative Ed Narain, Albert Coleman, Marcus Scott, and Police Chief Eric Ward all met at Nathan B. Young Middle School to greet the students on their first day.
Loans Available For Businesses Affected By Floods
The Florida Small Busi- ness Emergency Bridge Loan Program is making funds available for flood victims. The loans are designated for those businesses severely damaged by the recent floods.
The flood damage must have occurred between July 25th and August 3, 2015. The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Pro- gram will accept applications
until September 30, 2015. The businesses must be located in Hillsborough County and have between two and 100 employees. The short-term loans are valued
at $1,000 to $25,000.
The Florida Small Busi-
ness Emergency Bridge Loan Program, managed by the Florida Department of Eco- nomic Opportunity, provides expedient cash flow to busi- nesses damaged by disasters.
Eligibility and informa- tion about the loan process and applications can be found at www.floridadisas- terloan.org.
The Florida Small Busi- ness Development Center (FSBDC) at Hillsborough County is available to guide businesses through the loan application preparation and answer questions. Call (813) 204-9267 for more informa- tion.
171 Smoke Detectors Installed Since Fire In East Tampa Where 4 Died
A day after a house fire claimed the lives of a woman and her three grandchildren, the Tampa Fire Marshal, Hillsborough County Fire Marshal and the American Red Cross conducted a canvass of the East Tampa neighborhood.
More than 30 canvassers teamed up in groups of three and went door-to- door performing fire safety assessments and installing sealed-battery, 10-year smoke detectors in accor- dance with the state law that went into effect January 1st.
The teams installed a total of 171 smoke detectors in 61 homes, but other resi- dents don’t have to wait for a canvass event to receive a free smoke detector.
Tampa residents can call the Tampa Fire Marshal’s Office at (813)
Emily Simons, Central Florida Regional Disaster Officer, Cen- ter, and Margaret Brown, Regional Volunteer Service Officer, fore- ground, conduct a home safety briefing with Donthel Daniels at his East Tampa home during a neighborhood canvass Wednesday.
274-7000 and Hillsbor- ough County residents outside the city limits
can contact Hillsbo- rough County Fire Res- cueat(813)272-6600.
Organizers Putting Together Third Annual Sulphur Springs Reunion
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
During the early 1900s, Sulphur Springs was the fa- vorite destination for visitors coming to Tampa. They en- joyed the huge spring-fed pool, a large amusement park, the Harbor Club, arcades, a casino, water slides, and other festivi- ties.
The Sulphur Springs com- munity remained a predomi- nately white area until the 1940s when a community in-
side of Sulphur Springs, Spring Hill, started welcoming African American families.
One of those families were the parents of Howard Rich, and he wants to reunite the people who shared that history by hosting a Sulphur Springs Reunion event.
Rich, along with Carolyn Banks, Donald Stedman, and Ophelia Robinson want to reunite the early families of Sulphur Springs to join them on Friday, September 18th at the McDonald’s Restaurant on Florida Avenue and Bird Street for a meeting from 8 a. m. until 12 noon.
“From there, we will put to- gether the plans for our biggest reunion ever.
“We’ve decided to hold the actual reunion at the Sons Of Italy Hall, 3315 West Lemon Street.”
Rich, who is in his 60s now, says he remembers when the area was a lot nicer and the Spring Hill Section was only a 5-square-block area.
“Growing up in Spring Hill was a great experience. It was a great neighborhood, but time changed it, and when all of the rental properties came along, families on Section 8 and other subsidies started moving in. Everything changed after that.
“On October 3rd, we will have a reunion people will be talking about forever. We have to stop having our reunions at funerals.”
Anyone who wants to join in on the planning for this re- union, can reach Howard Rich at (813) 442-9365.
PAGE 2-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015