Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 11-29-19

Features
Foundation Makes Contribution To Local Digital Divide Company
Firemen Discover Body Of Man In House Fire
Biotech giant, Amgen, through the Amgen Founda- tion, recently made a large do- nation to Computer Mentors, a local “Digital Divide” non- profit organization.
Computer Mentors will use the funds to support its two primary programs, KidsCode and TEENtech. KidsCode, Computer Mentor’s largest program in terms of number of clients, is a program specifi- cally designed to teach com- puter coding to children between the ages of 10 and 13. Ralph Smith, founder and CEO of Computer Mentors said, “This year, 553 have enrolled in the program, attempting to earn at least a Computer Sci- ence I certificate. Additionally, Computer Mentors also host a program called TEENtech High School Program.
“Students in TEENtech, in addition to earning industry standard certifications, and college credits, by earning a Microsoft Technology Associ- ates Certification. TEENtech is the longest running program at Computer Mentors and has ex- isted in some form throughout
RALPH SMITH Founder, CEO of Computer Mentors
the organizations 22-year his- tory.”
Amgen is involved in our local community and with Computer Mentors as more than just a financial partner. Derrick Thomas, Information Security Engineer with Amgen, also recently joined the Board of Directors for Computer Mentors and is an (ISC)2
Chapter Advisory Committee Member.
Computer Mentors Group was founded in 1997, by Ralph Smith, an employee of Citibank, as a volunteer proj- ect. The vision was to provide computer training for inner- city youth and establish a net- work of computer professionals that would serve as mentors.
Through partnerships with other organizations, the pro- gram began to expand and in- crease in popularity.
In 2001, the organization established an office and its own computer lab in East Tampa on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The programs offered are for any desiring youth, be- tween the ages of 14 and 18 years of age and living in Hills- borough County.
Since 2001, more than 1,800 youth have enrolled in this self-paced open enroll- ment program. Of those, roughly 750 students have re- ceived a refurbished computer to take home and Internet for their home if there was a need.
An investigation has been launched in connection with a body being located after a house fire. The fire took place Tuesday morning.
According to Tampa Fire Rescue, firemen re- sponded to 3212 W. Paxton Avenue, in South Tampa in reference to a fire. When firemen arrived around 12:30 a.m., the firemen found the house engulfed with flames coming out of its east side.
After the fire was brought under control, fire- men searched the home and
discovered an adult man de- ceased inside the single- story home.
The occupant of the home was a man in his 60s. His identification is being withheld pending notifica- tion of his next of kin.
The investigation into the cause of the fire by the Arson Task Force has deter- mined the cause was an elec- trical malfunction in the northeast living room.
The house was determined to be a total loss with the home and its contents val- ued at $185,000.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2019 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-B