Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 6-25-21

Local
Businessman Credits Abe
Local Vitiligo Support Group To Observe The Day June 26th
Brown Ministries Program
With His Success
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Beautifully Unblemished Vitiligo Group came into exis- tence in March, 2018. The or- ganization currently has over 175 members throughout the state of Florida.
The support group was founded by Ms. Tonja John- son who says, “Beautifully Un- blemished is committed to promoting Vitiligo awareness and providing valuable re- sources to help people deal with the impact that Vitiligo has on their lives. We also pro- vide a safe environment to share emotions and have dis- cussions with people dealing with many of the same issues.”
Their Mission: “To increase public awareness of Vitiligo and offer support services for those affected by Vitiligo and their families through educa- tion, healthcare, and out- reach.”
The Vision of the support group: “To inspire, empower and encourage every individ- ual affected by changes in ap- pearance from Vitiligo.”
“June is Vitiligo Awareness Month! We will be celebrating World Vitiligo Day on Satur- day, June 26th from 1-3 p. m. at Mission BBQ, 5602 West Waters Avenue, Tampa, FL. Individuals living with Vitiligo and their families are welcome to attend” Ms. Johnson ex- plained.
Register at: www.beautiful- lyunblemished.com.
About Vitiligo:
Vitiligo is a condition that
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
A local businessman cred- its the training he received through Abe Brown Ministries for the impact it had on the success of his business.
Reginald Burney, a hus- band and father, admits to making some bad decisions and having a troubled past. However, after serving time for aggravated assault on a law en- forcement officer (LEO), he was released from Polk Correc- tional Institute more than 3 years ago.
Burney, 46, was released to a transitional house under the tutelage of Clyde Ham- mond. Through Abe Brown Ministries’ ‘Ready4Work’ Pro- gram (R4W), and instructor, Mack Brown, Burney learned a lot about being a model citizen and dressing ap- propriately for different set- tings. He graduated from the 4-month program.
While he was incarcerated, Burney learned a lot about the program from Kyle Dammons, who visited the fa- cility and talked to him about the ‘Ready4Work’ Program.
Burney was hired by the Tampa Downtown Partner- ship, that took a chance on him. Burney was able to get opportunities while meeting “a lot of high profile people.”
Then came “America We Clean,” initially named “Ja- maica Me Clean.” Burney and his team of 9 employees stay busy. He calls his business the one stop operation. “We clean offices and homes and take their trash and junk away.” He
Seated, Tia-Renee, Tonja, Jocelyn and Emmanuel. Standing, Carl, Stephanie, Nikki, Tonja, Charlotte, Brenda, Janet, Lid'ya and Scott.
REGINALD BURNEY ...Abe Brown Ministries ‘Ready4Work’ Program
currently has contracts with: Circle ‘K’, Main Street Renewal, Zillow, Karisos, Invitation Homes and National Home Rental.
He also operates a rental car business through Turo Plat- form.
In addition to his 9 em- ployees, Burney also works with 12 independent contrac- tors, and has hired some of the inmates he mentored through the Toastmasters Program.
Burney and his wife, Laverne, are parents to 7 chil- dren.
When asked about relax- ing, Burney says there is not much time for relaxing, “I just feel good doing the right thing. My mother (Dorothy Cole- man), is always urging me to slow down, take some time off, but I’m not ready,” he said.
His advice to others who may have been incarcerated: “Be willing to accept responsi- bility for what you have done and follow those who are lead- ing you to get back on track.”
causes some or all areas of the skin to lose color. The color of your skin depends on melanin. If a person has vitiligo, the cells that produce melanin stop functioning or die. Anyone can be diagnosed with vitiligo, but it is sometimes more notice- able in people with darker skin.
People diagnosed with Vi- tiligo have no way of knowing how much pigment they will lose or how rapidly it will or will not diminish. Although, vi- tiligo isn’t life-threatening, it is life altering in many ways.
People with Vitiligo are often bullied because of their looks, but they also get many insults from people who are not necessarily trying to hurt them.
In recognition of Vitiligo Awareness Month, Beautifully Unblemished has received sev- eral proclamations and resolu- tions: Proclamations received by City of Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz and City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor recog- nizing June as Vitiligo Aware-
MS. TONJA JOHNSON
ness Month and World Vitiligo Day (June 25th). Resolutions recognizing June as Vitiligo Awareness Month were re- ceived from Senator Janet Cruz and State Representa- tive Daisy Morales. Gover- nor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign a Proclama- tion naming June 25th as World Vitiligo Day.
Ms. Johnson, an employee with the Florida Dept. Of Health in Polk County, was di- agnosed with Vitiligo in 2014.
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