Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 10-28-16 Online Edition

Local
More Than 3,000 Attend Unity In Community Event
MARVIN KNIGHT
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Sunday, October 16th, more than 3,000 people at- tended the Unity In The Com- munity Event. It took place at Centennial Park, 1800 E. 18th Avenue, (corner of 8th Avenue and E. 18th Avenue), from 12 noon until 6 p.m.
The event was designed to bring all members of the community together in a pos- itive environment.
Some of those in atten- dance shared their opinions.
Marvin Knight, coordi- nator for the “Unity In The Community” event said, “First, I would like to thank all of the sponsors and the community for making this a
MAYOR BOB BUCKHORN
successful event. The Com- mittee worked hard to bring this about and they are very excited about bringing some- thing positive together.
“A lot of love was shown in giving back to the commu- nity. People had an opportu- nity to interact with CEOs, business owners, and leaders in a positive way. I thank God for making this successful. It shows that if we pull together and look out for each other, it will be better for everyone. If everyone just gives a little, it will pay great dividends.
Mayor Bob Buckhorn
said, “I saw people from every corner of our community come out and celebrate the unity and diversity that makes us so special. It was re-
MAJOR WILLIE PARKER, JR.
ally heartwarming. I want to thank Marvin Knight for bringing the community to- gether. If everyone had the heart that Marvin Knight has, this would really be a special place.”
Mayor Buckhorn, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee, and Tampa Po- lice Chief Eric Ward served as the Honorary Chairper- sons.
Major Willie Parker of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said, “We had approximately 3,500 people who attended the event. The Sheriff’s Office had a pump- kin patch for the kids on Sat- urday and Sunday. They were able to decorate the pump- kins and take them home. We
SCOTT HARDY
gave away between 700 and 900 pumpkins.
“The Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, and the Tampa Fire Rescue were all sponsors. We had equipment such as the robots, members of the Bomb Squad, and Marine Patrol were all on hand. Our officers were there talking with the citizens. We provided safety tips and it was just a great success.”
Scott Hardy has been a member of the Positive Im- ages Committee for the past two years. On Sunday, he served as the Master of Cere- mony. Ms. Eboni Cruz was the Mistress of Ceremony.
“It was a very successful event. We achieved our goal of promoting unity and diver-
DOUG BELDEN
sity in the community. It was well attended, the vendors had a good experience and there were about 3,000 peo- ple from all different cultures there and everyone had a great time.”
Doug Belden, Hillsbor- ough County Tax Collector said, “I have always been in- terested in pulling people to- gether in a positive manner and we have done this several times. We had a great turnout with a very diverse crowd. It is so important that we do this more often. We have a di- vided country, but we don’t have to have a divided Hills- borough County. I’m going to continue in the future to bring members of the com- munity together.”
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-A