Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 12-9-16 Online Edition

Features
Ribbon Cut Thursday For The Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center
FT. HOMER W. HESTERLY ARMORY
BRYAN GLAZER FAMILY JCC
Plans For Annual ‘Teen Business Challenge 2017’ Underway
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
The ribbon cutting and offi- cial opening ceremony for the Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center (Bryan Glazer Family JCC), 522 N. Howard Ave., was held Thurs- day morning, December 8, 11 a. m. The opening date of the center represents the 75th an- niversary (December 8, 1941) of when the Ft. Homer W. Hester Armory was inaugu- rated – the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ribbon cutting and official opening was hosted by the Tampa Jew- ish Community Centers and Federation.
The completely renovated building opens with more than 100,000 square feet of community space.
Jack Ross, Executive Di- rector of the Tampa Jewish Community Centers, is ex- cited about the opening. “There is so much there for the entire community,” he said. Because of all that it has to offer, Ross described the center as “a YMCA on steroids.”
The center is comprised of 2 components – one side that’s open to the public (no membership needed) and the west side of the building that’s member driven.
The public side of the build- ing will house a “full spec- trum” state-of-the-arts fine arts center operated by the City of Tampa in conjunction with the Tampa Museum of Art and in partnership with the Hillsborough County Board of County Commission- ers. This center is referred to
as the “Roberta M. Golding Center for the Visual Arts at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC.”
The event center, also in the public side of the building, is “highly versatile,” Ross ex- plained. It can accommodate as few as 25 persons for meet- ings, up to 1,000 for corporate meetings, seminars, wed- dings, bar mitzvah, film festi- vals, theatre events and many other events.
Ross, who will head the Florida-Israel Business Accel- erator (FIBA) after Thursday, is also excited about the social services that the center will provide, including a food bank. This section will be headed by Tampa Jewish Family Services.
The west side of the build- ing houses the Mezrah Family Aquatic Center at the Bryan Glazer JCC, which includes the fitness center. This side of the center is membership driven.
The aquatic center has a 25- yard, 8-lane competitive pool, indoor-outdoor track and multi-sport gymnasium for basketball, volleyball and many other sports. The 50,000 sq. ft. center has a full weight center with equipment for aerobics, yoga, cardio ac- tivities.
Much of the history from the Armory will be set in a commemorative collage wall inside the building, Ross stated.
The membership category fees will range from $49 for senior citizens to $159 for a family. The hours are Monday through Friday, 5:30 a. m. to 10 p. m. and Saturday and Sunday,7a.m.to7p.m.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The organizers of the 4th An- nual “Teen Business Chal- lenge 2017” are making final preparations. The event will take place February 18 and 19, 2017.
Ralph Smith, founder and President of Computer Men- tors Group, Inc., said some modifications have taken place this year. The Teen Business Challenge will span two days instead of three.
Four (4) teams, which will face-off for four (4) challenges that end with a “Pitch Chal- lenge” to a group of “Angel” in- vestors as judges. Each round in the competition is judged and the team with the most points at the end wins the over- all Challenge.
Smith said, “Another sig- nificant change is the event will include a mini hack-a-thon by encouraging the youth to cre- ate an app to model their busi- ness idea. To accomplish this we are also asking for a group of app developers to volunteer for the Saturday morning chal- lenge.”
The competition allows high school youngsters between the ages of 14 and 18 a chance to create businesses, and acquire the skills needed to be success- ful. The competition focuses on three areas of core competen-
RALPH SMITH Founder, CEO of Computer Mentors
cies: collaboration, creative thinking, and communication. To participate in the compe- tition, the teens must live in Hillsborough County, meet the age requirement; and be en-
rolled in high school.
Smith said they are cur-
rently in the process of recruit- ing students to participate in “Teen Business Challenge 2017” as well as volunteers to help.
There is a need for at least 40 (forty) volunteers to partic- ipate in various roles. The roles include serving as coaches, judges, software developers, subject matter experts (SME’s), hosts and hostesses, and setup and cleanup crews.
“We are also seeking a vol- unteer coordinator who will as- sist with communications to volunteers,” he said.
To sign-up or to get a full de- scription of each position,
please visit our website at http://computermentors.org/t bc2017/.
New Partnership
This year, Computer Men- tors Group has launched a partnership with Middleton High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). FBLA is the largest business organization available to stu- dents and is dedicated to help- ing them excel in the business arena.
In keeping with its mission to properly arm students to meet the requirements of the future in technology, the or- ganization is encouraging all students to participate in the partnership.
Smith said, “We want a di- verse group of students. We want them diverse in age, abil- ity, and culture. Our goal is to prepare as many students as we can to learn information technology in order to compete in the world of tomorrow.”
He further said the students in FBLA undertake business venture projects that include developing a business plan which may also lead to the de- velopment of a website, or app for that particular business.
“We want these students to learn the skills needed, obtain their certification, and become the entrepreneurs of tomor- row,” Smith stated.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-B