Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 12-20-19

FLORIDA SENTINEL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019
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The Gift:
MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
WWE superstar Titus O’Neil, has a name for the pro- found effect of positivity. Coin- ing the term “the Domino” Effect, O’Neil has given speeches and talks to large groups and small groups to get the word out.
O’Neil whose real name is Thaddeus Bullard recently delivered a TED TALK on the “Domino Effect.” He ab- solutely believes that positivity is the way to change peoples’ lives.
O’Neil grew up in poverty in Live Oak, Florida. His mother was raped when she was 11 years old and delivered him when she was 12.
Like a lot of young Black men, O’Neil had an undiag- nosed learning disability that led to him being labeled a trou- blemaker. His family situation
WWE Superstar Believes The ‘Domino Effect’ Of Positivity Changes Lives
made him angry and he would fight his bullies on a regular basis. Branded a “bad kid,” he was told that he would be in jail or dead by the time he was 18. He eventually ended up at the Florida Sheriff’s Boys Ranch (now the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch.).
O’Neil continued his fight- ing ways at the ranch. He fought so much that he was on the verge of being expelled when he was called into the of- fice by Mr. Pat Minogue. Minogue asked him why he was always fighting and getting into trouble. O’Neil told him that he was a bad kid and would always be a bad kid. Minogue told him to never say that again, there was no such thing as a bad kid.
When O’Neil asked how he could say that, Minogue de- ferred the question and told him he would learn the answer as he got older. Instead,
TITUS O’NEIL
Minogue told O’Neil that he loved him and believed in him. Those words were so pow- erful and profound, O’Neil built his life and the Bullard Family Foundation around the idea of positive mentoring to people, especially children. O’Neil believes that if you take a child out of his/her bad cir- cumstances and environment and put them in a good, sup- portive environment, those
same children become good.
O’Neil believes that any- one can make a positive change in the world by uplifting some- one else. He encourages people to talk to and mentor children and let them know that some- one loves and believes in them.
During this holiday season, O’Neil’s foundation will again partner with Metropolitan Ministries for the 10th Annual Joy of Giving event to provide food, toys and support services to more than 30,000 families across three counties.
On December 21, 2019 at 10 a.m., the Joy of Giving HOPE Parade, powered by Stepp’s Towing, will start the Joy of Giving celebration with krewe- style floats, marching bands, and corporate sponsors. The parade will end at Sligh Middle School where the traditional Joy of Giving Tent will be set up.
The Holiday Tent will pro- vide food, toys, and services to
families in an unique and up- lifting setting. The benefit is for students and their families from Sligh, Foster Elementary and Carter G. Woodson Acad- emy.
Previously, the Joy of Giv- ing event has been held at Ray- mond James Stadium. This year, it is being held in and around Sligh Magnet Middle School to focus on the life- changing advances being made to the school and neighbor- hood. The Bullard Family Foundation has focused much of its resources and efforts on Sligh Middle School in a con- centrated effort to upgrade the school’s campus and the sur- rounding neighborhood.
To make a regional impact and to highlight the multi- county effort, one pre-selected deserving family from Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough coun- ties will receive a car from Bullard Family Foundation.
A Vision From God:
Young Professional Serves The Homeless ‘With No Strings Attached’ During The Holidays
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
Driving around town, Andre Kirwan has always wanted the homeless to know that they weren’t forgotten. He wanted to help them, but how?
He got his answer in 2007 by listening to his heart and listening to God.
In July 2007, Kirwan woke up in the middle of the night feeling that God wanted him to do something. He walked around and felt God guiding him to notice all the stuff in his house. He went to every closet and began pulling out items that he didn’t need. As Thanksgiving drew near, he had piles of clothes around his house and began to get an idea how the Lord wanted him to use the items. He needed to give them to homeless people.
At that time, he was the Youth Pastor of Morningside Church and decided to recruit the youth leaders and youth group children to help give away the clothes. The entire church and especially the chil- dren were excited, and they began collecting clothes, too.
That year, they ended up collecting more than 1,400 items of clothing to give. They sorted everything by gender,
size, and type of item. Kirwan walked the streets
of downtown and other under- served areas giving out flyers and posting them. The flyers stated they would be out on Christmas Day at a certain time and place and anyone needing clothing could just show up.
Kirwan named the initia- tive, “No Strings Attached” be- cause he didn’t want anyone to feel burdened by having to provide proof they needed the items.
Most homeless people don’t have any identification. Kirwan said he emphasized again and again, there would be no strings attached.
The effort has grown in the past 12 years. So much so that for the first 5 or 6 years they had to use big tarps to lay out the clothes by size and gender. Kirwan recruited his friends from grad school and formed an ad hoc Board of Directors to add structure as the organiza- tion continued to grow.
One of the first things they did was get racks and hangers to make it seem like a shopping experience for the people. Today, well over 50,00 items including clothes, shoes, socks, backpacks, blankets, and es- sential toiletries are given out
ANDRE KIRWAN
on Thanksgiving and Christ- mas mornings.
Benefactors donate the land, trucks, and cleaning for the items. Local high schoolers from Jesuit High School, Acad- emy of Holy Names, and Berkeley High, along with the youth from Morningstar Church volunteer and sort and label the clothing.
Financial donations are de- posited into Morningstar’s bank to maintain transparency and ensure that anything pur- chased is strictly for the Thanksgiving and Christmas clothes giveaways.
By trade, Kirwan is a resi- dential mortgage banker at First Security Mortgage in Tampa. He received his B.A. degree from Stanford Univer-
Andre Kirwan is shown preparing for the “With No Strings Attached” Initiative.
Large group of homeless citizens during the “With No Strings Attached” Initiative.
sity and his MBA from the Ex- ecutive MBA program at the University of South Florida. He is the recipient of many awards for his community
service, including Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero Award. Kirwan has lived in Tampa since the fourth grade and considers it his home.