Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 1-22-19

Local
Tampa Resident Crowned Ms. Veteran America
It’s A Boy – Born On Dr. King’s Birthday
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Desiree Pabon holds lots of titles includ- ing wife, mom, Sergeant First Class. Last Oc- tober, she added a new one: Ms. Veteran America.
The Tampa resident and self-described military brat was crowned the newest ambas- sador for Final Salute – a nonprofit organiza- tion that works to end homelessness among women veterans and their children – after beating out a host of competitors at its annual pageant in Hollywood, Calif.
To snag the title, Pabon topped out in the interview, talent, military history, and advo- cacy areas of the competition. Her contestant activity, interaction, and participation during the entire competition process also was highly evaluated.
Her prizes included $15,000 towards the purchase of a vehicle or scholarship towards her education or that of her children. The money also could be used toward a student loan repayment, to start a business, or towards a home purchase or home repairs.
The win was a comeback of sorts for Pabon, who did not win when she competed in 2016. But Pabon, who shares four children with her husband, insists she’s no beauty queen. Her decision to participate in the com- petition was based solely on her draw to Final Salute’s mission.
“I realized that it’s a competition for an ambassador for homeless women veterans, I said ‘I could get behind that’,” she said. “I came back and competed again because the cause was something I believed in.”
There’s a personal connection for Pabon as well. In 2006, she was honorably dis- charged from the Army. But Pabon also was pregnant and sleeping on the floor of an aunt’s living room.
That experience of homelessness has made the mission of Ms. Veteran America that much more special, she said.
In her role, Pabon will perform 100 hours of community service, make special appear- ances as spokeswoman for Ms. Veteran America, and attend speaking engagements.
She hit the ground running with an address before the American Legion Auxiliary, partic- ipating with the American Legion in Wreaths Across America, and attending a holiday give- away in Miami for women veterans.
Up next is assisting with Point-in-Time Homeless Count, the annual tally of homeless
DESIREE PABON
people that takes place throughout the coun- try. Getting the numbers right is crucial to pro- viding adequate services to the homeless population.
But the count can be flawed because it leaves out some groups, like people who are bunking at a relative’s home, Pabon said.
The Augusta, Ga., native said her work as Ms. Veteran America has inspired her to do more.
“I’m looking in my own community to see where I can help,” she said. “Nobody should be homeless in this community.”
Pabon, who works as a non-commis- sioned officer at MacDill Air Force Base, said she’s looking forward to spreading awareness about the country’s estimated 55,000 home- less women veterans. That includes properly educating women soldiers about their benefits before they retire.
While some strides have been made to rec- tify homelessness among women veterans, more needs to be done, she said.
“There are still people suffering,” she said. “Every day, I’m advocating.”
Proud papa and baby, Julian and Gabriel Jackson.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Julian (Dana) Jack- son on the birth of their first child, Gabriel Isaiah Jack- son. The infant tipped the scales Tuesday morning (Jan- uary 15th) at 10 pounds and 21 inches long.
Other proud family mem-
bers are: grandparents,
Glama Julia E. Jackson and Grandma Deborah Brooks; great-grandma, Julia H. Jackson. Glama Jackson is already calling him ‘the King.’
Congratulations to the fam- ily!
Youth National Scholarship Deadline Set
Since the inception of Simon Youth Foundation (SYF) in 1998, shoppers at Simon Malls, Mills, and Premium Outlets have been among SYF’s most ardent sup- porters, contributing millions of dollars to support SYF’s mission to help students graduate.
As a thank you to these loyal supporters, SYF is proud to once again help a deserving graduat- ing senior living near Ellenton Premium Outlets and Tampa Premium Outlets pursue a col- lege education.
Simon Youth Community Scholarships are awarded in every community across the country that is home to a Simon Mall, Mills, or Premium Outlets center. Students may apply until February 20, 2019 at syf.org/scholarships.
Scholarship recipients are el- igible for a one-time $1,500 scholarship, which may be ap- plied to tuition at an accredited college, university, vocational or technical school. Students who will be graduating high school in 2019 and live in the community surrounding Ellenton Premium Outlets and Tampa Premium Outlets are eligible.
The Simon Youth Commu- nity Scholarship program is one facet of the Simon Supports Ed- ucation initiative. As part of this initiative, visitors at Simon cen- ters can purchase SYF VISA Simon Gift cards, redeemable wherever VISA is accepted. One
dollar from the sale of each bright orange, SYF-branded card will go directly to support SYF and its mission.
With each SYF Simon gift card sold, Ellenton and Tampa Premium Outlets will provide the purchaser one complimen- tary graduation greeting card with their donation. Gift cards can be purchased at the Mall Of- fice.
In 2018, SYF awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to more than 250 graduating seniors. Since 1998, SYF has awarded $17 million in scholar- ships to nearly 4,800 students; Ellenton Premium Outlets and Tampa Premium Outlets have awarded scholarships to a com- bined 7 high school seniors in the Tampa-area through the Simon Youth Scholarship pro- gram.
SYF’s 2019 scholarship re- cipients will be selected by Inter- national Scholarship and Tuition Services (ISTS), a third-party partner. Applicants will be eval- uated based on academic prom- ise, financial need, written response, work experience as well as community and extracur- ricular involvement. Recipients will be notified in May 2019.
For more information, to confirm eligibility and apply for a Simon Youth Community Scholarship, please visit syf.org/scholarships/.
TECO, Peoples Gas To Help Furloughed Federal Employees
Tampa Electric and TECO Peoples Gas are working with customers who are federal employees working without pay or who are furloughed as a result of the government shutdown.
The companies are: providing payment extensions; waiving late fees, referring customers for util- ity-payment assistant through the Share Program and other local non-profits; referring customers to appropriate social services and non-profits for assistance with other needs, such as housing or food; and staffing on-site assistance fairs.
Customers will need to provide a copy of their federal employee identification badge as verifica- tion.
The partial shutdown of the U. S. government began December 22nd and is now the longest shut- down in history. About 420,000 federal employees are working without pay and another 380,000 have been furloughed.
PAGE 8 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2019