Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-4-20

Features
Veteran Journalist Starts Mental Health Support Group
JENISE GRIFFIN ...Starts Mental Health Support Group
If you’ve spent time caring for a loved one diagnosed with a mental health condition and need a shoulder to lean on, help is on the way.
A support group in eastern Hillsborough County called “Peace of Mind” has been formed by veteran journalist and mental health advocate, Jenise Griffin.
In addition to coping with her own depression and receiv- ing treatment, Griffin is a sup- porter and advocate of her brother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia about 25 years ago.
Griffin, senior editor of the Florida Courier and Day- tona Times newspapers, is a past recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. She also is the current treasurer and a past president of the Tampa Bay As-
sociation of Black Journalists. She has served on the board of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Hillsborough County (NAMI Hillsborough) and has co-facilitated its Fam- ily-to-Family course, a free ed- ucational program for friends and family of persons living with a mental health condition. Because of her journey, Griffin wants to help others find the support, education and
resources they need.
“As a family advocate, I
have spent time at most of the state-operated mental health hospitals and treatment facili- ties in Florida, as well as at jails and in courtrooms. It’s heart- breaking. It’s frustrating. All too often, family members suf- fer in silence. However, there is help; there is hope,’’ Griffin said.
“I especially want to reach loved ones of color. The stigma often keeps us from reaching out and getting the help we need. By coming together in a confidential setting, we can support and strengthen each other as well as learn about coping techniques and re- sources available,’’ she added.
The Peace of Mind Support Group will meet from 7 p. m. to 8:30 p. m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, at Hope Alive Christian Cen- ter, 6321 U. S. Highway 301 S., Riverview.
For more information email Griffin at JeniseGrif- fin813@gmail.com.
Tampa Native Leads Corporation That Funds Loans To Black Businesses
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
As a young child growing up in Jackson Heights, Al- bert Lee was always sur- rounded by a strong family. He and his four siblings grew up close to their parents, Al- bert and Fannie Lee, as well as their paternal grand- mother and maternal grand- parents. This solid foundation would eventually lead to Mr. Lee’s calling... .serving his community by assisting with loans and fi- nancial advice for under- served individuals and businesses.
Lee graduated from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor’s degree in Busi- ness Economics. He was then recruited by a very conserva- tive and traditional bank as a corporate trainee. After training, Lee was placed in the highly regarded and cov- eted credit department. It was at First Florida Bank that Lee met two of his men- tors, Lee Roy Selmon and Earl Kagler and earned his first role as a bank officer.
He later moved to Barnett Bank on Hillsborough Av- enue as a regional lending of- ficer where he was able to be active in the community where he grew up.
In the late ’90s, Lee part- nered with a former client to start a local dry-cleaning chain from ground up. The business ultimately grew to include four store locations, a processing plant, multiple wholesale accounts and over 15 employees before being sold to local competitors.
In 2002, Lee was hired by the University of South
ALBERT LEE
...CEO and President of BBIC
Florida’s Small Business De- velopment Center (SBDC) as the area manager for Pinellas County. While working with the SBDC, he received his certification as a business an- alyst. His job led him to con- sult with hundreds of small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
He returned to banking and became the state SBA Loan Manager with a large national bank. He was later promoted to the position of Vice President and Senior Business Banker.
With the extensive train- ing and positions in banking and his experience in busi- ness, Lee was more than prepared and qualified for the position he now has as the President and CEO of Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corporation (BBIC).
The BBIC is a 25-year-old U. S. Treasury certified Com- munity Development Finan- cial Institution (CDFI) that offers loans to small busi- nesses who cannot meet the requirements of conven- tional banks.
According to Lee, the
Tampa Bay BBIC has been responsible for funding $15 or $18 million dollars in loans to small businesses.
The BBIC also offers di- rect loans to entrepreneurs, technical assistance and hands-on mentoring and consultation. The BBIC has three offices located in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater.
Although the BBIC has had to deal with changing regulations and red tape in- stituted by the Rick Scott administration, it has sur- vived by increasing its en- gagement in the community and doubling investments when like institutions had to drop out.
Because of the numerous regulatory changes, the BBIC left the state program to bet- ter serve the citizens of Tampa. The changes have also paved the way for more options for entrepreneurs such as micro-loans, en- abling entrepreneurs to bor- row very small amounts of money to get their business going.
Lee sees a lot of opportu- nities in Tampa, “we need to be givers, not takers. Each giver makes the pie bigger for everyone,” he said.
Lee has served in various capacities on several boards some of which include: Hills- borough County Human Re- lations Board, Vice-Chairman, Hillsbor- ough County Community Ac- tion Board Treasurer, United Way, 1991 Super Bowl Task Force, Community Relations Board, Bible-Based Fellow- ship Credit Union Advisory Board Member, Alonso High School Business & Technol- ogy Advisory Board Member, and Florida Orchestra Audi- ence Development Commit- tee Member.
He is the current Basileus of Pi Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
The Tampa native and his wife, Pamela, have three children, Albert, Paige, and Austin and are members of Bible-Based Fellowship Church.
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