Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 12-7-18

Features
Connections Community Church To Host Week Of Anniversary Services
Computer Mentors Introduces New Programs
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
The Connections Commu- nity Church of Lake Wales and Tampa will be observing its 7th Anniversary. The Pastor and Founder, Overseer Rev. Dr. Jeffery Alex James John- son, says services will begin on Sunday, December 9, 2018, 6 p. m., at the Tampa location. The Anniversary Services will con- tinue throughout the week, until the final service in Tampa on Friday evening. (See ad- vertisement for more in- formation in this issue)
Overseer Johnson
founded Connections Commu- nity Church on December 6,
REV. DR. JEFFERY A. J. JOHNSON ...Pastor And Founder
2011, in Lake Wales.
“Since its inception in 2011
Connections Community Church has overcome many ob- stacles and has achieved signif-
icant success in the Kingdom of God,” Dr. Johnson stated.
There have been many bright spots down through the years. Known as the “Triple C,” Connections Community Church has become the spiri- tual home for hundreds of peo- ple. The church has purchased 5 acres of land, owned a South- ern-style café, known as the Connections Café, and hosted several community events, in partnership with the City of Lake Wales.
Dr. Johnson said the most recent community event is the partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay. Each month Feed- ing Tampa Bay brings its ware- house truck to “Triple C,” Lake Wales, and together more than 700 families are fed.
“Another of our newest ac- complishments has been to open a campus in the City of Tampa. Each Sunday, congre- gants and visitors gather at 2708 E. Osborne Ave., at 1 p. m., in the East Tampa commu- nity,” he said.
The Lake Wales location is 626 Dr. Martin L. King Blvd.
To celebrate the 7th An- niversary, several guest churches, speakers and singers will worship in Tampa and Lake Wales. Special guests in- clude: concert pianist and singer, Pastor John Paul McGee and the Hope Fellow- ship Church of Daytona Beach; Bishop Derek Triplett, Or- lando; Bishop John E. Guns, Jacksonville; and Bishop Rudolph McKissick of Jacksonville, who will close out the week on Friday.
Recently, Ralph Smith, founder and CEO of the Com- puter Mentors Group, an- nounced the introduction of new programs. The new pro- gram is being made available by a collection of new funding opportunities for the organiza- tion.
As a part of the initiative, Computer Mentors has begun recruitment for the 2019 Teen Business Challenge (TBC). The Teen Business Challenge is a combination of a business plan competition and a mini- Hack-A-Thon.
Computer Mentors is cur- rently seeking 20 high school students to participate in the 5th Annual event.
TBC is a three-day event which will be hosted on the weekend of February 22-24, 2019, at Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), 4801 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa FL 33617.
This year the event is spon- sored and facilitated by Citi and Connectwise. Students will showcase their talents in Computer Science/Informa- tion Technology including col- laborative, computational thinking and communication skills. At the end of the event, the team with the most points from the competition will win prizes, valued at over a $1,000 each, and all participants will receive technology tools as a reward for participating. High school students who are inter- ested in the 2019 Teen Busi- ness Challenge, should apply online at:www.computermen- tors.org/tbc2019.
The second program is an expansion of the Computer Mentors' KidsCode Program. The existing program will be expanded as a part of a grant from the City of Tampa.
The KidsCode Program trains 4th through 8th graders in Computer Science funda- mentals as they learn to write code. Computer science skills are essential now and for the future workforce. The pro- gram is expanding its reach into the City of Tampa Recre- ation Centers.
Officially, the KidsCode Program will start mid-Janu- ary of 2019. We will host the program in seven (7) City of Tampa locations: Jackson Heights Center (East Tampa); Springhill Center (Sulphur Springs); Cyrus Greene Center (East Tampa); Forest Hills Center (North Tampa); Loretta Ingraham Center
RALPH SMITH Founder of Computer Mentors
(West Tampa); Williams Cen- ter (East Tampa); and the Copeland Center (North Tampa). Parents are encour- aged to enroll their children, 4th through 8th graders, at one of these centers nearest to them, or through the Com- puter Mentors website atwww.computermentors.org/ kidscode.
Additionally, there will also be a summer programming initiative that will include all 24 City of Tampa Recreation Centers. The KidsCode Pro- gram was also facilitated by a $100,000 matching grant from a donor that wishes to re- main anonymous. The sur- prise grant was received in October and was the momen- tum needed to make the ex- pansion of these programs feasible.
In addition to the Kid- sCode program, Computer Mentors will also host an Adult Computer Literacy pro- gram. The program will fea- ture productivity software training for adults which will lead to the adults receiving a take-home computer as a re- ward for completing the pro- gram.
This program, along with the KidsCode Program, is also being facilitated in part by a Digital Education Grant from Spectrum. Besides receiving a take-home computer from the program, at least 48 adults will receive a 10-hour Adult Computer Literacy training course.
Computer Mentors is hir- ing additional staff as we pre- pare to implement KidsCode and Adult Literacy Programs throughout the City of Tampa.
Applicants may apply through the CM website. The positions are part-time and perfect for individuals who enjoy working with students and technology and have reli- able transportation. Once hired, all employees receive paid training.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2018