Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 4-21-17

Features
Tampa Bay Rays To Honor Belmont Heights Little League
After School Program Teaches Kids To Do Business
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
These days, the word “en- trepreneur” doesn’t readily conjure up the image of a cherub-faced kid selling a product or running a service- based business.
But Sheila Walker thinks it should.
Starting as young as five- years-old, Walker’s after- school program, Kids Doing Business Academy Prep, is training up the next genera- tion of business-savvy chil- dren.
Walker uses a 10-step curriculum – which mirrors a business plan – to intro- duce her students to the principles of business.
The steps – which include goals, business name, mar- keting, sales, and networking – apply to not only in setting up a successful business, but also setting up a successful life, she said.
Walker, who has more than 20 years experience in early childhood education, comes from a family of entre- preneurs and herself learned business skills from an early
ageS. o while the nuts and bolts of a business plan may seem like a huge undertaking for small children, the stu- dents quickly catch on, Walker said.
“They may not get every- thing, but the pieces will come together,” she said. “You’d be surprised at how much they remember.”
SHEILA WALKER And MILIXZA FALCON ...Training up the next generation of business-savvy chil- dren.
Tamasha King said her daughter, Kennedy Vann, 6, now pays attention to the cost of items when the two are shopping and quickly cal- culates if she can afford to purchase something.
If she doesn’t have enough money, she’ll ask to borrow the difference and work out an arrangement to pay it back, King said.
“I like that she’s learning good behaviors,” she said. “I see that she’s learning good decision-making skills.”
While it’s unlikely that all students who participate in the program will become business owners, the founda- tion they receive at the acad- emy can be applied to school, Walker said.
Jeffery Deal, 10, said he
wants to own a dog-training business when he gets older. Jeffrey said there’s an altruistic side to his business because it would employ school drop-outs and teach
them how to train dogs.
“I want to do whatever I can to be a good person,” he said. “I want to help people.”
Summer Program
Scholarships
Kids Doing Business Academy Prep, located in Riverview, is offering schol- arships for its summer pro- gram that teaches students in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade business principles and entrepreneurship. For more information, call (813) 374-9169.
MS. ANN SULLIVAN
CLIFFORD “QUACK” BROWN
COACH BILLY REED
WALTER LEE “DIRK” GIBBONS
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Friday, April 21st, at 6 p.m. the Tampa Bay Rays will pay tribute to three Bel- mont Heights Little League legends. They will honor Coach Ann Sullivan, the 1970 Belmont Heights Little League All Stars team and the 1973 Belmont Heights Little League All Stars team.
The ceremony will take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg during the pre-game ceremony.
Other events that will take place will include re- tired Tampa Attorney De- lano Stewart throwing out the first pitch.
Others who will be rec- ognized on Jackie Robinson Day include, Coach Billy Reed, who played football, basketball, and baseball at Florida A & M University, is a member of the FAMU Hall of Fame, co-founder of the Belmont Heights Little League, and retired coach.
During his career, Coach Reed helped to shape fu- ture professional baseball players Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield, Carl Everett, and Vance Lovelace, among others.
Walter Lee “Dirk” Gibbons and his family will attend the event. Gib- bons was a member of the 1943 Pepsi Cola Juniors, Pepsi Cola Giants, and the Negro League’s Indianapo- lis Clowns. He is a member of the Negro League Base- ball Museum in Kansas City and in June 2006, was in- ducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in Canada.
Clifford “Quack” Brown and his family will also be in attendance. Brown played his entire baseball career with the Philadelphia Stars. His ca- reer highlight took place when he played 3 games in one day in 3 different Vir- ginia towns and hit a home- run in every game.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017