Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 3-11-16 Edition

Features
Author Looks At ‘Tax Fraud’
Spring Festival Youth Explosion
Epidemic From New Perspective
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
All around Toni Michelle, she saw and read about young people getting caught up in what was known on the streets as “The Drop.”
Tax Fraud became a viable tool for a lot of young people who saw it as a harmful way of getting their hands on hun- dreds of thousands of dollars.
“In 2011, I was motivated by what was happening around me and with some people I knew. I transferred that moti- vation into a book, “Money Is The Motive.”
“It’s amazing how some people put the love of money before anything, including their family members and children.”
Toni starts her book off with a scripture related to the lust for money and prestige. That scripture is 1 Timothy 6:10, and reads: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some peo- ple eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
“In my book, I wrote about a woman who is employed, but drawn to ‘bad boys’ who have no goals or ambitions.
“It’s really sort of a love
TONI MICHELLE
story that eventually leads to tax fraud.”
Toni said she thinks her book is very unique, because it comes from her soul.
“I create all of the charac- ters I write about. As humans, I don’t think we’re as disci- plined as we should be. I’ve never been tempted to commit tax fraud, because I knew that it was more than my life and name I was jeopardizing.
“I think if a lot of these guys and gals think about the harm they are doing to their family members, maybe they would stop. But, there are also fami- lies out there who promote ille- gal activity like the Drop.”
Toni says she talks to her children about the temptations out there, and how easy it is to get into something you know is wrong.
“In the book, my character already had plenty of money, but she still felt the need for more. She always wanted the finer things in life, and wouldn’t settle for anything less.
“In my book, the woman’s reality check didn’t come until her life started falling apart. I wouldn’t exactly call her naïve, because she knew what she was doing, and what would happen to her if she was arrested. She just didn’t care, because she was addicted to the money.”
Toni said when she pub- lished her book, she didn’t ex- pect it to do so well, and used Facebook to announce its re- lease.
“I’ve loved writing since I was six, and there’s more than enough things going that would make for some nice reading material.”
IRIS COLLINS
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Iris Collins has always been interested in presenting concepts to young people in an effort to appeal to their inter- ests.
This Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ms. Collins will be hosting the “Spring Festival Youth Explosion” at Jackson Heights Park on the corner of 34th Street and Lake Avenue.
Ms. Collins, a Creative Arts Explorer, works at Mar- tinez School and meets with kids every week to get them ac- tive in the arts.
“I started this a year ago, be- cause I noticed the kids really didn’t have anything to do. My objective is to identify what
they want to do, then partner them with the right people.
“I meet with 24 or more children a week, and my dream is to open a creative arts school.”
Ms. Collins said she started out working with kids 5- to-18 years old and she uses the older kids as mentors if they’re over 15.
“There’s no better example for the children than to talk to someone who has experienced stumbling blocks along the way, and are willing to share that ex- perience.
“I also try to use my own ex- periences to help guide the chil- dren on the right path. It’s not easy, because they’re up against so much in their schools and in their community.”
PAGE 2-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016