Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 5-23-17

Features
CDC Celebrates 25th Anniversary
From left to right, CDC Board Members: Gwen Myers, Heddie Sumpter, Denese Meteye-James, Albert Lee, Jr., founder, Chloe Coney, Ernest Coney, President/CEO; Evan- geline R. Best and Ed Johnson. (Photo Credit: Chadwick Carlisle).
Longtime Tampa Businessman Dies After Illness
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
In 1992, the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc., was established to help turnaround the city’s eco- nomically-depressed eastside.
A quarter of a decade later, founder Chloe Coney says the nonprofit organization has done just that – but there’s still more work to do.
On Friday, Chloe Coney led about 100 supporters in the CDC of Tampa’s 25th anniver- sary celebration at the Urban Enterprise Center that bears her name.
Since its founding, the CDC’s programming has helped thousands of people to purchase homes, obtain job training, and achieve financial stability.
Coney, who recently retired as U. S. Rep. Kathy Castor’s District Director, said she’s anx- ious to see how the organization continues to grow over the next 25 years under the leadership of her son, Ernest, the corpora- tion’s CEO and President.
“I’m grateful to still be here and see the legacy live on,” she said.
A critical part of the CDC’s survival strategy includes telling the story, Coney said.
On Friday, about a half dozen community partners talked about how their connec- tions to the corporation has benefitted the people they serve.
The corporation has no ties to the Centers for Disease Con- trol in Atlanta, but is the center to stop the disease of violence from spreading, said Freddie Barton, executive director of Safe and Sound Hillsborough.
The program, which is housed under the CDC, is a coalition of agencies and non- profits that work together to re- duce crime and violence among youth.
It has flourished under the oversight of the CDC, Barton said.
“We know that through our efforts – led by CDC – we will be able to answer that all the children are well,” he said.
Middleton High School jun- ior, Juliana Olodude, 17, said she’s grateful for the lessons she’s learned through the CDC’s Youth Leadership Movement.
“They give us a lot of re- sources to stay successful in school,” she said.
Mrs. Cynthia Forward, student intervention specialist at Van Buren Middle School, said the CDC’s Positive Action Program has been a great influ- ence on students.
She credits its success with the representatives’ emphasis on developing a rapport with students and their families and teachers.
“The lives they’ve touched and the things they’ve done are priceless,” she said.
Earlier this year, the corpo- ration launched 365 Wins to showcase its everyday successes like helping homeless clients buy a home, said Ernest Coney.
“As we continue to create these wins, we’ll see a transfor- mation in our neighborhoods,” he said.
At one time, East Tampa was a forgotten part of the city. Now, flush with a half a million income base thanks to pro- grams like those provided through the CDC, it is leading the way for Tampa to become “a city on a hill,” Ernest said.
“The community reflects the wins,” he said.
After years of launching pro- grams, the corporation is team- ing with the University of South Florida to measure the im- provements programming has had on the community as a whole, and not just individuals, Ernest said.
The goal is to use that infor- mation to work with other agen- cies to better serve the community, he said. “We need to teach each other how to win,” he said. “We have much further to go.”
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
A popular Tampa business- man died on Friday following an illness. Mr. Arthur “Cal- donia” Roby was 95-years- old. He was surrounded by family and friends at Carring- ton Place in St. Petersburg at the time of his death.
His daughter, Ms. Cheryl Jackson said, “This is the start of a new beginning for me with- out my daddy. I am a daddy’s girl.”
A native of Quincy, Florida, Mr. Roby moved to Tampa ate the age of 16. He worked as a truck driver for Fogarty Broth- ers Van Lines for several years.
He then decided to become an entrepreneur and began cooking. When he decided to open his barbecue restaurant on E. Mallory Avenue in 1959, he gave the business his nick- name of “Caldonia.”
Ms. Jackson said her fa- ther loved to dance as a young man and was a great dancer.
MR. ARTHUR “CALDONIA” ROBY 6/5/1921 — 5/19/2017
One of his favorite songs was called “Caldonia, Caldo- nia,” and he was given the nickname “Caldonia.”
For nearly 50 years, Caldo- nia’s served barbecue to resi- dents of Hillsborough County. When it closed and relocated in 2007, Mr. Roby retired.
In an effort to keep the fam- ily business going, Ms. Jack- son relocated the business to 17th Street and E. Dr. M. L. King, Jr., Blvd. Its last home was at the corner of E. Dr. Mar-
tin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., and N. 37th Street. It remained at that location for 5 years, she said.
In June 1985, Mr. Roby won first-place in the Southern Barbecue Cook-Off Contest. In addition to the trophy, he won $2,000 as top prize.
Mr. Roby and his wife of 55 years, the late Mrs. Juanita Roby, operated the business on Fridays and Satur- days.
In addition to loving to cook, Mr. Roby enjoyed listen- ing to old gospel music, jazz, and the blues. He loved to talk and he loved to tell jokes, his daughter said.
In addition to Ms. Jack- son, Mr. Roby is survived by another daughter, 4 sons, 10 grandchildren, and numerous great grandchildren, other fam- ily members and friends.
Funeral services for Mr. Roby will be held on Saturday morning. Wilson’s Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrangements.
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