Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 12-4-15 Edition

Feature
Cover2 Athletics Hosts ‘Read To Win Book Fair’
GERALD ANDERSON
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Two authors with connec- tions to Tampa will be on hand to sign their latest books and greet fans all while helping a worthy sports non- profit organization keep its athletes “in the literacy game.”
Gerald C. Anderson, Sr. and Gary Hartfield are among the authors partici- pating in Cover2 Athletics Foundation, Inc.’s second Read 2 Win Book Fair taking place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Brandon.
Founded in 2013, Cover2 Athletics is a nonprofit or- ganization that provides local youth opportunities in or- ganized sports, athletic camps, fitness education and awareness, community serv- ice, academic achievements, and scholarships.
GARY HARTFIELD
The foundation will re- ceive 10 percent of all book- store sales – including purchases made at the café – during the time of the fair. All proceeds raised will go to- ward the Cover2 Athletics Reads program, which is de- signed to engage athletes and champions in reading and discussion programs in their communities, said Cover2 Athletics executive director Sammecia Bagley.
One of the goals of the lit- eracy program is to ensure the foundation’s athletes un- derstand the importance of excelling in the classroom as well as on the field, Ms. Bagley said.
“Our goal is to produce well-rounded athletes,” she said.
Another goal is to expand the literacy awareness pro- gram that involves older stu- dents sharing books and reading to younger students,
Bagley said.
Mr. Anderson is a
Tampa native who grew up in the Belmont Heights neighborhood. A 1980 grad- uate of C. Leon King Senior High School, Mr. Ander- son enlisted in the U. S. Air Force after graduation.
He traveled the world for the next 23 years, living in California, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, West Germany, and Korea. After retirement from the Air Force, Mr. An- derson settled in Maryland and began working in the U. S. Department of Energy. In 2003, he began working at the Internal Revenue Service and in 2007 he joined the U. S. Department of Education.
In May, Mr. Anderson published his latest book, Standing Firm (One Fam- ily’s Fight Against Domestic
Violence). He’s also the au- thor of two other books, We Come in Peace and 27 Hours (What Would You Do If You Faced The End?) through his own publishing company, Gerald C. Anderson Publish- ing. He’s also the owner of a film company, Righteous Productions.
Mr. Anderson, who now lives in Maryland, said he returns home several times a year. But participat- ing in an event that supports the advancement of youth makes this upcoming trip very special, he said.
“I’ll come back to my home city and support any- thing,” he said.
Gary T. Hartfield,
president and CEO of Seren- ity Village Inc., Serenity Vil- lage Insurance & Consulting and Sweet Talk Wireless, will be on hand to sign copies of his recently published mem- oirs, Stand.
A former student athlete and graduate of Florida A&M
University, Mr. Hartfield said Stand chronicles his failures and achievements and offers messages of inspi- ration born from his aca- demic success and athletic aspirations.
If You Go
What: Cover2 Athletics Foundation Book Fair When: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5
Where: Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 122 Brandon Town Center Dr., Brandon
Can’t attend the book fair? You can still show your support by visiting http://bn.com/bookfairs from Saturday, Dec. 5 to Fri- day, Dec. 11 and entering Bookfair ID 116706454 at checkout. A percentage of your Barnes & Noble pur- chases will go toward Cover2 Athletics Foundation.
For more information, visit www.cover2athletics. org.
Cover2 Athletics Foundation student Cassangela Gainey reading to younger students as part of the foundation's Cover2 Athletics Reads program.
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