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Registered Nurse To Speak At Monthly Health Forum
New Organization Focuses On Economic Empowerment
The Monthly Health Forum, hosted by the Men’s Group, will take place on Friday, Au- gust 26th, beginning at 11 a.m. The forum will be held at Col- lege Hill Church Of God In Christ, 6414 N. 30th Street, (corner of N. 30th Street and E. Diana).
This month, the keynote speaker for the forum is Mrs. Elaine Gibbons, Registered Nurse. She is returning to pro- vide part two of the informa- tion she shared during the June meeting.
In June, Mrs. Gibbons talked about the “Unknown Facts About Breast Cancer.” She provided information to help others to lead healthy and productive lives. During this segment, she will address diet and healthy foods.
Mrs. Gibbons is an ac- complished wife, mother, and volunteer at her church and at the Red Cross. As a profes- sional, Mrs. Gibbons has been a Flight Attendant, Ac- tress, Speaker, Singer, and Costume Designer.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Mrs. Gibbons and her family moved to Queens, where she attended high school. She continued her ed- ucation and graduated from Middlesex College, where she
MRS. ELAINE GIBBONS, R. N.
earned her degree as a Regis- tered Nurse. Mrs. Gib- bons later returned to Kean College to further her educa- tion.
The purpose of the forum is bringing attention to the need of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by having timely med- ical attention. All members of the community are invited to attend the forum.
The forum is free and open to the public. For additional information about the forum contact Coach Billy Reed, at (813) 744-4923, or Chester White, Jr., at (813) 327- 2804.
BYLEONB.CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
West Tampa Community Activist (WTCA) Organization founder, Dwight Bolden, said he’s come up with a model he hopes others will adopt to create much needed economic empowerment in West Tampa.
“This community is under siege by the city, developers, Tampa Housing Authority, and other entities with no his- toric ties to the area.
“Once a thriving thorough- fare, Main Street is now a wasteland of businesses that survived the economic shut- down in the area. New busi- nesses have opened along Main Street, but they aren’t African American owned.”
Bolden said in founding his organization, he devel- oped a model that creates dif- ferent entities that will generate revenue to sustain each other.
“What I’ve done is establish an LLC that will fund ex- tended organizations under its umbrella. Some will be for profit and others will be non- profit.
DWIGHT BOLDEN
“I believe an entire new mindset has to be developed to make sure there is African American business interest in West Tampa. If that doesn’t happen, the community will change to the degree of repop- ulation.”
“I believe at this rate, in the next 10-to-20 years, there will be no such thing as an African American community. When you don’t control the economy of your community, it doesn’t belong to you anymore.
“West Tampa is no differ- ent than other African Ameri- can communities that have money being made by people
who put nothing back and offer no job opportunities.”
Bolden said one of the first steps must be establishing an African American owned fi- nancial institution.
“We need to have our own bank, so when a homeowner or aspiring entrepreneur needs help, they will know they can get help.
“We’ve got to get better control of the money being generated in West Tampa, be- cause when you look around, you won’t see any African Americans benefitting from all of the proposed changes.”
Bolden invites anyone in- terested in helping him de- velop an economic plan for West Tampa and Main Street, to stop by his office at 1609 North Albany Avenue.
“It’s also important that we vote. We must study the bal- lot closely, and vote for every candidate on the ballot, not just the ones being targeted with big ads and campaigns.
“In voting, we have to make sure we put the right person in place that will work in our best interest and the interest of businesses in West Tampa.”
Angels On Assignment
More Than 11,000 Vote During First Seven Days
Craig Latimer, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office released the unofficial turnout for the first seven days of Early Voting.
Latimer said in a press release that 11,669 people have cast ballots during the first seven days of the Early Voting period.
According to information released, the location in which the largest number of votes were cast during the first week was at the Jan Kaminis Platt Library, where 1,455 ballots were counted. The Keystone Community Center, which opened this year as an Early Voting site, reported the lowest turnout with 251 votes being cast during the first seven days.
Additionally, 58,670 individuals have taken advantage of the Vote By Mail option.
Worldwide Presents
‘Hoops For Homeless’
Entry Requirement Is Toiletries
Patrick Jackson- Williams and Angels on As- signment Worldwide are preparing to present the First Annual Benefit Basketball Game, “Hoops for Homeless.”
The game will be played on Saturday, August 27, 2016, 12- 3p. m.attheNFLYETCen- ter, 3310 E. Lake Ave., Tampa 33610.
The entire community is in- vited out and the only admis- sion is a donated toiletry item. There will be prizes, give- aways, live DJ and Orlando Waves basketball player, Nate Thomas.
Patrick’s passion is helping others, especially homeless youth. That’s why he’s on a mission to secure personal items to help end youth home- lessness.
Among the items needed most are: toothpaste, tooth- brushes, combs, brushes, mini flashlights, journals, shampoo,
PATRICK JACKSON- WILLIAMS
conditioner, razors, wipes, women’s feminine products, non-perishable food items, socks, pens, bottled water, backpacks and small first aid kits.
For additional information, please call (813) 379-0522 or (8130 748-4704.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11