Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 1-15-21

Local
Group Of Black Women Are ‘Making Moves With Compassion’
From L to R: Dr. Traci Thompson, Nikki Wills, Kethlyn White, Trish Stephens, Charisse Rome, Erica Wilson, Melanie Henry and Joselynne Forde. (Photography Credit: Ricky Roberts Photography and Hamp- ton Allen)
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Making Moves with Com- passion (MMC), Incorporated, is a non-profit corporation or- ganized by a group of local Black women exclusively for charitable, religious, educa- tional, and social purposes.
Its mission is to enhance and empower the well-being of underserved children and fam- ilies through educational and economic community initia- tives. The group of women has successfully executed 30 pro- grams focusing on community, children, and self-care. They have donated 12,000 pounds of food with Feeding Tampa Bay; hosted Entrepreneurship and Coding Training for chil- dren through Microsoft; held
Mindfulness Retreats; and held a week-long camping ex- perience for children in part- nership with North Carolina State University.
Officially established and incorporated on December 7, 2020, founding members and their families held their Launch Party on January 8, 2021, at the beautiful Hard Rock Cafe at Tampa Interna- tional Airport.
The women of MMC were especially busy during the Christmas season. MMC hosted a virtual Toy Drive through Metropolitan Min- istries and with the help of gen- erous donors, collected 506 toys (goal 500) in just 24 days, outperforming several large corporations in the Tampa Bay Area.
Clearly this organization is on the move. The ladies have tremendous support at home as well. Their husbands have also committed to MMC by be- coming an official chapter of All Pro Dads. All Pro Dads is a group of men committed to bringing focus to fathers.
They have an exciting year in store as they continue “Mak- ing Moves with Compassion!”
Founding members are: Joselynne Forde, President; Dr. Traci Thompson, Vice President; Erica Wilson, Sec- retary; Nikki Wills, Financial Secretary; Charisse Rome, Treasurer; Melanie Henry, Parliamentarian; Trish Stephens, Historian; Keth- lyn White, Editor; and Dr. Misha Harding, Chaplain.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 9-A