Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 10-9-15 Edition

FLORIDA SENTINEL FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015
Fundraiser‘JazzinAtTheRitz’ AHuge Success For St. Peter Claver Catholic School
KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
For Christian Edwards, the five years she spent at St. Peter Calver Catholic School count among some of the best of her life.
Not only did she receive a strong ed- ucational and spiritual foundation dur- ing the years she attended between 1986 and 1991, she made lifelong friends.
“I loved it,” she said. “I got the Catholic school experience in an African-American community.”
So when she learned about Jazzin’ at the Ritz , a fundraiser event to support her alma mater –Ms. Edwards said she knew it was important that she at- tend.
After all, a large part of the success she’s experienced both professionally and personally is due to the “excep- tional” education she received at St. Peter Claver Catholic School, she said.
“It was family oriented and I liked the old-school family feel,” said Ms. Edwards, a graduate of Florida A&M University who works in child welfare services.
On Sunday, Ms. Edwards joined hundreds of fellow St. Peter Claver alumni and supporters at the Ritz Ybor for an evening of jazz, food, and com- munity to raise scholarship money for the school.
Now celebrating its 122nd year, St. Peter Claver holds the distinction of being the oldest operating African American school in the state of Florida.
Fundraising efforts held throughout
the year have raised about $100,000, said school Principal Sister Maria Goretti Babatunde.
The St. Peter Claver family is over- whelming by the generosity of the Tampa community, Sis. Babatunde said.
“Without the support of the commu- nity, we wouldn’t be here,” she said.
Opened by two nuns in 1894 on Mor- gan Street with just 16 students, St. Peter Claver has experienced severe fi- nancial difficulties in the last decade. Just seven years ago, the school was on the brink of closure after the Diocese of St. Petersburg stopped subsidizing its schools and instead offered students scholarships.
The school has rebounded well since that time and boasts an enrollment of 216 students for the 2015-2016 school year, Sis. Babatunde said.
Still, the school continues to need the help and support of the Tampa commu- nity, said Marvin Knight.
Mr. Knight, along with Tampa Fire Chief Tom Forward, helped organize the Jazzin’ at the Ritz event.
Mr. Knight, who estimated that more than 300 people attended Sun- day’s event, called St. Peter Claver a “staple.”
The school needs the attention, time, and money from everyone in the com- munity not just its alumni, he said.
“It’s a community-wide effort,” he
said. “We’re all on the same accord for the same result. If they succeed, we suc- ceed.”
Chief Forward concurred.
“What an awesome thing to be able to support tomorrow’s minds – our
kids,” he said.
St. Peter Claver Catholic School Annual Gala
St. Peter Claver Catholic School will host its next fundraising event, its An- nual Gala, on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Westshore DoubleTree by Hilton, 4500 W. Cypress St., in Tampa. For more in- formation or to purchase tickets, con- tact Julie Jenkins at (813) 224-0865 or at juliejenkins.spc@verizon.net.
MR. AND MRS. CARL NORTON AND DAUGHTER, DALLAS GRIFFIN
ADRIAN WHITE
BOBBY BOWDEN
CASSANDRA WASHINGTON
MR. AND MRS. FRAZIER
DARRELL HOUSE
ERNEST AND ANNIKA CONEY
MELVIN AND PAMELA STONE
TONYA LEWIS
KELLY SULLIVAN
REV. LEON GALLON Deputy With Sheriff's Office
DEBORA BARR
JOE CAPITINO AND MARVIN KNIGHT
CHIEF AND MRS. TOM (CYNTHIA) FORWARD
EBONE CRUZ AND REV. W. G. DIXON
MR. AND MRS. ED NARAIN
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