Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 9-20-19

Local State
Organizations Kick Off ‘United For The Bahamas Relief’
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Several organizations have joined forces to help victims in the Bahamas af- fected by Hurricane Dorian. The organizations include, but are not limited to, Course Of Action, All Amer- ican Music Production, Inc., iHeartMedia-Tampa,
Rumba 106.5 FM and Chil- dren With A Vision, Inc., collaborated with local churches, organizations and citizens to collect items for the hurricane victims.
The organizations began collecting items for the relief effort on Wednesday, Sep- tember 18th, and will con- tinue until Sunday, September 22nd.
They are collecting the items at 2602 East 7th Ave (Ybor), Tampa, FL 33605, between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
They are collecting the following grocery items: canned soup, non-perish- able dry goods, cereal, water, water containers, and meals ready to eat (MRE’s). They are also collecting diapers, baby formula, baby food, and baby juice.
Other items that can be dropped off include soap, toothbrushes, personal hy- giene products, disinfec- tants, towels, large plastic trash bags, gloves, first aid kits, flashlights, batteries, bug spray, hand sanitizer, and portable phone charg- ers.
Anyone wishing to make a cash donation can make checks payable to “Course of Action United For Bahamas Relief,” or donate online by visiting www.gofundme.com and search for “United for Bahamas Hurricane Relief Tampa.”
For additional informa- tion contact Ms. Tonya Lewis at (813) 235-5656.
Publisher Of Miami Times Dies After Long Illness
Rachel Reeves, Publisher of the Miami Times, died last Thursday at the age of 69 after battling a long illness. She is the daughter of Garth Reeves, Sr., and the grand- daughter of the late Henry Reeves, the Bahamian printer who founded The Miami Times newspaper in 1923.
When Garth Reeves, Sr., announced his retirement in 1992 and made it official in 1994, the one-time printer’s helper, civil rights activist, publisher and civic leader ad- mitted he didn’t see his daugh- ter as The Miami Times publisher. He had groomed his son, her brother Garth, Jr., for that role.
But in 1982, Garth, Jr., died at 30 of colon cancer. Garth, Sr, stayed on to run The Miami Times and when he envisioned retirement, he fig- ured on selling the paper.
But, Rachel Reeves didn’t initially see herself as the suc- cessor to her now 100-year-old father, who, for nearly 25 years, assumed the mantle from his father, Henry, in 1970. Ms. Reeves assumed the Publisher position in 1992.
A Miami native, born May 22, 1950, Ms. Reeves fol- lowed her own talents and they differed from that of her grand-
Rachel Reeves with her fa- ther, Garth Reeves, Sr.
father, father and brother. After graduating from college, she had steadily risen at The Miami Times in the advertising department before becoming business manager, the position she held when she earned her father’s title.
While newspapers struggle through today’s challenges, The Miami Times’ audience is loyal. Her now 29-year-old son, Garth Basil Reeves, is at the helm.
Rachel was the impetus for changing the paper’s format from tabloid to a broadsheet that aligned it with major com- petitors like the nearby Miami Herald. She pushed for higher wages to attract better staffers.
Reeves’ survivors include her father and her son. Services were held at 10 a. m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at The Historic St. Agnes Episcopal Church, 1750 NW Third Ave., in Overtown.
PAGE 10-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019