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Young Man With Troubled Past Wants To Inspire Others
Static Electricity Cause Of Mattress Store Fire
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
It has often been said that getting into trou- ble is easy, getting out of it is hard --- but not impossible. An 18-year-old Tampa man is liv- ing proof of that.
This summer, Kevin Speights will walk onto the campus of the University of South Florida as a freshman. This is quite an accom- plishment for a teenager who comes from a troubled past.
But something happened and Speights re- alized that he had to make a change. He was sent to Eckerd Project Bridge and reversed the trend that his life was taking.
Once he made that decision, Speights channeled that negative energy into something positive. While an enrollee in the program, he has earned an OSHA certificate, earned his GED, obtained a driver’s license, and opened a bank account. He also found employment.
What’s more, on December 19th, he stood before Hillsborough County Judge Kim Hernandez Vance. Not only did Judge Vance terminate his probation, but she came down from the bench and gave him a hug.
Now, Speights has plans to major in Busi- ness Management and become an entrepre- neur. He wants to own and operate several businesses.
“The program gave me a lot of help. I feel I wouldn’t have made it without them and I wouldn’t have gotten my GED or gone in the right direction without them,” Speights said.
Ryan Salzer, Project Bridge Manager said, “He has successfully completed the pro- gram and has graduated. He worked so hard to prepare for the GED test and to accomplish his other goals.”
Ms. Terri Durdaller, Public Relations Manager said, “We are really proud of this guy. He has set so many goals for himself.”
Speights was enrolled in the program for about 6 months. The program is designed to help young offenders with their transition back into the community. It is unique in that it offers several wrap around services, includ-
KEVIN SPEIGHTS
... will begin college this summer
ing transportation, to ensure success.
A Tampa native, Speights is the son of a man serving a life term in prison and a woman who has a history of being in and out of jail. Those facts set the stage for a child destined
for trouble.
At 14, Speights was convicted of his first
crime. He was charged with petit theft for not paying to enter Adventure Island. Then, he began hanging out with the wrong crowd and trouble found him quickly. That same year, he was accused of battery on a law enforcement officer and pleaded guilty to the charge.
After witnessing the shooting of his brother, Speights began carrying a gun and that only led to more trouble and more arrests. By the time he reached Project Bridge, he had acquired juvenile and adult criminal records.
Speights is not looking at the past. He is concentrating on the future and wants to en- courage others. For those who are in the sys- tem, Speights said, “It’s going to get better. There are better days, if you can keep your head up and turn the negative into positive.”
And to those individuals who have not had the experiences Speights said, “Jail is the worst place to be.”
Tampa Fire Rescue re- ported that a fire destroyed part of the Quisqueya Mattress Store at 3101 East 7th Avenue in Ybor City Saturday afternoon.
Investigators have reported that static electricity is blamed for starting the fire after an in- terview with the manager of the business, it was determined an imbalance of electrical charges within or on the sur- face of the foam material used to make mattresses cause the material to ignite.
The estimated loss to the building and the contents is $200,000. Both people inside the ore at the time of the fire
Tampa Fire Rescue fire- fighters pour water on this blaze at the Quisqueya Mat- tress Store on 7th Avenue.
were able to escape and call 9- 1-1.
Kidney Awareness Month
When Margie McMillan Bellware was diagnosed with kidney failure, she panicked and thought her life was over. She had visions of endless dial- ysis treatments, and the possi- bility of needing a transplant.
After contacting some pro- fessionals and a national agency, Ms. Bellware discov- ered that technology had made treatment for people with problems a much easier process. She successfully com- pleted the process, and imme- diately felt the need to create awareness about the disease.
“It was important to me to clear up a lot of misinformation about kidney disease and what it means. Without my research, I was like everyone else, feeling it was the end of the world.
“However, I soon discov- ered because I hadn’t bothered talking to the right people, I was wrong. I want to pass that knowledge on to others suffer- ing with the disease, and let them know that their lives aren’t over.”
With March being “Kid- ney Awareness Month,” Ms. Bellware wanted people to know that Congress recently passed two bills, S-323 and
MARGIE MCMILLAN- BELLWARE
H.R. 1428 that helps kidney patients access medication.
“Medicare Part D will con- tinue to pay for immune-sup- pressants for kidney patients.
“I’ve been invited by the Health Ministry Coordinator, Mrs. Vera Scriven, to speak at the Truth Faith Inspiration Baptist Church regarding kid- ney awareness issues, preven- tion, treatment and transplant, thanks to Rev. Dr. Brett Snowden and A. Last Snowden.”
Ms. Bellware is available to share her knowledge of the disease with anyone who is un- dergoing treatments and their family members who are sup- porting them.
PAGE 10 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015