Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 5-5-17

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FLORIDA SENTINEL
FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2017
Police To Host 4th Series Of Community Conversations
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The Tampa Police De- partment will host three Community Conversations during the month of May. The meetings are designed to improve the relation- ship between police offi- cers and the community they serve. th
May 9th, in District Two. It will be held at the New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Boule- vard.
The second meeting will take place on Thurs- day, May 11th, in Uniform District One. It will be held at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC, 522 North Howard Avenue.
The third meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 23rd, in Uniform District Three. It will be held at the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association, 2005 North Lamar Av- enue.
A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said, “These conversations are a great way to get to know the officers who are working in the community.
ERIC WARD Tampa Police Chief
They also give residents an opportunity to express their feedback and con- cerns directly to police su- pervisors who have the ability to provide timely resolutions to issues.”
In addition to the con- versations, police person- nel will also discuss two new projects launched this
year.
The first is Project
REC. It is designed to in- vite residents and business owners who live or operate in the City of Tampa, a new method of fighting crime. Residents and business owners can sign up for Project REC, an acronym for Register Every Camera.
The new initiative helps speed up the time it takes for police officers to get in contact with community members who live close to where a crime occurred and may have captured footage on their surveil- lance cameras that could help solve a case.
The second new initia- tive introduced this year is Nextdoor.
The Tampa Police De-
partment has teamed up with the social networking site “Nextdoor,” to en- hance its communication with city residents. The police department now uses this free online serv- ice to keep residents in- formed about what’s taking place in their neigh- borhoods.
Residents will also have the ability to share infor- mation with the police de- partment through the site.
The main concept of Nextdoor is to provide res- idents with an easy way to communicate and connect with the people who are truly their neighbors.
Residents can share in- formation with their neighbors or invite police officers to the site to share information.
Series of Community Conversations that Chief Eric Ward and members of the Tampa Police Department
will host.
The meetings will take
place in different locations throughout the city. All three meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8 p.m.
The first meeting will take place on Tuesday,
This is the 4
Aaron’s House Founder Plans 2nd Annual Fundraiser
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Sunday, May 7th, members of the commu- nity will gather for the 2nd Annual fundraiser for Aaron’s House. The event will take place from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., at the Rusty Pelican, 2425 N. Rocky Point Drive.
The theme for the event is “A Dining Room of Hope.” Kenneth “The Shark” Gant will deliver the keynote address. Gant is a former NFL player for the Dallas Cow- boys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A two-time Super Bowl winner, he now serves as a Motiva- tional Speaker and sup- porter of mental illness.
Johnny Crowder
will also appear on pro- gram. Crowder is a member of the band, Dark Sermon. He will share his story of how and why he decided to share his mental illness with the public.
Crowder’s story is in-
KENNETH GANT Keynote Speaker
ternationally known and used to encourage parents and youth while bringing awareness to the illness.
Aaron’s House is the manifestation of a Tampa mother’s grief over losing her son to mental illness. Aaron Robinson, the son of Attorney Pamela Robinson, died on April 4, 2014.
She launched Aaron’s House to help parents of the community learn to recognize the signs of
JOHNNY CROWDER Shares His Story
cares for someone with a chronic mental illness.
The organization is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit. It provides temporary hous- ing for family members and caregivers who need to “stress down;” support services; and peer-to-peer support groups.
About Bipolar Disorder Bipolar Disorder has
been deemed the most ex- pensive behavioral health care to diagnose and treat. The suicide rate of those suffering from Bipolar Disorder is 50% higher than that of the general population; and 69% of Bipolar Disorder patients are misdiagnosed at least 3.5 times.
Additionally, victims of Bipolar Disorder may abuse alcohol or drugs and may not know they are “depressed.”
For more information about Aaron’s House call (813) 341-3079, or email aaronkrobinson- shouse@gmail.com.
mental illness and to pro- vide support.
“Since we started Aaron’s House a year and a half ago, we have helped hundreds of caregivers of relatives or loved ones suf- fering from a mental ill- ness,” Attorney Robinson said.
“We recently partnered with USF to provide sensi- tivity training to psychol- ogy and medical students planning to become psy- chiatrists in an effort to
encourage them to be sen- sitive to the needs and emotions of caregivers when dealing with their ill loved ones. Caregivers and relatives also “suffer” when their loved one is di- agnosed with a mental ill- ness.”
Aaron’s House specifi- cally caters to those who care for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression. However, the organization also provides assistance to anyone who