Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 11-27-15 Edition

Local
Club Of Active And Retired Military Persons Disappointed They Can’t Get A Greeting From The POTUS
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Motto: Helping Disadvan- taged Children
The Bay Area Brotherhood, a 501(c19) non-profit organi- zation, has been serving disad- vantaged children for more than 42 years in the Tampa Bay community. As a matter of fact, that is their motto, “Helping Disadvantaged Chil- dren.”
Their help is aimed at chil- dren, but they’d like the Presi- dent of the United States (POTUS) to recognize their ef- forts. They’d like to receive a Presidential Greeting from America’s first Black President to be used in their annual sou- venir booklet.
Bay Area Brotherhood (BAB) has applied for a Presi- dential Greeting annually since December 18, 2008. They have received a different answer to each of their re-
Members of the Bay Area Brotherhood are: front row left to right: David Northern, Thomas Wickes, Odie Jones, Rona Draper, Will- isha Williams, Calvin Doss, Antwion Cherry, Kay Terrell, (Pres.) Esau Pittman, Curtis Wilson, Deadrea Sampson and Earl Hauga- book.
Back row left to right: Michael Palmer, Willis Waddell, Clarence Moorer, Arnold Mathews, Leslie Hawkins, Clayton Hamilton, Susan Jones, Fred Porter, Isell Denson and Marion McCree. Not shown are: Mark Hart, Louis Ladson and Karen Smith.
quests: “we will follow up with you shortly;” “please visit (a website) to submit your greet-
ings request;” “we have imple- mented a new contact on our website.”
“Our visit to the website re- vealed more surprises. There are 16 specific categories listed which does not allow excep- tions. The BAB cannot apply because there is no category listed for a small, patriotic, community group like ours,” member Odie Jones said.
Jones added that the group has requested the assistance of a 4-Star General, Congress- woman (Castor), the First Lady (Obama), and 8 On Your Side, all have been un- able to get the greeting.
The group was hoping to get
a greeting in time for their 43rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet. The event is planned for Saturday, January 9, 2016 at Surf’s Edge Club, MacDill Air Force Base.
“We’ve kept the faith for 7 years with hopes that we’d get the greeting. Obviously, that is not going to happen.”
The organization of veterans was founded in 1973 as a so- cial club by 6 non-commis- sioned officers at MacDill Air Force Base.
“Our charter was signed by the Base Commander in 1978 and the mission has pre- vailed,” stated Jones.
Although the group may be
best known for its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ban- quet, held annually in Janu- ary, the group hosts several other events for children throughout the year.
They are: Youth Athletics, Project 100, Operation Santa Claus, a Christmas Party for 300+ children of all ages, this year at Copeland Park on Sat- urday, December 12, 2015; the banquet, Spouses and Sweet- hearts Cabaret, Easter Egg Hunt and Spring Picnic. BAB has worked closely with the City of Tampa Parks And Recreation Dept. and Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay.
3 County Teams Advance In Region Semifinals
Four of the 7 Hillsborough County high school football teams that played on Friday
night were defeated in the Re- gion Semifinals. The three other teams will play another
round on Friday night, No- vember 27, 2015.
Plant High fell to Lakeland High, 21-11 in Region 7A-2; Plant City (7A-3) defeated Tampa Bay Tech, 35-15; Arm- wood knocked off Brandon in Region 6A-2, 34-14; and in Re- gion 5A-3, Jesuit defeated Jef- ferson, 38-7.
In the Region Finals on Fri- day evening, Bradenton Braden River will travel to Plant City; Gainesville will be at Armwood; and Fort Myers Dunbar will be at Jesuit.
In the Region Finals, Tampa Catholic moves on after defeat- ing Ocala Trinity Catholic, 35- 6. Tampa Catholic moves on to the State Semifinals and will host Jacksonville Trinity Christian on Friday evening.
PAGE 4-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015