Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 8-2-19

Feature Local
Big Brothers Big Sisters Partner With State To Expand Mentorship
Det. Andrea Hughes is shown with Tarajii.
The state is partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters. The purpose of the partnership is to increase and expand mentor- ship to encourage law enforce- ment to join the “Bigs in Blue” mentorship program.
On Tuesday, Florida Attor- ney General Ashley Moody announced a partnership with the State’s Department of Law Enforcement to join the Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentor- ship Program.
Attorney General Moody, FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen and FLHSMV Executive Director Terry Rhodes each sent a memo to their respective agen- cies encouraging staff to partic- ipate in the Bigs in Blue program by spending an hour a week mentoring at-risk kids and teens using an existing state administrative leave pol- icy.
Attorney General Moody said, “We think the ef- fect of this partnership in this program specifically will have a tremendous effect on young people throughout the State of Florida.”
Five years ago, Tampa Po- lice Officer Andrea Hughes was assigned to the Jackson
Heights neighborhood. She met Tarajii and established a bond with the then 3-year-old. As time passed, the officer and the little girl would FaceTime and exchange telephone calls.
Then, Officer Hughes was promoted to the role of de- tective. Her new responsibili- ties prevented her from patrolling the neighborhood and seeing Tarajii on a regular basis.
But, Tarajii’s mother wanted the officer to continue as a role model for her daugh- ter. So, Detective Hughes and Tarajii joined Big Broth- ers Big Sisters.
Attorney General Moody said, “The Bigs in Blue program is doing an incredible job building bonds between law enforcement and youth by showing children that an offi- cer’s job is to protect them and their families. I saw firsthand the impact that this program has on the communities it serves when I presented a Back the Blue Award to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay.
“It is vital to our state that we do everything in our power to build trust and respect be- tween law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
Former Bay Area TV Journalist Invites Women
To ‘Fall Into Fabulous’
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Former Bay Area TV Journalist, Secily Wilson is extending an invitation to women in the Tampa com- munity to join her to “Fall Into Fabulous.”
The event will be held on Saturday, August 10, 2019, with registration at 8:30 a. m., followed by the program at9a.m.–anEmpower- ment Breakfast and Fashion Show.
These activities will take place at Macy’s Westshore Plaza, on the 2nd floor in the Women’s Dept., 298 West- shore Plaza, Tampa 33609. Early registration is encour- aged on Eventbrite: bit.ly/fall-into-fabulous- tickets.
Returning to Tampa, Ms. Wilson will be intro- ducing the non-profit organ- ization she founded – WOW (Women Overcoming With Willpower) Legacy Group, whose mission is to em-
SECILY WILSON
power, educate, inspire and transform the lives of women transitioning through life’s adversities. To date, the lives of more than 250 women have been im- pacted by this program.
Ford Motor Company and Macy’s are sponsoring the event. The Ford Motor Company and Macy’s both have philanthropic missions to improve the lives of women. The breakfast will
address the important is- sues of mental health by en- ergizing and engaging thought leaders, who will guide attendees on a journey to renew, refocus and reimagine the fabulous pos- sibilities of their lives.
July was Minority Men- tal Illness Awareness Month. Through WOW, Ms. Wilson aims to draw attention to this issue.
The former Channel 13 FOX News Anchor knows first-hand how living with depression can ruin your life.
After an on-air stroke in 2004, she lost her ability to speak clearly; and after in- tensive speech therapy, Ms. Wilson regained her broadcast quality voice.
From there, her unfortu- nate experiences continued. Her marriage to her college sweetheart, ended in di- vorce; she was laid off from her broadcast job; she ex- hausted her savings and lost her home to foreclosure. Ms. Wilson lived silently in a depressed state until a close friend – and Tampa native – Sar- tura Shuman-Smith, di- rector of the Centre for Girls, came to her rescue.
“My life had fallen com- pletely apart, at no fault of my own,” says Ms. Wilson. “Sartura helped to ignite a philanthropic spark, by en- couraging me to give back to a group of women in transi- tion.”
It was then Ms. Wil- son founded the WOW Legacy Group and the Fall into Fabulous (FIF) Em- powerment Program in Or- lando, Fla. Now in its seventh year, the program is expanding into Tampa Bay with its FIF Empowerment Breakfast and Fashion Show on August 10th.
For more information about the WOW Legacy and Fall into Fabulous event, visit www.wowlegacy- group.org or follow the or- ganization on Facebook at Fall into Fabulous.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 2019