Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 4-22-16 Edition

Local
Second Annual Community Impact Awards Planned
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Next week, State Repre- sentative Ed Narain will host the Second Annual Com- munity Impact Awards. The event will take place Wednes- day, April 27th, at 6:30 p.m., at the Tampa Park Plaza Com- munity Center, 1495 N. Ne- braska Avenue, at 6 p.m.
Rep. Narain will recog- nize Community Activist Evangeline Best, Political candidate Jacqueline Coffie Leeks, the retired City Coun- cilwoman Gwendolyn Miller, Community Activist Queen Richardson Miller, and Dr. Walter L. Smith, retired educator.
A native of East Tampa,
Mrs. Evangeline (Van) Best began exhibiting her tal- ent for activism while a stu- dent at Middleton High School. After graduating, she attended St. Augustine College in Raleigh, North Carolina, earning a B. A. Degree in Soci- ology/Social Studies. She con- tinued her education at FAMU, where she earned a Masters of Arts Degree in Ed- ucation, specializing in Adult
MRS. GWENDOLYN MILLER
Mrs. Jacqueline Coffie Leeks is a Tampa native and graduate of Hillsborough High School, and continued her ed- ucation at the University of Florida. She received her B. S. Degree from Moody Bible In- stitute.
An advocate for children, Mrs. Leeks has acquired more than 20 years experience working with children and youth. She has dedicated the last 5 years of her life working with Devereaux Kids as a Community Facilitator for Community Engagement and Youth Leadership.
Mrs. Leeks is an Associ- ate Pastor at the 34th Street Church Of God, and is active in several organizations and community activities.
A Tampa native, Mrs. Gwendolyn Miller gradu-
DR. WALTER L. SMITH
her neighborhood for more than six decades. She has ded- icated her time and energy to ensure that residents are given healthcare, social services, programs earmarked for eld- erly citizens, and educational needs of the community.
Mrs. Miller has served on numerous boards and has forged longstanding bonds with County Commissioners, City Council members, May- ors, Police Chiefs, and others in the community.
A retired educator, she at- tended Gibbs Junior College and continued her education at Florida A & M University and the University of South Florida.
Mrs. Miller continues to work in her community and is active in her church, St. John P. M. B. Church.
The accomplishments of Dr. Walter L. Smith are far- reaching and range from be- coming the President of Florida A & M University, to assisting in the building of the first American-styled commu- nity college in the Republic of South Africa.
Dr. Smith served in the Korean War. At 23, he ob- tained his GED. During his quest for education, he earned an Associate’s Degree from Gibbs Junior College; a Bach- elor’s Degree; and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leader- ship from Florida A & M Uni- versity. Several years later, he returned to FAMU to serve as its 7th President.
He earned his Doctoral De- gree in Higher Education from Florida State University.
A published author, Dr. Smith has achieved numer- ous milestones in education on a local, state, national, and in- ternational level. He is the founder of the Dr. Walter L. Smith Library that opened in 2002.
The Second Annual Com- munity Impact Awards pro- gram is free and open to the public. For more information or to RSVP call (813) 336- 1913; or events@edfor florida.com.
MRS. EVANGELINE BEST
Education.
For 36 years, Mrs. Best
was an employee of the Hills- borough County School Dis- trict, working with the Head Start Program.
Following retirement, Mrs. Best launched a second career as a volunteer with nu- merous local and state organi- zations, serving as Chairperson of the East Tampa Community Revitaliza- tion partnership, and others.
During her career as a Community Activist, Mrs. Best has channeled her en- ergy toward improving com- munities throughout East Tampa, with a concentration on redevelopment.
A member of St. Luke AME Church, Mrs. Best is also the recipient of numerous forms of recognition.
MRS. QUEEN MILLER
MRS. JACQUELINE COFFIE LEEKS
ated from Middleton High School, and continued her ed- ucation at Florida A & M Uni- versity, where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree and Master of Education De- gree.
Mrs. Miller retired as an educator in 1994. The follow- ing year, she was elected as the second Black, (Perry Har- vey, Jr., was the first), to serve on the City Council.
During her 16-year tenure on City Council, Mrs. Miller was the first Black woman to serve, the first Black to serve as an At-Large representative, and in 2004, became the first Black to serve as Chairperson of the board.
A longtime resident of East Tampa, Mrs. Queen R. Miller has been an active member of, and advocate for
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016