Page 21 - 2-20-15 Friday's Edition

Local
Improvement League Of Plant City Addresses Needs Of Community
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
In 1982, a group of com- munity leaders in Plant City got together and created the Improvement League of Plant City.
The organization is com- mitted to identifying gaps in services in eastern Hillsbor- ough County, assisting with finding funding, and securing the means to address identi- fied community needs.
The areas of Lincoln Park and Madison Park have been targeted for the implementa- tion of programs and services by the volunteers and mem- bers of this organization.
William Thomas, Jr.,
president of the organization, said they started out origi- nally as a civic organization.
“In 1994, the organization was restructured to concen- trate on youth programs and now we’re looking at our large elderly population.
Among the programs the League has either supported
WILLIAM THOMAS, JR.
or sponsored are:
Bing House Museum Lincoln Head Start Coronet Superfund
Project
Christmas in the Park Seniors Christmas
Dinner
Plant City Eagles
Youth Football
Teen Conference Mentorship for HCC
Collegiate 100 Plant city Campus
Thomas said they also sponsor the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Festival in Plant City, but their signature
project is the Bing House Mu- seum.
“The museum is the gem product of the community. We try to make things happen and we are a “go-to” organiza- tion.
“Other than helping pro- grams get funding, we’re also trying to get a charter school for males. We’re setting up a business incubator and offer- ing training on how to set up a new business.”
Thomas said like Central Avenue and Main Street in Tampa, they also have an area where Black businesses once thrived.
“We’re hoping our young people will make it possible to return those businesses to our community.
“We’ve just completed the second phase of getting a phosphate mine in the area cleaned up, and we have qua- lified for funds to get that started. We’ve also met with representatives from the En- vironmental Protection Agency (ERA).”
Citizens Group Develops Idea For ‘Stop The
Violence’ Campaign
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
With the 2015 year start- ing off with more shootings, some of them fatal, a six-per- son citizens group has met and came up with an idea to address the unwarranted vio- lence.
By forming partnership with Advocates for Safer Com- munities and its founder, Darla Saunders, the idea is to allow families who have suffered the loss of a loved one due to violence to be the spokespeople.
“We could think of no bet- ter way to get through to the families than to have families who have suffered from the vi- olence to make an appeal,” said K.C. Bowick, one of the members of the group and founder of the Tampa Bay Black Chamber of Commerce.
“Up to this point, nothing has worked, and this is not something we can just walk away from and give up. It’s now up to us to stop the trend of parents burying their chil- dren.”
Bowick, along with
Andre Hill, Dianne Hart, Carmelita Mason, Rose- mary, and facilitator Bernard Jones, have been meeting regularly in an effort to establish an agenda and course of action.
“None of what we’ve dis- cussed or planned will happen unless we work closely with the police and other law en- forcement agencies. They are a vital tool in getting the vio- lent people off the streets, and they can also be instrumental in identifying other trouble- makers.”
The group talked about ef- forts in the past to deal with street violence like walks and events held in area parks to bring the community to- gether.
“Those efforts were effec- tive in a small degree, but nothing really changed,” said Jones.
“To be effective, you must reach the people who are di- rectly impacted by the vio- lence, and that means getting in touch with the families.”
Anyone interested in being a part of this group can call (813) 475-2775.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-B