Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 11-13-15 Edition

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Woman Hopes Book Will Inspire Young Fathers
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Ebony Major was sitting at home two years ago watch- ing a show called “Save My Sons.” It was about single mothers asking for help with their troubled sons.
“One of the first things I noticed was most of the young men were using one word to describe their fathers. Some of them saw their fathers as dead- beats and others saw their fa- thers as losers.
“That inspired me to write a book to help young men re- lease their feelings toward their fathers.”
Major said she felt there was an urgent need to address the relationship fathers have with their children.
“As a single parent, I won- der when men will accept their role as a parent?
“I didn’t want to address this at first because of my rela- tionship with my father. That’s when I decided to address the gap between fathers and their
EBONY MAJOR
children in the book I’m work- ing on called “A Letter To My Father.”
Major said she uses bibli- cal comparisons in her book as examples, and it’s all a part of her effort to get the message out about fathers.
“I try to give suggestions on how to address anger issues, and offer solutions to address the next generation so they can better understand their rela- tionship with their fathers.”
Major has an aggressive form of muscular sclerosis
known as NMO and she said there’s no cure, but there is medication to keep it from pro- gressing. She’s the mother of two children who are helping her as she battles her life threatening disease.
“As a single parent, I’ve done everything to make sure my children have a relation- ship with their fathers.”
Major said she thinks a lot of today’s young male fathers don’t have their priorities straight when it comes to their children.
“They put material things like cars, sound systems, clothes, jewelry, and tattoos ahead of their responsibility as fathers. They have all the ex- cuses, but never anything solid.
Major said she’s still gath- ering research before she will publish the book, and she doesn’t want to give the im- pression that all men are dead- beats.
“I just want answers to how we got to be where we are today.”
Clerk’s Office Launches Property Fraud Alert: A Free Service To Protect From Property Fraud
Pat Frank, Clerk of the Circuit Court/Comptroller for Hillsborough County, an- nounced Monday that the Clerk’s Office will now offer Property Fraud Alert. Prop- erty Fraud Alert is a free serv- ice to help people protect their property from fraud by moni- toring documents, such as deeds and mortgages recorded in Hillsborough County.
“Property Fraud Alert meets a real need for home- owners because there is no way for the Clerk’s Office to know if a deed we record is real or fraudulent,” said Clerk Frank.
“According to the FBI, property and mortgage fraud are the fastest-growing white collar crimes in the United States.”
We know that there are scams where people spot va- cant houses, then file fraudu- lent documents with us to make it seem like they are the property’s legal owners,” the
PAT FRANK
Clerk said. “These scammers then rent or sell the property illegally to an unsuspecting customer, sometimes collect- ing thousands of dollars in the process.
“Property Fraud Alert is designed to prevent this scam. You can register to receive free alerts when a document is recorded using your name or your business’s name. When you receive an alert, by email or phone, you can then verify that the activity was initiated by you and not someone who is attempting to commit prop- erty fraud.”
Clerk Frank urged prop- erty owners to sign up for this free service by visiting the Clerk’s Website at www.hillsclerk.com. She also advised people who believe that they have been the victim of property fraud to contact local law enforcement.
2 Sisters Turn Their Pain Into Purpose
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Sisters Carol Sands- Poole and Stephanie Sands-Trussell have suf- fered some pain in their sepa- rate lives. However, they want to turn that pain into a pur- pose. They are partnering with their non-profit organizations to host a toy drive and Christ- mas party for sick and special need kids.
The sisters created the non- profits to allow them the op- portunity to help others who are going through.
Carol Sands-Poole
founded Lisa’s Pink Petals of Hope, Inc. after their oldest sister, Lisa Sands Minni- field, passed away from breast cancer in 2013.
As a businesswoman, Lisa co-owned A New You, Pink Boutique breast cancer store in Brandon with Carol. She was an advocate in the community providing breast cancer educa- tion on genetic testing and op- tional treatments and insurance coverage. She also created an Angel Closet that provided free mastectomy gar- ments to w0men with limited to no insurance out of her pocket.
Stephanie Sands- Trussell founded Kaden Kruizers Foundation, Inc. after what doctors said to be normal child-bearing turned out to be a journey. She be- came an advocate for her son,
Sisters Stephanie Sands- Trussell, left, and Carol Sands- Poole have planned a holiday toy give-away and Christmas party for sick and special needs children.
Kaden, who suffered an in- jury during birth and was given only 3 days to live as the oxy- gen was cut off causing severe brain damage. With prayer and
reaching forward, doors began to open with great opportuni- ties. Today, Kaden, now 8 years old, continues to thrive and overcome the odds.
The sisters have planned a Christmas party to be held on December 12th, 12-4 p. m. The party will be held at 108 S. Warnell St., Plant City 33563 (St. Luke M. B. Church).
Those parents of sick or special needs children should RSVP no later than November 28th to (813) 408-7465 for the qualifying process.
There’s also an opportunity for independent or corporate sponsors to assist with the party. For additional details, please call Carol at (813) 758- 4211, or drop off your un- wrapped toys at 106 W. Robertson St., Brandon 33511.
PAGE 2-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015