Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 3-17-17

Local
Ladies Group Is A Sisterhood Whose Goal Is To ‘Give Back’
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
A group of ladies, who call themselves, Tampa Diamond Diva’Z, have been in existence since 2014. Founded by La- trice Montgomery, who serves as President of the ladies, they volunteer, give back and work towards a common goal.
“I always wanted to give back and create a sisterhood by doing something positive,” Ms. Montgomery said. “God laid it on my heart to do thisandIwantedtodoit– help people,” she said. “So many people had an impact on my life – from high school, to work and church,” she said.
The organization started out with 3 ladies – Latrice, Maria Alonso, and Tiesha Lundy – and has grown to about 25 ladies. The ladies’ ages range from 29 to 55, and the organization does not dis- criminate, so race is no prob- lem; they come from all walks of life and all parts of the county, including Zephyrhills and Springhill.
In the 3 years they’ve been organized, the ladies have vol- unteered at Metropolitan Ministries at the tent and in the kitchen; given book bags to Feed America; goodie bags and blankets for the Salvation Army; volunteered with ‘Paint Your Heart Out,’ and will be doing so this year. For Valen-
tine’s, Tampa Diamond Diva’Z visited a nursing home and delivered candy and bal- loons to each patient’s room. They visit Ronald McDonald House, where their focus is on
taking care of the families of the children who are hospital- ized.
They also do fun stuff as a group. The weekend of Feb. 25th, they did ‘Painting With A
Twist.’ They also participate in Breast Cancer walks and at- tended the Strawberry Festi- val.
The ladies will be sponsor- ing 2 high school seniors to attend the prom this year by providing their dresses and accessories. “We want to make their dreams come true,” Ms. Montgomery said. The students are se- lected after they write an essay.
When asked about how students find out about the give-away, Ms. Mont- gomery said they use social media (Facebook), distribute flyers at their jobs and other places, and many of the mem- bers work with schools and children and get the word out through them.
Dues and donations fund the projects that they under- take.
Anyone interested in being a part of Tampa Dia- mond Diva’Z, may go to tam- padiamonddivaz@gmail.com.
From left to right: The Tampa Diamond Diva’Z are: Felicity Smith, Roxanne Williams, Monnette Fayson, Earlene Scott, Katrina Westbrooks, Sharon Chandler, Joanne Calhoun, Latrice Montgomery, Tasha Oldham, Maria Alonso, Eureka McDuffie, Mary Hall, and Rola Harns.
FYI
Middleton Class Of 1960 Meeting
The Middleton High School Class of 1960 will have our monthly Class Meeting on March 18, 2017 at 3 P. M. at Food Mart, formerly Betty's Corner, 3501 North 26th Street.
The purpose of the meeting is to make changes and com- plete planning for the 57th-year reunion and collection of com- pleted Registration Form for local activities / Trip to New York City.
Please try to bring a class member to the meeting. For more information, please con- tact the Corresponding Secre- tary at (813) 741-9294.
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