Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 9-25-15 Edition

FLORIDA SENTINEL FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015
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Tampa Housing Authority Receives $1M YouthBuild Grant
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Recently, the U. S. De- partment of Labor released the names of agencies who will receive a YouthBuild Grant. The Tampa Housing Authority was among one of the agencies awarded the grant.
Ms. Lillian Springer,
spokesperson for the Tampa Housing Authority said, “The Tampa Housing Authority
has operated a YouthBuild program for several years.”
The cities of Tampa and Fort Lauderdale were the two award recipients in Florida. Awarded under the Work- force Innovation and Oppor- tunity Act, the Tampa Housing Authority received $1 million to operate the pro- gram.
The funding is earmarked to teach at-risk teenagers and young adults entry level con- struction skills. It is a non-
JEROME RYANS President and CEO of the Tampa Housing Authority
residential, community- based, alternative education program.
It focuses on teenagers and young adults, both male and female, between the ages of 16 and 24, who have dropped out of high school and who have been in the criminal justice system, are aging out of foster care or who have dropped out of school and then gone back.
YouthBuild helps partici- pants set goals for themselves
and become self-sufficient. The students learn skills such as painting, woodworking, plastering and flooring in- stallation. It also prepares the students to obtain a GED if they did not complete high school.
Applicants must reside in public housing or in the sur- rounding public housing neighborhoods. The grants are designed to cover a 3-year period.For more information call (813)-341-9101.
Young Man Continues To Pursue NBA Career
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
E. J. Taylor can’t remem- ber a time in his life when he wasn’t playing basketball. It was the one sport that captured his spirit, and helped him mature as a young man.
Taylor graduated from high school in 2008, and from what he’d heard during his per-col- lege career, he was certain to be signed to a NBA roster.
“In high school, my coaches always told me that I had a lot of potential, I was coachable, and versatile. I consider myself a combination guard capable of playing the point or shooting positions.”
As he approached the end of his college career, Taylor said for the past 7 years, he’s done everything to catch on with an NBA team, and it’s discouraging that no one has shown any inter- est.
“I’ve gone on professional tours on the European circuit and the experience was great. Some scouts expressed interest, but once I returned to the United States, I didn’t hear any- thing.
“I know I can contribute to the roster of any NBA team if given the opportunity. I’m very anxious, and all I’m asking for is a chance.”
Taylor said he’s tried to get onto one of the NBA develop-
E. J. TAYLOR
ment teams, and things were looking great for a while, then suddenly all the interest just dis- appeared.
“I know there a lot of guys playing today in their 30s and close to retiring. I know I can take one of those spots, and be- cause a star within my first year.
“I don’t think anyone is as eager as I am or is a real differ- ence maker.”
Taylor said his family is be- hind his quest to sign with an NBA squad, and through faith and prayers, he believes his time is coming.
“I’ve got to stay focused and I’ve got to maintain my health and desire to be special.”
Small Business Program Earns State And Local Awards
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last month, the Hills- borough County Public School District (HCPS) won two awards. Both awards recognized the District’s ef- forts of reinvesting revenue and resources back into the local economy.
The first award in which HCPS was the recipient was from the Central & North Florida Minority Supplier Development Council (cnFMSDC). That organiza- tion named the Hillsbo- rough County Public School District Procurement De- partment as “Buyer of the Year.”
Last year, the District reinvested nearly $21 mil- lion back into the local com- munity by doing direct business with local minority and women-owned busi- nesses under its Small Busi- ness Encouragement Program.
This is the first time the District has received this particular award, but it also means that every eligible award for which cnFMSDC corporate members com- pete has now been won by the District’s Small Business Encouragement Program.
During the past 10 years, the Program has won the “MBE Coordinator of the Year” twice, the “CEO of the Year” and the “Corporation
BEN MOORE
... Hillsborough County School District Supplier Diversity Officer
of the Year,” in addition to this year’s recognition.
The second honor came about with the cnFMSDC award being followed by recognition of the District’s Supplier Diversity Officer.
Supplier Diversity Offi- cer Ben Moore was hon- ored with the Advocacy Award during the 2015 Tampa Bay MEDWeek (Mi- nority Enterprise Develop- ment Week) conference.
According to conference organizers, this acknowledg- ment is given to a person who goes above and beyond to assist the constituents they serve. Under Moore’s leadership, the OSD pro- vides communication, ad- vice and support to small, women, and minority- owned businesses regarding participation in the Dis- trict’s procurement process
and facilitates communica- tion with other District de- partments.
Moore stated “Team ef- fort is the only reason an award like this is earned. Whether it is our School Board and Superintendent, our leadership team in our Business and Facilities Divi- sions, our district managers and supervisors or our ven- dors’ attention to detail, our program reflects what can happen when excellence and no excuses are your twin ex- pectations.”
The school district’s Of- fice of Supplier Diversity (OSD) is responsible for the Small Business Encourage- ment program. By working with Tampa Bay-based (Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinel- las, Polk, Hernando, Mana- tee or Sarasota counties) small businesses, the OSD maintains a comprehensive data base of qualified, pre- registered vendors repre- senting a variety of industries.
The OSD has been recog- nized by the state of Florida’s Office of Supplier Diversity and by the Central & North Florida Minority Supplier Development Council for its commitment and services to small busi- ness.
For more information regarding the HCPS Office of Supplier Diversity, visit www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/OSD/.