The Black History Month program held at the Thomas “Jet” Jackson Recreation Center Friday, Feb. 22 went off without a hitch. Parents packed in for an evening of entertainment, fine dining, and of course, a history lesson.

In its fifth year, the Black History Month program featured children stepping up to the microphone to recite short biographies or quotes by historical figures and those who are currently making history. The usual suspects made their yearly appearances such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, George Washington Carver and Rosa Parks, but in a refreshing turn of events, the night saw NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, almanac author, surveyor, naturalist and farmer Benjamin Banneker and legendary basketball player Bill Russell.

Recreation center Supervisor I Barbara Walton and other staff worked in concert to bring smiles to the parents’ faces. Walton said she was a withdrawn and shy child, so whenever she spots those traits in one of her charges, she works hard at bringing them out of their cocoon.

“I’m going to put them into dancing, singing, or whatever talent they have so we can get the shyness out of them.”

And although she once contemplated stopping the black history event, she could not bear to disappoint the kids or their parents.

“They get excited. That shyness and fearfulness leaves,” Walton said. “I see it brings so much joy to the children as well as the staff and myself.”

Participants in the Black History Month program attend the before and after school program at the recreation center. Children ages 5-11 are picked up from seven different schools and are transported back to the center. They participate in a number of different activities and receive help with homework.

During the school year, there can be anywhere from 50 to 60 children; however, during the summer that number swells to more than 150 youngsters. Walton said there is no capacity because, “If we get more children, we just hire more staff.”

A grant from the Juvenile Welfare Board funds the middle school program, which allows low-income families the benefit of before and aftercare with two education specialists to help with homework, participation in sports and summer camp when school is out.

Danah Watkins, teen supervisor 1, grew up in the program at the very same recreation center from play camp to teen camp and came back as a volunteer once she aged out.

“After that, I knew I wanted to be a teen supervisor. I love the teens; I love all the activities. I love planning field trips; I love participating in the field trips,” said the 24-year-old.  “I just want the kids to have that same experience I had.”

Youth Development Worker Jerald Reedy, who is over the teen program, cooked up baked, barbeque and stewed chicken, yellow rice, string beans, cornbread and dessert. Both parents and children couldn’t wait to get ahold of his mouthwatering fare.

This year, parents were treated to a demonstration by Midtown Miracles, a martial arts program with classes held at the Thomas “Jet” Jackson and Lake Vista Recreation Centers.

Grand Master Soke Bryant K. Harrell and his wife Master Sensei Leotte-Keiva Harrell head up the program started by Police Chief Anthony Holloway. Originally created for at-risk children, the chief takes drug money seized from criminals and put it toward positive things in the community.

“We have a lot of kids in foster care, abused children, a lot of kids are sent here for therapy, kids that were in gangs. A lot of behavior issues,” said Leotte-Keiva Harrell.

There are two age groups the Harrells work with: children from ages 4-15 and ages 16 to adults.

“We teach real-world technique. We teach for competition, and we teach for real life, especially the adults,” she said, adding that they run the gamut of martial arts from karate to kung fu to aikido, self-defense techniques and everything in between.

Next year’s show promises to be even more spectacular. Even though it’s a year away, mark your calendars for the last Friday in Feb. so that you won’t miss seeing history come alive through the eyes of children.

To view article by The Weekly Challenger visit: http://theweeklychallenger.com/black-history-comes-alive/

The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB) has launched a nationwide search for a new CEO to succeed Dr. Marcie A. Biddleman, who plans to retire in Sept. 2019 after 10 years with the organization.

Biddleman announced this to the JWB board two years ago and reaffirmed her plans during her most recent evaluation. The board has seated a CEO Search Committee, comprised of its members, charged with finding her replacement.

Established by a Special Act of the Florida Legislature in 1945 and approved overwhelmingly by Pinellas County voters in 1946, JWB is an independent special taxing district that responsibly invests property tax dollars to give children the best opportunities to lead healthy, successful, and satisfying lives.  JWB is governed by an 11-member board and nationally accredited through the Council on Accreditation.

In the 2018 fiscal year, their annual program budget of $57 million strengthened the lives of 66,000 children and families through investments in 88 programs with 49 nonprofit agencies. In addition, their collective work with Pinellas County partners addresses such complex issues as childhood hunger, grade-level reading, and preventable child deaths.

JWB’s investments and work are focused on four strategic areas: School Readiness, School Success, the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and Strengthening Community.

The full position description may be found at jwbpinellas.org/about/careers. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume and salary range by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, electronically in a Word or PDF format to ceosearch@jwbpinellas.org.

To view article by The Weekly Challenger visit: http://theweeklychallenger.com/jwb-ceo-dr-marcie-a-biddleman-announces-her-retirement/

1. Positive outcome: A panel from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida has provided $3.6 million to the Florida Bar Foundation. In the Engle tobacco litigation, the Court found that certain lawyers engaged in unethical and unprofessional conduct, leading to a sizeable sanctions award, a release said. The money will go to qualified local legal aid organizations assisting litigants in obtaining representation.
2. CEO job opening: The Clearwater-based Juvenile Welfare Board wants a new CEO who is “strongly committed to advocating for and providing services to children and families.” Established by the Legislature in 1945, JWB is an independent special taxing district. Its annual budget is $57 million and it impacts 66,000 children and families in 88 programs with 49 nonprofit agencies. More info: http://bizj.us/1ptcls 
3. Employers needed: Employers from the public and private sectors, health care, hospitality, manufacturing and construction interested in promoting open and future positions can meet with job seekers from the Pasco County community and PHSC students seeking employment. The third annual Metro Job Fair is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 26 at the PHSC Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. 
4. Milestone: Tampa’s Lee Pallardy Inc. is 100 years old. The firm of nine focuses on real estate appraisal, brokerage, development and land sales. The grandfather of current Chairman Lee Pallardy III started the firm in 1919. It’s rare to find a firm with a track record of work for clients like the city and airport for 50 years, VP David Taulbee told the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
5. Back pay: After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Palmetto-based Utopia Fresh South LLC — operating as Taylor & Fulton Packing LLC — has paid $87,920 in back wages to 109 employees for violating overtime and record keeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The employer was ineligible for an agricultural exemption it claimed and failed to pay the overtime, the government said. 

To view article by Tampa Bay Business Journal visit: https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2019/02/22/need-to-know-five-things-that-happened-while-you.html  

The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County has launched a nationwide search for a new CEO to succeed Marcie Biddleman, who plans to retire in September after 10 years with the organization.

Biddleman, 73, said after five years as CEO, and the previous five as chief operating officer, she is ready to move aside to welcome “new ideas and new thinking.” She said she warned her board of directors in 2017 that she planned to retire in 2019.

Funded through a special taxing district, the Juvenile Welfare Board has a budget of about $53 million that supports about 90 programs and 51 nonprofits, impacting tens of thousands of children every year. Its priorities are school readiness and success, prevention of abuse and neglect, and strengthening communities.

Biddleman said she is most proud of being able to connect providers and improve collaboration during her tenure, as well as an ongoing initiative to strengthen resources for youth mental health.

She said her replacement should be progressive and adept at showing the organization’s impact through data and facts, a growing priority for the industry. Before joining the Juvenile Welfare Board in 2009, Biddleman served 12 years with the United States Marine Corps and later worked as district administrator for the Florida Department of Children and Families, executive director of Heartland for Children, vice president of Community-Based Services for Eckerd Youth Alternatives; and executive director of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic.

“I’m certainly not going to disappear,” Biddleman said of retirement. “I want to make sure I can continue to utilize what knowledge and experience I’ve gained over these years so there will probably be a few different places I might want to help.”

To view article by Tampa Bay Times visit: https://www.tampabay.com/pinellas/marcie-biddleman-plans-to-retire-from-pinellas-juvenile-welfare-board-20190221/

One healthy baby dies each month in Pinellas County due to suffocation while sleeping.

The Juvenile Welfare Board and a group of about 70 partner agencies are working together to teach people how to protect babies when they are laid down to sleep – “every night, every nap and every time.”

“Over the past 10 years, 102 babies in Pinellas County have suffocated while sleeping unsafely,” is the message on the homepage of www.sleepbabysafely.com. “That’s enough children to fill six kindergarten classrooms. While each circumstance was different, they all had one thing in common: All of these deaths were preventable.”

The Pinellas County Commission recently proclaimed 2019 as Sleep Baby Safely Year. During the Jan. 22 meeting, Commission Chair Karen Seel talked about the work JWB is doing to enhance an already established regional program called Prevent Needless Deaths.

According to the website www.preventneedlessdeaths.com, over the last five years, more than 200 young children in the Tampa Bay area have died from unsafe sleep, drowning and abusive head trauma.

The Sleep Baby Safely campaign singles out what has become the No. 1 cause of preventable death for children under age 18, Seel said.

Seel, who has a 14-month-old granddaughter, said she asked many questions when the Sleep Baby Safely campaign was presented at JWB. Seel is a JWB Board member.

“It’s amazing how research and horrible happenings, experiences or deaths have created better conditions and more knowledge for our mothers today.”

She said much has changed over the years to ensure babies sleep safe and provided a couple of examples.

“No longer do you put bumpers around the cribs because those are hazardous,” Seel said. “And now you place the baby on their back versus the stomach.”

The Sleep Baby Safely campaign is based on local data that features understandable language, undeniable facts and easy to remember tips, she said. Consistent messaging also is a factor, making sure everyone identifies the cause of death as suffocation — not sudden infant death syndrome.

Seel said it has been nearly 20 years since the District 6 Medical Examiner’s Office has determined an infant sleep-related death as SIDS.

Education is a big part of the Sleep Baby Safely campaign — making sure that everyone knows it is safest for babies to sleep on their back. They should also sleep in an empty crib, bassinet or Pack n’ Play.

All items should be removed from the crib, including blankets, pillows and stuffed animals. Mattresses should be firm and sheets should be tight fitting. Use a one-piece sleeper or sleep sack to keep babies warm.

More babies die in adult beds than any other place. Two-thirds of infant sleep-related deaths happened when parents shared a bed with their baby. Infants are 40 times more likely to die in adult bed than in their own crib. Other soft surfaces such as couches, futons, recliners and air mattresses also pose a risk of suffocation.

Mothers who bring their baby into their bed to nurse should return the child to the crib after they’re done. Set an alarm to make sure you don’t fall asleep.

Lynda Leedy, JWB’s chief administrative officer, talked about some of the ways those involved in the Sleep Baby Safely were working together to spread the message. A welcome bag was given to every single baby born in 2018. The bag includes safety literature and an onesie that says, “This side up,” on the front.

The County’s emergency medical services personnel are involved. Leedy said Sunstar paramedics, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, Largo and Clearwater police, as well as the Sheriff’s Office had trained more than 2,500 employees, who are now able to “deliver direct on-scene safe sleep education.”

JWB and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue produced a video, featuring Recue Chief Ian Womack, who says, “I know all too well and seen way too many babies die from sleeping unsafely. And the tragic thing is — all these deaths could have been prevented.”

Healthy Start Coalition rebranded and expanded its Beds for Babies program and is providing a Pack n’ Play (bed) to every family that does not have a safe place for their baby to sleep.

“All these efforts collectively are working,” Leedy said, adding that the number of reports of infants deaths were down slightly in 2018.

“We hope to continue that trend in 2019,” she said.

To view article by Tampa Bay Newspapers visit: https://www.tbnweekly.com/pinellas_county/article_53c2cd28-2976-11e9-9280-fbc3592d4b38.html