https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/07/23/free-book-giveaway-for-kids-in-pinellas-county

The Pinellas County School Board is celebrating its partnership with Juvenile Welfare Board, the United Way, and the myON Street Team by giving away free books to kids on Tuesday. 

• 474 books given to 237 children during event
• Community partnerships contributed to book donations

Kids who visited the Barbara S. Ponce Library on Tuesday afternoon were given two free books. They picked them out on the “Book Bus.”

Throughout the event, which lasted just over two hours, 474 books were given to 237 children. 

The books were donated and handed out through partnerships in the community. Pinellas County Schools, the Juvenile Welfare Board and United Way Suncoast all partner to help promote reading among students by giving them access to books.

Families can also access a free subscription to myON’s 6,000 digital books. Pinellas County kids, 5th grade or younger, have access to these books as part of the “Read on myON” partnership. 

The “Book Bus” has delivered more than 14,000 books to kids this summer.To view story by Spectrum Bay News 9 visit:  https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/07/23/free-book-giveaway-for-kids-in-pinellas-county

In an effort to prevent drowning, free spring and summer swimming lessons are being offered for the first time to Gulfport youth ages 3 to 12 in a partnership between the City of Gulfport and the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. 

Zakary Nelson, 6, was the first swimmer to successfully tackle the full length of the pool at Stetson University College of Law during the 10 a.m. training session on Saturday, July 13. And, he did it in his own style. “I like to do my best,” he said. When he puts his face under water while swimming, he calls it his “deep dive.” 

The YMCA’s aquatics coordinator Sidney Newfield was with Nelson all the way to make sure that the program’s swimming protocols were also followed. 

The program began at the YMCA pool while the law school’s facilities underwent some maintenance. Now, the students have their own exclusive pool for the program and organizers can have two sessions at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. instead of one that was combined at the later time, said Gulfport Vice Mayor Paul Ray.

The pool facility is free thanks to Stetson. Through monetary donations by the City of Gulfport, and the Juvenile Welfare Board partnering with the YMCA, the lessons are also free, said Ray. 

“The Gulfport pool venue is going to be easier for people in this neighborhood to get to as opposed to the Y that’s in St. Petersburg,” said Heidi Blair, YMCA senior program director. Making this an annual program “would be great. The more people we can serve the better.”

Ray would like to see the program expanded to older age groups. 

“I’d like to see some of the parents also learn how to swim. I’ve asked some of them, ‘Can you swim?’ And, almost every single one said, ‘No.’”

For more information, call the YMCA at 727-328-9622.

To view article by The Gabber visit: http://thegabber.com/swimming-with-style/

The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County has selected a new CEO, Beth Houghton, who is currently the head of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic.

“Children have always been sort of the core of my passion in helping other people,” she told the Tampa Bay Times on Monday.

Houghton said she was not looking for a new job, but when a member from the Welfare Board reached out to her about the opening, she felt drawn to the agency’s mission and substantial resources. She will sign a two-year contract to lead the Welfare Board, which has a $93.4 million annual budget. The agency issues funds to programs for kids across the county.

Houghton, who was selected following a nationwide search, is taking over for Marcie Biddleman, who led the Welfare Board for 10 years.

“She can think outside the box, but she does it in a quiet and helpful way,” said Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender Bob Dillinger, a Juvenile Welfare Board member who served on the search committee. Dillinger said he has worked with Houghton for years in her role as head of the Free Clinic. She emerged from a wide pool of candidates from as far away as Seattle, he said, in part because of her local ties.

“While our pool of candidates was strong, Ms. Houghton rose to the top because of her legal and fiscal expertise, high regard in the community, vast knowledge of Pinellas County, and reputation for getting things done,” said Jim Sewell, the Welfare Board’s immediate past chair and a member of the search committee, in a statement.

Houghton has overseen the Free Clinic, which helps people in need with food and shelter, for eight years. Her last day is Aug. 2. She is expected to start at the Welfare Board in mid September.

She is a member of the Florida Bar, first admitted in 1980, and was previously the chief financial officer and general counsel of All Children’s Hospital, according to the Welfare Board’s announcement of her hiring. She is married to Scott Wagman, a former St. Petersburg mayoral candidate and prominent local businessman.

Houghton, 64, said she will first try to get to know the northern parts of Pinellas County better in her new role, since she has worked primarily in St. Petersburg. She also plans to delve further into the Welfare Board’s recent initiatives on youth mental health, meet her employees and explore other existing programs at the agency.

“It’s wise to be quiet and listen more at first and find out what the opportunities are before you go off and set direction,” she said.

To view article by Tampa Bay Newspapers visit: https://www.tampabay.com/pinellas/pinellas-juvenile-welfare-board-selects-new-ceo-20190715/ 

On Wednesday, July 24 from 5:30PM to 8:00PM, the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg will host its annual Spelling Bee Finals at YMCA at Lealman Exchange, located at 5175 45th St. North in St. Petersburg.

During the summer, a student’s achievement score declines on average by one month’s worth of school-year learning. The YMCA’s renowned academic curriculum has culminated into a community-wide spelling bee, engaging nearly 600 youth, ages kindergarten through 8th grade. Branch bees held July 11 and 12 determined 70 finalists to compete in the YMCA Spelling Bee Finals on July 24.

The YMCA Spelling Bee is important because, quite simply, spelling helps reading. Studies show that if a student is not reading at grade level by 3rd grade they become four times more likely to drop out of high school. Additionally, spelling bees are a fun way for students to gain public speaking experience, develop a sense of sportsmanship skills and mitigate summer learning loss.

The YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg would like to thank Jabil, Raymond James & Associates and the Rays Baseball Foundation for sponsoring the 2019 Spelling Bee. Judges for this year’s event include Dr. Tanika Tomalin, Deputy Mayor/City Administrator of the City of St. Petersburg; Dr. Michael Grego, Superintendent of Pinellas County Schools; Dr. Marcie Biddleman, CEO for the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County and more.

For more information about the event visit: www.stpeteymca.org/spellingbee/

To view article by St. Pete Catalyst visit: https://stpetecatalyst.com/ymca-of-greater-st-petersburg-to-host-annual-spelling-bee/

Summer BreakSpot is a program sponsored by Pinellas County Schools Food Service and supported by partnerships with Juvenile Welfare Board, Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger, Share Our Strength- No Kid Hungry, Florida Department of Agriculture, Florida Dairy Council and UF/IFAS.

Summer BreakSpots are locations where children and teens can receive a healthy meal at no charge while school is out. A list of Summer BreakSpot locations is available at https://www.summerbreakspot.org.

To view article by Tampa Bay Newspapers visit: https://www.tbnweekly.com/schools/article_3113c366-a1a5-11e9-9478-8be65aa7adb3.html