Last Friday, more than 600 gathered to celebrate JWB’s 75th Anniversary and the passing of the Juvenile Welfare Board Special Act in 1946, marking the milestone of our nation’s first independent board enacted to guard the rights and needs of Pinellas County children. We celebrated our 2021 KidsFirst Awardees for the difference these social service professionals are making in the lives of children.
Plus, we named The Honorable Irene Sullivan as the winner of our first Dillinger-McCabe Putting Children First Leadership Award, established to honor the legacies of two longstanding leaders on the JWB Board – retired Public Defender Bob Dillinger and the late State Attorney Bernie McCabe.
In her acceptance speech, Judge Sullivan remarked, “Bernie and Bob were my heroes in Juvenile Court. Although having very separate roles, they worked together to help create programs that provided services to juveniles and often kept them out of detention. Their longtime cooperation, as elected State Attorney and elected Public Defender, was unique in Florida and the envy of juvenile judges everywhere. It was my pleasure to serve alongside them on the Juvenile Welfare Board, as they also did their homework, asked the right questions, and were excellent stewards of taxpayer money. I’m so honored to receive this award named for these two distinguished public servants.”
Watch this very special day unfold through the photo album we’ve posted on Facebook–and stay tuned for a video recap of this momentous day.
Since he arrived in Florida 40 years ago, Loc Nguyen has watched the Vietnamese community grow from a handful to a population of more than 10,000 in the Lealman area.
“The population of the Asian community I think is exploding now,” the 66-year-old said. “We like to support the Asian communities.”
Nguyen fled to Florida from his native country in 1982, after the Vietnam war broke out. He escaped in a small boat that he described as overfilled.
“The first thing, when I see the people on the boat, I was panicked,” said Nguyen. “Such a small boat with 60 people, we barely have enough food and water.”
Nguyen said on the first day, a big storm hit he was certain they would all die. Miraculously, they survived and were rescued on their third day at sea by an oil research ship from Japan.
Nguyen said the ordeal made him believe in God for the first time.
“No human can survive such a situation. Must have something else. At that time, I don’t believe in God at all,” he said. “Eventually, I think, yes, there’s a creature, a power of supernatural. He helped us.”
Nguyen was sent to Florida because he had a cousin living in Pinellas County. His girlfriend was sent to live with relatives in Minnesota. Nguyen said he brought his girlfriend to Largo and they were married.
Florida’s weather reminds them both of Saigon, he said.
Nguyen said he was one of the first volunteers at the Lealman Asian Neighborhood Family Center. It offers services in multiple languages, for job applications, citizenship and after school programs for children.
“We try to serve not only the Asian people, the Asian children, but also the people around here,” he said. “The local people too.”
Nguyen has since become a board member and taught a smart phone class before the pandemic began.
“At that time, I don’t have smart phone yet,” he said. “I learned it by using it. When I’m using it and (there’s) something I don’t understand, I have to Google it to do research.”
Recently, Nguyen helped organize the installation of a monument that honors all the American and South Vietnamese service members who were killed in the war. He wants younger generations to remember their roots.
“They see the monument, they will recall why we’re here, why we’re in the states,” he said. “That’s the reason why we’re here.”
The permanent monument sits on the corner of Little Saigon Plaza in Clearwater. Victor Pham, 36, owns the Tea Lounge in the plaza. Pham said the plaza owners bought it three years ago.
“They decided to open up Little Saigon Plaza just to have the community come here,” he said. “Now we are very happy to have a place that we can call the center of the Asian community.”
Nguyen said it’s important to support the businesses in Little Saigon Plaza.
“We know when the Asian community opens a business they struggle at first,” he said. “We have to support them so they can survive.”
Nguyen’s story is part of Spectrum Bay News 9’s continuing coverage of Asian American Pacific Islander Month, which runs through May 31.
Today, 3/25/22, is National Cerebral Palsy (CP) Awareness Day, and we’d like to introduce you to JWB volunteer, Rachel Glander, who lives proudly and independently with CP.
Rachel has given her time to JWB since August of 2019 after a contact of hers at St. Petersburg College showed her a call for volunteers on a notice board.
“I was looking for something to do with my day after I finished at SPC in 2018,” Glander said. “Particularly after my Dad died, I needed something to keep my mind busy.”
She came into the office for an interview and was such an obvious fit that she was asked, “Can you start next week?”
Glander generally volunteers twice a week—Tuesdays and Thursdays—and is ready for any task.
“I’ll try anything that needs to be done,” she said. “Some things I struggle with because of my fine motor skills—like threading strings into tags for Welcome Baby bags—but I tried it, and figured out I can tie the knots just fine!”
In fact, she once tied knots on more than 100 bags in a sitting!
Glander says it’s JWB staff’s openness and acceptance that keep her coming back.
“You give me a chance to be a functioning member of society. It meant a lot to me when I saw that my wheelchair didn’t matter here. I thought, ‘I’ve finally found my place!’”
When she got a new motorized chair that can raise her 12 inches to get dishes from upper cabinets and other formerly out-of-reach items, she was proud to take a tour around the building and let her JWB friends celebrate with her.
“It helps me be more independent,” she beamed as she demonstrated a few of its features.
Even on rainy days, like the one when we interviewed her, when she feels more aches and pains, she’s eager to get to JWB and see what needs to be done.
“I love what JWB does: helping people. I like to do whatever I can do to help people, too.”
“I love it all,” she said, but her favorite work involves preparing the books to be given away to kids. “I’m in my happy place with books. I love to read now and have books scattered all over my home, but I struggled with reading as a kid and had extra help to learn. I like seeing all the new books that are going to help kids love to read too.”
It’s especially fun, she said, to prepare some of the titles she loved as a kid to go to new readers.
Without Glanders’ dedicated volunteering, it wouldn’t be possible for JWB to reach as many kids and families as we do with Welcome Baby bags, backpacks, books, and more. She may have CP, but it doesn’t stop her from putting kids first!
Parents and caregivers looking for affordable and enriching childcare this summer should look no further than the city of Clearwater’s summer camps. Children will build new friendships, create life-long memories and go on adventures and field trips from May 31 to August 5.
Each week campers will focus on character traits like honesty, respect, courage, self-control or leadership. The character trait theme will be carried into their arts and crafts project, team sports, field trips and more. Camp is offered for children entering elementary and middle school at the Countryside Recreation Center, the Long Center and Morningside Recreation Center.
Campers can spend the entire ten weeks of summer at one of Clearwater recreation centers for $100 or less per week. For session and individual week pricing, visit myclearwater.com/camps.
For those that qualify, the North Greenwood Recreation Center and Ross Norton Recreation Complex summer camps are sponsored by the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB), are free and include lunch.
Camp registration begins today for Clearwater residents and open registration begins on Friday, March 18. Parents and caregivers can register their child in-person at one of the following locations:
Countryside Recreation Center, 2640 Sabal Springs Dr., (727) 669-1914
Tallahassee Community College announced honorees from the third annual Heroes in Public Safety celebration. Heroes in Public Safety was created to recognize TCC alumni who have trained at the Florida Public Safety Institute or the Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education, or individuals who are members of public safety in our community.
This celebration recognizes personnel in the following areas: law enforcement officers, firefighters, fish and wildlife officers, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, juvenile justice officers, corrections officers and communications personnel who put their lives on the line or provide direct support for the safety and protection of Florida’s residents and visitors in Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty and Wakulla Counties.
The Public Safety Hall of Fame distinction is reserved for individuals, making a difference within our community, and have demonstrated extraordinary service to their community, state, and/or nation through their continued leadership in the public safety field.
The following people have been inducted into the Public Safety Hall of Fame class of 2022:
Chris Corbitt, Sergeant, Tallahassee Police Department
Arthur Kirby, Public Safety Communications Officer, Consolidated Dispatch Agency
Bill Martinez, Sergeant of the Patrol, Florida Highway Patrol
Nick Roberts, Detective, Tallahassee Police Department
Alice Sims, Assistant Secretary for Prevention Services, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to those who have dedicated years of service during a distinguished career, advancing the public safety profession through their leadership roles. Lifetime Achievement honorees are committed and have made extraordinary contributions through their work, which has had a positive impact on the community.
The following individuals have received the Lifetime Achievement Award:
Michael Anderson, Executive Director, Florida Department of Corrections
David Brand, Law Enforcement Coordinator, Florida Sheriff’s Association
Annette Brown, Division Chief, Tallahassee Fire Department
Craig Carroll, Operations Captain, Leon County Sheriff’s Office
David Coffman, Retired Director of Forensic Services, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Albert “Al” Gandy, Retired Chief Investigator, State Attorney’s Office Second Judicial Court
Corey Thornton, a motivator by trade and a performer at heart, speaks to young people in the language they’ve always understood — catchy music.
A recording artist and motivational speaker, the St. Pete native, travels to schools and venues all over the state, sharing his brand of “edutainment” to convey important and inspirational messages through song. In original tracks such as “School Rock,” he raps over a thumping beat, encouraging children to stay in school and stay focused on their dreams, while in “Cash Me In Da Library,” he sings about the value of reading skills.
“You can’t just be a motivational speaker these days,” he said. “You’ve got to have a little something extra to draw them in. Do the songs, earn their respect, and I could talk to them.”
During his middle school days in the musical theater program, Thornton took up jazz, tap, and acting before attending the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High. Later, while working at an academy program for at-risk youths, Thornton saw too many kids who had made bad decisions and wanted to motivate them to stay on the right track.
“I saw firsthand them being locked up away from their parents for a while because of the choices that they made,” he said. “As a musical artist, I thought, let me write about what they’re going through and what it’s like in this facility being locked up, and try to reach the kids before they end up in that program.”
Almost two decades later, Thornton, 44, still performs “individualized” concerts, tailoring his approach to the needs of his young audiences by writing and performing songs that address specific issues.
“We base our concerts based on what each school is struggling with,” he explained. “They’ll say, ‘Ok, we’ve had some problems with bullying going on. Can you rap some songs that talk about bullying and what it’s like to show respect to each other?’ Then I would talk to the students, like a motivational speaking engagement, about what I just rapped about.”
The focus of these performances could be about criticizing bullying, boosting school attendance, or even passing the Florida Standard Assessment tests.
“I would relieve a lot of anxiety and stress on the students when I come in to pump them up and let them know, ‘Hey, I’ve been there, done that, but if you take these simple steps, you can pass the test!’”
Though the pandemic has made things more challenging for Thornton to perform, it has not deterred him. In 2020, he put out motivational speaking clips that the schools would play in the classrooms and even did some virtual concerts. In the past year, however, he has been able to give concerts outdoors on school grounds in person, which he believes is essential in conveying the full energy of the performance.
To help get his messages across, he has also partnered with the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas, which provides funding for many educational programs in the county. At the beginning of every school year, the organization sponsors Thornton to spread his musical messages to 10 to 15 schools around Pinellas.
“They know that music is the key to reach our next generations,” Thornton said, “so they partnered with me, a motivational speaking artist, and we got together and produced a song to encourage students to go to school, which is called “Every Day Counts.”
Also, in partnership with JWB, Thornton wrote a song encouraging students to log on and do their schoolwork whenever they must attend classes remotely. He has even teamed up with Heinemann Publishing for his biography “Rapping for Kids: Corey’s Story,” a book in the grade four Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™ (FPC) Guided Reading Collection.
“Right now, a lot of people are struggling with their reading skills across the United States, so they make books to inspire students to read,” he said. “And what a way to partner with me, to show them a positive guy that goes out to rap! They wrote a book on my life — going out to schools to perform for students — and they used my book to help teach fourth graders how to read.”
Heinemann printed one million copies in early 2020 and distributed them to schools across the country.
“When they did that, that’s when my emails started blowing up for virtual concerts and gigs in different schools!” Thornton said.
His biography has attracted far-reaching attention. He got the chance to shine in the national spotlight when he appeared on Good Morning America in the summer of 2020, talking about his goal to motivate children through his music. Thornton also spins as a DJ at various events, including weddings, parties, and corporate functions.
“Parks and venues and anything family entertainment,” he said, “because I keep all the music clean, and I keep everybody engaged.”
Not only has Thornton developed a following with his music on YouTube and Spotify, but more rewarding for him, he has made lifelong fans of school kids that he’s touched through his music and lyrics. Many reach out to him years after graduating, having found success in their lives and fulfilling careers.
“They’ll be like, ‘Thank you for motivating me when I was in school — now I really, really understand what you were talking about because I’m living it!’” he said. “That makes me feel good. I just keep pushing with the mission!”
This week’s Everyday Hero is an educator dedicated to fighting a battle faced by far too many children.
Julie Christman is the Literacy Director at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast in Largo.
“I am honored to be the guardian of a fantastic literacy program that I got to design,” Christman said. “We were awarded a grant by the juvenile welfare board two years ago to start in three clubs.”
The success of that program, called “unlock reading,” has now moved to eight clubs.
Christman is a champion of literacy for kids and a tireless one as well.
Serving grades “K through 12,” she says the importance of reading cannot be stressed enough.
“Reading is everything,” she said. “Reading is the foundation upon which all other essential skills are built. And reading literary is the great equalizer.”
She says nationwide 50 percent of our children are not reading at grade level.
“That statistic is compounded by poverty so 80 percent of children who are under served are not reading proficiently.”
The program is designed to be fun while they learn.
“To see kids grow in one to four months that they’ve been with us,” she said. “They’ve grown on average a year in reading skills.”
Kids can chart their success which brings great joy. As does the coveted certificate of achievement.
For Christman, this is what it’s all about.
“To graduate third graders at reading level and to graduate high school on time,” she said. “And we are making that happen.”
Like a professional athlete calling it a career at the top of their game, Pinellas County Schools (PCS) Superintendent Dr. Michael A. Grego announced he is stepping down from his role after 10 years of leading the district.
Grego announced Thursday that after serving 42 years in Florida public education, and the last 10 as Pinellas County’s superintendent, the 2021-22 school year would be his last. His retirement officially begins on July 1.
Grego told the Catalyst that in light of the district’s recent successes, and with a clear path to build on that momentum moving forward, he felt the time was right for the sun to set on a long and fulfilling career.
“I just think it’s a good time where things are clicking, and every aspect of our school district is moving in a positive direction,” said Grego. “What better time to hand off the baton to the next person.”
Academically, Grego said PCS is second to none. He meant that literally, as PCS announced Wednesday that its graduation rate set a new record. The county’s graduation rate is also the highest among Florida’s 10 largest districts and tops every district in the Tampa Bay region.
Grego found it difficult to name his proudest achievement. He had several options.
During Grego’s tenure, the graduation rate improved from 70% to 92%. The graduation rate amongst the county’s Black students rose from just 56% to 86.3%, and the Hispanic graduation rate improved from 63% to 92%.
When Grego took the helm, the graduation rate for non-English speaking students was just 40%. Today it is just under 84%.
Grego also noted that enrollment in Advanced Placement courses jumped 79% over the last 10 years.
“Which is an unbelievable statistic,” said Grego. “We have over 13,000 students engaged in some level of college-level courses.”
Grego said PCS has also eliminated over 20 D and F-rated schools, and there is no longer a school with an F grade in the district.
“We came in, and we collectively teamed to really try and hit every single factor in our school district,” he added.
Grego said modernizing the district’s facilities was another major focus during his tenure, and every school under his purview has undergone enhancements. PCS invested over $750 million updating its schools, he said – and for Clearwater and Largo High Schools and Pinellas Park Middle, modernization required building completely new facilities.
“We’re leaving things in great shape,” said Grego. “We’ve built so many systems and all of our divisions – our human resources and finances are in very good condition – it’s a very healthy district. We’ve hit every chord.”
While PCS has realized drastic improvements during hiss tenure, Grego also had to navigate the district through incredible challenges. He said that societal issues permeate public education, which was clear during the last two years of the pandemic. He said it was also evident with the Great Recession and the current affordable housing crisis.
Grego said societal challenges are ubiquitous in their impacts on public education, but education is also a stabilizing force that brings a sense of normalcy to the surrounding community.
“Our district’s done a great job to keep pushing forward, and nothing has fallen backward,” he said. “It’s the nature of educators – they are complete overachievers, and they do a remarkable job.”
Grego said he has no specific retirement plans yet and looks forward to his last six months with PCS. He said he wanted to give the district enough time to conduct a thorough and transparent search for his successor. Grego said he would work with the school board in any way possible to ensure the district never takes a step backward and noted the trust and strong relationship he built with the board over the years.
“I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what it takes to be an effective superintendent. But ultimately, it’s their decision.”
Grego said the one thing he has tried to impress upon students and faculty is to “dream big.” He said he tried to create a school system to foster those dreams and prepare every student for college, or more importantly, life. He said he is a firm believer that if you challenge students, they will rise to the task.
“If there’s a message, it’s centered around expectation and a belief in yourself that you can be and do anything you want to do. Just continue to work hard for it, and it will come your way.”
A Pinellas Park family got a big gift this Christmas, one they could share with their neighbors.
The Juvenile Welfare Board Mid-County Community Council and City of Pinellas Park teamed up to put on a parade in the Arias family’s honor. Every year the Council selects a family to adopt during the holidays. This year it was the Arias family, who stood by their son’s side as he fought cancer.
Shortly after his first birthday, Rey Arias started getting sick. By the time he was 18 months old, they learned he had lymphoma. His mother, Kenia, had to quit her job to care for him and their family of six.
“He’s doing well. Last year it was a different story, but this year he gets to stay home with us,” said Kenia. While Rey’s cancer is now in remission, the family lives with the uncertainty that it could come back as they struggle with piling debt.
But, this Christmas, they got some help. The Council helped Santa get them gifts and a tree to put them under. They topped it all off with a parade featuring the City of Pinellas Park Fire and Police Departments, City officials, and Santa Claus. Rey even got to take a ride around the block on the fire engine and wear his own hard hat.
The celebration went through The Lodges at Pinellas Park. It’s an affordable apartment complex offering homes for lower-income families, free literacy tutoring, job training classes, and more.
In addition to holiday gifts for the Arias family, JWB also gave away free books to all Lodges’ children who attended the parade.
Fresh off a fiscal year during which St. Pete Free Clinic (SPFC) distributed a record 20.4 million pounds of food throughout Pinellas County to address rising food insecurity, the organization is poised to push through the holiday season and into a new year responding to ongoing increased demand for basic needs.
Over the last year, the cost of housing, groceries, healthcare, transportation and daycare have increased by double-digit percentage points, making the basics unaffordable for Pinellas County’s “asset limited-income constrained-employed,” or ALICE population (a coin termed by the United Way), a population that was already living paycheck to paycheck pre-Covid. Inflation coupled with wage stagnation, which widely persists even amid labor shortages, means that many individuals and families are facing impossible choices like paying their increased rent or putting food on the table.
To meet sharply increased and persistent community needs, SPFC has significantly stepped up its efforts to provide nutritious food for triple as many Pinellas County residents as it was pre-Covid, as well as has increased by more than a third its number of new patients being seen in the organization’s Health Center, which provides primary care, dental care and no-cost prescription medication for uninsured adults.
Just two years ago, SPFC, which also operates one of the county’s largest food banks, distributed 11.3 million pounds of food throughout St. Petersburg and surrounding areas. Now, distributing double as much food, thanks to increased funding from the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB), SPFC leaders do not see a slowdown coming any time soon.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2021, hourly wages in the US increased by 3.6%. However, current rates of inflation gave the average worker a 2% pay cut. The reality is that nearly 50% of our neighbors in Pinellas County – our teachers, baristas, hospital support professionals, security guards, restaurant servers – work hard every day, sometimes holding more than one job, and still have to make tough choices each month, like whether to pay the utility bill or put gas in the car to get to work.
SPFC wants to be sure our neighbors don’t need to make those kinds of choices. We provide nutritious food, no-cost prescription drug support, healthcare and housing for those recovering from substance use, to help people fill gaps, stay healthy, and ease the stress of untenable circumstances.
JWB CEO Beth Houghton shared, “Families were struggling before Covid, but the pandemic has created a tsunami of unprecedented need. Ensuring children have adequate and nourishing food is one of our top priorities. Without it, they cannot learn, grow, or thrive, and their physical and mental health suffers. The JWB Board understands this, and has supported increased investments to ensure no Pinellas child goes hungry.”
JWB provides funding for Pinellas nonprofits, including SPFC, who serve tens of thousands of children and their families annually. Over the past two years, JWB’s investments and collective efforts, through the Pinellas Childhood Hunger Initiative, have provided five million nourishing meals to children.
In addition to expansions in its distribution of nutritious food, prescription support and healthcare, because of an unexpected and sizable donation, SPFC is gearing up to deliver major relief to women in need of feminine hygiene products and families who need diapers. Considered “luxury items,” feminine hygiene products have become so unaffordable that women and girls often skip school or work because they do not have these products on hand and cannot afford to acquire them.
Further, the increased cost of diapers means that one in three families cannot access this basic need for their infants and toddlers. No diapers means no capability to drop children off at daycare, which means a parent skips work and skips getting paid.
It’s an impossible cycle. The cost of basics like feminine hygiene and diapers contribute to women not being able to join or re-join the workforce, yet if they’re not able to secure and maintain employment that pays them a living wage, they continue not to be able to afford these critical supports, let alone put groceries on the table or pay their rent.
With the support of generous donors, funders like the Juvenile Welfare Board, and other community partners, SPFC is prepared to steadily serve Pinellas County’s neighbors in need during the holiday season and beyond.
For more information about SPFC or to donate to our Give Hope campaign, please visit www.thespfc.org
