MANASOTA HONORS COMMUNITY CITIZENS
ManaSota Award Honorees pictured FRONT ROW (L-R): Shelia Lincoln, Ben’s Barber Shop; Jacqueline Lewis, Royal SaraMana Club; Johnny Hunter, Jr. & Johnny Hunter, Sr., TEMPO News; Shirley Washington, and Shirley and Rev. Neil McArthur; BACK ROW (L-R): Pastor Sheldon Times, Elder Ozanda Gray, Fredd Atkins, Dr. Willie Holley, and event founder Jorad Holmes, Tampa Bay Gospel News.
Tampa Bay Gospel News hosted ManaSota Honors III, honoring the best in the Manatee and Sarasota County area for contributions to the betterment of their communities. The celebration was held on Saturday, March 2nd at Happy Gospel Church in Bradenton and paid tributes to individuals and businesses in the categories of music, education, business and community service. Host and hostess were Alexdrena Green and Edward James, III. The 2019 honorees were Rev. Neil and Shirley McArthur and Royal Sara-Mana Club, Inc., Community Awareness Awards; Fredd Atkins, Community Achievement; Pastor Sheldon Times and Dr. Willie J. Holley, Pastors of the Year; Elder Ozanda Gray and Shirley Washington, Musicians of the Year; and Tempo News and Ben’s Barber Shop, Businesses of the Year. Musical artists included Nita Robinson, Tremayne ToombsCampbell, Natasha Milhouse, A.J. Holliman, Samuel Proctor, Joy Callahan, Vivi Butler, Tri-Faith and the St. Paul Baptist Church choir. Presenters were Velma Allen, Xtavia Bailey, Melanie Thomas and Terry Armando Bickum. The show was sponsored by Tampa Bay Gospel News, a promotion and marketing company based out of Tampa and Bradenton formed by Holmes, a national award winning recording artist. The company was established in the summer of 2014 to bring awareness of the different events, music releases, and other events happening in the Tampa Bay area. The company also promotes artist, groups, choirs, churches, ministries, events, and businesses.
