SARASOTA NAACP FREEDOM AWARDS BANQUET SET FOR OCTOBER 3RD
BY C.S. HOWARD
Continued on Page 10 The Sarasota County Branch NAACP will host its 34th Annual Freedom Awards Banquet on Thursday, October 3rd at the Sarasota Hyatt, 1000 Blvd. of the Arts in Sarasota. The prestigious Freedom Awards are presented to individuals, organizations and businesses that have significantly contributed to furthering the local and national goals of the NAACP and for their significant contributions to the Sarasota community.
The 2019 honorees are Rising Star – Jaela Dennis; Go Forth and Prosper – Dr. Jobia Keys; President’s Awards – Joe Polzak and Kevin Stiff of the Homeless Outreach Team Program; Business and Industry – Publix Supermarkets/Publix Charities; Community Service – Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe; Public Service – Captain Lori Jaress; Education – Cheryl Steele; and Lifetime Achievement – Nancy Jenkins. The Rising Star award is presented to a student who maintains a 3.0 or higher GPA and is actively involved in community service and school activities. Jaela is a senior at Booker High School where she maintains a 3.5 GPA. She is enrolled in the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Program, and among the organizations she participates in include Career Technical Education (CTE) Program, College for Every Student and Brilliant Pathways Programs, Key Club, and Student Government Association. She is a member of the Tornadoes Girls Basketball Team. Dr. Keys earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Communication from the University of Miami with specialties in Broadcast Journalism and Creative Writing. She earned her Master’s degree in Mass Communication from the University of Central Florida, and her Ph.D. in Communication from Georgia State University. She currently works as an Assistant Professor of Communication at Florida Southern College. Kevin Stiff and Joe Polzak work with the Sarasota Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team Program (HOT Team). Polzak is SPD’s Police Legal Advisor and Stiff is the Homelessness Response Coordinator. In 2006, the Sarasota Police Department created a Transient Liaison position in order to direct people to service providers available to them. In 2014, the first HOT Team was formed and Stiff and Pol zak have been with this program since its inception, laying the groundwork for its success and continuing to think of new and progressive ways to improve it so those who are displaced may build a bridge to services to help end the cycle of homelessness. Publix Charities is the charitable arm of Publix Supermarkets. Publix was founded in 1966 and the charitable foundation was founded with the intention of caring for the community. It remains committed to serving the communities in which Publix operates, endeavoring to meet the needs of the people, by supporting organizations that focus on youth, education, reducing hunger, and alleviating homelessness. LaTarsha Melvin is a Retail Staffing Specialist at Publix where she assists in hiring managers and obtaining qualified applicants for positions at Publix. Next week, learn more about the accomplishments of honorees Cheryl Steele, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Captain Lori Jaress and Nancy Jenkins. Cynthia S. Howard is the banquet chairperson and Trevor D. Harvey is branch president.
