HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION SUMMIT SLATED FOR OCT. 22

At 9:00 a.m., Thursday, October 22, 2009 at the Doubletree Hotel in Tampa, local business executives, educators, community impact organizations and government leaders will meet at Graduation Pathway. Participants will learn how to positively influence high school graduation rates in Hillsborough County.

Convened by the Children’s Board, the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County Public Schools and United Way of Tampa Bay, Graduation Pathway offers area business leaders critical information to keep teens focused and graduating from high school.

Graduation Pathway addresses the issue as a community-wide challenge, not just that of schools or parents, and is designed for CEOs, COOs, senior executives, entrepreneurs and human resource directors.

Dr. Bill R. Daggett, president of the International Center for Leadership in Education, is the keynote speaker. His presentation,  The New 3 R’s: Rigor, Relevance and Relationships focuses on the impact of high school graduation on the future Tampa Bay workforce.

Dr. Daggett has also collaborated with education groups in several countries, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Governors’ Association, and other national organizations.  He is recognized worldwide for his proven ability to move education systems toward more rigorous and relevant skills and knowledge for students. He has assisted several states and hundreds of school districts, including Hillsborough, with their school improvement initiatives, many in response to No Child Left Behind and its demanding adequate yearly progress provisions.

Also presenting is MaryEllen Elia, superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools, the eighth largest school district in the United States with more than 189,000 students and almost 26,000 full-time employees. MaryEllen has been superintendent since July 2005 and draws on a deep reservoir of educational experience in her CEO responsibilities.

Dr. Daggett will facilitate a panel discussion on strategies proven to increase graduation rates.  The prominent panel participants are Joe Follman, Executive Director of Learn & Serve Florida; Gordon Gillette, CEO of TECO & People’s Gas; Judy Nee, Executive Director of the National Afterschool Association; Joe Radelet, VP of Mentoring for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America; and Chuck Saylors, President of the National PTA.

Breakout sessions on these strategies include Service Learning, Parent Involvement, Business Mentors, Out-of-School Time, and Ready for Work or School follow the panel. A complimentary luncheon provided by our sponsors follows with welcoming remarks by Mayor Pam Iorio, City of Tampa.

Graduation Pathway is free; attendees will receive lunch and program materials.  Interested individuals must register online.

Graduation Pathway is underwritten by State Farm Insurance, Humana and America’s Promise. Without their generous support, it would not be possible. The Tampa Bay Business Journal is the exclusive media sponsor.

ESPN 1040 & eBay Sports Auction Now Underway

It’s Showtime, Baby!

Follow the United Way ESPN 1040 Sports Auction starting today live on the ESPN airwaves and on eBay, all to benefit United Way of Tampa Bay. Click here to see the eBay auction items. Different and unique items will be on ESPN 1040, so be sure to listen to the live auction on radio, and visit eBay.

PARTIAL LISTING of eBAY ITEMS GOING UP FOR AUCTION!
This is just a partial listing of the great memorabilia that goes online on eBay starting September 21.

You can bid and win any or all of the following:

Jack Nicklaus & Arnold Palmer – 1971 Vintage Photo
B&W framed photo of Jack & Arnie from Laurel Valley Golf Club in 1971

Tiger Woods – Signed Flag Collage- US Open at Torrey Pines
Signed framed collage with flag from the 2008 US Open Championships; w/COA

Eli Manning – Signed Super Bowl Collage
Photo framed collage signed by Eli Manning with replica Super Bowl Ticket; w/COA

Urban Meyer – Signed Photo
Coach Meyer framed photo from the BCS Championship Victory; w/COA

Williams, Orr & Bird – Boston Greats Signed Shadowbox
Ted Williams, Bobby Orr & Larry Bird – Signed by the Boston sports greats with patch from their team; w/COA

Lebron James – Signed Shadowbox Collage
Cleveland Cavaliers star Lebron James – Signed framed photo collage with unique NBA card set; w/COA

Ted Williams & Babe Ruth – Photo Collage
Unique framed photo collage of Ted & the Babe with engraved signatures

Joe DiMaggio & Mickey Mantle – Vintage B&W 1951 Photo
Framed photo of DiMaggio & Mantle in 1951 which is Joe’s last year and Mickey’s first year as a Yankee

Magic Johnson & Michael Jordan – Photo Collage
Framed photo collage of the two NBA greats with engraved signatures

Dale Earnhardt Jr – Signed Two Photo Collage
Nice framed signed two photo collage of Dale Jr.; w/COA

Peyton Manning – Signed Photo
Signed framed photo of Super Bowl Champion & MVP

MORE ITEMS WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER IN THE WEEK!

Share this will all of your sport fan friends. Help United Way by “sharing” this on your Facebook Wall and on Twitter, too! Spread the word and help others!  Remember, there will be more  and different items on Radio ESPN1040, broadcasting in Tampa Bay throughout the week. If you are in Tampa Bay, listen for even more items!

SULPHUR SPRINGS RESOURCE CENTER GRAND OPENING

Through many months of hard work and marriage of community and agency, the Sulphur Springs Resource Center became a reality on Saturday, March 28 when the grand opening was celebrated.

“The center will provide training and services that the community identified that it needed, said Emery Ivery, vice-president of United Way’s Community and Partnership Development. “Teamwork is what makes this so special.”

Services and programs that will be provided include: financial literacy, financial assistance, employment training, legal assistance, and GED training.

The center will be open Monday through Friday and occasional Saturdays starting April 13. It will be staffed by United Way partner agencies: Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA, Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, and Bay Area Legal Services. The Tampa Bay Workplace Alliance and Hillsborough Schools will also provide training.

“A lot of partners and committed individuals worked together – a neighborhood alliance, agency partners, schools – to support Sulphur Springs and the vision to make it a better place. It took awhile, but there’s been steady progress along the way,” said Paula Kay, United Way Community Partnership and Development Manager.   United Way partners include: Cy and Joanne Spurlino, J.P.Morgan Chase, Hillsborough County Schools, Time Customer Service and Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Inc. IBM provided in-kind donations of computers while Refurbished Office Furniture provided office furniture for the center.

As the efforts move forward, United Way will gather data from the center’s programs, continue to convene community partners, advance further training opportunities, and secure resources for the center to prosper.

“This is a cause for celebration. People came together with this shared vision to make it happen: to support families,” Ivery said.  More than 75 people attended the grand opening from throughout the region, but especially from throughout Sulphur Springs.

For more information about the Sulphur Springs Resource Center, contact Paula Kay, Community Partnership and Development Manager, at 813.274.0936.

Nonprofit leaders: Earn Executive MBA Scholarship from USF

Executives from charitable agencies seeking to hone their business skills, and apply them in the non-profit arena, are invited to apply for a $20,000 scholarship to the Executive MBA program at the University of South Florida in Tampa. 

Deadline to apply is June 1.

Applicants must have at least five years managerial experience, a proven record with a Tampa Bay 501 (c)(3) non-profit agency, commit to at least three additional years of service to a local non-profit upon graduation, currently hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, and score 500 or higher on the GMAT. This scholarship is not limited to those with a business degree. Applicants who hold degrees in other fields, such as juvenile justice, psychology, social work, or education are eligible to apply.

The curriculum is practical, timely, and immediately useful. The fast-paced four-semester cohort program allows even the busiest senior-level professionals to maintain career responsibilities while earning an MBA.  Careful, day-long scheduling requires students to spend just one Friday and two Saturdays per month in the classroom, providing students flexibility and control over self-directed and team study.Program specifics can be found online at http://www.emba.usf.edu/.

The scholarship covers nearly half of the $40,000 fees for the 20-month program.  The remaining fees (plus mandated tuition increases) will be pro-rated and payable at the beginning of each of the four semesters of the program.    Applicants may apply for Stafford Loans through the USF Office of Financial Aid to help defray these expenses.   Some employers offer tuition reimbursement programs that may help offset expenses.

All scholarship applicants are required to take the GMAT.  Applications must include a completed Executive MBA Preliminary Application form (with a note indicating application is for the Not-for-Profit scholarship), two letters of recommendation, a statement of support from a current employer, university transcripts and a current resume. 

All documents can be found at http://coba.usf.edu/programs/emba/apply.html.  For more information, call 974-4876.

Girl Scouts of West Central Florida Inc.

In Girl Scouts, girls discover the fun, friendship and power of girls together. Girl Scouting helps girls develop their full individual potential; relate to others with increasing understanding, skill and respect; develop values to guide their actions and provide the foundation for sound decision-making; and contribute to the improvement of society through their abilities, leadership skills and cooperation with others.

Girl Scouts of West Central Florida serves more than 28,000 girls, ages 5-17, and 10,000 adult volunteers in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter counties.

For more information, call: 813-281-4475 
Website: http://www.gswcf.org 
United Way provides funding to the Girl Scouts of  $257,000 

Featured Partner: RCS

RCS is a registered 501 (c) 3 organization with four distinct yet interwoven programs working together to provide basic needs to people in Pinellas County

RCS Food Bank is the largest distributor of food to those in need in Pinellas County, serving between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals monthly at RCS’s warehouse and through 62 sub-sites.

RCS Grace House provides 8 weeks of apartment-style shelter to homeless families along with all of life’s necessities, maximizing their opportunity to reach self-sufficiency.

The Haven of RCS empowers victims of domestic violence to become survivors, offering shelter, legal advocacy, 911 phones, individual and group support, preventative education and more.
 
The RCS Thrift Store offers a dignified shopping experience at no charge to participants in RCS programs while providing revenue to RCS through sales to the public, including household items and furniture.

For more information: http://www.rcshelps.com
Telephone: 727-584-3528

United Way funds The Haven and the Food Bank.