ONYX on the Move

ONYX MAGAZINE HOSTS FIRST POLITICAL FORUM

ONYX Magazine held its first political forum ahead of the Orlando District 5 commissioner’s race. Incumbent Orlando Commissioner Regina I. Hill, District 5, and Candidate Shan Rose answered questions submitted by community members who attended the event held at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida on Lakeland Ave. Moderators Rod Love and Attorney Greg Jackson of radio show “Let’s Talk Nation” asked questions about affordable housing, gun violence, street clean-ups, and other pertinent issues. Presidents from neighborhood associations throughout District 5 received recognition from ONYX Magazine Publisher

Rich Black, who also is the president of the Lake Sunset/Luola Terrace Neighborhood Association in the district. To see the forum in its entirety, visit ONYX Magazine’s Facebook page where the forum appeared on Facebook Live.

CDC OF TAMPA RECEIVES FINANCIAL COMMITMENT FROM 5/3 BANK

Fifth Third Bank and Enterprise Community Partners today announced the establishment of a neighborhood program to support the East Tampa community’s revitalization efforts. The Fifth Third Neighborhood Investment Program will span over three years and focus on the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa (CDC of Tampa) and cross-sector collaborations.

Fifth Third intends to commit up to $20 million in lending, investments and philanthropic support, including grants from the Fifth Third Foundation to East Tampa. A combination of capital, products and services will be invested into small businesses, mortgages, philanthropic efforts, and neighborhood revitalization loans and investments. The Neighborhood Investment Program is part of Fifth Third’s $2.8 billion commitment that will provide $2.2 billion in lending, $500 million in investments, $60 million in financial accessibility and $40 million in philanthropy from the Fifth Third Foundation as part of Fifth Third’s Accelerating Racial Equality, Equity and Inclusion initiative.

SKIERS ORGANIZE GOLF TOURNEY

County Commissioner Gwen Myers, Fifth Third’s North Florida Regional President Cary Putrino, Jada Grandy-Mock, CDC of Tampa Founder Chloe Coney, Congresswoman Kathy Castor and CDC of Tampa CEO Ernest Coney , Jr.

My Sisters Keeper Fellows: Denise Solomon, owner of Grow, Empower, Transform Therapy; Kay-Kay Smith, creator of the Momstuffcoffeeshop Podcast; Tamira Cheedy, Baycare Medical Group; Kristal Vazquez, City of St. Petersburg and owner, Gadgets For Gz Technology Services; Shalia Moore-Hayes, School Psychologist and Community Engagement Consultant with the Patterson Foundation; and Ester Matthews, CEO of All Administrative Solutions.

The Onyx Ski & Sports Club of Tampa Bay held its 23rd Charitable Golf Tournament in October at the Historic Rogers Park Gold Course in Tampa. Fifty golfers enjoyed the event, which included 18 holes of golf, a scrumptious lunch and awards ceremony. Proceeds from the tournament will be used to take community youth on a trip to the mountains of Pennsylvania where they participate in skiing and snowboarding lessons. It is the trip of a lifetime for Florida youth. Byron Johnson was tournament chairperson; Darele Campbell is Club president; and Verneka Rhodes and Elita McMillon are Club youth directors.

Tournament organizers

SISTERS KIN-NECT PRESENTS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

“Invest, Ignite, Inspire” was the theme of this year’s Sisters Kin-nect Conference, an annual event billed as a “dynamic evening of personal investment to ignite and inspire women of all ages to connect and consider new and innovative opportunities to enhance their lives.” More than 200 people—mostly women—gathered on the waterfront lawn of the Mahaffey Theater in downtown St. Petersburg. Deputy St. Petersburg Mayor Dr. Kanika Tomalin received the Invest Award, Dr. Jeffery A. J. Johnson and his wife, Teasia Johnson, received the Inspire Award and Anjali Queen B of IHeartMedia went home with the Ignite Award. The conference endcap was a brief graduation ceremony for the inaugural class of My Sister’s Keeper Fellows. The six-month Fellowship is a leadership program “designed to meet the unique cultural needs of Black women looking to grow and achieve their business and personal goals,” according to Nikki Gaskin-Capehart, the director of Urban Affairs for the City of St. Petersburg which oversees the City’s My Brothers & Sisters Keeper (MBSK) initiative. She and a handful of other women founded the “Sister’s Kin-nect” annual conference in 2019 under the My Sister’s Keeper umbrella.