More than 6,000 women, through Dress for Success of Tampa Bay, have been fashionably dressed in business suits before their job interviews. Nearly 50 children a week at Community Stepping Stones learn how art can improve their lives and better the community. More than 80 children at the H.O.P.E. Community Center are mentored on life skills and community activism.
The nonprofits recently were honored as unsung heroes by the Tampa Police Department as part of the February celebration of black history month. Police Chief Jane Castor presented the groups plaques and a cash award at a ceremony at Ragan Park on Feb. 25.
"What they do is so wonderful for the community," said Castor, speaking to a gathering of more than 200 people.
Dress for Success is on North Howard Avenue in West Tampa. It gives donated suits and dresses to disadvantaged women looking for jobs, career advancements or improved quality of life. Many of the agency's referrals come from homeless or domestic violence shelters, job training agencies or immigration services.
Community Stepping Stones is at the Mann-Wagnon Memorial Park in Sulphur Springs. For more than seven years the youth arts program has mentored neighborhood children who sign contracts to keep up their grades, stay out of trouble and volunteer for community service. The agency recently received a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The H.O.P.E Community Center on 22nd Street, across from Middleton High School, is operated by Bible Truth Ministries. It offers computer classes, chess and checkers tournaments, Friday night basketball, mentoring and tutoring, food and clothing, and a ready supply of young people who volunteer for neighborhood clean-up efforts.
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