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September
2, 2008 No. 45 Vol. 86
Stacie
Blake joined Community Tampa Bay in April, 2008.
Born and
raised in Ohio, Stacie attended college at the University of Vermont.
She holds two degrees from UVM, a bachelors in Political Science and a
masters in Public Administration. While at UVM she was a founding
member of the Presidents Commission on the Status of Women. She has
served in the non-profit sector for her entire career, working with
battered women and their children, survivors of crime, refugees,
immigrants and most recently, survivors of political torture. While in
Vermont, Stacie was responsible for Victim Services 2000, a statewide
multi-disciplinary collaborative to provide comprehensive, integrated
services to crime victims of all types. One achievement was the
creation of the VT Victim/Survivor of Crime Council, a diverse group of
survivors who became educated on all sectors of the criminal justice
system to enable them to effectively advocate for crime victim justice
as well.
As
Director of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, a field office of
the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, she welcomed nearly 200
refugees/year to Vermont from Somalia, Burundi, Bosnia, Sudan and
Congo. She expanded the Vermont Interpreting and Translating program
and helped advocate for privileged communication protections for both
spoken language and interpreters for the Deaf. She was appointed to the
Governors Workforce Council on Equity and Diversity by both Governor
Howard Dean and Governor Jim Douglas. When leaving the program for
Florida she was recognized by the Vermont Legislature with a Joint
Resolution of Appreciation for her work with refugees and immigrants
across the state.
She
became Administrator of the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, a
program of Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services in 2005. The program grew
to include the National Partnership for Community Training providing
communities across the US with practical, applied and research based
approaches to serving torture survivors within their existing resources;
two torture treatment programs, (Tampa Bay and Miami), serving nearly
300 individuals each year; and Refugee Youth and Family programs in five
counties across Florida serving hundreds of newly arrived youth from
around the world. She again expanded interpreting services locally,
growing the VOICES program to include 15 languages and making it
available to community providers outside the agency.
She
previously served as an elected member of the Huntington School Board
and as a representative on the Executive Board of the Mount Mansfield
Union School District. She received the Marshall Dimock Alumni Award
for Excellence in Public Service from the Public Administration Program
at the University of Vermont. She is an Associate of the Snelling
Center for Government-Vermont Leadership Institute. Currently she is a
member of the Project PRO$PER Loan Committee, a program to support newly
arrived working immigrants with financial education, loans and matched
savings.
Stacie
has published several journal, newspaper and magazine articles covering
such diverse topics as refugee integration and welcoming communities,
comparing depression, PTSD and anxiety among distinct survivor groups,
and the planning and evaluation of programs.
Last Week
at Kiwanis
Andrew
Friedman, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for the first
place Tampa Bay Rays opened the forum for questions from the audience.
Some of these included:
How does
it feel to be representing a first place team and does that help [in
recruiting and negotiations?
No body
expected such a great record with such a young team. Evaluating the
young players last year was invaluable as it gave the Rays an
opportunity to figure out where they needed to supplement in the
off-season and as a result, they have bulked up the bullpen and defense,
both of which are very deep. They knew they would be contenders, but
the season has exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Who in
the Al and NL are you most afraid of?
The
American League has five of the top six teams, so the Rays have a tough,
tough schedule. This just prepares the Rays and elevates them to a
higher level. The Angels have tremendous pitching, the Red Sox boast
deep experience, the Twins just get it done, the Yankees have too much
experience to count out despite injuries and weak pitching; the Cubs
are the best in the National League. Friedman pointed out that in a 5-7
game series, it is really a crapshoot and anything can happen. It will
be very competitive going down the stretch.
What do
you think about Instant Replay?
Friedman
is a fan of it, especially given the previous week’s loss, which could
be attributed to a questionable call. Boundary calls, given all the
difference in the new stadiums and the ump’s perspective would make
sense, but using it for balls, strikes and rundowns might slow down the
game too much with the coaches challenging the officials.
Is Jeter
really on the block for next year?
Friedman’s response: A., I can’t talk about it and B. it is just a
rumor.
Who has
stepped up in leadership?
It is a
team of leaders – winning helps, but the team has really jelled this
year. It is a group effort, but Pena, Hinske and Percival stand out.
It really is a perfect storm of 25 great guys.
Are you
pleased or disappointed by attendance to games?
Getting
17,000 on a weeknight – 35,000 would be great but we understand that it
has been a tough ten years for fans to get to this point and you can’t
undo that in four months. This is a great market and a great fan base.
What
changes will be made to lineup?
Off-season we will try to add depth and look for anyone who can make a
dramatic impact in play. We have a very talented roster, but as an
organization we have to be fluid – no one is untouchable. We’re very
reliant on young players, but have tremendous pitching depth… we will
want to control our young players coming up in the next six years.
New
Members and Guests
Barry McDowell (new member)
Dan Nardozzi (new member)
Judy Nicholson (Lt. Gov.)
Carl Mostellar
Paul Ullmark
Terry Hornsby
Amy Cunningham
Chris Thompson
Bob Inghan
Sandy Kearney
Kerein Carr
Didi Merriman
TJ Borschez
John Higgins
Tim Turner
Hugh Tulloch
Suzi Fischer
Amy Cuykendall
Chris Thomps
What’s
Happening:
International President to Speak
Judy Nicholson,
our new Lt. Governor announced that the President of Kiwanis
International would be speaking at Lakewood Ranch High School on
September 20th.
$30,000 Gift to Scholarship Fund
Amy Cuykendall
of Englander & Fischer, PA presented a check for $30,340 to Suzi
Fischer representing the Jim Fischer Scholarship Fund, which, in
part, will allow the fund to provide 111 full student scholarships.
$1000 Grant to YWCA
Candace Nyarkoh
on behalf of the Boys & Girls Committee presented a check for $1,000
Tamika Coley¸ YWCA Assistant Director, Housing & Support Services
to help underwrite tutorial supplies and activities for the children
being served by their organization.
$400 Grant to Sallie House
Cynthia
Mulligan
on behalf of the Board of Directors presented a check for $400 to
Sandy Kearney, Chairperson of Sallie’s Angels to fun a shade canopy
in the playground of Sallie House.
Club Elections
On September 16th, we will hold a special election to fill the
Board of Director positions vacated by the resignation of Cynthia
McGowan and the promotion of Cyndi Mulligan to Vice President.
The candidates will be:
Worth Blackwell
Hunter Booth
Bret Jahn
Guy Van Middlesworth
TODAY’S
QUIZ
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What
is the word to describe hurricanes and storms in the Pacific?
And in the Indian Ocean?
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Name
the Quad Cities and which states they are in which they are located?
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Which
city did the Wolfe House have their first restaurant?
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What
is the formula for finding the circumference of a circle?
Last
Week’s Quiz
1. Santiago is the capital city of Chile.
2. Honey is the only food that does not spoil.
3. India is the country that produces the most bananas.
4. The Legendary Jim Morrison of The Doors attended St. Petersburg
Junior College for the 1961-62 academic year, then transferred to
Florida State University. He was at FSU for the 1962-63 academic
year and the fall trimester of 1963.
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