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The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 3
SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
MillerCoors A. Phillip Randolph
Winners Announced
Winners of the MillerCoors A. Phillip Randolph
MINNEAPOLIS, MN
(July 6, 2009) - MillerCoors
and the National Newspaper
Publishers Association
(NNPA) are proud to contin
ue their 18-year partnership
in presenting the A. Philip
Randolph Messenger Awards
for 2009, to select journalists
with America's Black Press.
The award is named for
the late, pioneering civil
rights leader, A. Philip
Randolph, and the first black
newspaper. The Messenger,
which he founded in 1917.
Pictured above with
MillerCoors executives at
this year's MillerCoors A.
Philip Randolph Messenger
Awards NNPA reception in
Minneapolis recently are
several of the nation’s pre
mier African American jour
nalists and publishers.
Among them are (from
left) Moses Brewer, director,
Multicultural Relations -
African American Markets,
MillerCoors; Larry Waters,
director, Multicultural
Relations, MillerCoors;
Frances Jackson, The
Chicago Defender; Dorothy
Leavell, Chairwoman of
NNPA Foundation; Michael
House, president, The
Chicago Defender; Clyde
Jiles, The Houston Defender;
Bemie Foster, publisher. The
Skanner; Rod Doss, publish
er, The New Pittsburgh
Courier; Irv Randolph, man
aging editor, The
Philadelphia Tribune; Sonny
Jiles, publisher, The Houston
Defender ; Dina Suggs, The
St. Louis American and
James Washington, publish
er, The Dallas Weekly.
The winning journalists
for 2009 received a total of
$25,000, with an additional
$500 going to each of the ten
finalists.
This year’s MillerCoors
A. Philip Randolph
Messenger Award winners
and their categories are:
Responsibility - Darryl
Perry, The Atlanta Voice;
Environment - Christian
Morrow, The New Pittsburgh
Courier; Aid/Emergency
Relief - Helen Silvis, The
Skanner; Cultural Diversity -
Messenger Awards
Lisa Loving and Brian
Stimson, The Skanner and
Heritage - Rhonda Gillespie,
The Chicago Defender. The
distinguished panel of judges
included Karen Ford, Co-
Chair, Chicago Chapter,
National Journalism
Division of the National
Writers Union; William
Reed, President and CEO,
Black Press International;
Richard Prince, “Journal
isms” Columnist, The Robert
C. Maynard Institute for
Journalism Education;
Sidmel Estes Sumpter,
Member, Board of Advisers,
Medill School of Journalism
At Northwestern University;
Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson,
columnist, author, political
analyst, “The Hutchinson
Report” and Ernie Suggs,
Vice President of Print, the
National Association of
Black Journalists and
reporter, The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution.
Photo by David
Watkins/Courtesy Flowers
Communications Group
Barrow Announces Funds Designated
to Create Jobs, Provide Affordable
Housing
Congressman John
Barrow (GA-12) announced
that the Georgia Housing
Authority will receive $76
million in funding from the
American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act
(Recovery Act) to increase
the development of afford
able housing units.
These funds will sup
port the construction, acqui
sition, and rehabilitation of
housing for low-income
families and individuals
throughout the state.
It will also create and
preserve construction and
non-construction jobs.
The Recovery Act was
passed by Congress with
Congressman Barrow’s sup
port and signed into law by
President Obama earlier this
year.
“One of the worst side
effects of the economic cri
sis we’re in right now is that
so many families have lost
their homes,” said Barrow.
“The housing market is a
good part of the reason
we’re in this mess to begin
with. This money will put
folks into quality housing,
and will also put a lot more
of them to work. It’s good
for families, it’s good for
workers, and it’s good for
neighborhoods.”
“Today’s announce
ment of housing funds
demonstrates how the
Recovery Act is putting our
nation on the path to eco-
Congressman John Barrow
nomic stability, one com
munity at a time,” said
Treasury Deputy Secretary
Neal Wolin. “This initiative
will help spur construction
and development, create
much needed jobs, and
increase the availability of
affordable housing for fami
lies around the country.”
The labor and housing
crises in this country are
deeply inter-connected.
Since their peak level
at the beginning of 2006,
housing starts have fallen
almost 80 percent.
Houses currently under
construction are at a 13-year
low, down more than 60
percent from the peak in the
first quarter of 2006.
This collapse has led to
severe job losses in the resi
dential building and special
ty trades sector related to
housing, with employment
down by nearly one third - a
loss of over one million jobs
nationwide.
Such losses not only
indicate significant prob
lems in the residential con
struction sector, but also
mean that the need for
affordable housing has risen
markedly during the reces
sion.
The Treasury
Department will work with
state housing agencies to
jump start the development
or renovation of qualified
affordable housing for fam
ilies across the country.
Under this program,
after meeting certain eligi
bility requirements, state
housing agencies will
receive funding to construct
affordable housing develop
ments.
For further informa
tion on local projects,
please contact: Georgia
Housing and Finance
Authority - Kimberly King,
(404) 679-0615.
Step Up Savannah Receives Babcock
Foundation Grant
The Mary Reynolds
Babcock Foundation has
awarded a grant to Step Up
Savannah, Inc. to identify
and find solutions for policy
and procedural barriers that
hinder Chatham County
families motivated to move
out of poverty.
The grant will support
a policy expert who will
work at the Georgia Legal
Services Program.
The grant is a boon for
Step Up, which seeks to
research, educate and find
innovative solutions to
local, regional and state pol
icy issues that impact people
living in poverty.
“This will fill a critical
gap in Step Up’s work
plan,” said Daniel Dodd,
director.
Specific policy issues
will be identified by Step
Up’s volunteer action teams,
organized in the areas of
workforce development,
financial education pro
grams, and critical work
supports such as transporta
tion, child care, and public
benefits.
A recent issue Step Up
championed was transfer
costs for CAT bus riders; the
CAT Board voted to
increase bus fares but make
transfers free for 90 min
utes, effective next month.
The new funds mean
Step Up can more effective
ly target public policy issues
and expand its reach. This is
an initial investment in
Savannah by the Mary
Reynolds Babcock
Foundation, which focuses
on assisting low-income
communities in the
Southeast.
“GLSP is very enthusi
astic about furthering its
relationship with Step Up
Savannah and building on
its past success. It fills a
unique role in our communi
ty, questioning traditional
notions of not only what
poverty means but how we
can confront it,” said Bill
Broker, Georgia Legal
Services Program managing
attorney, Savannah office.
Since 2004, Step Up’s
dedicated volunteers have
worked to boost the capaci
ty of job training and educa
tion programs, to build upon
financial education and
wealth-building programs,
and advocated for more
resources for affordable
housing and transportation,
and access to affordable,
quality childcare.
Martin de Porres Society to hold 9th
Annual Camp Lighthouse
A wonderful example
of sharing of cultural diver
sities will take place from
Julyl9 to July 24, 2009.
The Martin de Porres
Society of Savannah will
host their 9th annual Camp
Lighthouse, a week long
day camp for children in
grades kindergarten through
eighth.
As part of the cultural
experience, HAVAYA, a
teen group from Israel and
teens from the 92nd Street
Young Men's and Young
Women's Hebrew
Association, from New
York City will be in
Savannah to partner with
Martin de Porres teens as
Guides and Camp Leaders
for the week long experi
ence.
The exchange of cul
tures is a life changing
experience for the teenagers
and camp participants.
Camp Lighthouse
is a unique one week sum
mer camp for economically
disadvantaged children.
The goal of Camp
Lighthouse is to provide a
structured day camp experi
ence for children who
would normally be unable
to attend a day camp due to
inability to pay or lack of
transportation.
The Martin de
Porres Society is a local
501 -c(3) non-profit organi
zation which has been in
existence in Savannah since
1986 when the founders,
Dr. George and Yolanda
Negron resolved to fill a
need in the Savannah com
munity serving disadvan
taged children and address
ing their emotional and
social needs.
In addition to hosting
Camp Lighthouse, the
organization is also known
for its Nourish2Learn pro
gram (in partnership with
Savannah Chatham County
Public Schools and Second
Harvest Food Bank); its
annual Thanksgiving and
Christmas food basket and
toy giveaways (in partner
ship with Toys for Tots); its
partnership with the
Reading is Fundamental
(RTF) program which pro
vides free books twice a
school year to the entire
student body of a local ele
mentary school.
The mission of the
Martin de Porres Society is
to enrich the lives of chil
dren and families through
education and social activi
ties.
The namesake of the
Society is Martin de Porres
who was born in Lima, Peru
in 1579: an outcast who
developed a love and com
passion for the poor. He
established an orphanage
and outreach facilities in
Lima that are in use today.
The food and gifts are
obviously important to the
children: but the more
important purpose is to pro
vide its young participants
with a sense of hope, love,
and guidance through their
contact with dedicated
adults, both young and old.
Teenagers or adults
interested in volunteering
should contact: Gail G.
Brown and Pamela L.
Rudolph, Camp Directors
(912) 352-3254 (912) 547-
3491 Yolanda Negron,
Executive Director(912)
667-5091.
BMC OF GEORGIA
43^ ANNUAL CONTENTION
JULY 31, 2009 - AUGUST 9, 2000
V
10:00 A.M. AM) 7:30 RM
Charles Wilkerson, Sr.,
Fournier and Chief Apostle
SAVA NN A11 DELIVERANCE
CENTER
2115 Barnard St.
Savannah, Ga
Pieree Moore, Jr., Pastor
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STEVE HARVEY MORNINGS