Laptop Donation Puts STEPS Students on Right Path
Tampa, FL (PRWEB) November 26, 2014 -- Three first-year HCC students and participants of the University Area Community Development Corporation’s (UACDC) STEPS for Success program received new laptops at Hillsborough Community College's Dale Mabry Campus, earlier this month.
The students were selected based on their on-going successes in UACDC's STEPS program. Hillsborough County Family & Aging Service Department's Regional Service Center Manager, Dr. Shulewa Noel-Thomas presented each participant with his or her laptop.
The STEPS for Success curriculum follows the UACDC’s goal of helping people overcome the cycle of poverty one family at a time by utilizing the elements of Sustainability, Training, Education, Planning and Support. Because the minimum program length is 18 months, those interested in taking part in the program must first apply and then take part in an intensive interview. ‘Graduation’ from the program occurs when a participant and their dependents have overcome their circumstances and have freed themselves from the cycle of poverty. This can be the result of a new career, graduation from a trade school or an employment offer on the table.
The STEPS program recently crossed the one-year mark with 94 individuals being served including seven people obtaining new employment at higher wages, 23 families receiving assistance with rent, utilities or food and three people accepted into college.
For more information on the STEPS for Success program or details on the various services available through the University Area Community Development Corporation, contact the UACDC at 813-558-5212.
Pictured L to R: Shannon Aquilar – UACDC, STEPS Circle Navigator, Amy Ortiz – STEPS Participant Pursuing a Liberal Arts Degree at HCC, Ashley Elliott – UACDC, STEPS Circle Navigator, Jasmine Walker – STEPS Participant Pursuing a degree at HCC to become Radiologist, Barbara Cockfield – Program Manager, Equity and Special Program at Hillsborough Community College, Ebony Perez – Counselor at Hillsborough Community College, Dr. Shulewa Noel-Thomas – Regional Service Center Manager with Hillsborough County Family & Aging Service Department, Sorida Lorenzo – UACDC, STEPS Circle Navigator, Dale Watt - STEPS Participant Enrolled in HCC’s Culinary Arts Program and Loriana De Paz – Financial Aid Administrator, Hillsborough Community College
About the UACDC
The University Area Community Development Corporation, Inc. (UACDC) is a 501(c)(3) public/private partnership whose mission is children and family development, crime prevention and commerce growth. Its primary focus is the redevelopment and sustainability of the at-risk areas surrounding the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida. The UACDC was named Nonprofit of the Year for Public and Societal Benefit by the Tampa Bay Business Journal in 2011 and 2012. It is headquartered in the University Area Community Center Complex, owned by Hillsborough County and operated by the UACDC, which is located at 14013 North 22nd Street in Tampa. For more information about UACDC, please visit http://www.uacdc.org, or call 813.558-5212.
Julie Capobianco, Vistra Communications, http://www.consultvistra.com, +1 813-961-4700, [email protected]
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