Derrick Brooks Charities Create Opportunities For Tampa Students

On October 6th, the school board of Hillsborough County will sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the Derrick Brooks Charities in which it will locate services at the Sanchez Resource Services Center and the Lee Davis Neighborhood Service Center in the Belmont Heights area of East Tampa.

"The mission of Derrick Brooks Charities, Inc., is to provide educational opportunities for socio-economically challenged youth that will instill, inspire, broaden, and develop cultural and social vision outside of the walls in which they live to ensure that these young people have every chance to develop into the strong and productive leaders of tomorrow," according to the official Derrick Brooks Charities website.

According to Article 5.15 of the School Board of Hillsborough County Agenda Summary, the programs to be implemented will include Teen Pregnancy Prevention Activities, Teen Summits, and the Rites of Passage Program, which is designed to improve students self-esteem, self-confidence, interpersonal communication skills, and behavior management
skills.

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Activity is designed to reduce the incidence of teenage
pregnancy, to increase the understanding and acceptance of individual responsibility, and to
address the associated issues of drug abuse, poverty, crime, and additional awareness
issues.

Linda Cobbe, who works with the District Public Affairs office of Hillsborough County said the the Derrick Brooks programs are "fabulous". "We have worked with them [Derrick Brooks Charities] for many years trying to identify the students who would benefit from their programs. Putting them under our roof would enhance not only their programs but also our school systems," Cobbe said.

The Derrick Brooks Charities hold such events as the Miss Tampa Bay Youth Pageant which is a program extension of their Rites of Passage program. Young girls get to learn discipline by following rules and guidelines, work together as a team, display individual talents, and win prizes and awards.

The program has been receiving a lot of support from parents of the school district because "it does a great job in offering students opportunities that they would not normally have. Derrick Brooks sponsors trips to other countries and has even opened a charter school," said Cobbe.

All events and programs provided by the Derrick Brooks Charities are entirely paid for by them and are of no cost to the children, families, or school officials of Hillsborough County.

For more information in the Derrick Brooks Charities, such as the programs they offer and some of their upcoming events, visit their website here.