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Local Boy Scout council hosts career fest

Kids and teens talk with black leaders and get a chance to more closely explore possible career ventures.

By CASEY CORA
Published September 6, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Local African-American community leaders will showcase leadership and motivational talents to Midtown children and Boy Scouts in the upcoming "Scouts Career Fest."

The event is set for Sept. 30 at Mount Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church at 955 20th St. S from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sponsored by the Skyway District of the Boy Scout's West Central Florida Council, the afternoon is designed to give African-American children and teenagers a chance for one-on-one interaction with local entrepreneurs and other successful working professionals.

"The scope is to make boys aware of the careers out there," said Deacon Robert Ellis, the event's chairman and scoutmaster for Troop 223, which is sponsored by the church.

Not a Boy Scout? No worries. The Career Fest is open to all young men, women, children and families.

The event also serves as a chance to tout the benefits of supporting local Scouting organizations.

"It's also for networking," Ellis added. "What can entrepreneurs and business do for Scouting?"

Tampa Bay Buccaneer Hall of Famer, local entrepreneur, and expressway namesake Lee Roy Selmon will deliver the keynote address.

At least nine local leaders will be on hand to show young people what they can achieve and tell them how to make it possible.

David McKalip, a local neurosurgeon and chairman of the Skyway District, said that black children, especially those of single mothers, aren't generally targeted for Scouting.

The upcoming Career Fest, as well as recruiting efforts at Midtown churches and schools, aim to change all that.

There are 1,565 Scouts in the Skyway District, which serves St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Pasadena, Treasure Island, and all beaches south of John's Pass and Tierra Verde to the Sunshine Skyway bridge.

Fewer than 200 of the Scouts come from Midtown, with six Cub Scout packs and four Boy Scout troops in the area.

But the news is getting better for potential Scouts.

Proceeds from the council's upcoming Distinguished Citizens Awards Dinner in October will fund the Scouts' "Urban Emphasis" program, which aids in purchasing uniforms, camping equipment, and summer camp scholarships for underprivileged youth.

The award committee will also announce the winner of the first Leroy Prothro Annual Scholarship, a $5,000 award for an Eagle Scout who has shown extraordinary leadership qualities.

Prothro was a popular scoutmaster whose integrity and leadership spanned five decades in St. Petersburg.

Perhaps most important, the recent recruiting blitz has netted an average of 15 to 20 new Scouts at each event, said Candice Nyarkoh, recruiter and executive for the Skyway district.

"There's a lot of boys in that area," she said.

"Every boy needs to be given the opportunity to be a Boy Scout."

Casey Cora can be reached at 727 580-1542 or at ccora@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 5, 2006, 23:18:22]