Abel's Community Services Inc.
...uplifing the spirit
inspiring change
Please vote! Uplift Tampa Bay!
ACS Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c)3, organization dedicated to positively supporting individuals throughout Tampa, FL. Explore our Web site and see what ACS Inc. is all about. Whether it be volunteering with our F.A.M.E. Program, aiding in our Clean Slate Ex-Offender Program, attending our Kingian Nonviolence Training, or simply making a donation to help support our programs, we have many opportunities where you can help make a difference!
To strengthen community assets and address the causes of social problems through social responsibility, positive community involvement, and thoughtful action by promoting educational, intellectual, spiritual, social, cultural, and economic growth. Our programs will strive to relieve the poor, distressed, and underprivileged while at the same time lessen neighborhood tensions, combat community deterioration, and combat juvenile delinquency. ACS Inc. will be an advocate for the needs of children and families through program development and empowering activities that improve the lives of the individuals throughout our communities.
* Of the Florida State Prison inmates released in FY 07-08, 3,481 live in Hillsborough County; compared to 2,599 in Broward, 2,316 in Miami-Dade, 1,864 in Duval.
* Every 5 seconds during the school day, an African
American public school student is suspended.
* Florida recidivism rate for inmates released from
1995-2005 was 32.8%.
* Black males accounted for 2,304 of the total referrals for juvenile delinquency in
Hillsborough County
compared to White males: 1,770.
* 70% chance that a child with a parent who is incarcerated will become
incarcerated as well.
* Every 5 hours, a Black youth is a homicide victim.
ACS Inc. will use community development programs to positively influence the lives of adults and youth throughout Hillsborough County. ACS Inc. will work towards creating safe, clean, and more economically developed neighborhoods in the Tampa Bay Area.
Biblically, Abel was the second child of Adam and Eve and the younger brother of Cain. The Lord assigned Abel the duties of keeper of the sheep and assigned Cain the duties of tiller of the ground. Each brother provided an offering to God, but God favored Abel's offering over Cain's because of the significance of his offering. Jealous over God's favoring, Cain killed his brother Abel in the field. When the Lord asked Cain what became of his brother, Cain replied, "I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?" This was the first account of a brother turning on another because of jealousy, envy, and rage.
With the increased incidences of youth-on-youth crime ripling across the nation, the siblings of our communities are failing to do any differently. The lack of positive role models and proper decision making is leaving a negative narrow path for today's youth to follow. As the representation of African American males and females swiftly increases in the Juvenile Justice and Adult Department of Corrections systems, the services available to them are decreasing just as rapidly.
ACS Inc. strives to implement and support programs that are developed to increase the safety, productivity, and responsibility of adults, children, and families throughout Hillsborough County. As our logo shows, we are here to lend a hand to those who have lost their way and guide them back on the right path to success. We dont just want to give hand-outs, rather, hand-ups and uplift individuals so they can uplift each other and their communities!
Femi J. Kennedy
Motto: A man's strength is not measured by how easily he can knock another off their feet, rather how dedicated he is at standing on his own two.
Femi is a native of Tampa, FL. He graduated from A.P. Leto Comprehensive High School and later went on to attend the University of Florida, where he pursued a degree in Sociology and became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
He has an extensive background in mental health care and property maintenance & development. Through his community involvement, Femi has completed trainings in Cultural Competency, Domestic Violence, Sexually Acting Out Adolescence, and Substance Abuse offered by the Family Justice Center.
Femi has seen and experienced firsthand the disastrous effects that violence has on children and adults throughout the communities in Hillsborough County. After witnessing countless neighbors fall victim to drugs, crime, and violence, he wanted to develop a way to stop these issues from plaguing the community. He extensively researched the root causes of these problems and spoke with many victims throughout Tampa Bay. Soon after he developed a dedicated and experienced Board, filed his nonprofit paperwork, and Abel's Community Services Inc. was born.
Kristy Andre
Motto: Look at the world through the eyes of your heart; only then you will know how to live to the fullest.
Kristy was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Public Relations and minor in Organizational Leadership for Nonprofits. She will receive a Masters in Management: Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness from the University of South Florida in 2011.
She started her work with nonprofits while serving two terms as an AmeriCorps member and has extensive experience in grant writing, fundraising, public relations, program planning/evaluation, organizational development and strategic planning.
Through her talents, Kristy has helped provide cars and computers to low-income families, life skills and job training to highschool dropouts, tutoring and mentoring to at-risk youth, child care and continued education for teen moms, shelters for homeless families, legal aid for Hispanic immigrants and human trafficking victims, college prep mentoring for kids who are the first in their families to go to college, arts intervention for juvenile offenders, leadership trainings for people who want to improve their community, and nonprofit development training to people in Latin America, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
Kingian Nonviolence Training
The purpose of this program is to reduce violence by teaching Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolence principles and steps to nonviolence reconciliation to individuals throughout Hillsborough County. The philosophy is designed to help people learn how to identify and reconcile conflicts based on Dr. King's philosophy of peace and nonviolence.
Vision
To train as many individuals as possible throughout Hillsborough County in the Kingian Nonviolence philosophy to lessen neighborhood tensions, reduce violent crime and create a safer more sociable community to live in.
Target Population
Individuals from a variety of ages, races, and occupations. The initial focus will be toward youth and occupations which serve youth. This will include youth in elementary school through college, and individuals who work in juvenile services, schools, law enforcement and community services.
F.A.M.E. Program
The F.A.M.E. Program is designed to teach self esteem and self-discipline to children by pairing them with several adults & peers using positive group mentoring and mediation to address critical issues that the youth face daily.
To allow at-risk youth to become comfortable with having positive social interaction with several role models by broadening their horizons through a series of field trips and group activities in different parts of their local and outreaching communities. The F.A.M.E. Program will also address the misrepresentation of African American youth in the Juvenile Justice System by working to implement preventative measures to adversely affect the increasing numbers of juvenile delinquency.
Members of the F.A.M.E. Program will be between the ages of 9 and 17 years of age and must have parental or guardian approval. The F.A.M.E. Program will mainly target at-risk youth that have exhibited violent behavior, shown possibility of violent behavior or live in a single-parent home. Youth in foster care, childrens home, Dept. of Juvenile Justice, & other youth services also qualify for the F.A.M.E. Program.
Clean Slate
Clean Slate works to eliminate recidivism of ex-offenders by providing comprehensive services that effectively change their perception of life's potential. This creates lasting benefits for communities that the ex-offenders reside in by improving the quality of life through economic development and crime reduction.
Cean Slate is an employment-center program that incorporates the Kingian Nonviolence Training Program, mentoring, on the job training, employment resume/interview training, and other comprehensive transitional services to assist high-impact, violent, felony ex-offenders in their efforts to successfully
re-enter society.
The Clean Slate program will serve violent, felony, and repeated ex-offenders, male and female, released from prison in Hillsborough County, Florida
To reduce violence by teaching the Dr. Martin Luther King's nonviolence principles and steps to nonviolence reconciliation to individuals throughout Hillsborough County. The philosophy is designed to help people learn how to identify and reconcile conflicts based on Dr. King's philosophy of peace and nonviolence.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was successful in leading several nonviolent campaigns in the 1960s in southern America. These campaigns centered around human and civil rights. His philosophy, thinking and strategies have been captured in several of his books and in the history of these movements.
Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr. worked along side of Dr. King during the civil rights movements and David Jehnsen was greatly influenced by Dr. King during the Albany, Georgia movement in 1962. Together they created the Kingian Nonviolence Training Manuals. Dr. LaFayette further co-founded the University of Rhode Island's Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies in Providence, Rhode Island. The center created several levels of training including a two-day core introduction, a two-week Level I training, one week Level II training, ICUs for teachers, and the university now offers a minor in Nonviolence and Peace Studies.
Kingian Nonviolence trainers who have successfully completed the Level II training in accordance with the Kingian Nonviolence and Peace Reconciliation Manual created by Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr. and David Jehnsen will be the primary trainers.
The initial training will be to provide the Two-Day Core Introduction to the nonviolence philosophy according to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Two-Day Core includes a review of approximately twenty modules covering the history of nonviolent movements, types of conflict, levels of conflict, the six principles of nonviolence and the six steps to nonviolent strategy. The training includes open discussions, group exercises, videos, role play and
analysis.
The F.A.M.E. Program will focus on four points of interest to directly affect the youth in the program. Family, Agape Love, Maturity, & Excellence. The F.A.M.E. Program is driven by the immeasurable price that society pays with the devastating amount of African American males taking the lives of one another.
"Their lives are just wasted. Those who dont die are wounded not only wounded physically but psychologically."
- Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr. Board of Directors Vice President, Abels Community Services Inc.
The cost is especially high in lost economic power. By getting involved in illegal, negative and violent behavior, African American youth decrease their ability and opportunity to become productive citizens.
Referring to the well recognized term it takes a village to raise a child, the F.A.M.E. Program uses group interaction to encourage group expression. The ability of African American males and females to express themselves emotionally amongst each other is lacking and is the root cause of violence against one another. These youth require both positive leadership and positive direction.
This program uses the advancement of education, youth leadership, and self-awareness to reach its main goal of assisting each member to graduate from high school and set up a plan for college. The F.A.M.E. Program meets for 3-5 hours once a week in a group setting of 2-3 Godparents, Godbrothers, & Godsisters for every 5-10 youth. The groups break off separately and discuss current events and issues that are directly affecting the youth in the program. Open verbal participation is encouraged. By listening to their problems and allowing them to express themselves, it helps absorb some of the pain associated with negative living and social situations of African American youth.
Godparents act as advocates for the youth in the program through interacting with the child in their home, school, church, and other extracurricular activities the youth are involved in. The Godparents guide the youth through Abel's Community Services'
Level I Kingian Nonviolence Training program and encourage the youth to help train their peers in the Kingian Nonviolent philosophy.
Godbrothers & Godsisters act as peer mentors and role models for the youth and support the youth throughout their membership in the F.A.M.E. Program.
Program Overview
Pre-Release, Convicted Offender
Clean Slate Transition Managers will be assigned convicted offenders in Hillsborough County who meet program criteria. Those that meet program criteria are contacted several times via mail within six months to a year before they are scheduled to be released from the Department of Corrections supervision back into Hillsborough County. Each inmate receives an introductory letter and brochure detailing the Clean Slate Program along with an application form and a self addressed, pre-stamped envelope. If the inmate is interested in the Clean Slate Program, he/she fills out the application and mails it back to the Transition Manager.
When the Transition Coordinator receives each application, he/she schedules a visitation to further discuss the Clean Slate Program and the details of the inmates current situation. Follow-up meetings are scheduled until the date of the inmates release. The Transition Coordinator conducts a needs assessment to identify each area that each inmate needs addressed. The Transition Coordinator assists with housing, food, clothing, service referrals, transportation, and employment.
Post-Release, Ex-offender (Clean Slate Member)
All ex-offenders (Clean Slate Member) are required to report to the Abel's Community Services Inc. office at 7:00am and meet with their assigned Transition Coordinator. One day a week, Tuesday or Thursday, members are enrolled in a Kingian Nonviolent Training Course. The work day starts at 8:00am and ends at 5:00pm with an hour for lunch. Members receive a starting pay of $8.50-$12.50/hr with benefits depending on their skill level. Members also have the opportunity to take offered trade certification courses and receive on-the-job training to increase their skill level.
Work Crews
If other forms of employment are not predetermined, based on their skill level, each member is assigned to a Clean Slate work crew. Work crews abilities consist of the following:
• Landscaping/Lawn Maintenance
• Solid Waste/Debris/Trash Removal
• Property Maintenance and Repairs
• Painting & Moving Services
Work crews have a Crew Leader that controls the day-to-day activities of each work crew. Each Crew Leader reports to a Crew Supervisor that controls the work sites and activities of each crew. Each Crew Supervisor reports to the Clean Slate Program Manager. Work crews are assigned locations throughout the county to service. Locations are picked according to the affect they have in combating community deterioration. Locations may be churches, parks, roadways, sidewalks, schools, shopping plazas and low-income housing developments throughout the poor, distressed, and economically depressed neighborhoods in Hillsborough County.
The Clean Slate program will serve violent, felony, and repeated ex-offenders, male and female, released from prison in Hillsborough County, Florida. Work crews will work throughout the more economically depressed low-income areas in Hillsborough County including; Town-n-Country, Clair-Mel, West Tampa, University Area, Sulphur Springs, and East Tampa. By enhancing the curb appeal and landscaping of local businesses and residential properties in these areas, the Clean Slate Program will encourage more pride in homeowners and increase the attractiveness of their residence while providing a cleaner, safer, investment-friendly environment for local businesses to develop and grow.
Ray Austin
Motto: Give part of yourself to impact the growth of others.
Renaldo (Ray) Austin was born and raised in Tampa, FL. and is a graduate of the Hillsborough County School System. He alsohas Related Fire Science Certification. After 29 years of service with the City of Tampa, Ray is currently a Fire Captain with Tampa Fire Rescue Airport Division.
Rays' qualifications include; CPR, First Aid, First Responder, ARFF Aircraft Fire Fighting, Hazards Material Tech, and Fire Science Instructor EMT. Mr. Austin is also a member of St. Luke AME Church and is active on many of its boards.
Bernard LaFayette, Jr.
Motto: It takes the youth to start a movement.
Bernard LaFayette, Jr. has been a Civil Rights Movement activist, minister, educator, lecturer, and is an authority on the strategy on nonviolent social change. He co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960. He was a leader of the Nashville Movement (1960), on the Freedom Rides (1961), and the 1965 Selma Movement. He directed the Alabama Voter Registration Project in 1962, and he was appointed National Program Administrator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and National Coordinator of the 1968 Poor Peoples Campaign by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In addition, Dr. LaFayette has served as Director of Peace and Justice in Latin America; Chairperson of the Consortium on Peace Research, Education and Development; Director of the PUSH Excel Institute; and minister of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tuskegee, Alabama.
An ordained minister, Dr. LaFayette earned his B.A. from the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee, and his Ed.M. and Ed.D from Harvard University. He has served on the faculties of Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta and Alabama State University in Montgomery, where he was Dean of the Graduate School; he also was principal of Tuskegee Institute High School in Tuskegee, Alabama and a teaching fellow at Harvard University.
His publications include the Curriculum and Training Manual for the Martin Luther King, Jr., Nonviolent Community Leadership Training Program, his doctoral thesis, Pedagogy for Peace and Nonviolence, and Campus Ministries and Social Change in the 60s (Duke Divinity Review) and The Leaders Manual: A Structured Guide and Introduction to Kingian Nonviolence with David Jehnsen. Bernard LaFayette has traveled extensively to many countries as a lecturer and consultant on peace and nonviolence.
Dr. LaFayette is a former President of the American Baptist College of ABT Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee; Scholar in Residence at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia; and Pastor emeritus of the Progressive Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.
He is the Founder and National President of God-Parents Clubs, Inc., a national community-based program aimed at preventing the systematic incarceration of young Black youth; a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and founder of the Association For Kingian Nonviolence, Education and Training Works.
Kolade Kennedy
Motto: Reach back to help another reach forward.
Kolade Kennedy was born in South Carolina but raised in Tampa, FL. He attended A.P. Leto Comprehensive High School and went on to graduate from the University of Florida with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Kolade is employed by Honeywell International and is currently working as a Project Engineer.
Rozelia Kennedy
Motto: True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rozelia Kennedy was born in Philadelphia, PA. but raised in Tampa, FL. Rozelia graduated from King High School and then ent on to receive a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Florida Memorial University where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. She then continued her education further by attending Harvard University and receiving her Masters degree in Education.
Rozelia retired from Verizon Communication as a Financial Analyst and is currently employed by the University of South Florida's School of Social Work where she is the Fiscal & Business Specialist for the Jim Walter Partnership Center.
With her passion to help others driving her, Rozelia has completed her Level II Kingian Nonviolence Trainer Certification.
By now you may be familiar with our programs: Kingian Nonviolence Training, the F.A.M.E. Program, and Clean Slate. Although these are our three core programs, you may be wondering how these play into the bigger picture of what ACS Inc. is trying to accomplish.
We realize that before we can inspire change, we must uplift spirits by first addressing the root of all problems: awareness and practice of positive, effective ways to cope with crises and tough times.
People need to learn how to cope with the tough times so that they don't act out in anger or frustration. Our goal is to start with the spirits that need the most uplifting: at-risk youth and ex-offenders. We assist individuals as well as their family units as a whole.
Ultimately, ACS will bring people from a community together to discuss what is and is not working in the community. We will then assist them with developing a long-term strategic plan for how to improve the community. People will be divided into teams to work on specific projects, and we will provide them with trainings and resources to accomplish group goals.
We will develop an advisory council that will provide ongoing guidance, assistance and support to the people of that community.
Nonprofits, local businesses, and politicians will be invited to participate in the fulfillment of the strategic plan. The goal is to maximize existing resources and capitalize on the communitys capacity.
Click below to enlarge the ways you can help!
June 4th & 5th - ACS Inc. 2-day Intro to Kingian Nonviolence Core Training
June 24th - June 5th - Kingian Nonviolence Transformation Program - Lagos, Nigeria
August TBA - Level I Kingian Nonviolence Training in Tampa, FL
July TBA - F.A.M.E. Youth Summer Program Kickoff.
Dec. 26, 2009 - 501(c)3 tax-exempt status recognized by IRS
July 20, 2009 - ACS Inc. Incorporation Date
2010 - May
Article about our CEO Femi Kennedy's participation in a 10 Day Level I & II Training Program in Johannesburg, South Africa with 80+ Nigerian ex-militants (Freedom Fighters).
2010 - March
Introduction of the F.A.M.E. program and photo collages from the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Fesitval and ACS Inc.'s Kingian Nonviolence 3-day core training.
2009 - December
Article on building less prisons and producing fewer criminals, showcase of a youth empowerment group started by local youth, a meet the ACS board section.
2009 - October
Article on curbing Chicago's youth violence, ACS development update, meet the ACS board, this month in history.
2-Day Core Intro: Tampa, FL - TBA
Transformation Program: Nigeria
This training will be in Ugep, Nigeria as requested by the Nigerian government as part of the Amnesty Program to be offered to over 20,000 ex-militants (Freedom Fighters). Kingian Nonviolence Trainers from all over the U.S. will be facilitating this historic event.
The 2-Day core training is an introduction to the Kingian Nonviolence philosophy and training program. This is the recommended first step for those wanting to become a Kingian Nonviolence trainer.
Hundreds Mark "Bloody Sunday" in Selma
Chicago Teen Beaten to Death
Pres. Obama Speech to Students
NAACP Meets with School Leaders
St. Pete Middle School Students Not Happy With Discipline Issues
Tampa After-School Programs to Face Consolidation
Root Causes of Youth Violence in U.S.
Walk in My Shoes: CNN Investigates Causes of Youth-on-Youth Violence
State Claims Lower Dropout Rate But All Are Not Happy
Dungy Tells Atheltes to Focus on the Right Things
The Freedom Rides Documentary
Depression, Peers Top Influences on Youth Violence
Preventing Youth Violence: New Strategieis for Policy, Practice, and Research
Surgeon General Debunks Myths About Teen Crime
211 Tampa Bay
100 Black Men of Tampa Bay Inc.
Hillsborough Kids, Inc.
Hillsborough Youth Collaborative
Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival, Inc.
Childrens Board of Hillsborough County
New Hope Missionary Baptist Church
University of Rhode Island Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
The Gathering for Justice
Tony Dungy - Family First
Family Justice Center
National Youth Violence Prevention Research Center
Afterschool.gov - Bullying & Youth Violence Prevention
Building Life Foundation
You've taken a first step in journeying with us down the road to a better community.
We look forward to having you on board with us.
Please fill out the contact form and in the subject area put "Volunteer". In your message please tell us how you would be interested in volunteering. If you don't know how you want to help, no problem! We will learn more about you and your interests and match you with a perfect opportunity to help our community.
Thank you for your interest!
We will be in touch with you as soon as possible.
We look forward to getting you started at being a Kingian Nonviolence Trainer!
Please fill out the contact form and in the subject area put "King Training". In your message please tell us if you would like to register for the 2-Day Core Info Training or the Level I Kingian Training. We will contact you with more information and guide you through the registration process.
Office address:
2010 East Busch Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33612
Mailing address:
1902 Stanfield Drive, Suite 3
Brandon, FL 33511
VOLUNTEER
REGISTER FOR TRAINING!
Femi Kennedy - Founder/CEO
e-mail: fkennedy_abelscommunityservices.org
Kristy Andre - Development Director
e-mail: kandre_abelscommunityservices.org
To Subscribe to Abel's Voice Newsletter:
e-mail: abelsvoice_abelscommunityservices.org
For Volunteer Opportunities:
e-mail: ateam_abelscommunityservices.org
All other Inquiries:
e-mail: ACSinc_abelscommunityservices.org
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved as he who helps to perpetrate it."
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Ora na azu nwa"
or
"It takes a village (community) to raise a child"
- Nigerian Proverb
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead
Funded by:
Mailing address: 1902 Stanfield Drive Suite 3 | Brandon, FL 33511 | Ph: (813) 562-7352 | Office Address: 2010 East Busch Blvd. | Tampa, FL 33612
