Deb Van Patten, The DeLand Deltona Beacon
Published: August 7, 2007 

Spring Hill, Florida - The smiling young people who packed the Spring Hill Resource Center on a hot day in mid-July waited expectantly as Matt Morton sliced into the first of several large cartons lining the table.

Morton lifted out a white New Jersey Nets basketball jersey bearing the name "Jay-Z" and a large "1."

"Ooh. I like that one," came a voice from the crowd.

"There's something for all of you. But the signed jersey goes on the wall of the youth center," Morton replied.

By Julie Murphy and Mark Harper
Published: Friday, July 27, 2007 

Jeremy Sandler, National Post
Published: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 

TORONTO - Bat boy to big leaguer with a complete game win in his major league debut sounds like the far-fetched plot of a Disney movie.

But Pinellas Park, Fla. is no fantasy land and Toronto Blue Jays rookie Jesse Litsch, a native of the aforementioned Gulf Coast community, showed he is no Mickey Mouse when it comes to pitching in The Show.

Just five years removed from his former job serving as what is essentially a glorified errand boy for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Litsch spun 8 2 /3 innings of fourhit, one-run baseball to help Toronto to lead Toronto to a 2-1 win over Baltimore.

"It's the best day of my life," said the 22-year-old, the line-up card and three game balls from his incredible big league debut safely secured in his locker.

Missing a complete game by one strike, a ninth-inning walk to Miguel Tejada forced manager John Gibbons to summon closer Jeremy Accardo to get the game's final out.

Still, Litsch answered a curtain call from the announced crowd of 30,958 at the Rogers Centre with a tip of his hat and, after the final out, received two shaving cream pies to the face from prankster teammates Vernon Wells and A.J. Burnett.

"I would have loved to finish the game," he said. "We've got relievers and closers that do that job and they got the job done."

By PAUL SWIDER, St. Pete Times
Published May 9, 2007

His only option was to pursue a new opportunity.

"If I hadn't tried this, I think I probably would have ended up in jail, " said James Moore, 18, a product of Project Bridge, a Goodwill Industries-Suncoast program that helps at-risk youth learn how to be employable. "My cousins are in jail. I had another chance. They didn't."

Now in college, Moore works in a restaurant to help his single mother support the family. He is one of about 320 young people who have gone through the Bridge program. Of those, more than 100 have found jobs, said Michael Ann Harvey, Goodwill's spokeswoman.

"We try to give at-risk youth exposure to possible careers so they have something to set their sights on, " Harvey said of the program funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Project Bridge is holding a symposium Friday to introduce more young people to employers and begin teaching them how to find jobs. The event, at the Royal Theatre, at 1011 22nd St. S, is also for businesses that often have difficulty keeping their rosters filled.
 

Guest column

By  MATTHEW MORTON
Published October 26, 2005

When first lady Laura Bush leads the first White House Conference on Helping America's Youth in one day, I hope she recognizes the importance of people like Mrs. Lippman, a teacher and mentor who helped turn my life around at a time when I had given up hope.

Growing up in Largo, I had plenty to overcome. My mother divorced when I was 2, and at the age of 5, I remember my grandma trying to explain with tears and trembling hands that my mother had been killed in an airplane crash.

My father had a good heart but battled alcoholism. My sisters and I grew up with screaming adults, neglect and police visits as part of our routine. It's no surprise that I lost hope in the future.

When I was 15, some other adults began to play important roles in my life. Bruce Calhoun, the cross-country coach at Seminole High School, taught me the value of battling through adversity to reach a goal. About that time, Lynda Lippman, an English teacher, also took notice of me, the quiet kid in the back who liked to write. She encouraged me to get involved with a group of teens determined to create a teen center. It would be run by and for young people.

Thanks to caring adult mentors like Mrs. Lippman, the entire process of building the teen center embraced the philosophy of youth empowerment. The adults took a risk but gave us the chance to accomplish something.

Tampa  -- (July 14, 2006)

Bright House Networks today launched Bright Kids Network, a new comprehensive community outreach program and has committed $1 million to Florida Boys & Girls Clubs after-school programs.

Bright Kids Network will support after-school programs by providing scholarships to cover membership fees for youth from low-income and/or single-parent families, funding for new programs and campaigns to promote awareness, complimentary digital cable, high-speed internet and public awareness air time over a four-year period for Boys & Girls Clubs in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Volusia and Manatee Counties . Bright Kids Network was designed from Florida customer feedback.

“We asked our customers what social issues were important to them, confirmed the need and acted according to their input, “said Kevin Hyman, president of Bright House Networks Tampa Bay Division. “We wanted to make sure that we invest in issues that matter most to our customers.  And, our employees are excited about making a difference in the lives of Florida’s youth through our Bright Kids Network initiative.”

The Royal Theater program will go "beyond hip-hop"  -- By JON WILSON