Special thanks to the Cohort of Champions training providers: Arts Conservatory for Teens, St. Pete College- PITCH, Pinellas Ex-offender Re-entry Coalition

Cohort of Champions celebrates success On Dec. 4, the Cohort of Champions hosted their second Honoring Champions end-of-year celebration to commemorate the hard work and success of the young men in the City of St. Petersburg’s MBSK signature program.

Read the Full Article

2018 Highlights

Q1

COC participated in Community Wellness Day at the Enoch Davis Center COC attended St. Pete College Keys to Manhood Seminar  COC attended the Firestone Grand Prix  COC participated in MLK Day of Service and the parade

Q2

COC hosted Cohort Community Clean Up at Childs Park Rec and the surrounding areas and picked up over 2,000 pounds of trash  COC participated in Congressman Charlie Christ’s Youth Expo and Panel  COC participated in Mayor’s In Action Trip to Tallahassee FL

Q3

COC attended FAMU as our educational exposure outing for our Summer Workforce and Development Training Initiative  Two COC participants completed the Catch Lite 2020 Entrepreneurship program with the intention of starting a cellphone repair business COC hosted Inaugural Servant Leaders Day event partnering with SPD, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Sunstar and Fire Department and other service agencies

Q4

COC hosted inaugural Annual Mother’s Retreat   Over 10 COC participants received certifications through SPC’S PITCH program such is Clinical Medical Assistant, Cell Phone and Tablet Repair, Phlebotomy, and Programmable Logistics Course  5 COC participants completed the Tiny Homes program through PERC’s collaborative efforts with PTC  COC started the inaugural Sports Champion’s Academy with 20 young men from the organizations of Lakewood, Childs Park, and St. Pete youth football leagues ages 12-16  COC started the inaugural Champion’s Academy at Disston Academy with 25 young men ages 14-20  COC co-hosted Annual Black Male Kwanzaa Summit

Cohort Success Story: The Baptiste Brothers

The Baptiste brothers came to the Cohort of Champions’ PITCH Program right after graduating from Gibbs High School in May 2018 and registered for Instructor Terri Stanley’s Clinical Medical Assistant course over the summer of 2018 at SPC’s Clearwater Campus.  Although the Baptiste brothers reside in South St. Pete, they both found a way to make it to every class at the Clearwater Campus, most of the PITCH Program workshops and Cohort of Champions’ Den fellowships at the Midtown Campus throughout the summer and fall semesters. Tim and Bill earned full-time jobs at the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Center after completing their externships at the same location. After securing their jobs at Johnnie Ruth Clarke, the brothers passed their certification exam to attain their State of Florida Clinical Medical Assistant Certification.

City of St. Petersburg Nikki Gaskin-Capehart, Director of Urban Affairs Nikki.Capehart@stpete.org