IBA SUCCESS MAGAZINE Volume 6 Campaign 1 | Page 29

hosted the first scholarship fair in Orlando,
Florida. We worked to expand the program
and went south, establishing fairs in Miami,
Ft. Lauderdale, and Ft. Meyers. If you do
not live in Sanford, you might not know its
rich history. In 2012, I knew as much about
Sanford as the media was portraying, the
Trayvon Martin story. Something told me
that there had to be more to the communi-
ty of young people and relationships, than
this negative image. You know the rule, ei-
ther you are part of the problem or part of
the solution. I traveled north, to bring our
wonderful ISP fairs to the Sanford commu-
nity. Based on a working relationship with
Congressional Staff Liaison, Chester Glov-
er, who supported our efforts in Orlando,
I arranged to be in the same meeting with
the Seminole County School Superinten-
dent. I pitched the idea of an ISP fair in
Sanford, with a media blitz to change the
image and focus the spotlight on the other
students in the neighborhood. He nodded
and told me to go and see the Assistant
Superintendent. The Assistant Superinten-
dent indicated that he was busy and would
call me in a few days.
After several weeks of no calls, I was about
to give up on Sanford, however Chester
Glover had another ace up his sleeve. He
said let’s make one more attempt and this
time the meeting was to go before the
City Council. As I waited, Chester came
and indicated that Commissioner Velma
Hayes Williams wanted a private meeting.
I walked into the room to sit before this
amazing woman. She asked me questions
about me, not ISP, as I imagined she would.
She is always about relationships. Once
she found out that I lived in Kissimmee, she
smiled and graciously said that she would
not hold that against me. When we did fi-
nally talk about ISP, I explained my previous
failed visits. She immediately dialed the Su-
perintendent on his private cell (she has
relationships like that). She asked was he
crazy about not seeing the value of the ISP
program in Sanford. As he stuttered to ex-
plain, she said no explanation was neces-
sary. She was bringing me to his office to-
morrow. He scheduled the meeting with all
the high school Principals, Counselors and
Administrative staff in the district. As a re-
sult of that meeting and with the support of
the City of Sanford Government relations,
Dr. Williams & Scholarship Recipients Mr. Kenneth Bentley
especially the recreation department, they
all embraced the ISP initiative, without any
reservation. When Commissioner Williams told me
that she was retiring, I was devastated. Yes,
I was happy for her, but I wondered what
ISP would do without our SHERO. She
smiled and told me not to worry. She was
committed to seeing the program that she
brought to Sanford continue and assured
me that we had a partnership for the future.
My SHERO does not wear a cape or have
a costume. Her superpowers of leadership
and relationship have sustained her all
these years and the programs that she put
into place in her native Sanford will be her
legacy. Leadership and relationship are
indeed always a winning combination. n
We held our first ISP fair in Sanford at the
Civic Center in 2015. This was just the be-
ginning. Since most superheroes have a
sidekick, she provided one to work with
ISP. Mr. Kenneth Bentley, her protégé, is
the most fly and most dapper sidekick that
I could possibly ask for and now he is also
my new Best Friend! For the past six years,
we have held ISP fairs in Sanford, and Mr.
Bentley and Commissioner Williams have
been instrumental in the success. Here are
the results for each of the years:
VOL 6, Issue 1
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