The CDC of Tampa, Inc. Premieres Youth Leadership Retreat for Minority Males

TAMPA, Fla.- (Feb. 21, 2014) – The Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc. (CDC of Tampa) is hosting its inaugural Suit Up & Show Up event on February 24 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County. Suit Up & Show Up is designed to provide minority male youth with an opportunity to engage with minority male professionals who are eager to empower them with knowledge, tenacity and self-assurance.  

The CDC chose two, well-respected African American men who have a vested interest in the community’s young people to be involved in the event. News Channel 8 anchor, Rod Carter, will serve as the emcee and Tampa Bay Times columnist and East Hillsborough Bureau Chief, Ernest Hooper, will be the keynote speaker. Both men have an active role in encouraging and spurring young men and women in personal and professional development and are eager for the initial event.   
“I’m so thrilled the CDC is hosting this event,” said Julie Rocco, Special Projects Manager at the CDC of Tampa. “I know it will be quite an experience and a chance for these young men to network and gain confidence in their ability to achieve success in their careers.”

During the event, attendees will have the chance to try on and choose a donated suit. The young men will then have the proper attire to accompany their newly acquired skills. 

For more information on the CDC of Tampa visit http://www.cdcoftampa.org/.  Additional information on Suit Up & Show Up or sponsoring a youth can be found at http://www.cdcoftampa.org/suit-up-and-show-up/ or by contacting Julie Rocco at Julie.Rocco@cdcoftampa.org or 727.254.7131. 

About CDC of TampaThe Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc. (CDC of Tampa, Inc.), formerly Lee Davis Neighborhood Development Corporation, was incorporated in 1992 for the purpose of alleviating, poverty and physical deterioration in Hillsborough County’s East Tampa community. Founder and former CEO, Chloe Coney, then Manager of Lee Davis Neighborhood Service Center and Audrey Spotford, Chairperson of Lee Davis Advisory Board, with a group of concerned citizens formed the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc., a non-profit 501(c) 3 community development corporation that has spent more than a decade providing community and economic development services to East Tampa residents.                                                                              ###