“There are poets in these hills,” said James E. Tokley Sr., looking out at his audience. He was surrounded by poetry-lovers from SPC and the local community, all gathered to hear him read at the Allstate Center’s first poetry night on November 18^th.

As the first official poet laureate of Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa, Tokley was an inspiring speaker who welcomed each audience member as a fellow lover of the written word. Calling them “beloved,” he beckoned them closer, constantly reminding them that they, too, had poetry inside them. “Next time I come, you’ll be sitting here,” he said, indicating his position of honor. “And I’ll be sitting there [in the audience].”

His wife, Joanna, had suggested he tell a story about each poem before reading it. Some anecdotes were witty and light-hearted, detailing his experiences as a young poet; others discussed why we must write about tragedy and suffering, even when it can feel “too painful” to explore.

“For years I was on the Board of Directors for the St. Petersburg Holocaust Museum,” Tokley said. “One poem [I wrote] frightened me because it frightened them.” Called The Survivor, it describes an encounter between a concentration camp survivor and the Nazi who tortured him. Although some told him the poem was “too painful,” Tokley said he knew that only meant he had to do it. “I finally got to read it, and people cried,” he said. The poem ultimately celebrates the triumph of the human spirit and God’s grace, despite unspeakable suffering.

For the Allstate Center, Tokley was an especially meaningful speaker because he is a police trainer as well as a poet. “I’ve trained thousands of men and women with a badge,” he said. Many of his poems feature law enforcement officers, because he says he wants to “write about the men and women I love.”

His impact on these young police officers is remarkable. At the end of the reading, one man stood up and thanked Tokley for inspiring him to become a poet. As a graduate of the Allstate Center’s police academy (Class 104), C.C. Clark said he’d met Tokley during his training years ago, which inspired him to pursue his love for poetry. After embracing, Tokley invited Clark to read one of his poems, called “Through God’s Eyes.”

Once again, Tokley reminded his audience that they, too, had poetry inside them—an encouragement that may lead some, like Clark, to become the next generation of poets.

Fast Facts about James E. Tokley:

• He is the first official poet laureate for the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County
• His work has been showcased as part of the White House Millennium Exhibit and selected as the inaugural poems for mayors and governors
• His poems have been performed along with the Florida Symphony Orchestra
• If you go to the Hillsborough County Courthouse, you’ll see one of his poems etched in stone

For the week of November 9^th – November 13^th, the St. Petersburg College Allstate Campus came together to collect household goods needed by the BayPines VA for veterans transitioning from homelessness to permanent homes. The items requested by the BayPines VA were as follows:

* Laundry Baskets

* Bath Towels

* Kitchen Towels

* All purpose spray cleaner

* Packs of cleaning sponges

* Paper Towels

* Glass Cleaner

* Brooms

* Dust pans

* Mops

* Mop Buckets

* Floor Cleaner

* Dish Soap

* Laundry Soap

* Dryer/Fabric Softener Sheets

On Monday and Tuesday, donations began to come in primarily from our very supportive faculty and staff. On Thursday, we received a call from the coordinators at the Fire Academy, a satellite location of the Allstate Campus, saying that the two Fire Academy classes had really outdone themselves. Not being available to attend our Care Package Assembly party planner for Friday, the classes wanted to do what they could to help out. Two very full carloads later, we had all of the donations in the Student Life and Leadership office.

On Friday, students and staff gathered to celebrate the successful donation drive by packing care packages for veterans in need while enjoying pizza and camaraderie. One of our security guards, Ryan Crowder, shared his own story about assistance offered to him by the VA following his enrollment in the Military as a Marine.

In the end we collected enough good to make 43 bags – each valued at $5-$7.

Shana Sapp, advising manager (follow her on twitter @shana_sapp) and I went to the Bay Pines VA Voluntary Services center on Monday, 11/16 to meet Nathan Witt and drop off the care packages.

We know that a lot of our students are veterans themselves and want to send a huge THANK YOU to all of them, and the many others in our community who have chosen to serve our country. As a student veteran, we do want to remind you that you can visit Veterans Services online, or on the Gibbs, Clearwater, or Seminole Campuses. Also, the Baypines VA is always in need of a variety of items or in-person volunteers to help veterans in need. Please check them out online to see their greatest current need.

Some of you may have noticed some changes happening around the SPC Allstate Campus – mostly personnel right now. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Rebecca Sarver (you can call me Becca) and I have just moved into the position of Student Life and Leadership Coordinator on the Allstate Campus. I will not only have a hand in the coordination of student government, clubs, events and activities on campus – but I will also be a major contributor to this blog and our Allstate Facebook Page. I wanted to tell you a little about myself.

I was born and raised in Bradenton, FL, where I still reside. After graduating high school, I attended Florida State University (Go Noles!) and earned my Bachelor’s degree in Criminology/Criminal Justice. After graduating in 2009, I joined the U.S. Peace Corps and spent my service in Kalale, Benin in West Africa. Coming back from Benin, I wanted a more “traditional 9-to-5” and got a job at a local bank. After working for the bank for three years, I decided on a career change and joined the SPC team. I worked with the Downtown and Midtown campuses for my first year as a Career Specialist and am so happy to join the Allstate team.

Personally, I love to be active! From November to March, you can find me training for running races and from April to October, it’s triathlon season. I prefer tri season to running (it engages my mind and makes the time pass quickly!). I like to joke that I only run to offset my eating; I have a total sweet tooth that I fight against daily.

Fast Facts:

• My favorite type of cuisine is Peruvian.
• My favorite place I’ve traveled is the Netherlands.
• My favorite place to relax is anywhere by the water!
• My favorite type of music is Oh gosh! Too many! I love Jack Johnson in the background when I’m working, Motown when I want to sing, and Pat Benatar when I’m feeling pumped up.
• My favorite sports team is Green Bay Packers!! (And of course, my Noles!)
• My favorite thing about working for SPC is that I like what I’m selling (futures where students can be successful!)

I can’t wait to work with you all to make the SPC Allstate Campus even more awesome than it already is. If you have any questions – or just want to come by and say hi – please come visit! You can find me in Student Services AC114K, email me sarver.rebecca@spcollege.edu, or call me (727)341-4480.

See you soon!
-Becca

P.S. I’m going to be doing event calendars each month to let you know what’s happening. They look like the one pictured here. Keep your eye out here and and on Facebook to know what’s happening around campus!

Photo taken during the 2014 Halloween Open House at the Allstate Center

Are you ready for the 2nd Annual Halloween Open House event at St. Petersburg College’s Allstate Center? We sure are!

This year is going to be bigger and better than last year. Those visiting the Allstate Center‘s open house later this month should be ready to get into the spirit of the holiday. The invitation is open to all SPC students, staff, faculty and the public!

• The Oct. 30 event will offer a flavor of the season. Attendees will get to view the creative “Door Decoration Contest” that takes place between students and staff on Oct. 28. Decorations from the contest will be left in place for the open house.
• Parents can bring their children for “safe” trick-or-treating. They’ll have the opportunity to trick-or-treat with a firefighter or police officer on the first floor of the campus.
• A haunted house will take place throughout the center’s entire second floor. It will include a jail cell, the crime scene lab and the courtroom!

Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about St. Petersburg College programs and local community vendors.

Open House activities

• Hear about ghost investigation stories from Dr.  Brandy Stark, Humanities Instructor at SPC
• Take “spooky” campus tours
• Take children 11 and under trick or treating
• Get  food and treats

Event times

• Safe Trick-or-Treating from 5 – 6 pm
• Haunted House from 6 – 8 pm

Last spring, Therapy Dogs International (TDI) brought five dogs to the Allstate Center Library to help students de-stress during their exams. It was one of the library’s most popular events so the therapy dogs were brought back on October 6th to help students once again as they prepared for their Fall midterms.

You may be wondering, “What is Therapy Dogs International (TDI)?” According to their website, they are a “volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and wherever else therapy dogs are needed.” The organization was founded in 1976 in New Jersey. You can click here for more information about Therapy Dogs International (TDI). You can also find them on Facebook.

I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of the dogs, and I can attest to the fact that indeed they can assist in helping a person. I felt much more relaxed after visiting with them. So who did I meet? First, I met James Taylor the Poodle. His owner, Lisa Palmer, shared with me that he was rescued from the streets in Polk County by an officer when he was two years old. He is now four. He likes to visit area hospitals and schools. James Taylor was a joy to visit with.

I also met Dora the Golden Retriever. She is pictured to the right with SPC Fire Academy #45 student Jordan Dahlstrom. Her owner, Bill Shivers, shared with me that she is three and a half years old. He said that recently she visited a school, and she listened to children as they read books to her. Dora was an attentive listener when I met her, and you can tell by the picture that she’s a joy to be around.

From what I heard, students walked away a little less stressed and ready to tackle their midterms. We want to take this time to thank TDI for all you do to help people from all walks of life cope with the stressors life can bring. We’d also like to thank the owners of all of the therapy dogs that were present at the event. We are hoping that we will see you next spring!

Until next time…have a great weekend!