TAMPA, Fla. — Every year, the Plant City Black Heritage organization honors leaders who are making a difference in the community. This year, as the group celebrates 100 years of Black history, eight people are being recognized for their service.

What You Need To Know

Plant City Black Heritage was founded in 2003 to give back to the community.

Each year, the organization honors people in the community for their service.

Kimberly Kitchen is one of those honorees for community service.

Kitchen in the founder of Generations Renewed, a nonprofit that helps people get back on their feet with resource help.

Spectrum News spoke with one of this year’s honorees about her mission to be a voice of encouragement, particularly for families working to break cycles of instability.

In this space, Kimberly Kitchen has turned her passion into purpose.

She is the founder of Generations Renewed, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people transition into stable, self-sufficient lives.

“In order for me to get here now, I had to do the work, and that’s what you got to do,” she told one of her clients.

That work now touches nearly a thousand people each month.

Services include housing assistance, job placement, and support for students working to finish high school and enter college.

But Kitchen says the work doesn’t stop once those goals are met. “Even after we get them housed, we don’t just cut the cord, we stay in contact with the client,” she said.

While many people visit her office, most of Kitchen’s work happens directly in the community.

For Kitchen, it’s about more than services — it’s about inspiration.

“Not only can the next person in the community be willing to do the work, but it lets them know that as African Americans we do, do the work,” she said.

For nearly a decade, she has dedicated her time to serving others, efforts that will now be recognized with the community service award from the Plant City Black Heritage organization.

Sharon Moody, the group’s founder, says the annual awards celebrate those who are paving the way for the next generation.

“It’s so important to keep people moving to come forward to let young people know how to give back in our community,” Moody said. “It’s not always about pay, it’s about how you serve.”

This is a list of those members being honored at the Gala:

·      Heritage Award- Edith Crump Langston and Rosetta Crump Smith

·      Lifetime Achievement Award-Captain Alfred Van Duyne

·      Community Service Award- Kimberly Kitchen

·      Humanitarian Award-Joyce Jordan-Hooke

·      Cornerstone Award- Shekinah Glory Cathedral Church

·      Volunteer of the year- Sue Vigliarolo

·      President’s Award- To be announced at the Gala

Kitchen says she hopes her recognition encourages others to see their own potential.

“There are African American kids that are seeing their potential just by what we’re doing in generations renewed, and that’s amazing to me,” says Kitchen.

A space where families can reset, a place where possibility feels real, and a reminder that service can echo for generations.

Generations Renewed is now looking to expand into a larger space, with plans to add showers, clothing assistance and additional services.