Generations Renewed<\/a>, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people transition into stable, self-sufficient lives.<\/p>\n\u201cIn order for me to get here now, I had to do the work, and that\u2019s what you got to do,\u201d she told one of her clients.<\/p>\n
That work now touches nearly a thousand people each month.<\/p>\n
Services include housing assistance, job placement, and support for students working to finish high school and enter college.<\/p>\n
But Kitchen says the work doesn\u2019t stop once those goals are met. \u201cEven after we get them housed, we don\u2019t just cut the cord, we stay in contact with the client,” she said.<\/p>\n
While many people visit her office, most of Kitchen\u2019s work happens directly in the community.<\/p>\n
For Kitchen, it\u2019s about more than services \u2014 it\u2019s about inspiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Sharon Moody, the group\u2019s founder, says the annual awards celebrate those who are paving the way for the next generation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so important to keep people moving to come forward to let young people know how to give back in our community,” Moody said. “It\u2019s not always about pay, it’s about how you serve.”<\/p>\n
This is a list of those members being honored at the Gala:<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Heritage Award- Edith Crump Langston and Rosetta Crump Smith<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lifetime Achievement Award-Captain Alfred Van Duyne<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Community Service Award- Kimberly Kitchen<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Humanitarian Award-Joyce Jordan-Hooke<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cornerstone Award- Shekinah Glory Cathedral Church<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Volunteer of the year- Sue Vigliarolo<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 President\u2019s Award- To be announced at the Gala<\/p>\n
Kitchen says she hopes her recognition encourages others to see their own potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are African American kids that are seeing their potential just by what we\u2019re doing in generations renewed, and that\u2019s amazing to me,\u201d says Kitchen.<\/p>\n
A space where families can reset, a place where possibility feels real, and a reminder that service can echo for generations.<\/p>\n
Generations Renewed is now looking to expand into a larger space, with plans to add showers, clothing assistance and additional services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014\u00a0Every year, the Plant City Black Heritage organization honors leaders who are making a difference in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":154754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[274,48241,74564,276,6076,115,135,137,136,278,835],"class_list":{"0":"post-154753","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-app-top-stories","9":"tag-black-history-month","10":"tag-black-history-month-2025","11":"tag-hillsborough-county","12":"tag-lizbeth-gutierrez","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-tampa","15":"tag-tampa-headlines","16":"tag-tampa-news","17":"tag-top-stories","18":"tag-vod"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}