Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., was on hand at the Florida Press Center Thursday to accept a HOPEE Award for work at the Bragg Memorial Stadium COVID-19 Testing Site.
In accepting the award, Robinson cited the tireless contributions of the FAMU COVID-19 Task Force and the leadership of Student Health Services Director Tanya Tatum, Cynthia Harris, Ph.D., associate dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health, and others. He also credited FAMU alumna, Florida Deputy Health Secretary Shamarial Roberson, DrPH, with the idea of establishing the on-campus testing location, which has administered more than 306,000 tests since it opened on April 25, 2020.
Dr. Temple O. Robinson, MD, CEO of Bond Community Health Center, who played a key role in the establishment and early operation of the Bragg site, also received a HOPEE Award. Second Harvest of the Big Bend and civil rights attorney Ben Crump were also honored.
HOPEE (Helping Others Practice Enduring Empowerment) Awards are presented to those who exemplify helping others to practice enduring empowerment while spreading hope in the family, church, school, community, marketplace, nation, and the world, said Rosalind Tompkins, founder and president of Mothers in Crisis, Inc., as well as the National Month of Hope.
Having seen the impact that hope can have on people’s lives, Tompkins and Mothers in Crisis, Inc.launched a national public awareness campaign in 2018 beginning with the designation of April as the National Month of Hope.
“Hope is needed now more than ever after the 2020 coronavirus pandemic that many are still suffering the effects of,” Tompkins said in a statement. “Through the Balls for Hope Campaign we are spreading hope one ball at a time.”
