Kid Assistant Derron Blake Interviews Riviera Beach Leader, Pastor & Community Advocate, Apostle Teresa Nelson.

ADULTING is Apostle Teresa Nelson, Executive Director of Nelson’s Outreach Ministry. Apostle Nelson provides outreach services through her Riviera Beach ministry to the people of the CRA District and surrounding communities via worship, concerts, camps, retreats, interventions and more. Her outreach services include: food and clothing distribution; vocational skills training; distribution of school supplies; intervention for domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse, teen pregnancy; and more.

KID-ASSISTING is Derron Blake, Junior. Derron is 8 years old, in the third grade and attends Northboro Elementary Montessori Magnet School. He enjoys spending time with his younger brother and grandparents; the Cub Scouts; playing golf, tennis and Legos; learning about aviation and robotics; and public speaking as a tool for change. His favorite local hangouts are Rafiki Tiki, the Splash Pad and Peanut Island. Derron is particularly interested in Black History. After receiving a copy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech from his Sunday school teacher in 2015, the subject was never the same for him again..

DERRON: What’s the biggest way you help people?
APOSTLE NELSON: Our weekly food distribution on Wednesdays.

What can regular people do to help their friends and neighbors? Just lend a helping hand wherever the need is, and always keep smiling.

What is your best advice for a kid growing up in Riviera Beach? Stay in school. Stay out of trouble. Be positive. Write down your short- and long-term goals. And keep FOCUSED, and you will SUCCEED!

How do you spend your free time? I enjoy sitting outside just relaxing with family and friends, and weekly on Fridays, going out to eat at Cooking From The Heart with Ms. Ann Teague, a small business entrepreneur here in Riviera Beach.

Know a Riviera Beach kid or adult candidate for this column?
We’d love to hear from you.

Welcome to our inaugural CRA e-newsletter column, “Kids on the Beat” where Riviera Beach leaders are interviewed through the lens of local children.

ADULTING for us today is Debrah Hall McCullon, a Staff Assistant for the City of Riviera Beach. Ms. Hall McCullon is the personification of a true community leader in her relentless efforts to encourage professionally, personally and online all manner of what is good for the City.

KID-ASSISTING is Gerald Williams, Jr., an advanced Riviera Beach 3rd-grade student. Gerald plays trumpet and is learning the clarinet. He enjoys playing football (offense AND defense) and is trying to decide between the FBI or the DEA when it comes time to join the workforce. His backup plan is to be a professional football player and Gerald’s favorite local hangout is the beach.

GERALD: What is your favorite place in Riviera Beach?
MS. HALL MCCULLON: My favorite place in Riviera Beach is Phil Foster Park under the bridge.

Did you always want to work with local government? Yes I have always wanted to work with local government. I started working with local government 30 years ago while I was in college in Tallahassee, FL, where I worked for Leon County at the Leon County Public Library as a library assistant, shelving books.

Is it hard working for the City of Riviera Beach? It is not hard working for the City of Riviera Beach. It can be very busy sometimes, but not hard at all.

Do you enjoy your job, and if so, what do you enjoy about it? I enjoy my job. I find it rewarding to be able to assist residents with the information that they need.

What does your typical workday schedule look like? My work schedule involves providing lien search information to residents and business owners. I answer questions about lien searches through email and on the telephone. Sometimes I answer the city’s main line where I answer questions and transfer residents to the appropriate city department that they need.

Know a Riviera Beach kid or adult candidate for this column?
We’d love to hear from you.