CRIMINALS' CONTRABAND WILL OUTFIT PLAY AREAS

TAMPA - Preschoolers in Progress Village will ride new tricycles, youngsters
in Ruskin will learn to fish and school children in Lutz will climb on new
playgrounds, all thanks to criminals.

The three projects were among 27 that received community enrichment grants
from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office on Thursday. The money -
$32,945 in all - came from drug busts and property seized from criminals.

The grants ranged from $650 to $1,500 and will help paint schools, buy
playgrounds and prevent crime, among other things.

The Pepper Patrol, a Ruskin environmental group will use $1,500 to teach 50
children how to fish. The money will buy poles, tackle and bait.

``It will not only teach [kids] the proper way to fish,'' said Dolly
Cummings, an organizer of the clinic. ``It will teach them why it's
important to fish responsibly, to take care of their environment.''

At First Baptist Church in Progress Village, $1,312 will buy 14 tricycles
for children at the church's childcare program. The program, Progress
Village Academy, helps to get preschool and children of kindergarten age
ready for public school, academy director Benjamin Pullen said. It also
provides after-school care.

By law, the sheriff's office must give 15 percent of money seized from
criminals to nonprofit groups. The remaining money is used to purchase
equipment for the department.

Every year the department funds the Junior Deputy Program, the county's
Neighborhood Watch program and Cease Fire Tampa Bay. This year, it opened it
up to the community and 70 applications were A committee of four residents
and four community resource deputies chose which projects got the money.
Community resource Deputy Christine Fleet said the board chose projects that
affected children but that have community impact. They also tried to help
groups that were already raising money, such as Lutz and Maniscalco
elementary schools. The schools have been raising money for new playgrounds
for two years, Lutz community resource Deputy Gordon Brown said.

Each school was given $1,500 toward equipment. While Lutz Elementary still
needs more, the grant was enough to put Maniscalco over the top.