VOLUME 6  ISSUE #1
JANUARY 2014
EMPOWERMENT NEWS!
Becoming The Best You!TM
As we thrust forward into 2014, I want to
challenge us to prioritize and “Put First Things
First.”
Often times we look at the past with regret,
complain about the present because it may not
look very promising, or we dread the future
because of all its uncertainties. Aligning our goals
and setting benchmarks for every area of our lives
is a priceless activity. This process will assist each
of us in experiencing a simplified course for where
we are trying to go. This course of action does not
guarantee a problem-free trip, it does not
guarantee that we will not experience times of
doubt, and it does not guarantee we will not have
to make sacrifices.
The process of “putting first things first” will
cause us to galvanize that spark within us to be
the paramount of who God created us to be in
every area of our lives.
I challenge us to:
Love More
Give More
Forgive More
Live More
Sacrifice More
&
Be More……
In other words, “Put First Things First!”
CONTENTS
The President Speaks
1
Motivational Moment
2
Remembering Nelson Mandela
2
Financial Services Business
3
deDGE Media Ad
4
Build Your Own Business!
5
Black History Inventors
6
What We Offer
7
New Office Location
8
2620 N. Australian Ave., Suite 100-S
West Palm Beach, Florida 33407
www.gcifl.com
Phone: 561.385.4657 / Fax: 561.881.4530
www.gcifl.com  Email: [email protected]
VOLUME 6  ISSUE #1
JANUARY 2014
MOTIVATIONAL MOMENT - LIFE’S STRUGGLE
A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On
the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body
through that little hole.
The moth seemed to be stuck and appeared to have stopped making progress. It seemed as if it had gotten as far as it
could and it could go no farther. The man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth; so he took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But its body was swollen and small, its
wings wrinkled and shriveled. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings
would enlarge and expand to and able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the
little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a small, swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to
fly. The man in his kindness and haste did not understand that the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny
opening was necessary to force fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight upon
achieving its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of
a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.
In Memory of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo,
South Africa. His birth name is Rolihlahla. He got the
nickname Nelson from a teacher in school.
Nelson was a member of Thimbu royalty and his
father was chief of the city of Mvezo. He attended
school and later college at the College of Fort Hare
and the University of Witwatersrand. At
Witwatersrand, Mandela got his law degree and would
meet some of his fellow activists against apartheid.
Nelson Mandela was a civil rights leader in South Africa. He fought against apartheid, a system where non-white
citizens were segregated from whites and did not have equal rights. He served a good portion of his life in prison
for his protests, but became a symbol for his people. Later he would become president of South Africa.1
Nelson Mandela became a leader in the African National Congress (ANC). At first he pushed hard for the congress
and the protesters to follow Mohandas Gandhi's non-violence approach. At one point he started to doubt that this
approach would work and started up an armed branch of the ANC. He planned to bomb certain buildings, but only
the buildings. He wanted to make sure that no one would be hurt. He was classified as a terrorist by the South
African government and sent to prison.
Mandela would spend the next 27 years in prison. His prison sentence brought international visibility to the antiapartheid movement. He was finally released through international pressure in 1990. Once released from prison,
Nelson continued his campaign to end apartheid. His hard work and life long effort paid off when all races were
allowed to vote in the 1994 election. Nelson Mandela won the election and became president of South Africa.
There were several times during the process where violence threatened to break out. Nelson was a strong force in
keeping the calm and preventing a major civil war.
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JANUARY 2014
NUMBER ONE
Nathaniel Alexander was the first to patent the folding chair.
NUMBER TWO
In 1897, Andrew Jackson Beard invented the Jenny Coupler, a device linking train cars together
through a bumping process. The Coupler was a boon to the welfare of many railroad workers, who
originally had the dangerous job of hooking moving cars together by hand.
NUMBER THREE
Henry Blair is believed to be the second African American to receive a patent. He invented a corn
seed planter in 1834 and a cotton planter in 1836. Because he could not read or write, Blair signed
his patent with an "X."
NUMBER FOUR
Otis Boykin invented electronic control devices for guided missiles, IBM computers and
pacemakers. He would receive almost a dozen patents over his lifetime.
NUMBER FIVE
In the late 19th century, C.B. Brooks invented and patented the mechanical street sweeper, a truck
equipped with brooms.
NUMBER SIX
The "strongbox," a locked container used to store money and other valuable items, was invented
by Henry Brown.
NUMBER SEVEN
George Carruthers helmed the group of scientists that created the far ultraviolet
camera/spectrograph, used in the 1972 Apollo 16 flight to the moon. His invention revealed new
features in Earth's far-outer atmosphere and highlighted a variety of celestial objects from the
perspective of the lunar surface. Carruthers was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame
in 2003.
NUMBER EIGHT
In 1897, African-American inventor Alfred L. Cralle patented the first ice cream scoop. His original
design remains in wide use.
NUMBER NINE
African-American mechanical engineer David Crosthwait, Jr. created the heating systems for New
York's Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.
NUMBER TEN
Engineer David Crosthwait, Jr. held 39 U.S. patents and 80 international patents pertaining to
heating, refrigeration, temperature regulation and pump processes.
Empowerment News!
Page 6
VOLUME 6  ISSUE #1
JANUARY 2014
GRASSROOTS CONSULTING, INC.
What We Offer….
Board Development
Budget, Credit, and Financial Literacy Workshops
By-Laws
Shandra Stringer is the embodiment of
someone who works at the grassroots
level to make a difference with individuals
and organizations. Her energized
workshops will invigorate the passive,
ignite the fruitless, and challenge the
ordinary to become a master of the
extraordinary.
SBE/MWBE/DBE CERTIFIED
Broward County College
City of West Palm Beach
Palm Beach County
State of Florida (including
Service-Disabled Veteran)
The Broward County School
District
Church Organizational Structure & Development
Consulting & Recruitment for individuals
and organizations
Develop 501(c)(3) Organizations

Employee Identification Number Filings
For-Profit Business Start-Ups
Minority Certifications
Motivational Workshops for a
variety of audiences
Prepare and File Articles of Incorporation
Program Development
Tax Preparation (Business & Personal)
Technical Assistance
Vendor Registration
STRINGER & ASSOCIATES FINANCIAL SERVICES
Empowerment News!
Page 7
VOLUME 6  ISSUE #1
JANUARY 2014
NEW OFFICE LOCATION
Grassroots Consulting, Inc.
and
Stringer & Associates Financial Services
ARE NOW LOCATED AT:
2620 North Australian Avenue, Suite 100-S
West Palm Beach, Florida 33407
Office: (561) 841-6670  Direct: (561) 385-4657  Fax: (561) 881-4530
Website: www.gcifl.com  Email: [email protected]
2620 N. Australian Ave., Suite 100-S
West Palm Beach, Florida 33407
ADVERTISE IN THIS
NEWSLETTER!
For more information, call
Shandra Stringer @ (561) 385-4657
WWW.GCIFL.COM