ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — If you remember those battery commercials about the bunny with unlimited energy, that rabbit would be envious of Deonte Thompson.

What You Need To Know

  • Dreamfaith Foundation hosted a a conference at USF St. Petersburg for young people in the Bay area

  • The conference, St. Pete Strong, is a lively conference with music, prizes, along with lectures and seminars from people in STEM and other fields

  • The goal, according to the organizer, is to give kids information to potential careers and activities they can pursue during the summertime and for the rest of their lives

He is the executive director of the Dreamfaith Foundation and the kids in St. Petersburg are why he’s so eager to get today started.

“Their smile makes my heart smile,” Thompson said. “And I’m trying to just keep it all together. I love the handshakes. I love the smile. They’re so excited, so it makes me excited.”

Even though this is the eighth year Thompson is hosting a youth conference in the Bay area, that excitement still comes back with every kid he interacts with.

“I am running on, like, zero sleep right now, but I don’t even feel it at this point,” Thompson said.

At the St. Pete Strong Youth Conference on USF’s St. Pete campus, the objective, according to Thompson, is to give kids something to do that’s constructive now that it’s officially summer.

“The goal is really about exposing kids to information, to data, to careers they meet that they may not have been exposed to before,” he said.

Because, he says, boredom in the summer can sometimes lead to bad choices. So giving them an atmosphere that’s not only fun, but educational and insightful is why he flies from Texas back to his hometown to host this event.

“I see 10-year-old Deonte, wishing that I had something like this to come to during the summertime, and it just makes my heart smile because they have their faces light up,” Thompson said. “They have no clue what they’re in for today.”

Because it’s not just lectures and a free breakfast. This conference is a party.

St. Pete Strong has a DJ, dancing and booths for things like stem activities.

They also have speakers to motivate each young person in the crowd.

“We give you support; we give you backing, we give you a network, we give you community, we give you exposure,” Thompson said.

After all, community and support is why Thompson keeps coming home to put this conference on.

This year, about 400 kids from the Bay area are at the conference and Thompson wouldn’t want to do this anywhere else.

“There’s no greater place to do it in my hometown,” he said.

That drive to touch these young lives helps you realize exactly why Thompsons’s energy isn’t going away anytime soon.

Next year, Thompson plans to host the conference as part of a week-long experience he calls St. Pete Week.

He says it’ll include things like a beach block party, and a 5K, ultimately culminating with the 9th Annual Empowerment Conference.