A 10th-grade Lakeland High School student will join LBL Productions Spiritual & Creative Gifts at 608-B Liberty St. in Chesapeake when it opens on Saturday, March 15.

Judy Lawrence Lamb, owner, said that Tanisha Powell,15, a very ambitious student, will come on board as an apprentice at the business, which will carry personalized greetings cards, memorials and other gifts.

&uot;She is also a very talented young lady and an &uot;A&uot; student as well,&uot; said Lamb, a former resident of Suffolk who lived here for 30 years.

&uot;Her thinking process is far beyond her years but words reach the hearts of her peers through her poetry.&uot;

Lamb is a published author, and she, Powell and her family are all members of Oak Grove Baptist Church on East Washington Street.

Powell said she has been writing since she was 10 or 11 and that her mother told Lamb at church that she wrote poetry.

&uot;After Mrs. Lamb heard this, she asked me if she could see some of my work. She loved it and that is when she asked me if I would like to share my writing to customers at her store when she opened in March,&uot; said Powell.

At Oak Grove, Powell is a member of the Oak Grove Praise Dancers, the Oak Grove Drama Club, Youth Council, Junior Choir and Junior Ushers. She plans to join more organizations at school in her junior year but right now her full attention is on the big step that she is about to take in March.

She has shared some of her works with classmates and Lakeland’s Principal Thomas Whitley.

According to Lamb, Powell’s cards are very unique because her words are reaching out to the youth in a manner that is full of wisdom.

&uot;They will be accommodating to some parents who may be trying to reach their children.

&uot;For example, one of her writings, entitled, &uot;Jane&uot; speaks of children’s cruelty to other children who may somehow be challenged. We believe parents and even other student will purchase these cards to pass on a message in a very clean and unchallenging manner because they contain compassion and passion,&uot; said Lamb.

Whitley said that Powell has a very unique talent with writing and expressing herself, and has had many poems on display.

&uot;She has given me copies of some of her work and I am very proud of her and encouraging her to keep up the good work,&uot; he said.

Lamb and Powell both have many talents that will enhance the business. Powell will have her own section within the store for &uot;Wonderful Words by Tanisha.&uot; All proceeds generated from these cards will go into a fund for her college education. Her desire is to attend Norfolk State or Old Dominion Universities to pursue a major in sociology.

Powell is working on anniversary, Easter, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day cards and is continuing to receive overwhelming support from her principle, teachers and fellow students.

&uot;I believe Tanisha is going to be a great asset to the store and that she will be instrumental in the uniqueness that has been ordained by God.

&uot;One of the partners of LBL Productions is my son Allen Boddie, along with my husband, William. Allen is very excited to have Tanisha on board because he was a graduate of Lakeland and sees this as an opportunity to give back to the school that gave so much to him,&uot; said Lamb.

Lamb said that she owes everything to Rev. Dr. Anthony Copeland, her pastor, who shared this vision with her several years ago and confirmed it that this event was to be but that preparations come before blessings.

&uot;On Jan. 8, 2002, I received the spiritual go-ahead and it has been on the move ever since. My long-term goal is to open a very interesting business in Suffolk in 2004. One that I believe will be a blessing to the city and its inhabitants,&uot; said Lamb.

Powell is the daughter of Scharlese Hicks Washington, and said that she is blessed to have two fathers -Allen Jerone Powell and Blane Washington. She also has three brothers, two older and one younger.