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Monthly Archives

August 2021

24th Annual Columbia Community Harvest Gives Back to BBBS

By Fundraising Events

Support local non-profits just by dining at any Columbia Restaurant in September.

Through its month-long 24th annual Community Harvest program, Columbia donates 5 percent of all diners’ checks to charities selected by the guests, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay.

Over the last 23 years, the Columbia Restaurant’s Community Harvest has donated more than $2.6 million to non-profit organizations throughout Florida.

Community Harvest involves each of the Columbia locations, including Ybor City in the historic district of Tampa, St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, St. Augustine, Sand Key on Clearwater Beach, Central Florida’s town of Celebration, the Columbia Cafe on the Riverwalk in downtown Tampa at the Tampa Bay History Center and the Columbia Restaurant Cafe at Tampa International Airport.

All Columbia locations are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
For more information, see www.ColumbiaRestaurant.com

“We started this program as a way to help many of the worthy non-profit groups that are so important to our communities,” said 4th generation family member and president Richard Gonzmart.

The process is simple: Choose Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay on the ballot that’s provided with the check. The restaurant calculates the 5 percent and provides the charity with gift certificates that can be used for up to 12 months. There’s no additional cost to the guest.

The original Columbia Restaurant was founded in Tampa’s Historic Ybor City in 1905 by Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., and is Florida’s oldest restaurant.

All Columbia locations are owned and operated by 4th and 5th generation members of the founding family, except for the Columbia Restaurant Cafe at Tampa International Airport, which is operated in partnership with HMSHost.

Match Big Lisa and Little Robin

Match Story: Robin & Lisa

By Match Stories

Big Lisa and Little Robin reached their fourth match anniversary this August! Since the beginning of their match, Lisa has supported Robin in her school work. Lisa even gave Robin a few pointers to help her stay organized and improve her grades, especially math. Lisa helped Robin transition to high school last year, empowering Robin to feel confident in her potential to succeed. Robin finished the school year with all A’s and B’s in her classes and even made it on the honor roll! Robin is excited to graduate from high school in a few years and feels she will most likely attend college in the future.

Robin feels that Lisa is a positive role model in her life. Not only does Robin enjoy spending time with her Big, but she also feels very close to Lisa. When not hitting the books, these two enjoy watching movies at the theatre, going out to eat, and attending outings hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters. During the pandemic, Lisa and Robin didn’t miss a beat. They stayed in touch via phone calls and texts so their friendship could continue to grow until they could see each other in person again.

As Robin continues to attain her goals and reach her fullest potential, there is no doubt that Lisa will be there to support her!

Defend the potential of youth in our community by supporting our one-to-one mentoring programs. Make a donation or volunteer as a mentor today!

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