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May 16
Gradation 2019

Congratulations to our 2019 Graduating Littles

By Match Events

Each year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay celebrates our Littles who are graduating high school with a graduation ceremony

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay has had an exciting time recently celebrating the high school graduation of Littles in our mentoring programs.

On May 1st, Leto High School had 17 students graduate from our School-to-Work program with Nielsen. The event featured the recently inducted mayor of Oldsmar, Eric Seidel, as the keynote speaker. Littles reminisced about the past year in the program, spoke about their experiences with School-to-Work that they will carry into the future, and awards were presented to those with perfect attendance. Nielsen also provided scholarships to two students, Jessica and Jonathan. Special thanks to Publix for donating a cake for the occasion.

View photos from the Leto and Nielsen graduation here.

On May 14th, we hosted our annual Graduation Ceremony for all graduating Littles, their Bigs and family members, at the Tampa Garden Club. Overall, we had 92 graduating seniors this year. Before the ceremony began, guests enjoyed the photo booth donated by Andrejka Photography. The evening started with a welcome from Jennifer Libby, VP of Programs, and Stephen Koch, President and CEO, followed by a delicious dinner catered by Lynn’s Catering. Bob Conigliaro from Caspers Company was the keynote speaker and shared some sage words of wisdom for the graduates. Gerry Goldhammer represented the BBBS Tampa Bay Scholarship Fund and presented scholarships to four deserving Littles, Delaney, Damion, Nate and Bennie. The Live for 24 Foundation, who raises funds in remembrance of former Big Melissa Vanderhall, presented their scholarship to Little ZaDerricka. Each graduate was honored and recognized with a certificate and special BBBS Tampa Bay branded pen. The evening closed with a presentation from Dallas Ruffin, who announced our newest program, Big Futures, which will help support Littles beyond graduation to help ensure they succeed and meet their future goals. Everyone enjoyed the cake donated by Winn-Dixie.

View photos from the graduation ceremony here.

On May 15th, Middleton High School had 20 students graduate from our School-to-Work program with Moffit Cancer Center. Moffit provided graduation caps and gowns for the Littles to help make the ceremony feel authentic. The program coordinator at Moffit, LaWanda Courtney, spoke about her heartfelt match story with her Little. We had three graduating Littles speak about their experience in the program and how their relationships with the Bigs and all they have learned will carry with them into their futures. Scholarships provided by Valley National Bank were presented to two Littles, Lydia and Francesca.

View photos from the Middleton and Moffit graduation here.

We are so proud of all our graduating Littles and know that they will all go on to do great things in the future. Congratulations to the graduating class of 2019!

May 13
Battle of the Bass Tournament

Inaugural Battle of the Bass Tournament

By Fundraising Events, Match Events

The inaugural Battle of the Bass fishing tournament, held on May 11th at the Guy Harvey Camp Mack Resort in Lake Wales, was a success by every measure. The anglers had a great day, weighing in some real lunkers. Eric Conant and Michael Foster won the Big Bass contest with an 8.5-pound hawg. Lamar Farrow and Richie Upchurt won the first-place $6,000 prize with a 5-fish weight of 28.54 pounds. Nearly 40 boats participated in the tournament, and the event raised $11,500 in support of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s mentoring programs. While the fishermen were on the water, more than 30 of our Bigs & Littles got some one-on-one fishing tips from FLW Tour pro Darrell Davis, the event host and co-chairman. The day also included an exhibition from a police dog-in-training, a drawing for a free Power-Pole, and a lot of fun for everyone involved. Special thanks to the tournament co-chair Tammy Curtis and our sponsors, CenterState Bank, Tampa Bay Rays, and StevenDouglas.

View photos from the event here.

Watch the video slideshow here.

See the final Battle of the Bass Tournament Rankings.

Apr 29

Over the Edge 2019

By Fundraising Events

More than 40 BBBS friends and supporters, including new mayor Jane Castor and TPD Chief Brian Dugan, experienced the thrill of rappelling down 17 stories of the Tampa Hilton Downtown on April 27 as part of this year’s Over the Edge fundraising event. Participants were required to raise a minimum of $1,500 (the cost of supporting one Big/Little match for a year) for their spot on one of the ropes. The event raised $85,000 in support of the BBBS mentoring programs. In addition to Mayor Castor and Chief Dugan, other “Edgers” included the State Attorney Andrew Warren, Tampa Bay Lightning’s ThunderBug, Major Butch Delgado from TPD, four University of Tampa cheerleaders and their coach, and 8-year-old Sawyer St. Clair, our youngest participant to date. A special thanks to sponsors Flowbird, Paradise Ventures, Tampa Bay Club Sports, the law firm of Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, Skanska and AgileThought.

 

View photos from the event here.
Password:  OTE2019 (case sensitive)

Apr 26

School-to-Work Littles Headed to Nationals for FBLA

By Match Events, School-to-Work

Littles at Middleton High School placed 4th in the Florida state competition for their STEM fair

 

Littles in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s School-to-Work program from Middleton High School are heading to nationals for their Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) project.

Each year the FBLA must complete a community service project. Previously they lead service days at other local Tampa Bay agencies such as Metropolitan Ministries and Habitat for Humanity. This year, Middleton’s FBLA students chose to host a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fair in honor of Middleton’s STEM magnet program. Since some of the FBLA students participate in the School-to-Work program with BBBS Tampa Bay they chose to host the STEM fair for our matches in the Community-Based program.

“We wanted to share our knowledge and hopefully inspire others to join STEM, because of the amazing benefits it offers, and just hope to spark interest in general,” says Middleton student Nidhi.

The students coordinated each step of the planning for the STEM fair, from creating a flyer to planning the demonstrations. The STEM fair was hosted on February 2nd and the nineteen BBBS Tampa Bay matches who attended extracted DNA from strawberries, learned about what’s inside a computer, and had the opportunity to control a robot built by Middleton students.

Middleton took their STEM fair project to the Florida state competition, where they placed fourth. Their next stop is the national competition in San Antonio, Texas, from June 29th through July 2nd!

Check out more photos from the STEM fair here.

Apr 19

Annual Match Spring Picnic at Philippe Park

By Match Events

Each spring, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay hosts a Match Spring Picnic for Bigs & Littles to spend time together in the great outdoors.

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay hosted their annual Match Spring Picnic at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor. With almost 300 Bigs, Littles and staff in attendance, this was one of our biggest picnics yet!

Matches enjoyed arts and crafts, sports and games, music, dancing and a delicious lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs grilled by our own President & CEO, Stephen Koch, and his Little Jon.

Special thanks to Starbucks for donating coffee and iced tea for our matches to enjoy at the picnic and the Hobbs Foundation for making the annual Match Spring Picnic possible

View all of the photos from the Match Spring Picnic here and here.

Apr 08

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay Named 2018 Pinnacle Award Winner

By In The News

For the first time in its 54-year history, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay agency has been named a Pinnacle Award winner for 2018 by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the nationwide mentoring organization’s highest honor.

The award, announced by the Big Brothers Big Sisters Nationwide Leadership Council, recognizes the very best local agencies for increasing their revenue and growing their overall number of Big & Little matches year-over-year for two or more consecutive years. In 2018, the Tampa Bay agency served a record 3,014 children, a 5.6 percent increase over 2017.

“This award is the result of a lot of hard, focused and strategic work by our dedicated staff, board and of course, our great volunteer Bigs.  It is also the result of our donors who believe in defending and inspiring the potential of the wonderful youth we are honored to serve through our evidence-based, outcome-oriented 1 to 1 mentoring programs” said Stephen Koch, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay.  “We know that there is a lot more work to be done, and we are more committed than ever to continuing to make a positive difference for thousands of additional children and youth who can benefit from having a Big Brother or Big Sister in their young lives.”

BBBS of Tampa Bay was one of only 6 agencies, from nearly 300 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies nationwide, that will be recognized as a Pinnacle Award winner at the national conference of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, being held in late June in Charlotte, N.C.

“We are so proud of the growth that Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay has experienced, and we are pleased to recognize that success with the Pinnacle Award,” said Pam Iorio, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “We thank the agency for its tireless work in service of our mission and commitment to serving more children in the Tampa Bay area.”

Big Brothers and Big Sisters are adult volunteers (called “Bigs”) who are matched with children facing adversity (called “Littles”) for professionally-supported one-on-one mentoring. Last year BBBS of Tampa Bay served more than 3,000 children with positive role models throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Citrus, Hernando and Citrus counties.

The impact of the relationships is significant, with 97 percent of children matched for more than a year in 2018 being promoted to the next grade level, and 98 percent avoiding any involvement with the juvenile justice system.

The other Pinnacle Award agencies for 2018 are from Milwaukee, Northeast Iowa, Southern Minnesota, El Dorado County (CA) and Southwest Idaho.

Apr 08

Big Brothers Big Sisters Partners with Nordstrom Rack to Sponsor Moments of Mentoring

By In The News

In stores nationwide from April 8th – May 13th, customers can purchase Moment cards to celebrate specific moments when mentors make a difference.

 

Every kid has potential. And little moments with a caring adult can help ignite it within them to do big things, whether it’s learning to tie a tie, practicing for an interview or getting help with homework. And you can help. Big Brothers Big Sisters has partnered with Nordstrom Rack to celebrate moments of mentoring. In stores across the United States from April 8th – May 13th, Nordstrom Rack customers can buy $10 Moment cards to celebrate specific moments when mentors make a difference:

  • Practicing for an Interview
  • Helping with Homework
  • Prepping for Graduation
  • Learning to Tie a Tie
  • Training for Tryout

When you sponsor a moment, you give the gift of mentorship. In addition to the $10 Moment donations, customers can also donate $1 at the register with their purchase. $10 Moment donations and $1 donations are also available when making purchases online at NordstromRack.com and Hautelook.com. 100% of your donation will support matching kids with adult mentors so they can realize their potential.

Learn more at www.bbbs.org/nordstromrack.

Apr 01

Annual Rays VIP Bowl Thanked Top Bowl For Kids’ Sake Fundraisers with a Meet-and-Greet with Rays Cy Young winner Blake Snell

By Fundraising Events, In The News

Each year, top fundraisers for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s Bowl For Kids’ Sake campaign are invited to bowl with a Rays player at the VIP event

Bowl For Kids’ Sake is one of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s largest annual fundraisers, generating over $200,000 annually to support their mentoring programs that empower the potential in thousands of kids across the Tampa Bay area.  Revenue generated from Bowl For Kids’ Sake allows the agency to pair more at-risk children (called “Littles”) with adult volunteer mentors (or “Bigs”) and create a positive impact through professionally-supported relationships that will last a lifetime.  Participants in the fundraiser recruit a team of people to help collect donations and fundraise for BBBS of Tampa Bay, then celebrate their hard work fundraising with a bowling party!

Each year, the top fundraisers for Bowl For Kids’ Sake are invited to a special VIP bowling event, hosted by the Tampa Bay Rays, in appreciation to those who have worked hard to support the agency and its programs. The VIP event features bowling, pizza, raffle prizes, a silent auction, goodie bags, t-shirts, an autographed baseball for the lane captains, Raymond, the Rays’ Street Team and the chance to meet a Tampa Bay Rays player!

This year, bowlers had the chance to spend time with Rays pitcher Blake Snell, the reigning American League Cy Young winner. After an introduction by Stephen Koch, President & CEO of BBBS of Tampa Bay, Snell met with bowlers, signed autographs, posed for pictures and especially enjoyed interacting with the kids. He stopped to bowl a frame and, of course, bowled a strike! Snell was excited to support BBBS of Tampa Bay and enjoyed chatting with Littles who were attending the event with their Bigs.

You can support BBBS Tampa Bay by donating to the Tampa Bay Rays Bowl For Kids’ Sake fundraising page here.

View the full photo album from the event here.

Mar 31

Remembering Devoted Big Brother Jeff Wagner

By In The News

Jeff Wagner was an inspiration to all that knew him. He had many roles he will be remembered for: loyal friend, #1 USF fan, a two-time cancer survivor, motivational speaker, and philanthropist But one of the roles he was most proud of was his time spent as a dedicated Big Brother. Jeff was a Big Brother with our Tampa Bay agency for 20 years. Over the years, he was matched with 3 Little Brothers. Jeff kept in regular contact with his two former Little Brothers, Corey and Brandon, who are now adults with their own families. And, for the past 8 years, he has been matched with his current Little Brother, Casey. “He truly was larger than life,” said Casey’s mom Crystal. “His courage, his strength, his passion for life, his kind heart and his love for everyone he knew … was like no other, and he would make sure you knew it.” Jeff was always there for his Littles, no matter what, and did everything he could to help them grow and succeed. Jeff also helped raise funds for BBBSTB and could frequently be found supporting the agency at one of our events or activities. Jeff will be greatly missed, and we know his legacy will live on through the impact he has had on his Little Brothers, and the entire agency.

Mar 27
Old Salt Fishing Clinic with BBBS

Old Salt Fishing Foundation Hosted Fishing Clinic

By Match Events

Matches at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay enjoyed a day of fishing and fun in the sun.

 

Bigs and Littles from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay recently enjoyed a fishing clinic hosted by the Old Salt Fishing Foundation and the Rotary Club of the Gulf Beaches. Matches had the opportunity to learn more about casting a line and baiting a hook. Then they were able to fish on their own. A few were lucky enough to catch some small fish, but most matches just enjoyed spending the day together at ROC Park at Madeira Beach. Afterward, matches were invited to the Spring Break Festival & Carnival hosted annually by the Rotary Club of the Gulf Beaches. The organization donated free wrist bands for Littles who had attended the fishing clinic. Special thanks to Big Mitchell Shenkman for helping make this match event possible!

View photos from the event.

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