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Aug 14
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BBBS PSA

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay Earns Awards for Public Service Announcements

By In The News

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, along with HPC Associates and 22Squared, earned awards this year for PSAs and ads created to bring awareness to the nonprofit agency.

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay collaborated with HPC Associates and 22Squared to create public service announcements and ads that would bring awareness, funds and volunteers to the organization. Thanks to their collaborative efforts, the agency won awards for these fun and unique videos.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and HPC Associates were named the winners of the Award of Distinction at the 22nd Annual Videographer Awards for producing a public service announcement (PSA) regarding the new Big Brothers Big Sisters’ statewide vanity license plate. The Award of Distinction is awarded for projects that exceed industry standard with approximately 16 percent of entries receiving the award.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Claire Selius said, “The PSA takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to being a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay (BBBS) and was created in collaboration with HCP Associates to bring awareness to our statewide specialty license plate program.” For each license plate that is sold, Big Brothers Big Sisters receives $25 to help kids across Florida.

You can view the PSA here.

Earlier this year, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and the ad agency 22Squared won the Positive Change Bronze Effie for their work on the Florida Man Project. The ads aimed at recruiting much needed male mentors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay by using click-bait style headlines featuring the wacky “Florida Man” that has become synonymous with weird news from the state.

The ads took the Florida Man concept and made it into a positive, featuring videos of Florida men who are making an impact in the community by being a mentor. The videos encourage other Florida men to make Florida proud by becoming a Big Brother. The ads successfully increased the number of applications for male volunteers.

You can learn more about this advertising method with a short video here.

View all the ads from the Florida Man project here.

Jul 26
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Bigs in Blue Summit Shows Positive Impact Law Enforcement Personnel are having on Kids in our Community

By Bigs in Blue/Bigs with Badges

Bigs in Blue is a new mentoring program where law enforcement personnel spend one-to-one time mentoring a child at a neighborhood school.

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, in collaboration with school districts and local law enforcement agencies, has launched a new mentoring program called Bigs in Blue. Officers/deputies and non-sworn law enforcement personnel spend one-to-one time mentoring a child at a neighborhood school, for one hour a week.  In addition to helping a child achieve academic success, the goal is to break down barriers and build trust between communities and law enforcement.

This year, we hosted our Inaugural Bigs in Blue Summit on Thursday, July 19th, featuring an interactive panel discussion that shared best practices for the new mentoring program and discussed the reasons Bigs in Blue can be so effective and impactful. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is encouraged by the initial results of this program at the Tampa Police Department, including stronger relationships and a decrease in juvenile delinquency. The summit was a way for the community to come together to examine the influence this program is having on not only the children in our community but also the law enforcement personnel that volunteer as mentors, and to discuss Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s goal to expand this program throughout our seven-county service area. We believe these mentoring relationships will help change perceptions and bring communities together.

The panel featured experts in education and mentoring, juvenile justice, community leaders, and law enforcement personnel, including Jane Castor, former Chief of Tampa Police Department; Anthony Holloway, Chief of St. Petersburg Police Department; Andrew Warren, State Attorney for the 13th Judicial District; Eli Vazquez, Assistant Chief of the Tampa Police Department; Dr. Riaan van Zyl, Director of the USF School of Social Work; and Tina Young, Executive Director of Project LINK.

Officers in the Bigs in Blue program have been excited to share their stories. They have begun to see the positive impact they are having on kids in the community. Tampa police Detective and Big Brother, Shane Gadoury, said, “When you’re a police officer, a lot of times, you deal with 1 percent of people who are negative. You can get cynical. Ninety-nine percent of our interactions are with that 1 percent. That’s why I want to continue to do this. Being in the neighborhood with the kids, you get to see how good people are.”

Watch the full panel discussion on our Facebook Page. 

Thank you to the sponsors of our inaugural Bigs in Blue Summit!

         
     
Bank of America
Caspers Company
Fee & Jeffries, P.A.
Julie Weintraub’s Hands Across the Bay
The Marketing Posse
MetLife
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP
TECO
Vince Pavese

Jul 03
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s Big Sister & Little Sister of the Year Throw the First Pitch at “Rays Up Night”

By In The News

Jessica & Angie threw the first pitch and accepted a grant on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay at the Tampa Bay Rays game on Friday, June 29th, 2018.

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay was once again invited to attend the Tampa Bay Rays’ “Rays Up Night”. The annual “Rays Up Night” is an evening where the Tampa Bays Rays highlight the amazing work they are doing in our community as part of the Rays Community Foundation.

Prior to the start of the game, Tampa Bay Rays’ President, Brian Auld, presented Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay with a $50,000 grant to support our mission, which is to provide children facing adversity with professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships that will change their lives for the better, forever. As part of the Tampa Bay Rays partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, Rays employees volunteer at the nearby Campbell Park Elementary School as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, bringing their Littles to Rays games throughout the season.

After the grant presentation, Big Sister & Little Sister of the Year, Jessica and Angie, went out to the field to throw the first pitch prior to the start of the game. Jessica and Angie then had the opportunity to head up to the media booth for an interview with Steve Carney of the WDAE 620 AM radio station, the flagship station for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.

Jessica and Angie later joined a few of our Matches and Board Members in a special suite to enjoy the game with refreshment catered by the Tampa Bay Rays. During the 7th inning, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay suite was featured on the jumbotron and everyone sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is proud to be a partner of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Rays Community Foundation! Thanks to their support, we will be able to pair more children in our community with caring mentors that will positively impact their lives.

View the photo album from “Rays Up Night” here.

Jun 11
Love1

Top Bowl For Kids’ Sake Fundraisers Were Thanked with a VIP Bowl Featuring Special Guest Mallex Smith of the Tampa Bay Rays

By Fundraising Events, In The News

Each year, fundraisers who raise the most money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay get the chance to meet and greet with a Rays player at our annual VIP Bowl For Kids’ Sake event.

 

Bowl For Kids’ Sake is Big Brothers Big Sisters’ signature fundraiser, raising over $200,000 annually for children in need across Tampa Bay. Bowl For Kids’ Sake is a fun and easy way to positively impact a child’s life. Because of Bowl For Kids’ Sake, more Bigs and Littles can be paired up, more friendships can be created and improved outlooks on life can be started. Participants in this annual fundraiser recruit a team of people to help collect donations and fundraise for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, then celebrate their hard work fundraising at a bowling party!

Each year, top fundraisers for Bowl For Kids’ Sake are invited to a special VIP bowling event hosted by the Tampa Bay Rays at Pin Chasers Midtown as a way to show our appreciation for their dedication to fundraising for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. The VIP Rays event features bowling, pizza, raffle prizes, a silent auction, goodie bags, t-shirts, a signed baseball, and the chance to meet a Tampa Bay Rays player! This year, Mallex Smith, outfielder for the Rays, attended the event. After an introduction by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay CEO, Stephen Koch, Mallex greeted the crowd and thanked everyone for their amazing support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay! Each team got the opportunity to meet Mallex and have their picture taken with the Rays star. Everyone was so excited to be able to personally speak with Mallex as he took his time shaking the hands of each person in attendance and even bowled a few frames. The Tampa Bay Rays street team was there to give away prizes such as 20th Anniversary baseballs, t-shirts, cups, and stickers. There was even a special appearance by Raymond, the Tampa Bay Rays mascot!

The Rays VIP Bowl For Kids’ Sake event is one that all our fundraisers look forward to each year. They strive to be a top fundraiser to be a part of this special invitation only bowling event!

There is still time to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of 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.

View the slideshow video from the event here.

Jun 04
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Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2018!

By Uncategorized

We celebrated our Littles that are graduating from high school with a ceremony at Sunken Gardens.

 

Bigs, Littles & their families celebrated the graduating class of 2018 this past week with a very special graduation ceremony at Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg, FL. This year, we had 85 Littles in our program who were graduating from high school with over 40 of the Littles in attendance at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay ceremony. Along with their Bigs and family, the event was a packed house with over 150 people there to show their support for our graduates.

The evening kicked off with a delicious spread of pasta, salad, and bread from Carrabba’s Italian Grill. As guests nibbled on their dinners, our guest speaker Bob Conigliaro of Caspers Corporation gave out words of wisdom for our graduates, reminding them that hard work and a positive attitude will lead to success. His words were so inspiring that many Bigs and family members said that they were also moved by his speech.

After the special guest speaker, Scholarship Committee member, Gerry Goldhammer, and our own Senior Vice President of Programs, Jennifer Libby, presented awards to the two Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay scholarship winners, Timia Fonville (Boca Ciega High School) and Kiara Stevens (Boca Ciega High School). Then our School-to-Work Coordinator, Dallas Ruffin, recognized our School-to-Work Scholarship winners who received their awards at our School-to-Work graduations earlier this month. Yonjer Suarez (A. P. Leto High School), Dalila Maceda (A. P. Leto High School), Sky Kinzinger (Clearwater High School), Jordan Curtiss (Clearwater High School), Tristan Trombley (Northeast High School), and Emily DaSilva (Northeast High School) were all recognized for their outstanding work and for being chosen as our School-to-Work scholarship recipients. Jennifer Libby also took the time to recognize Alexander Marcano (Clearwater High School), who was chosen to be one of only 20 Minor League Baseball Rising Star Students. Alexander was recognized at the Clearwater Thresher’s game on June 1st where he had the opportunity to throw the first pitch and was also awarded a scholarship.

Each graduate was called to the podium to be recognized for their achievements and receive a certificate from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay for graduating from high school and from our mentoring programs. They were each awarded a monogrammed pen and pencil set with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay logo, a token of remembrance for the special time spent with their Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

A special thank you to Caspers Corporation for sponsoring the event for the third year, Carrabba’s Italian Grill at Sunken Gardens for their generous dinner donation, and Winn-Dixie South Tampa for the beautiful cake.

View the photo album from the evening here.

Jun 01
Love1

OrangeTheory Fitness Hosts Facebook Check-in Fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay

By Fundraising Events

Check-in on Facebook at a participating OrangeTheory Fitness location and a donation is made to help provide mentors for at-risk youth in our community.

 

OrangeTheory Fitness has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay to make an impact for children in our community with a Facebook check-in fundraiser. It’s a simple way to make a BIG difference!

Anytime during the month of June 2018, check-in to a participating OrangeTheory Fitness location and they will donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. Each donation made will help Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay provide children facing adversity with professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships that will change their lives for the better, forever. This applies to all check-ins made from June 1 to June 30, 2018. The more check-ins are made, the more they will donate! Use the hashtag #OTF4BBBS to show your support.

Participating location:

Orangetheory Fitness Carrollwood
Orangetheory Fitness Channelside
Orangetheory Fitness Wesley Chapel
Orangetheory Fitness New Tampa
Orangetheory Fitness University Park

May 14
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We Celebrated 50 Years of Serving Children in Pinellas County

By In The News

Since 1968, we have been pairing children in Pinellas with caring mentors that change their lives for the better, forever.

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay celebrated our 50th anniversary in Pinellas County with a reception May 10 at the Feather Sound Country Club.  Since 1968, we have been providing children facing adversity in Pinellas County with professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships that changed their lives for the better, forever

Former CEO of BBBS Pinellas County, Susan Rolston, with her Little Brother, Morgan

A beautiful soiree began with mingling over drinks and hors-d’oeuvres while guitarist and former Little Brother, Corey McHugh, played classical guitar. During the reception, a historical tribute video was played to celebrate the individuals who made the past 50 years in Pinellas County possible, including Legacy Society donors, Henry & Gerry Goldhammer; former Big and Little, Frenchy & Jason; the first Executive Director of Big Sisters of Pinellas County, Susan Stanton; and founder of Big Sisters of Pinellas, Sweet Alice Young. Many former board members, Bigs, and Littles from back in the day were in attendance, making the event feel like a reunion. It was wonderful to hear stories from former Bigs and Littles about how their lives were transformed by being in the program. Former Chief Executive Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pinellas County, Susan Rolston, was honored at the reception. Susan had been CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pinellas County for over 13 years prior to the agency merging with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. A scholarship was dedicated in honor of Susan and her late husband, Jim, for their commitment to the program. Susan’s previous Little Brother, Morgan, even made a surprise visit.

The evening was closed with a champagne toast to all the hard work and dedication of those who have made the last 50 years possible! Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay looks forward continuing our mission in Pinellas county and know that many lives have been touched along the way.

 

View the photo album for the Pinellas 50th Anniversary Reception here.

May 03
Love1

We Celebrated the Graduating Class of 2018 with our School-to-Work Program

By School-to-Work

Seniors with our School-to-Work mentoring program enjoyed graduation ceremonies as they leave Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay to pursue their futures.

 

This week, we celebrated the graduating class of 2018 with graduation ceremonies for the 45 Littles in our School-to-Work mentoring programs. The School-to-Work program is a three-way partnership between the local school districts, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and our corporate and community partners to provide one-on-one mentoring in the workplace for high school juniors and seniors to help improve graduation rates. The students (Littles) visit the workplace of the employees (Bigs) one morning each month during the school year for about four hours. They spend the first hour learning post-graduation skills, then spend one-on-one time with their corporate Bigs through lunch before returning to school.

Littles from our school partners — Northeast High, Clearwater High, and Leto High — met with their Bigs at USAmeriBank, St. Pete-Clearwater Airport, and Nielsen for their final visits of the school year to celebrate their growth and success in our School-to-Work program. At each graduation ceremony, keynote speakers such as the Mayor of Oldsmar, Doug Bevis, and Pinellas County Administrator, Mark S. Woodard, were invited to talk to the Littles about their futures, inspiring the students with words of wisdom and well-wishes. At each graduation, two graduating seniors were awarded scholarships based on essays they had written about their futures and how the School-to-Work program has positively impacted their lives.

The graduations were full of joy and excitement as the Bigs & Littles looked back over the past two years in the School-to-Work program. The seniors who will be leaving the program were enthusiastic about their futures, many attending college and hoping to one day fulfill their career paths. Some of the seniors even hope to return to their School-to-Work sites to work after they finish school.

Best of luck to the graduating class of the 2018 School-to-Work program!

 

View the photo album for the Northeast High & USAmeriBank graduation ceremony here.

View the photo album for the Clearwater High & St.Pete-Clearwater Airport graduation ceremony here.

View the photo album for the Leto High & Nielsen graduation ceremony here.

Apr 17
Love1

Donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay on Give Day, May 1st

By Fundraising Events

Give Day Tampa Bay is an annual 24-hour online giving challenge that calls for residents of the greater Tampa Bay area to donate to their favorite local charity on May 1st.

 

Give Day Tampa Bay is an annual 24-hour giving challenge presented by the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. Give Day returns for its fifth year on May 1st, 2018 and is a wonderful opportunity to support local causes in the greater Tampa Bay area, building stronger communities and ultimately making the neighborhood where you live, work and play a better place. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay will be participating in this annual giving challenge and we want you to show your support!

Last year, over 500 local charities participated in Give Day. With so many wonderful nonprofits to choose from, know that your donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay has a life-long impact on the lives of children in our community. Each dollar raised provides children with strong, enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. During Give Day 2017 we raised over $18,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. We are challenging our supporters to raise even more in 2018!

Give Day comes around once a year and although Give Day is on May 1st, you can make your donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay as early as April 17th. It doesn’t matter how much you give, donations start as little as $5! So what are you waiting for? Make your donation today!

Donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay for Give Day here.

Apr 11
Love1

Buccaneers Player Lavonte David Supports Annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake

By Fundraising Events

Bowlers who came out to Pin Chasers Midtown on April 8th to support Bowl For Kids’ Sake got the chance to meet the Buccaneers player.

 

Bowl For Kids’ Sake is Big Brothers Big Sisters’ signature fundraiser, raising over $200,000 annually for children in need across Tampa Bay. It’s a fun and easy way to positively impact a child’s life. Because of Bowl For Kids’ Sake, more Bigs and Littles can be paired up, more friendships can be created, and improved outlooks on life can be started.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Lavonte David came out on Sunday, April 8th to Pin Chasers Midtown to show his support for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s Bowl For Kids’ Sake. Fundraisers got the chance to meet the player and get their photos taken with the linebacker. Lavonte David even took the time to bowl a few frames while speaking about the importance of supporting the one-to-one mentoring relationships that Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay provides children in our community.

During the event, Lavonte David was presented with a thank you gift from our Matches for providing tickets to every Buccaneers home game during the 2017-2018 football season. Lavonte also went Live on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s Facebook page calling for others to support our mission of providing children facing adversity with strong, enduring one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

Thank you to Lavonte David and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for being such great supporters of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay!

Many bowlers donated $54 (or more!) to this important fundraising campaign in honor of their favorite Buccaneer, #54 Lavonte David. It’s not too late to help make a BIG impact – donate now at www.bbbstampabay.org/bowl

View Lavonte David’s Facebook Live video here.

View all of the photos from the April 8th Bowl For Kids’ Sake event here.

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