Fundraising Events

The agency’s largest annual fundraiser ignited the power and promise of youth by raising critical funds to support their mentoring programs

Click here for pictures from the event

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay celebrated their 21st Annual Defenders of Potential BIG Gala fundraiser at Hilton Tampa Downtown to raise funds and awareness for their mentoring programs in the local community, which serves over 3,000 children annually.

The agency embraced their new brand, Defenders of Potential, with an evening of superheroes and comic book fun. Guests browsed silent auction items while taking photos with Captain America, Wonder Woman, and Iron Man. The program began with a welcome for guests and appreciation for our Premiere and Big VIP sponsors with a special video featuring sponsors’ employees talking about which superpower they wish they had that could change the world. Then Big Sister of the Year and Big Brother of the Year were recognized for defending the potential of their Littles through mentoring. Board Chair, Kathy Wade of Fee & Jeffries, PA, addressed the crowd and thanked guests for their support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and their mission to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

The program continued with a special appearance from Captain Pinnacle, a.k.a President and CEO Stephen Koch, who gave an update on the state of the agency, including that Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay was given the Pinnacle Award, the highest honor from the national organization recognizing an increase in revenue and growth in overall number of Big and Little matches year-over-year for two or more consecutive years.

After dinner, Brian Auld, President of the Tampa Bay Rays, gave a heartfelt ask for guests to donate. Then everyone partook in an exciting live auction featuring a Stock the Bar Package from the BBBS Board of Directors, Custom Gourmet dinner in the Wine Room donated by The Tampa Club, Bass Fishing Experience with Darrell Davis, a Bermuda Vacation, and a Zulu Nyala Safari. After a fun evening of performances, auctions, a fabulous dinner, and inspiring program and successful Bid From the Heart, the evening ended with dancing to Total Entertainment by Matt Winter. The evening was closed by an after-party lounge sponsored by Sprinkles Cupcakes.

Thanks to all who attended the event and all the sponsors for making this amazing event a reality!

Want to help make an impact in the lives of children in the community? Donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay today!

And a very special thank you to all our Sponsors!

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is excited to be a part of the 22nd Annual Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest Program. Just select Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay on the form that is provided with your check.

Let your appetite do the giving while you support local non-profit groups in Florida by dining at any of the seven Columbia locations in Florida during the entire month of September for lunch or dinner during the 22^nd Annual Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest program.

Through this program, The Columbia donates 5 percent of all guests’ September lunch and dinner checks to the charitable organizations chosen by their customers. Just select Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay on the form that is provided with your check. The Columbia Community Harvest takes place in all 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 in 1998 as a way to help many of the worthy non-profit groups that are so important to our communities,” said 4^th generation family member and president Richard Gonzmart. “We thought the best way to do this was by letting our customers get involved in selecting the organizations. The process is simple. They just put a check mark next to one of the charitable organizations listed on a form we provide.  They turn it in to their server.  We do the rest, and donate 5 percent to the charity.”

Over the past 21 years, the Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest has donated more than $2.4 million to non-profit organizations throughout Florida.

The original Columbia Restaurant was founded in Tampa’s Historic Ybor City in 1905 by Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., and is now Florida’s oldest restaurant.  Additional Columbia locations include St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, the Historic District in St. Augustine, Sand Key on Clearwater Beach, Central Florida’s town of Celebration, the Columbia Cafe on the Riverwalk in Tampa and the Columbia Restaurant Cafe at Tampa International Airport

All Columbia locations are owned and operated by 4th and 5th generation members of the founding family except for Columbia Restaurant Cafe at Tampa International Airport, which is operated in partnership with HMSHost. Follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Please see www.ColumbiaRestaurant.com for more information

Join us for the 3rd annual G.O.A.T. Beer Fest at Brew Bus Brewing! Grab your friends and join us as we unveil a new limited edition G.O.A.T. beer. All proceeds from the event benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s School-to-Work program.

Purchase your tickets prior to the event and save 25%! Price increases at the door.

Ticket includes one pint at the event, 6-pack G.O.A.T. beer to go, 1 G.O.A.T. branded pint glass, access to pet a goat (a real one)!

Get your tickets at shop.brewbususa.com/event/goatbeer/

 

 

 

Thank you to Florida Blue for their support of the 3rd Annual GOAT Beer Fest! Proceeds from the event benefitted our School-to-Work program, which is a three-way partnership between the local school districts, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, and 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 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.

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)

Bowl for Kids’ Sake is Big Brothers Big Sisters’ largest national fundraiser, raising over $20 million annually to support mentoring programs across the country. 

 

Bowl for Kids’ Sake is a fun and easy way to empower potential in children in our community. Because of Bowl for Kids’ Sake, more Bigs and Littles can be paired up and more children will realize their potential through the power of mentoring. Just follow the simple steps below:

1) Start a team – Teams are formed with four to six members. Consider creating a team with family, friends, fraternity brothers, sorority sisters, or co-workers. Register your team and select your bowling dates and locations at give.bbbstampabay.org/ge/bfks2019

2) Ask for donations/ sponsorships – Most bowlers raise about $170, but many people raise over $1,000. What impact do you want to have? The best part is that all event expenses are underwritten by our corporate sponsors. That means 100% of the money raised by bowlers goes directly towards defending the potential of children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters in our community.

3) Start bowling – After you have secured your sponsorships, it’s time to have fun! You’ll receive two free games of bowling (shoe and ball rental included!), a Bowl for Kids’ Sake t-shirt, food, drinks, chances to win door prizes!

What are you waiting for? Start your team today! Partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters through Bowl for Kids’ Sake makes a positive, long-lasting impact on children in your community. Our mentoring works. It works to help broaden children’s perspectives and help them learn how to make good choices. It starts a child on the path to fulfilling their potential and succeeding in school and life.

For questions contact Josh Hagg 813-769-3614 or JoshH@BBBSTampaBay.org.

Register your team today at give.bbbstampabay.org/ge/bfks2019

The annual golf invitational is a premier event with the opportunity to play on world-renowned courses while empowering the potential of children in our community.

View photos from the event here.

The 7^th Annual Companies for Kids Invitational was hosted on December 7^th, 2018 at Innisbrook, A Salamander Golf& Spa Resort. This premier event provided the opportunity to play on theCopperhead and Island courses, which are favorites among PGA Tour Professionals. Each year, VIP golfers and business leaders in the Tampa Bay community cometogether at this exclusive event with high-level networking opportunities,first-class service and amenities, and an amazing overall experience in orderto raise money and awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s youthmentoring programs. 

The day began at 8am with registration, breakfast, and an inspiring program. Golfers shopped at our custom designed pro-shop hosted by Costa, Adidas, and TaylorMade, and participated in our super-raffles with amazing prizes, such as flatscreen televisions, kayaks, bikes, and much more. Following the morning programs, golfers then took part in a putting content before hitting the greens for 18 holes of golf with on-course activities, such as a hole-in-one contest to win a MarineMax boat, or closest to the pin contest to win a luxury car weekend rental from the Crown Automotive group.

After a challenging round of golf, golfers made their way tothe Copperhead Clubhouse for premium cocktails, hors-d’oeuvres, and awards. 

Special thanks to our sponsors!

Diamond Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

AgileThought; Carpenter Contractors of America, Inc; Ernst & Young; Jabil; and Vera Roca

Silver Sponsors

Brown & Brown Insurance; CallPass Tech; Canteen; CDW; Cherry Bekaert; Clearwater Gas System; The Conley Group; Cushman & Wakefield; Domtar; Envolve Dental; Fanatics; FIS Global; FM Global; huberGroup USA; LEMA Construction, Inc.; PNC Bank; Power Design; PowerSecure; Raymond Handling Consultants; Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa; SP+ Parking; Stephen Gould; Tamerlane Commercial Flooring & Interface; Tampa General Hospital; Zurich & Willis Towers Watson; and Zeno Office Solutions

Bronze Sponsors

AT&T; BDA Inc.; C.H. Robinson; Costa Sunglasses; Eurest Dining Services; HSN; Humana; Johnson Battery Company; MarineMax; PAC Worldwide; PDR Certified Public Accountants; and Pin Chasers

Food & Beverage Sponsors

Belle Isle Moonshine; ClearSky Cafe; Frenchy’s Restaurants; J.J. Taylor Distributing Florida Inc.; PepsiCo; SouthEast Personnel Leasing, Inc.; Sykes Enterprises; and Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Hole Sponsors

CI Group; Corporate Fitness Works; Crown Automotive Group; Donnelley Financial Solutions; Hooters; LEMA Construction, Inc.; Mezrah Consulting; Steelcase; Satori Energy; and Vertiv Co.