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Foundation Makes Big Impact

Aug 08, 2009 - On Saturday the Glazer Family Foundation held its second straight day of charitable events during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' training camp, holding a grant ceremony and conducting a backpack giveaway at One Buccaneer Place.

At the start of the Buccaneers’ morning practice session, representatives from six nonprofit organizations gathered in the team’s press conference studio with Glazer Family Foundation Co-President Darcie Glazer Kassewitz. Representatives from Alliance for Neighbors, Amen Outreach Ministry, Children’s Home Society of Florida, Girl Scouts of Citrus Council, Harbor House of Central Florida and Voices for Children of Hillsborough County were presented with commemorative plaques and grant checks totaling more than $25,000 for their efforts to empower local children and families.

“The Glazer Family Foundation is proud to assist in the development of Florida’s youth,” said Glazer Kassewitz. “These programs work hard to enhance the lives of tomorrow’s leaders, and we are thankful for their efforts in providing our children with a better future.”

Each year the Foundation awards grants in the summer and fall to West Central Florida programs focused on the health, safety, recreation and education of disadvantaged youth. In 2008, 11 nonprofit organizations received grants through the bi-annual program.

The following is a description of the 2009 summer grant recipients and their grant proposals:

Alliance for Neighbors (Seminole County) provides assistance and the opportunity for self-help for the physically disabled and abused homeless families throughout Central Florida. The grant will assist with a summer camp for homeless children and allow them the opportunity to be in a safe location during the daytime.

Amen Outreach Ministry (Hillsborough County) is a faith-based shelter for women and children that provides services to promote intervention, life skills, resources and education. The grant will assist with implementing a school tutoring program and summer camp activities and providing new computers for children who have been displaced from their home in Hillsborough County due to homelessness.

Children’s Home Society of Florida (Orange County) is dedicated to protecting and caring for child victims of abuse and neglect. The grant will provide audio and print books for abused children and cover the full cost of the shelter’s operation for 2 weeks.

Girl Scouts of Citrus Council (Orange County) helps cultivate values, social conscience and self-esteem in young girls while teaching critical life skills to enable them to succeed as adults. The grant will allow 18 disadvantaged girls from at-risk communities in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties to attend the Girl Scout Leadership Experience for one year.

Harbor House of Central Florida (Orange County) seeks to eliminate domestic violence for Central Florida families by providing safety, shelter, empowerment and justice. The grant will cover the costs of taking the domestic abuse children from the Harbor House’s Discovery Zone Summer Camp on 12 field trips throughout the summer of 2010.

Voices for Children of Hillsborough County (Hillsborough County) provides support and advocacy for the abused, neglected and abandoned children of Hillsborough County. The grant will allow for the Guardian ad Litem program to adopt the prosecution cases of abused/neglected children and cover the costs of depositions, court reporters, transcripts, service and expert witnesses.

Following the morning grant presentation, Glazer Kassewitz presented backpacks to more than 26 local nonprofit organizations and community groups for the Foundation's annual “Buc-Packs for Back-to-School” program. Glazer Kassewitz greeted each youth group and organization representative, who participated in the team’s Gatorade Junior Training Camp after the morning practice before receiving the backpacks in front of the gates at the Buccaneers’ training facility.

Through the Foundation’s program, 2,000 children throughout Hillsborough, Lake, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Orange, Sarasota and Seminole Counties will start school with new backpacks.

“Without the necessary tools to learn, children cannot maximize their educational experience,” said Glazer Kassewitz. “The Glazer Family Foundation is dedicated to providing Florida’s youth with backpacks and supplies to ensure that students can capitalize on the efforts of our parents, teachers and educators.”

In 2009 the following groups received backpacks from the Glazer Family Foundation:

Abe Brown Ministries, Inc.

Caregivers Support Network

CDC of Tampa, Inc.

Center for Urban Programs and Services, Inc.

Central Florida YMCA

Chasco Middle School

Children’s Cancer Center, Inc.

Corr Elementary School

Girl Scouts of Citrus Council, Inc.

Green Isle Children’s Ranch

GROWS Literacy Council, Inc.

Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services

Junior League of Clearwater Dunedin

Justice and Peace Office, Inc.

Kids House of Seminole, Inc.

Mary Bradley Weeks Educational Project, Inc.

Metropolitan Ministries, Inc.

Missing Children Awareness Foundation/Kid’s Firehouse Museum

NFL YET Centers of Tampa Bay

Orlando Health Foundation

Posh Foundation

Project LINK

Take Stock in Children/Pasco Education Foundation

Tampa Bay Community & Family Development Corporation

Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association

The Salvation Army

“Even though the economy is tough, the need is still great,” said Robert Blount, President of Abe Brown Ministries. “So just trying to weigh the need with the resources, I’m very encouraged to see that the Glazer Family Foundation was not backing down and that they were going to continue. I think this year [the Foundation] distributed even more backpacks than it did last year, and so I was very, very encouraged.”

Abe Brown Ministries assists children with incarcerated parents who have typically also been abused and neglected. Blount expressed his appreciation for the new backpacks and the role they will play for the Ministries’ children.

“Back to school is kind of like Christmas,” said Blount. “It’s an exciting time for a kid, but it can also be a very competitive time for a kid – the haves and the have-nots and new school clothes and all that stuff, so to have a unique backpack like the Buc-Pack I think gives these kids hope as well and let’s them know that they aren’t forgotten.”

Through the Glazer Family Foundation’s “Buc-Packs for Back-to-School” program a total of 15,500 bags have been given away to date. To learn more, please visit GlazerFamilyFoundation.org.