A Milestone Is Reached At Foster Shelter, But Donations Still Needed

A Kid’s Place in Brandon recently reached a significant milestone. In October, a $400,000 pledge made by Joe and Brenda Sullivan was satisfied. The Sullivans, residents of FishHawk Ranch, pledged $400,000 in exchange for the right to name one of the five houses at A Kid’s Place after their son. Sammy Sullivan was only 22 months old when he died in 2005 from bacterial pneumonia.
“We chose A Kid’s Place because we wanted to memorialize our son. In light of the fact that he was so young when he died, we thought it would be good to go with an organization that helped kids. A Kid’s Place offers a service that is desperately needed. It just seemed like the right thing to do,” said Joe Sullivan.
“It is truly a milestone as only two of the five houses have been named to date. The money gifted by the Sullivans was used 100 percent to pay down the loan that had been secured when ground was broken for A Kid’s Place,” explained Wayne Witczak, executive director/CEO for Kids Charity of Tampa Bay, Inc. The other named house is the Lazydays House.
In order to raise the money to satisfy the pledge, the Sullivans hosted a number of events including The Sammy Sullivan Memorial Golf Tournament. The Sullivans’ commitment to A Kid’s Place will continue as the next golf tournament is set for Friday, October 14.
A Kid’s Place is a state of the art 60-bed facility for abused, neglected and abandoned children. Each of the five houses is 3,200 sq. feet. A Kid’s Place is located on five acres at 1715 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Brandon. The mission of A Kid’s Place is “to protect and care for neglected and abused children who have been removed from their homes. A Kid’s Place provides comfort and safety in a stable and nurturing environment at a critical time.”
According to Witczak, “Our specialty is our ability to keep siblings together. It is best not to break brothers and sisters up during a very vulnerable time in their lives.”
If you would like more information on the Sammy Sullivan Charities, please visit www.sammysullivancharities.org. If you would like more information on A Kid’s Place, please visit www.akidsplacetb.org.