By Kathy L. Collins
The Inaugural Give Day Tampa Bay, a 24-hour giving event, was a huge success. The event, a testament to the generosity of the Tampa Bay area, raised over one million dollars for 385 non-profits located in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties. The event was a partnership between The Florida NEXT Foundation and the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.
“Give Day Tampa Bay was a triumph for collective philanthropy,” said Marlene Spalten, President of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.
Similar Give Day events have been held in more than 30 communities across the country to mark the 100th anniversary of community foundations.
The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) raised the most money. MOSI received $111,334 from donors and a variety of matching funds and prizes. The proceeds that MOSI received will be used to send 400 underserved children to Summer Science Camp. “People often ask me why they should give to MOSI- an attraction and not a human service organization, but MOSI is a human service organization dedicated to making science real to everyone, including the underserved population who may not be able to afford to come,” said Molly Demeulenaere, Vice President of Growth at MOSI.
Other big winners on Give Day Tampa Bay included Big Cat Rescue, Feeding America Tampa Bay and the Benedictine Sisters of Florida.
Locally, several non-profits took part in the Inaugural Give Day Tampa Bay including ECHO of Brandon, the Brandon Outreach Clinic, Family Promise of Greater Brandon, the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center and the Firehouse Cultural Center.
Stacey Efaw, Executive Director of ECHO said of the event, “Give Day Tampa Bay was a great success for ECHO. We rose over $7,000.” Efaw said, “Events such as this show how generous our area is to local non-profits. We could not offer the services that we do without the support of the community.”
Non-profits not only benefitted monetarily, but thanks to the generosity of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, many are able to take classes and seminars at the Non-Profit Learning Center in Tampa.
For more information on Give Day Tampa Bay, visit www.cftampabay.org.
