The Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation announced Brandon Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay as the winners of the 2025 Giving Bowl, receiving a $50,000 donation from the foundation.
The Giving Bowl brought together five Tampa Bay area athletes from the Buccaneers, Lightning, Sun FC and Rays to help raise awareness, funds and support for different charities impacting Tampa through a three-week, bracket-style fundraising competition.
“Congratulations to Brandon and the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay for being crowned the 2025 Giving Bowl Champions,” stated Emily. “This has been an amazing three weeks of giving back to the Tampa community, and we are honored to play a small part in the great work the Crisis Center and all the participating charities do for the Tampa Bay community.”
“A huge thank-you to all the athletes and charities who participated,” added Baker. “We hope this continues to bring Tampa closer together, and we can’t wait to see the amazing things we can all do together in the years to come.”
The Rays’ second baseman and the Crisis Center’s path to the title began with all participating teams before advancing to a second-round matchup against Ryan McDonagh and First Responders Children’s Foundation. Lowe and the Crisis Center went head-to-head against Erika Tymrak and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in the third and final round.
“I want to sincerely thank all those who generously donated to support our cause,” said Lowe. “It is truly remarkable that we were able to raise awareness about mental health. The funds raised and prize money from the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation will ensure that individuals in need have access to the Crisis Center’s services. I can’t thank you all enough.”
“We so appreciate Brandon Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays for choosing us as his charity partner, and to the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation for hosting the Giving Bowl! This event was not only enjoyable but also significantly contributed to raising awareness about our mission throughout the community,” said Clara Reynolds, president and CEO for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
While the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay came out on top, every participating charity received a generous donation from the foundation and successfully leveraged the Giving Bowl opportunity to raise funds and awareness from the community at large. The Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation donated a total of $92,500 across the five participating charities.
Click here for more information on the Giving Bowl.
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Participating Athletes and Charities Winnings:
- Brandon Lowe (Tampa Bay Rays) and Crisis Center of Tampa Bay — $50,000.
- Erika Tymrak (Tampa Bay Sun FC) and Humane Society of Tampa Bay — $20,000.
- Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and After-School All-Stars — $10,000.
- Ryan McDonagh (Tampa Bay Lightning) and First Responders Children’s Foundation — $10,000.
- Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Team Godwin Foundation — $2,500.
About the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation
With a focus on resilience and a spirit of support, the nonprofit provides programs, scholarships and philanthropic opportunities to help others tackle life’s challenges in order to BE the best version of themselves. The foundation recognizes the resilience of the human spirit and supports those who persevere despite difficult circumstances. More information can be found at www.bemayfield.org.
(Story below posted on March 26.)
Two Days Left!!! Tampa Bay Rays Player Brandon Lowe Chooses The Crisis Center Of Tampa Bay For Charity Partnership In The Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation Giving Bowl
Who: The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay was selected by Brandon Lowe as his charity partner for the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation’s Giving Bowl.
Why this is important: Only five Tampa Bay athletes were selected to partner with a local non-profit as part of the Giving Bowl.
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay has been chosen by Tampa Bay Rays player Brandon Lowe to partner together in raising funds as part of the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation’s Giving Bowl.
The Giving Bowl spotlights Tampa Bay athletes and the charities of their choosing to raise awareness and funds of community resources. Together, the athletes and charities are competing in a bracket-style bowl to raise more than the other athletes and charities and make it to the next round of the competition. The charities earn additional money from the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation for every round they advance to, along with any donations that are made as part of the competition.
“Brandon Lowe has been a great advocate for our organization, and we are thankful to once again be partnering with him to raise awareness of our services. This friendly competition hosted by the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation is a great opportunity for many new individuals throughout our community to learn about the important work that we do at the Crisis Center,” said Clara Reynolds, president and CEO for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
The Giving Bowl started on March 10 and will run through Friday, March 28. The charity who wins the bracket receives an additional donation of $50,000 from the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation.
Help the Crisis Center make it to the final round by making a donation at www.crisiscenter.com/brandon-lowe-mayfield-foundation-giving-bowl.
About the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
The mission of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is to ensure that no one in our community has to face crisis alone. The organization is the community’s gateway to help, hope and healing and is Tampa Bay’s elite provider of crisis and trauma services. The nonprofit agency offers a range of evidence-based programs designed to meet community needs:
- Corbett Trauma Center (trauma counseling and sexual assault survivor services).
- Gateway Contact Center (988 and 211: suicide prevention, crisis counseling and information and referral services).
- Success 4 Kids & Families (support for families coping with behavioral health challenges).
- TransCare (911 basic life support ambulance service, behavioral health transport, basic and advanced life support interfacility transportation).
For more information about the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, please visit www.crisiscenter.com.
