A unique community-based charity event set for this Sat., Aug. 19, 2017, will help restore and beautify six Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation facilities as it benefits local youth sports organizations.
Charitable foundation We Are Tampa Bay is hosting the Youth Development Programs Restoration and Beautification Event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., during which community volunteers will team up with football and hockey youth athlete volunteers and local residents to restore and beautify Tampa area parks, playgrounds, athletic and recreational facilities.
Besides the community benefit of painting inside and outside the facilities, cleaning up debris and trash, landscaping, and restoration of children’s education areas, the project has another mission to help provide opportunities for all youth through sports programs.
Proceeds from donations raised from the cleanup from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as a related event from 3 to 6 p.m., O’Brien’s Football Kickoff Party Fundraiser at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Grill at 15435 Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, will be given to benefit Grow Hockey Movement, Tampa Bay Junior Buccaneers, and UnSigned Prep Foundation programs.
Volunteer registrations are being taken online at www.WeAreTampaBay.com to participate in the project. Volunteer openings are still available for the Rey Park, NFL Yet Center, and Hope Convention Center parks and recreation facilities included in the project.
Other benefiting Hillsborough County Facilities include Curtis Hixon Park and Riverwalk, based on the community project plan brought together by the We Are Tampa Bay host organization.
Tools and materials will be supplied to each site thanks to generous donors, but We Are Tampa Bay would welcome donations for additional restoration materials.
To provide the Parks and Recreations facilities with “back to school” supplies, in-kind donations are being requested for crayons, pencils, coloring books, book shelves, dictionaries, board games that are 4-12 age appropriate, and sports-related items including weight room and sports equipment including balls, street hockey equipment, and games such as horseshoes.
Every volunteer participating in the project gets free admission to the O’Brien’s Football Kickoff Party from 3 to 6 p.m. after the project, which includes a complimentary appetizer buffet, two domestic Budweiser products drafts, non-alcoholic beverages, an entry into a raffle with high-quality prizes, and a goodie grab bag.
Besides the volunteers getting in free to the O’Brien’s fundraiser, you can also get free admission by donating five of the items from the above list for the Parks and Recreations facilities involved in the project.
The fundraiser will also feature 102.5 FM The Bone personality Cat Named Mo broadcasting live from stage, with special radio show hosts Ian Beckles and the Pewter Report’s Mark Cook as event co-hosts.
The event also includes a 50/50 raffle and sports memorabilia, as well as a “meet and greet” session with current and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer players and other NFL alums. Early-bird tickets are $10, and $15 the day of the event.
100 percent of the proceeds from both the volunteer project and the fundraiser go to benefit the Grow Hockey Movement, the Unsigned Preps Foundation and Tampa Bay Junior Buccaneers.
Many thanks to the $500 contribution level event sponsors including Black Biscuit, Keizen Orthopedics, Hawks Electric Tattoo Company, Ed Brennan Law, Sure Way Realty Group and Movement Mortgage
Complete information on the O’Brien’s Football Kickoff Fundraiser is also available at www.WeAreTampaBay.com.