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Community Service
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TBPA Charitable Focus #1
PACE Center for Girls, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation that provides a non-residential delinquency prevention program in locations state-wide, targeting the unique needs of females 12 to 18 who are identified as dependent, truant, runaway, delinquent, or in need of academic skills. PACE operates seventeen (17) centers throughout Florida and one Reach program. Since its creation in 1984, PACE has served over 21,000 girls. PACE (Practical Academic Cultural Education) accepts referrals from the juvenile justice system, the Department of Children and Families, school personnel, community services agencies, parents, family members, friends and self-referrals. Hillsborough County juvenile court actively refers girls to this delinquency prevention program. Attached is literature on PACE Center program or you may go to their website: http://www.pacecenter.org/.
Every girl at PACE sets individual education and social goals that are focused on earning a high school diploma or GED, re-entering public school, attending college, getting vocational training, joining the military or entering the private workforce. After program completion, PACE continues to monitor each girl’s educational and personal development with three years of follow-up case management.
Visit their website at: http://www.pacecenter.org/centers/hillsborough
TBPA Charitable Focus #2
A Kid's Place provides residential services to children from birth to age 18, who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment and to provide a variety of services which meet the social, educational, medical, and psychological needs of the child. Our primary focus is to keep sibling groups together in a safe, stable, home-like environment until a more permanent placement can be provided.
A Kid’s Place is a unique program designed to support the foster care system by providing state of the art residential care for siblings. Until June, 2009, a sibling group of 2-3 or more children sheltered due to abuse, neglect or abandonment were often separated and sent to different foster families or group homes depending on availability, the child's age, or special needs of the child. Studies that evaluate the outcome of separating siblings have determined that it is more detrimental to split siblings than it is to separate them from their parents. We knew it was time to do things differently.
A Kid's Place was developed and built from what started as a group discussion in the community involving a group of concerned individuals, Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, the Department of Children and Families, Hillsborough Kids, Inc., YMCA, Child Abuse Council, Hillsborough County School District, Hillsborough County Children's Services, the Children's Board, and other community leaders. Working in partnership, a task force was formed to discuss and resolve the many issues regarding child welfare services in our communities.
A Kid's Place was designed as a solution to many of these issues and is a model program in the child welfare system, adhering to and exceeding best practices in this field. Our Siblings Connected program and House Parent model are what make A Kid's Place unique, as brothers and sisters are allowed to be placed together and begin to heal from the trauma they've endured in a safe and loving home-like environment.
Development of public support and awareness is done solely through volunteers, the Board of Directors and private philanthropy. Fundraising events include the A Kid's Place Golf Classic, "Home is Where the Heart Is" Holiday Stroll, our annual "Be a Hero" luncheon, and the Fostering Hope Black Tie Gala.
See more at: http://www.akidsplacetb.org
On May 18, they dressed up as scurvy pirates and passed out plunder like ye beads and booty. They up some grub, played some pirate games and allowed the little scallywags to pick prizes from their treasure chest. They also dressed the little buccaneers as pirates and let them make their own treasure chests. Pictures are on our photo gallery page.
TBPA Charitable Focus #3
The Problem
Childhood food insecurity is a national problem, it occurs when children receive insufficient food on a regular basis; in many cases missing meals entirely. After a while, these children also experience “fear of hunger” that affects their behavior as much as physical hunger affects their bodies. There are more than 16 million food insecure children in America today.
How End 68 Hours of Hunger Helps
This program puts nourishing food in the hands of school children to carry them through the weekend. Each bag of food costs $10 each week and provides two breakfasts, two lunches, and three dinners for a child, with some left over to share!
The Impact of Food Insecurity
The impact on the child is enormous. Teachers tell us that on Friday afternoons the children who are unlikely to have enough food at home become very edgy and are unable to concentrate.
After a week in a structured environment where they have at least two full meals, they will leave school and for 68 hours have little to eat. That insecurity can lead to some behavioral disruptions.
On Monday mornings they return to school ill, often spending the day in the nurse’s office. They are unable to focus and concentrate until they once again are nourished.
The Impact of End 68 Hours of Hunger
Our impact is huge! All the behaviors of food insecure children disappear, and children arrive in school on Monday ready to learn, and the disruptive behaviors of Friday due to food insecurity vanish.
Teachers report that children are more responsible, and their performance improves. Actual documented increases in reading and math scores have been reported as well. We make a difference in the potential success of each child we feed!
TBPA Charitable Focus #4
The Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program is a government-funded agency. As such, they are not allowed to accept any donations. We all know the work the GAL program does is very important to the children in Hillsborough County. However, oftentimes, the funding supplied by the State to fulfill this work is not enough to appropriately supply the agency with all they need to be successful.
This is where Voices for Children comes in!
VFC’s mission is to provide support and advocacy for the abused, neglected, and abandoned children in our community. For over 30 years, we have chosen to accomplish this mission by partnering with the Guardian ad Litem Program of Hillsborough County.
Visit their website at: https://vfcgal.org