“In May 2009, Tampa Bay’s Child completed its fourth year of service in the community, and what a special four years it has been. We have been privileged to get to know and serve more than 100 children all across Hillsborough County – all precious, and all struggling in poverty. We have made more than 400 visits to their homes , building vital connections we believe will benefit these children and their families, their sponsors, and the broader community for many years to come.

Here are just a few of our accomplishments to date, thanks to our dedicated sponsors and tireless volunteers. Since our first home visit in May of 2005, we have:

* Purchased and delivered needed food, clothes, and medicines to sponsored children each month, providing basic necessities they might otherwise have gone without;

* Provided age-appropriate books, educational items, and school supplies to help all sponsored children get or stay prepared for school;

* Read to/with and played developmental games with all sponsored children to build the skills necessary for success at school;

* Enrolled a number of children in beneficial child-development programs – and helped the young mothers of several sponsored children further their own education;

* Linked nearly all of our sponsored families with vital community services offering additional assistance with housing, nutritional, and dental needs;

* Partnered with local agencies to provide free vision-screening and eyeglasses to dozens of our sponsored children and/or their family members;

* Provided cultural enrichment opportunities, including music lessons, to a growing number of sponsored children;

* Helped all parents improve child-safety in the home; and

We look forward to our fifth year of service, as Tampa Bay’s Child works to strengthen both the lives of our children in need and the overall vitality of our community.