In June 2007, Tampa Bay’s Child completed its second year of service, and what a special two years it has been. During these first two years, we have been privileged to get to know and serve nearly 80 children across Hillsborough County – all precious, and all struggling in poverty. We have made more than 200 visits to their homes and begun 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 the tasks we have been able to perform, thanks to our dedicated sponsors and tireless volunteers. Since 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 more than 20 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 second year of service, as Tampa Bay’s Child works to build both lives and community.