LEAP Tampa Bay College Access Network trains and schedules volunteers to assist Pinellas County high school students during FAFSA completion events throughout the fall.

LEAP is looking for volunteers to help with this process.

You can learn more about LEAP here: https://www.leaptampabay.org/leapforyou/finding-financial-aid/

ABOUT LEAP TAMPA BAY
As one of 13 local college access networks in Florida, LEAP Tampa Bay’s mission is to transform lives by leveraging the power of community collaboration to accelerate personal, workforce, and community prosperity through education.

Launched in 2016, LEAP Tampa Bay’s cross-sector network of community partners has a goal to increase the number of working age adults in Tampa Bay with a post-secondary degree or high-quality certificate to 60 percent by 2025. We envision a thriving Tampa Bay where education enables every person to live a fulfilling life.

WHY WE EXIST
As our regional economy grows, businesses will need more qualified employees to ensure their future success. Many of the fastest growing jobs in our region require education beyond high school. Yet, according a recent U.S. Census Bureau survey, Tampa Bay ranked 19th or 20th out of 20 U.S. markets in earning college degrees. Shortages of skilled workers are already affecting some industries in Tampa Bay, like construction and technology. By increasing the number of people achieving a post-secondary education, we can develop a larger pool of qualified talent in Tampa Bay.

HOW WE DO IT
To accomplish our goal, much of our work focuses on breaking down barriers to attaining a degree, such as cost. By providing easier access to grants, scholarships and tuition reimbursement and supporting clear pathways to degree completion, people who thought college was out of reach can get the resources and support they need.

CORE COMMITMENTS

Champion College Completion – Promote the acceleration of collaborative work to strengthen educational & workforce initiatives that increase college completion.
Increase Talent Supply – Support the increase and diversity of Tampa Bay residents who have the educational credentials and talents aligned with our local labor market demand.
Strengthen the Network – Grow resource capacity for network partnerships.

VALUES

Collaborative Leadership – Accomplishing more together by promoting a culture of mutual respect and trust.
Equity – Aligning educational opportunities and resources to meet the unique needs of all people and empower EVERY person to find success.
Community Empowerment – Building community capacity to develop sustainable strategies to eliminate barriers to education.
Solutions-Oriented – Being accountable through data-informed actions to ensure impactful investments and to leverage resources within the community.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Our success depends on the involvement of individuals and businesses throughout Tampa Bay. There are many ways to get involved, from advocating for education, to making a gift or volunteering. Learn more>>

For more information:
Becky Gilmore
Program Coordinator, LEAP Tampa Bay College Access Network
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF TAMPA BAY
4300 W. Cypress Street, Ste. 700, Tampa FL 33607-4157
www.leaptampabay.org | www.cftampabay.org
bgilmore@cftampabay.org
Ph: 813-609-4866

Home Makers of Hope, Inc.. is a nonprofit group who collects gently used furniture and delivers it to referred families and individuals in need within Hillsborough County. We are currently receiving furniture donations from the Innisbrook Resorts as they upgrade their condo units. This furniture is being delivered to the Bilirakis Warehouse on E. Klosterman on the SPC campus in Tarpon Springs.

Home Makers need of 5-10 individuals who can help load furniture into  trucks.  Service Hours can be earned for anyone needing them. They will be at that warehouse this coming Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 10:00-1:00 and really need some help.

Please access our website to see the great work that Home Makers does and to see that we are a legitimate nonprofit. They are also Level II Screened and fingerprinted, as well as having gone through Safe Environment training through the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

www.homemakersofhope.com

You can also find Home Makers on VolunteerMatch and the United Way Hands-to-Hands website for Hillsborough County.

For more information please contact:
Connie Hayden-McPeak
Director, South Tampa
Home Makers of Hope, inc.
813-495-3355

SolRelief has suspended it donation drive but is looking for volunteers.
Volunteer sign in is required via the website: https://solrelief.org/get-involved/

Message from SolReliefs Website:
Disaster Response Changes By The Minute
As the islands’ needs evolve, we have to respond to the specific requests of our local ground contacts. At this time, we anticipate that we have enough donated supplies to transport and that we will continue to be extremely effective in our relief efforts.

We are SO APPRECIATIVE to have our community meeting this goal in such a short time!! You ALL are generous compassionate stewards. The response to our deliveries to the islands has been nothing short of complete gratitude.

Our donation drive WILL BE SUSPENDED BEGINNING SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH AT 3:00 PM.

We will continue to focus on airlifting deliveries, evacuations, specific need requests and encouraging ground volunteer sign ups to assist in the packing of our current supplies for transport.

Volunteer Pilots: We aim to get you in the air in the coming week as airspace restrictions lift.

Thank you to the generosity of our friends at the Tampa Bay Rays, their employees and fans. We’re fortunate to have a major league team in our corner who energizes our community in so many ways!! Please note that the Rays will continue to accept donations at Tropicana Field through SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH AT NOON. Additionally, feel free to take any items you want to donate there to avoid the congestion at our drop-off location.

And, thank you St. Pete and surrounding communities for showing up BIG for the Bahamas!!!! 🇧🇸 ❤️✈️🇧🇸

MISSION UPDATE:

18 Flights
36,000+ Lbs. Of Supplies Delivered
24 Evacuees Rescued

Sol Relief, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and donations are tax deductible.

100% of donations received go directly to our mission.

SPC is committed to helping those left in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

Many of our SPC families have asked how they can help.

If you are interested in donating monetarily, American Red Cross is accepting donations here:

https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-dorian-donations.html/

If you are interested in donating specific items, SPC’s Student Life & Leadership offices (office locations found here https://go.spcollege.edu/student-life-contacts/) will be collecting the following items to deliver to the nonprofit SolRelief. SolRelief is an aviation response team that will fly directly to the Bahamas. 100 percent of the supplies are dedicated to this mission. For more information about SolRelief, go to https://solrelief.org/dorian/.

WHAT’S NEEDED?
Generators
Extension Cords
Work Gloves
Chainsaw Bar Oil
Gas Cans
Duct Tape
Tarps & Ropes
Hammers & Nails
Battery Operated Fans
Batteries
Flashlights
Bug Spray
Mosquito Nets
Unused Blankets
Cleaning Supplies
Nonperishable Food
Hygiene Products
Baby Supplies (No Diapers)
Pet Food
OTC Medical Supplies
Solar Phone Chargers
Phone Battery Packs
Cleaning Products
Trash Bags
Disinfecting Wipes
Sunscreen
Camping Lights (Solar & Battery Powered)
Supplies can be delivered during normal business hours to
St. Pete Air
107 8th Ave SE
St. Petersburg, FL 33701 
(Monday – Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Please do not bring items that are not on the list. Please do not donate expired or unusable items.

Also needed:

Experienced pilots to volunteer time flying supplies and people in and out of affected areas: Sol Relief Volunteer Pilot Application

Donations to support this disaster relief mission: Donation Form
Sol Relief, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and donations are tax deductible. 100% of donations received go directly to Sol’s mission.

For more information, please contact Tara Newsom at newsom.tara@spcollege.edu.

SPC Faculty and students spent this past Saturday in Clearwater cleaning up the city’s horse trails. Always ready to get their hands dirty, this is one of many service projects SPC has given its time and effort to this fall and is a great example of the cross pollination of SPC academic communities.

Participants included Dr. Erin Georgin’s Tri-Beta Club, Dr. Eric Tucker’s Ethics class, Dr. Kelli Strickrath’s Environmental Club and Faculty Government Organization President Dr. Shannon Ulrich.

For over 5 years, SPC students and French students who are attending the highly esteemed Beau Institute, meet at SPC’s Downtown campus to discuss comparative politics and engage in cultural exchange.

Today, the newest French scholars met with SPC student leaders to discuss the differences between U.S. and French Constitutions, the philosophical and historical origins of the two countries Constitutions and develop a greater respect for each others citizenry.

Dr. Philippe Beau, one of the co-founders of the Beau Institute, a non-profit organization which offers alternatives to the traditional university learning by integrating students into their future careers by offering internships with U.S. organizations and interactive classes, co-teaches this annual seminar with Dr. Tara Newsom of SPC. Newsom is a faculty member in the Social & Behavioral Science Department as well as the Director of the Center for Civic Learning & Community Engagement.

SPC welcomes the development of global citizenry and delights in this partnership!

For more information on the Beau Institute:

https://www.beauinstitute.org/

St.Petersburg College Student Government Association (SGA) student leaders arrived in Washington D.C. this week to tour our nations capital and highlight the importance of the Florida College System.

SPC students were joined by our tireless SPC Student Life and Leadership Coordinators, Anjum Perfetti from the Allstate/HEC campuses, Malena Buck from the Seminole Campus, Barbara Weaver from the Tarpons Springs Campus, Davie Gill with the Gibbs campus and Frank Jurkovic from the Downtown/Midtown Campuses.

Together, SPC students and staff used this visit to not only learn about the internal workings of our U.S. government but are also reminding the U.S. Congressional leadership of the positive impact the SPC family has on Pinellas County.