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To celebrate the holiday season, SBT sponsored the annual North Greenwood Christmas Toy Giveaway. Families from around the community lined up near SBT to pick out toys for their children and take pictures with Santa. There were toys for kids of all ages including hula hoops, action figures, dolls, games, sports equipment, and gift cards! Greg Pickren, Owner of SBT, commented: It's important to us that members of our community can gather and spread joy during the holiday season. We like seeing kids in the neighborhood receive presents they wouldn't normally be able to receive and benefit from the generosity of our community. We hope to be able to continue this tradition every year.
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To kick off the holiday season, SEI donated 50 bikes to the Oldsmar Cares’ 2022 Spread the Love Kids Christmas & Toy Giveaway. Every year, families in Oldsmar can register to receive gifts for their children at no cost. The celebration included food, music, a gift-wrapping station, and crafts for kids.  Justin Webb, General Manager of SEI, personally donated 50 $30 gift cards for parents to purchase helmets for their children: Oldsmar Cares provides many important services to the community surrounding SEI including a food pantry, clothes closet, and rent and utility assistance. We especially like the programs that help the children in our community live healthy and happy lives. It makes us happy to see kids getting outside and riding bikes around the neighborhood and to know that SEI has a positive impact on our community. 4XPro donated $500 to Clothes to Kids this year and continued their support of one of our family's favorite charities. SBT got creative this year and hosted the annual Thanksgiving dinner as a drive-thru because of rain. For the first time in over 15 years, the sun did not make an appearance at the annual dinner. SBT had many things to be grateful for this year though. We were able to gather together in person and serve over 750 pounds of turkey to our beloved community! Thank you to all our volunteers and employees who packaged meals and delivered them to the long line of vehicles. We were happy to keep this important tradition alive. Watercraft Superstore was proud to sponsor the Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition's Family Fun Night this year. The event took place at the Buccaneer Football Field and was complete with free food, games, slides, vendors, health screenings, and live entertainment. The Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition focuses on improving North Greenwood, the neighborhood where both SBT and Watercraft Superstore are located. The organization works towards building community wealth through community business development, health, self-sufficiency, literacy, education, and resilience.  This year, Marine Mat continued their support for C.A.S.T. for Kids by making a $1,000 donation. C.A.S.T. for Kids is a nonprofit organization that arranges fishing trips for kids with disabilities. Robby Wellden commented: We like C.A.S.T. for Kids because it allows children the opportunity to spend time on the water. Fishing and being on a boat is something every child should be able to enjoy, regardless of their individual differences. Marine Mat has many products that make being on a boat comfortable and fun. We love that children all over the country get to go fishing through this organization. This year was particularly special because Marine Mat got to sponsor a C.A.S.T. for Kids event in Charlotte Harbor, Florida. In the future, Marine Mat hopes to host an event in the Tampa Bay Area, so it was great to have Marine Mat volunteers attend an event close to home. Marine Mat donated shirts, hats, and koozies to the event to be included in swag bags for the volunteers and children.
O'Neal and Nedra Larkin hosted a school supplies event in Clearwater to help families prepare for heading back to school. SBT donated $1,000. Sage Pickren, SBT Director of Community Outreach, commented: As a former teacher, I personally know how challenging it can be to have enough supplies for your students at the beginning of the year. School supplies is expensive, and when you work in a Title 1 school, many families cannot afford to purchase everything on their school supplies lists. We hope that donations like these can reduce the back-to-school stress for families that live near our factory. We are proud to be able to support the Larkins as they continue to make North Greenwood a place where children can access a good education and have the tools they need to succeed. SBT donated $5,000 to become a Diamond Partner for the 5th Annual Rising Above! Youth Explosion Leadership Conference. This event was hosted by the Clearwater Neighborhood Family Center, which is conveniently located on the same street as SBT. The center is dedicated to the belief that families should have the resources, support, and skills necessary to raise children in a healthy and safe neighborhood, which promotes the development of their maximum potential.  SBT manager, CJ Lammers, and SBT Social Media Manager, Barbara Bacvic, pose with Conference Coordinator, Michele Edwards and Executive Director, Terry Jones The 3-day event was hosted at The Long Center, SPC Drew Campus, and the N. Greenwood Aquatic Center. Youth that attended the conference participated in indoor and outdoor games, heard from guest speakers on panels, and were served free food! SBT is a proud sponsor of the Walter Evans Shihan School of Survival. Each year, the tournament hosts kids from around the community to compete and show off the karate and martial arts skills they've been learning. The non-profit organization has a focus on teaching children health, safety, discipline, focus, self-respect, and respect for others. Shihan School of Survival takes pride in providing programs to their youth that give them the mindsets to pursue their academic achievements and jumpstart their future careers.  With the help of SBT, this year's tournament was the best yet! Our new venue made the event very professional and we are continuing to grow!  This spring, SBT donated $5,000 to Eckerd Connects, a long-time Pickren Community Outreach partner. The donation supported Eckerd Connects' Success Awards, which helps children, young adults, and families who are especially vulnerable to failure in the community. The program pays for transitional needs so that recipients can reach their vocational and educational goals. David Dennis, President and CEO of Eckerd Connects, explained the impact of the donation: Thank you so much for your generous gift through SBT to our Success Awards fund this spring.  |
AuthorSage Pickren Archives
April 2022
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