Students from Operation Graduate had an opportunity to tour SBT with Greg Pickren on February 18, 2019. Operation Graduate is an after school program run by Paula Kay at United Way. Students from the neighborhood surrounding SBT gather together after school to learn about building a successful future. The program teaches students how to maintain a strong GPA, build a competitive resume, and apply to colleges. SBT hosted Operation Graduate students at SBT, so they could see the inside of a business and learn about how the company operates. Greg Pickren and SBT manager, Cj Lammers, spoke to the students about what they look for when they are hiring and qualities that make good employees. Greg Pickren, owner of SBT, commented about the Operation Graduate tour:

This year SBT and WCSS supported Oldsmar Cares by attending their 9th Annual Gala. The event raised $137, 957. Oldsmar Cares' mission is to provide stop gap rent and utility assistance, a food pantry, and a clothes closet- at no cost- to those in need in the greater Oldsmar area. The nonprofit organization also provides health screenings and employment services to individuals who reside in the 34677 zip code, which happens to be the neighborhood of another Pickren family company, SEI, 

Watercraft Superstore was an official sponsor of the Gala. They will continue to support Oldsmar Cares this spring as they've been selected as the official Skyway Ski Show charity recipient. 

Although the weather in Florida is still beautiful and sunny, SEI has managed to get in a very generous winter spirit. On December 16, 2018 SEI donated 30 bikes to the North Greenwood community Christmas. Families from the surrounding neighborhood gathered together to take pictures with Santa Claus and receive presents. Through donations from SEI and other local businesses, the event was able to give away over 100 bikes! Justin Webb, manager of SEI, also personally donated a helmet for every bike that SEI donated, so kids could ride safely in the neighborhood.

SEI has been a partner in the North Greenwood community Christmas for many years. This year was particularly special because the staff at SEI collected and donated over 250 toys to the event! Justin Webb shared his excitement, "We had so many toys to donate that it completely filled up my 4 runner! We are always proud to do our part for the community."

On Sunday, November 18th, 2018, hundreds of people from the North Greenwood community in Clearwater, Florida gathered together to share a Thanksgiving meal. SBT donated food, tents, and tables to help make the event a success. O'Neil Larkin graciously hosted the event in his front yard, which is located across the street from the SBT and Watercraft Superstore factories. Many leaders from the community attended the event  including Clearwater Mayor, George Cretekos; Clearwater Chief of Police, Dan Slaughter; and Clearwater City Manager, Bill Horne.  

Greg Pickren, owner of SBT, was presented with an award of appreciation for his long history of sponsoring the Thanksgiving dinner. After accepting the award, he spoke about kindness, "This Thanksgiving community dinner always has been and always will be about kindness. As you look around you can see many acts of kindness here. We have our volunteers smiling as they donate their time to serve food; we have police officers keeping our event safe and making sure everyone who wants to come can attend; we have families patiently lined up making friends with community members as they wait for food. We hope our Thanksgiving dinner inspires a spirit of kindness that lasts through the holiday season and well into the new year. SBT is proud to be part of this strong, kind community."

The Thanksgiving dinner concluded with an exciting performance from a community band! You can view a video of their performance below. 

What if you could turn one of your worst days into one of the best days for a child facing a critical illness and their family?

That’s exactly what Ryan Pickren did. In 2014, the Georgia Tech student played what he considered a prank by hacking into the calendar system of University of Georgia (UGA) before the rivalry football game and adding an entry that Georgia Tech would win the game.
“I wasn’t doing it to be malicious,” said Ryan, whose passion lies in computer engineering and cybersecurity.
But before he knew it, the incident took off on sports blogs and news websites across the country. Eventually, Ryan was approached by a detective from the UGA police department. The 21-year-old faced the potential of 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. 
“I was in shock,” Ryan said. For weeks, he faced uncertainty as a trial loomed. “It was pretty scary.”
Ryan’s charges ended up being dropped after completion of a pretrial diversion program that included community service. His arrest and indictment have been expunged, and the record has been sealed. 
Following, Ryan found a legal way to flex his cybersecurity muscles and help protect companies’ digital footprints. The Bug Bounty Program rewards computer programmers for finding and reporting security flaws in their websites.
United Airlines participates in the program, rewarding submissions with frequent flier miles. The more potentially damaging a flaw, the more miles are awarded. Ryan jumped right in. 
At the time, Ryan’s girlfriend had a job in Arizona, so he just wanted to rack up enough miles to visit her. As he got to work, though, Ryan began uncovering security flaws that resulted in millions of miles in rewards. He became the most successful participant in the United Airlines Bug Bounty program, earning 15 million miles total. Ryan has since donated more than half of his total miles to charity: to Georgia Tech student organizations that do charity work, to Eckerd Connects in Tampa, and now to Make-A-Wish.
Today, Ryan finds himself in his dream job as security engineer at Amazon in Seattle, where his girlfriend also works now.
One day, she emailed him a flier. Passionate Amazon employees were participating in a mileage drive for Make-A-Wish® Alaska and Washington, encouraging employees to donate their unused frequent flier miles. The miles would be used to send local children with critical illnesses on their wish trips.
“I started reading about how Make-A-Wish uses airline miles, and realized these miles are core to the Make-A-Wish mission,” Ryan said. “I felt compelled to use the miles I had to help other people. This was a way to give back to kids who don't have the health that I have.
“Plus, I was able to take a really negative part of my life and make a positive difference for a local child.”
Ryan’s donation of 2.5 million miles – the largest in Make-A-Wish history – also saved the Alaska and Washington chapter thousands of dollars in airfare expenses.
“Make-A-Wish has the infrastructure set up to immediately use my miles, and I know they went directly to sending kids on their wishes,” Ryan said. “These are miles that … are changing lives. Knowing that I played a part in giving a child what may be the happiest moment of their life, that could be the best thing that happens to them, is huge.”
Ryan was recently invited to tour the Alaska and Washington chapter’s office, and he was captivated by the Make-A-Wish mission of granting life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses. “You walk down the halls and you see pictures of kids all around the world,” Ryan said. “The trip they go on with their families, that’s the highlight of their year, their life. It was really powerful.”
Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington contributed to this story.

Donate Your Airline Miles or Points Today
Nationally, Make-A-Wish would need more than 2.8 billion airline miles or points, or 50,000 round-trip tickets, to cover every travel wish each year.
Every airline mile or point donated helps wish kids and their families travel to destinations around the world. Once donated, your miles and points never expire and are used to support wishes across the country. This is just one simple way you can help grant a life-changing wish experience. It’s easy to do, too.
“With a few clicks, I was able to donate [my miles],” says Ryan Pickren, who recently donated 2.5 million airline miles to Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington. “I'm so happy that I did. Within a couple days, I could actually see stories about how my miles were being used.” 

Donate your airline miles or points to our Wishes in Flight®program TODAY!
August is Travel Month, and you can help us celebrate #TripsThatTransform by checking out our lnstagram to see all of the amazing places these partners help our wish families explore! And remember to stay tuned to Wish Nation for wish trip stories of Land, Air and Sea. Read more about Make-A-Wish Travel Month here.

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​On March 6, 2018, The Watercraft Superstore hosted their 6th annual Skyway Ski Show. The event started Monday night with a beautiful sunset dinner at Whisky Joe’s. WCSS Manager, Stephanie Mosny, welcomed guests and presented the $5,000 charity donation to Jennifer Jacobs, Development Director of Clothes to Kids.

Clothes to Kids is a nonprofit organization that collects clothing donations for school-aged students. Their stores in Clearwater and Seminole are open to shoppers who have kids that qualify for free-and-reduced lunch in the public school system. Many students in the community are in need of clean clothing to wear to school, especially outfits that meet the school uniform requirements. WCSS’s donation will help Clothes to Kids stock their stores and open a new location in Hillsborough this year. 
 
On Tuesday morning, manufacturers from Seadoo and Yamaha showcased their best PWCs of the season. Panelists took notes on the beach while they reviewed the key features and value of the skis. After the information session, panelists suited up in their new Jet Pilot gear and took off in the Tampa Bay to test drive the skis. Riders spent the morning switching skis and pushing each watercraft to its limit. After the morning ride, panelists returned to the beach for lunch and reflection. Panelists scored the PWCS on categories like ergonomics, speed, value, stability, and most importantly, fun! “It’s a tough job spending your Tuesday playing on the water in the Florida sunshine, but someone has got to do it,” said panelists, Sage Pickren. The winner of this year’s ski of the year award was the Sea-Doo GTX Limited! 

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​Eckerd College has many programs that provides their students with opportunities to learn outside of the classroom and volunteer in the community. One of their more unique programs is the Search and Rescue Team, which Watercraft Superstore has proudly supported for a few years. The students in the program provide volunteer maritime services to the Tampa Bay boating community. They have assisted over 600 boaters and help keep our waterways feel safe. This year, Watercraft superstore donated miscellaneous marine items like whistles, water shoes, and anchors. This donation was valued at about $100. Stephanie Mosny, Watercraft Superstore Manager, expressed her appreciation, “We want our customers to have fun out on the water, but we also want to make sure they are safe. We are lucky to have Eckerd College Search and Rescue Team in our community who shares our same goals.” 

SEI spread some holiday cheer this year by giving away 30 bikes and helmets to kids in the North Greenwood community. The Christmas celebration took place on the corner of N. Myrtle Avenue and Marshall Street in downtown Clearwater, which neighbors the SBT factory. The event was hosted by Mr. O'Neil Larkin, who welcomed all to gather and enjoy the afternoon with family and friends. SEI Manager, Justin Webb, described the event, "Each year our employees feel the Christmas spirit when we support the Christmas event in North Greenwood. Our company donates the bikes and our employees raise money to donate the helmets. Being able to see kids receive the bikes and helmets that SEI donated is something we look forward to every year. Our business is about getting customers out on the water as soon as possible. We like supporting causes that allows kids to get outdoors and be active."

On Sunday, November 19th, 2017, the North Greenwood community celebrated their 15th Annual Thanksgiving dinner. Hundreds of attendees gathered together to share a meal and visit with friends. Marshall Street in Clearwater, Florida was closed down, so the event could virtually take place in SBT's backyard. SBT provided the main course by donating 60 turkeys! Stephanie Mosny, Manager of Watercraft Superstore, commented about the event, "Our employees always love coming to the event and volunteering by serving food to the long line of appreciative families. It brings us closer to our community and starts the holiday season with a spirit of giving." 

On September 29th, 2017, SBT proudly sponsored the 10th annual Pretty in Pink Charity Tennis Tournament. Proceeds from the event were donated to "My Hope Chest," a non-profit organization that offers financial assistance to uninsured and underinsured breast cancer survivors who need reconstructive surgery. SBT chose to be a "Hot Pink" sponsor and  donated $500 towards the cause. Alisa Savoretti, survivor and founder of My Hope Chest, shared her story: