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In March 2021, Watercraft Superstore donated $5,000 to Clothes to Kids. The Pickren Family companies are long-time sponsors of Clothes to Kids. As students transition back to in-person learning, this donation will help the non-profit organization find them clothes for school. Kim Pickren volunteers weekly at Clothes-to-Kids: I get to see first-hand how the donations we receive are carefully used by Clothes-to-Kids. We help children of all ages feel confident and proud of the way they look at school. I think that confidence transfers into school success and I’m grateful for the work this organization does for our community. 
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In March 2021, SBT donated $2,500 to become a Bronze Sponsor of Dunedin Cares. Dunedin Cares is a nonprofit organization close to SBT’s factory that fights food insecurity in the community. Their initiatives work to serve families with children, seniors, veterans, homeless, and the unemployed. Their mission is to alleviate hunger by providing food to the local community, showing kindness, respect, and compassion as neighbors help neighbors. Sage Pickren, Community Outreach Director, comments: Our companies located in Oldsmar have a great relationship with Oldsmar Cares and have supported them in the past by donating money, toys, and bicycles. We were very excited when one of our managers in Clearwater, Stephanie Mosny, brought up the idea of donating to Dunedin Cares. We know that kids cannot learn in school and thrive in their community, if their basic need of having food is not met. Our donation will help sponsor the annual Peanut Butter & Jelly Drive and will make a positive difference for the kids living in the community that surrounds our Clearwater companies.  Several of the Pickren family companies have participated in auctions and fundraisers early this year by donating products. In February, 2021, Marine Mat donated a gift basket full of goodies to the Average Hunter. Each year Matt Staser, the Average Hunter, hosts an auction that benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude is committed to providing quality care to children with cancer and life-threatening diseases, regardless of their ability to financial cover the costs of treatment. Organizations like The Average Hunter make the mission of St. Jude possible. Marine Mat donated around $200 worth of product including a Yeti cooler pad, fishing rulers, and a $50 gift card.   In April, Marine Mat put together a similar gift basket for another fundraiser called Benefit on the Bayou. Hydro-Turf, a sister company of Marine Mat, also donated around $500 worth of traction mats, apparel, and stickers. These products were won in a raffle to benefit a child with Leukemia who lives in Lafitte, Louisiana. Lafitte is a large fishing community that works to support local families when they are in need. The benefit will support medical bills for the treatment the child is receiving at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.
To celebrate the holidays this December and give back to the community, SBT hosted Ride & Read Sundays. There has never been a more perfect year to spend time riding bikes outside and reading at home. SBT distributed 500 children’s books and 100 helmets over the first three Sundays in December. The company also partnered with BikeSport, a bike shop in Tampa, to do free bike repairs for children in the community.  Greg Pickren, owner of SBT, commented: Cycling is one of my favorite hobbies. Over the years, our companies have given away bikes to the children in the community for Christmas. It dawned on us that some of these bikes might be in need of simple repairs. We thought that hosting an event that encourages healthy living and literacy might be the perfect way to give back to the community in 2020.  SBT also handed out 100 helmets to the kids in the community. Sage Pickren added, “I work in a research lab that studies educational brain science. We use fMRI scans to examine how children learn to read. We were happy to give away helmets to encourage the kids to protect their brains while they ride their bikes.” The last Sunday was rescheduled due to uncharacteristically bad weather in Florida. Luckily, SBT was able to reschedule the event to the day before Christmas Eve (12/23/20). As is tradition in North Greenwood, O’Neal and Neidra Larkin gave out donated toys to the kids in the neighborhood. They set up their tables in the Watercraft Superstore parking lot right next to SBT’s book table and gave away an awesome selection of toys! In October 2020, Greg Pickren acquired a new company in the marine and powersports industry, Hydro-Turf. The company manufactures traction mats for personal watercrafts. Greg relocated the company from California to Florida in December. During the move, he decided to donate three forklifts, nine overseas containers, office furniture, pallet racking, and shelving to the Salvation Army in Anaheim, California. The donation is estimated to be valued at $100,000. Greg Pickren further explains his decision to donate: We were happy to find out that the Salvation Army in Anaheim was Hydro-Turf's next door neighbor. After touring their facility and seeing the wonderful work they were doing, we decided to donate some of the equipment that we acquired. Their distribution center houses a lot of supplies that helps veterans, victims of domestic abuse, and the homeless in the greater Los Angeles area. We hope that this equipment can make their facility more organized and efficient, so they can continue to fulfill their mission and serve the community.  4XPRO and SEI were happy to support Oldsmar Cares' annual Christmas Celebration. This year, to keep things socially distant, Oldsmar Cares hosted a toy drive-thru. Families in need registered for the event and ordered what toys would be best for their children. Then, volunteers stuffed their trunks full of personalized goodies. The hottest items were new bikes, donated by SEI. 4XPro donated $1,000 to the event to purchase other toys and much-needed items.  50 bikes in SEI's factory assembled by factory employees.  Justin Webb, manager of SEI, assembled a team to drive over the bikes in trucks the day before the event to make the special delivery. He also personally donated the majority of the helmets needed for the bikes. Justin Webb comments: We are always happy to donate to Oldsmar Cares because they help us give back to the local community that has supported us for many years. I love promoting healthy living in the Oldsmar community by donating bikes and helmets to allow our kids to spend time playing safely outside.”  Above our some of the bags of toys that were given to families in the drive-thru. Kathy Wallace, Chair of Oldsmar Cares, said, We are so happy 4XPRO was able to donate $1,000 to our Christmas celebration. One of the biggest requested items this year was clothes, which shows how much this community is struggling during 2020. We are so thankful we were able to purchase these items and toys for the kids in the community. Thank you, 4XPRO and SEI! Each year, the Pickren family donates to one of our favorite non-profit organizations- Clothes to Kids. 4XPro was excited to donate $1,000 to the charity this November. Kim Pickren volunteers weekly at Clothes to Kids and explains how things have changed during 2020: I love helping families shop at Clothes to Kids for their school clothes. This year, we had to get creative because of Covid-19. Instead of having families inside of our store, we did the shopping for them and created bags of clothes for them to take home. Kids grow so quickly and clothes are expensive. I love volunteering at Clothes to Kids because it makes the children in our community feel proud about their appearance and helps them dress for a successful future.   Watercraft Superstore donated $100 to Oldsmar Elementary School for their annual walk-a-thon. This year, to keep the event socially distanced, students participated in the walk-a-thon virtually by logging their walks, bike rides, and runs during the month of October. Stephanie Mosny, manager of WCSS, said: I love that our company can support local public schools. My son goes to Oldsmar Elementary and he always loves participating in the annual walk-a-thon. The school has over 650 students and it's fundraisers like these that make sure all the students are getting a high-quality education and are being supported with the resources they need to succeed.  In August 2020, SBT donated $2,300 to Susan G. Komen to support breast cancer research. Kim Pickren comments on the donation: We were disappointed that our team could not do the 3-day walk this year because of the pandemic, but we are happy that scientists are still supported by this organization to do research that helps women suffering from breast cancer. This is an issue that has affected many of my close friends and SBT's donation makes a meaningful difference. Marine Mat, Eastlake Axle, and SEI each purchased a $500 brick at Oldsmar Cares to support the charity's general funds and services. In addition to the company donations for bricks, another $2,500 was donated in cash. Oldsmar Cares is a nonprofit organization that supports families in the community by providing stop gap rent and utility money, a food pantry, and a clothing closet. All day-to-day operations and management are completed by volunteers. In May, 2020, SBT donated $5,000 to Eckerd Connects to support their adoption program. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, many families are suffering economically. A private adoption in most states can cost $30,000. Eckerd Connects reported that they had many families in their program who were about $800-$1,000 short in completing the adoption process when the pandemic struck. SBT donated money to aid families in completing the adoption process during this difficult time. Teresa Spann, SBT CFO, commented:We realize that during the COVID-19 pandemic many families are struggling to make ends meet. The virus has affected so many aspects of our own lives at work and at home. We hope that through this donation, families in our community can have an added layer of security through adoption. To learn more about Eckerd Connects, visit their website: eckerd.org. On December 22nd, 2019, hundreds of toys were given to children in need in the North Greenwood community. SEI and the Pickren family were proud sponsors of the event. SEI employees collected toys at the factory and donated them to the toy drive. Each year, beloved community members, O'Neil Larkin and Nedra, organize and run the toy give away. Children of all ages gather to receive a wrapped Christmas present.  Community members gathered the day before the event to wrap all of the toys!  SBT and WCSS employees serve turkey, corn, rolls, and greens to community members. This year on Sunday, November 24th, SBT and WCSS proudly hosted the annual North Greenwood Thanksgiving Dinner right in their front yard! For over 15 years, hundreds of community members have gathered to share a meal and celebrate the successes of the community for which they are grateful. In the past, this event has been graciously been hosted in O’Neil Larkin’s front yard, but this year, the event moved a few yards down the street in front of the SBT and WCSS factories. Greg Pickren, SBT owner, explains this year’s change: We are always so impressed with the turnout at the annual Thanksgiving dinner. With the help of many community members, particularly our good friend O’Neil Larkin, this event has become a very successful and joyous celebration that we look forward to every year. To accommodate the large number of guests that share a meal together, we moved the location to our factory. This change will allow SBT and WCSS to continue their on-going support of the North Greenwood community for years to come.  A full Thanksgiving dinner was provided to over 1,500 people courtesy of SBT, WCSS, and the North Greenwood community. Clearwater mayor, George Cretekos, welcomed community members at the event. Attendees ate good food, shared stories about the community, and enjoyed the entertainment! 
This year's Skyway Ski Show was a huge success, despite some not very Florida-like weather. Representatives from Yamaha, Kawasaki, and SeaDoo presented their PWCs and gave panelists the inside scoop about newest innovations and design. 
This year's charity recipient was Oldsmar Cares, a nonprofit organization located in the backyard of sister company, SEI. Oldsmar Cares provides 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 Watercraft Superstore proudly donated $5,000 to help support the organizations in achieving some of their many goals. Oldsmar Cares was established in 1997 and is made up of a staff of dedicated volunteers. For more information about the organization, click the logo to visit their website.
 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: Our company becomes stronger when we can involve young people in our community. We are always looking to hire hard workers and we enjoy sharing the exciting things that are happening in our factory. This group of students had excellent questions. They clearly have bright futures ahead of them.  Greg Pickren, Kim Pickren, Cj Lammers, Stephanie Mosny, Robert Weldon, and John Salvatore gather for a tropical picture at the Oldsmar Cares Gala. 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.  Justin Webb, Carrie Sinwelski, Stephanie Mosny, John Salvatore, Robert Weldon, Kim Pickren, Greg Pickren, and CJ Lammers share a table at the Gala.  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.  Owner of SBT, Greg Pickren, accepts Appreciation Award 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."  Sage and Ryan Pickren helping to serve food  Hundreds of families lined up ready for their delicious food 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.  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! 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.”    Kids gather around Santa to share their Christmas lists. 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."  Bikes and helmets donated by SEI lined up to be given away! 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: I am a survivor and forever changed because of it. I truly believe it is God's plan for me to help the numerous survivors nationally, that are still hoping for closure from their breast cancer Nearly 22,000 women a year lose one or both of their breasts and are uninsured and unable to attain immediate reconstruction. Typically a series of three surgeries are needed with costs that range from $25,000- $50,000. With SBT's help, The Pretty in Pink Charity Tournament helped raise money to support the survivors of breast cancer.
As summer comes to a close, SBT and Watercraft Superstore continue their mission of supporting the community and local public schools. Sandy Lane Elementary and Skycrest Elementary were selected again this year to receive a donation of t-shirts for their faculty and staff. The two schools are located in North Greenwood and are in close proximity to the companies' factories. Student t-shirts were also donated to Sandy Lane Elementary and will be sold by the PTO as a fundraiser. Sage Pickren, director of community outreach, explains the companies' decision to donate, "Public schools are often under funded and lack resources that help promote healthy school climate. T-shirts increase school spirit and improve teacher morale, which has large impacts on student growth and achievement. It's nice to see our company logos around the community on the back's of hardworking educators who are improving the lives of young children."
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