SuperBowl LAY Fundraiser

Each year we pick a different charity to benefit from our SuperBowl watch party.

This year we chose the Spring of Tampa Bay and The Herren Project.

Thank you so much to all of the friends and family that came to our annual SuperBowl party. We are humbled and grateful to everyone that attended (and those that didn’t attend but still dropped off donations). Through the generosity of so many we collected $1000 for the Spring of Tampa Bay (along with all of the sheets and towels pictured). We were also able to collect over $6900 for the Herren Project. We are so blessed to be surrounded by individuals who are always will to help others and take my dream of “doing small things with great love” to all new levels. Thank you everyone!

We become the 352nd Lightning Community Hero since Jeff and Penny Vinik introduced the Lightning Community Hero program in 2011-12 with a $10 million, five-season commitment to the Tampa Bay community.

Read more

Lightning Community Heros

The Tampa Bay Lightning honored us as the 30th Lightning Community Heroes this season during the first period of the Valentine’s Day game versus the Dallas Stars. We were the first couple to receive this honor. We received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program. We donated this money to A Kid's Place.

We become the 352nd Lightning Community Hero since Jeff and Penny Vinik introduced the Lightning Community Hero program in 2011-12 with a $10 million, five-season commitment to the Tampa Bay community.

Read more

SuperBowl LAY Fundraiser 2019

What did your #SuperBowl party do? I’ll tell you what mine did...we gathered 72 boxes of cereal, 68 singles servings of cereal, 347 juice boxes, 78 bags of chips, 46 boxes of multi package snacks, 1244 trash bags, 119 salad dressings, 8 gym bags, 19 bottles of shampoo and conditioner, 33 bottles of body wash,31 tooth brushes and toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, 8 sports bras, a pair of sweatpants and $2,000!!!!! Don’t ever let someone tell you one person can’t change the world and surround yourself with amazing people who share the same passion for helping others!!! @akidsplacetb @crisiscenteroftampabay #superbowlLAYstyle

Read more

PUCKS FOR BUCKS!

I am always looking for a fun and creative way to raise money. We try to do a Bowl-A-Thon for Junior Achievement Tampa Bay every year but this year since our home town Tampa Bay Lightning were in the Stanley Cup hunt we decided to try something a little different.

After weeks of trying to come up with a great idea, one finely happened: Pucks For Bucks!

I organized a bracket system and signed up teams to help us raise money, root for our Bolts, and have our own Puck Champion!

Using our Shuffleboard we battled it out round after round and raised $8,000 for Junior Achievement. I was fortunate to work with some amazing companies and individuals to make this happen.

The winner of our tournament won a signed Kucherov jersey.

DzQVFZfhQi2+%cYNRjEq7g_thumb_6e5e.jpg

Dancing with the Stars

Today was a Fairy Tale!

I was so thankful, honored and humbled to have the opportunity to dance for charity in the Hand’s Across the Bay’s “Tampa Bay's Dancing With the Stars”.

It was an incredible journey and I was blessed to meet really amazing people all while taking an creative approach to raising money!

Thank you to all my fellow competitors for the friendship and fun.

A very special thank you to Ken (@it.was.that.guy) for your patience, kindness and understanding as you took someone with two left feet and taught her the foxtrot…I know that wasn’t easy.

You are a great teacher and friend.

Special thanks to @ashleyh25 and @lac.is.me for transforming me into #barbie!

You guys are my forever #glamsquad! 💛❤️️💛#tampa #teamashley — with Ashley Hughey Marku, Ashley Cantero and Matthew Jonathan Garfinkle.

Last but not least…special thanks to my Husband. With every crazy idea I get, he always stands by my side and cheers me on.

Fostering Home - A Kids Place Gala

A Kid’s Place is near and dear to my family. So, when I was asked to chair the committee to throw a Gala for A Kid’s Place I knew there were two things I was good at: Throwing a Party and Raising Money. So, of course I was ALL IN!

The night was amazing.

Dancers in flapper dresses and sequins glided across the dance floor as their partners in pin-striped suits and bowler hats lead them in the Foxtrot, the Waltz, and of course the Charleston.  It would seem fitting that bootleg liquor couldn’t be far from the action, but The Bubbly Bar is hardly a threat to prohibition.  That’s because the year isn’t 1924, but instead 2016 and the event isn’t hidden in a back alley speakeasy. 

This black tie affair at downtown Tampa’s District 3, Presented by The MacKinnon Family Foundation, celebrated A Kid’s Place style.  This night was a way for supporters to “Foster Hope” for children in foster care from all over the greater Tampa Bay area and specifically those who temporarily call A Kid’s Place home.

The successful evening brought in over $100,000 for our foster children!  Guests enjoyed sumptuous food by Core Concepts, entertainment provided by The Aerial Dragons, live and silent auctions, and time to dance the night away to the wildly-popular Atlanta Party Band.  Tampa Chief of Police Eric Ward got into the spirit and allowed himself to be auctioned off as part of the “Pardon the Chief” challenge. A special guest won a one of a kind sculpture by Dominique Martinez from Rustic Steel Creations that touched the hearts of everyone in the room!.  

If Gatsby himself had overseen the gala he would have been hard-pressed to plan more lavish entertainment or decadent food than what guests were treated to.  Dining, drinking and dancing are great ways to spend a Saturday night, but raising funds for foster children as a bonus only adds to an evening to remember. 

The Gala has turned out to be a true signature event for A Kid’s Place supporters and we look forward to continuing to “Foster Hope” for the children at A Kid’s Place.

Thank you to our very generous sponsors who helped make the evening spectacular and "Fostered Hope" for all the children who call A Kid's Place home.

Super Bowl-A-Thon

My first Junior Acheivemnt Bowl-A-Thon was a HUGE Success! We exceeded our goal of $8,000.

I strive, in all things, to be a little different. So, I created a SuperBowl Theme!

Family, is so important to me. I try to expose my daughter to generosity and help her grow up seeing the importance of doing things for others.

From bowling, to passing out food, to drawing the winning 50/50 chance drawing ticket there are always ways to incorporate little ones in big ways.

Fundraising is hard. The key is to make it fun.

Daisy's First Birthday Party

f you ever feel like one person really can't make a difference in this world then let me give you some inspiration.

Our 1 year old daughter's birthday party was a fundraiser for two local charities:
Crisis Center Of TampaBay
A Kid's Place of Tampa Bay

Together all 150 of our guests raised $1550.

This doesn't include monetary donations made straight to the charities.

We were able to gather the following items for Sexual Assault Victims treated at CCOTB:

75 Toothbrushes, 56 pairs of underwear, 25 body washes, 16 lotions, 27 deodorants, 32 shirts, 133 razors, 68 soaps, 37 toothpastes, 4 bras, 8 sweatpants, 24 pairs flip flops, 2 mouthwashes, 2 sweatshirts, 5 flosses, 3 poofs, and 1 shampoo.

In addition, we were able to gather the following items for Abused, Abandoned and Neglected Children that stay at A Kids Place:

43 Bottles/sippy cups, 8 baby washes, 7 baby lotions, 32 packs of wipes, 13 baby clothes, 48 pairs of socks, 53 bibs, 6 crib sheets, 44 pajamas, 6 animal wash rags, 3 bath toys, 24 underwear, booties, 8 onesees, 12 spiral notebooks of paper, 20 folders, 4 packs of paper, 2 packs of crayons, 60 pencils, 2 huge packs of diapers, rattle, 3 pacifiers, teething ring, 3 blankets, baby powder and a baby gate.

Also, we collected 57 books for the children in family stabilization at CCOTB.

Just think...each of the items above can help one person...if each person was given 1 item above...our little girl through the help of her friends can touch 518 sexual assault victims and 402 children in need.

Small deeds add up to big change.

If this is year one...I cant wait to see what else she does in life.

Ms. October

I was honored to be selected as Ms. October for a sports themed calendar.

My month was devoted to Nascar and it was a really fun opportunity because I was able to pose with my husbands Nascar.

The calendar was devoted to raising money for cancer awareness and was modeled after the movie, Calendar Girls.

It was a really fun opportunity to get dolled up and do something really different than I have ever done before.

I was humbled to finally become a TROPHY WIFE when I won the award for, “Best Fundraiser”.

It all things I try its for the opportunity to raise money and awareness so to be given this trophy mean a lot to me.