Emergency Transportation with Heart!

Like most nonprofits in Hillsborough County, the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay has a diverse, financial sustainability structure. I like to think of it as a 3-legged stool: government and community grants (33% of our funding), fundraising (14% of our funding) and social enterprise (53% of our funding). You probably understand what I mean when I say government and community grants and fundraising, but you may not know what I mean when I say social enterprise. The official definition of a social enterprise is a "revenue-generating business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are reinvested for that purpose in the business rather than driven by the need to deliver profit to shareholders and owners" ( https://centreforsocialenterprise.com/what-is-social-enterprise). Some social enterprises you might be familiar with include Girl Scout cookies and Goodwill thrift stores. Our social enterprise is TransCare, a medical transportation service.

If you aren't familiar with TransCare, we provide 9-1-1 Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance service to the City of Tampa and backup BLS service to Hillsborough County..... READ MORE

- MORE NEWS! -

Responding to School Shooting in Parkland


	Gateway Services Manager, Liza Cruz Cepeda, is interviewed by Univision-Tampa

We at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay are saddened and united in grief with those who have been impacted by the shooting in Parkland. We have been in contact with local media to communicate that anyone who has been affected by this tragic event can connect to emotional support and community resources by calling 2-1-1.

A letter from Crisis Center CEO, Clara Reynolds, was sent out via email and posted via social media on Friday. Click HERE to read the letter.

Quick Decisions by Crisis Center Staff Save a Life


Clara Reynolds (white shirt) calms a woman as she grabs onto power lines from her window

Clara Reynolds and TransCare Field Operations Supervisor Lucas Lucchini had a fun morning planned. The TransCare supervisor truck was loaded with goodie bags that Clara and Lucas were going to deliver to EMT crews and Crisis Center volunteers.

Everything changed when they heard a call come through TransCare dispatch: "Truck 65. Respond to 50-year-old female exhibiting acute psychiatric distress. Stage for Tampa Police Department."

When Clara and Lucas arrived, the TransCare ambulance and Tampa Police were already on scene. Everyone was looking up to the top floor of an apartment building, where a woman was sitting in a window threatening to jump.... READ MORE

Florida Veterans Support Line Expands Statewide


	Veteran specialists at the Crisis Center provide emotional support and connections to helpful resources

In 2014, the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay launched the Florida Veterans Support Line (1-844-MyFLVet) as a pilot program to help connect Tampa Bay area veterans to assistance. Veterans from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk and Manatee counties have been able to connect to veteran peers and additional gateway services staff at the Crisis Center who provide emotional support and valuable information about community resources.

The pilot program has proven to be effective in helping local veterans. The Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs has provided the initial support needed to expand the program throughout the state, with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay serving as the lead agency. Veterans in any county in Florida can call 1-844-MyFLVet and connect to help and support, with calls being answered by local nonprofits that also answer 2-1-1 calls throughout the state.

Be certain to spread the word about 1-844-MyFLVet as a resource for all Florida veterans!

Local High School Students Get Loud!

Every nine seconds in the United States, a woman is assaulted or beaten. This statistic serves as the inspiration for Get Loud! These events are organized by students at local high schools to raise awareness about power-based violence. The events are run in conjunction with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and The Spring, and are funded through a Tampa Bay Lightning Foundation Community Hero of Tomorrow grant.

The events raise awareness and create conversations about domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of power-based violence, like stalking and dating violence. They are run in conjunction with a boys or girls basketball game. During the game, students and fans remain silent until the ninth point is scored by the home team. At the ninth point, the gym erupts, sending the message that we must break the deadly silence about these forms of violence.

Thanks to students, staff, and parents at Plant, Robinson, and Wiregrass Ranch high schools for holding Get Loud! events.

Women In Action Members Reach Out to Local Seniors


	Laura Simon helps send Valentine Cards to Telephone Reassurance clients

On Feb. 6, members of Women in Action gathered at Seacoast Bank to have some fun and make a difference in the lives of local senior citizens. The group made Valentine's Day cards for 160 seniors who receive daily telephone reassurance calls from Crisis Center volunteers. The people receiving the cards and calls often do not have a local support system. The telephone reassurance program helps them realize they aren't alone and that someone cares about them.

Women in Action is a philanthropic group of extraordinary, passionate women who have come together in support of the mission of the Crisis Center. The group meets through the year for educational lunches and service projects. To learn more about Women in Action, click HERE.

- Take a Tour of the Crisis Center! -

Gateway to Healing Tours

Crisis Center of Tampa Bay

Tuesday, March 6

Thursday, March 22

12pm-1pm

Listen to stories about the people we help. See the facilities where we offer healing to clients. Hear about the urgent needs of the families we serve. Find ways to join us in making a difference in our community.

To learn more and register, click HERE

Thank you Corporate Partners!

Thank you Crisis Center of Tampa Bay Funders!