On February 22nd, the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay hosted its 15th Cup of Compassion.  As you all know, this annual event is our only true fundraiser of the year.  This one hour breakfast is our way to tell our compelling story, to really make our mission come alive, and to generate the necessary funds so that no one in our community has to face crisis alone!  

Going into my third Cup of Compassion, I was so excited!  There is a transformative energy generated during this event that is hard to describe.  I think much of that energy comes from the over 400 dedicated people who make their way downtown before 7:15 a.m. to attend the breakfast.  It comes from our fabulous Master of Ceremonies, Brendan McLaughlin, who can energize a crowd like no one else.   This year, I really believe the essential energetic force came from the passionate testimonials of Celia, Emily, and Tim who found their help, hope and healing at the Crisis Center.

Celia is a sexual assault survivor.  She didn't feel like a survivor when she first came to the Crisis Center.  Now, however, she credits our Corbett Trauma Counseling Center for transitioning her from victim to survivor.  Tim, one of our Board of Directors, spoke of his personal experiences and why he supports the Crisis Center.  Together, Celia and Tim illustrated the critical importance of the Crisis Center - a crisis can occur at ANY time to ANY one!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who generously supported the Cup of Compassion this year.  As I said at the breakfast, we absolutely cannot do this work without our donors and members of our sustainer society.  I also want to thank our community leaders who invest in the Crisis Center.  Your commitment demonstrates that we are a vital resource that helps connect people in our community to the help they need during difficult times.  Finally, I want to thank our incredible staff.  I truly have the privilege of working with some of the most passionate and caring people in the Tampa Bay area.  Special thanks to Jennifer Moore, Emily Weir, Ken Gibson, Sara Kirkland and recently retired Sandy McLaughlin for their tireless work.  Together, everyone made the 15th Cup of Compassion an incredible, energetic, and impactful event!

All my best,

Clara