We advocate for and support children, young adults, and families
impacted by abuse and neglect in Pinellas and Pasco Counties by collaborating
with community partners and the Guardian ad Litem staff and volunteers who support the children we serve.

We envision a community where every child and young adult is safe, secure and thriving. We believe every child deserves to have a permanent family and be well prepared for their future beyond foster care.
May/June 2019
From the Executive Director
Dear Supporters,
 
The school year has come to a close and summertime is already upon us. Every time I begin writing an update to you, I hope this will be the time that I can tell our friends we are finally starting to see the numbers of children in out of home care going in the opposite direction. Sadly, that isn’t the case. You may have seen a recent article in the Tampa Bay Times that notes a 33% net increase of children in care in Pinellas and Pasco Counties, and like me, wondered when the tide will ever stem. However, I am excited to share some bright news this month that keeps me inspired by the work our Volunteer Child Advocates are doing to serve children and teens. Hopefully you saw the updates on social media that we were able to award not one, but four scholarships this year thanks to the generosity of the Allshouse Family, Dr. Mary Lippitt, and Angels Against Abuse. Read More to hear about our scholarship winners...

In gratitude,
Amy
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tampa Bay Rays Games

Monday, August 19, 7:10 PM
Tuesday, September 24, 7:10 PM
1 Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg
Join us at this Tampa Bay Rays game to cheer on our local team and enjoy a fun outing at the ballpark.
These tickets were donated for Volunteer Child Advocate children, adults unaccompanied by a child will not be allowed entry with the exception of April 3rd's game.
This event is  free  of charge but space is limited and available on a first come-first served basis. Call or email Jonathan at 727-464-7171 or  jonathan.friedman@gal.fl.gov for more information and to reserve your tickets. 
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Threshers
Spectrum Field
601 N. Old Coachman Rd, Clearwater
Due to a generous donation by VCA, Lori Jean McNally, we have 4 tickets to almost every Threshers game this season. Check out the schedule here, pick a date and then call Jonathan at 727-464-7171 to see if you can get up to 4 tickets for that game for you and your GAL child/ren.
Cooking Matters - Pasco
6 Wednesdays starting June 6,
1 PM - 3 PM
One Stop Shop 15029 14th St. Dade City, FL
Open to teens in the Guardian ad Litem program! Prepare healthy meals and snacks for yourself, your family and friends and make smart food choices. Register your teen here.
RESOURCES
Teens Can Work Out For Free This Summer! Planet Fitness is giving out free memberships to teens 15 -18 this summer. Learn more here:
Resources for Relative Caregivers
Did you know that 1/3 of all children in foster care in the US were placed with a relative? Learn more about the challenges and benefits of children being placed with relative caregivers here.
Resource Manuals
Are you looking for resources to help the children you serve or their families? Check out this amazing compilation of resources for individuals and families in Pasco County here and Pinellas County here.
Tampa Bay Youth Build
Young adults aged 17 -24 who are interested in a trade or construction career are encouraged to participate in Tampa Bay YouthBuild. Participants can earn up to $5,000 as they learn! Find out more information here or contact youthbuild@careersourcepinellas.com.
ONE STORY
"CAL"
Without your support, Cal would not have had the one-on-one assistance he so desperately needed to catch up to his peers. Cal began his third grade class at the level of a first grader. There has been a marked improvement in Cal's academic skills of reading, language, grammar, spelling, and mathematics. Cal’s understanding in science has also increased. By the end of the third quarter of the third-grade school year, Cal has advanced to the third quarter of second grade. The Guardian says, “Without this funding support, Cal would be much farther behind his peers at the critical juncture of third grade, where all the foundational blocks are laid for later success. Thank you!”
OUR IMPACT
In the first four months of 2019, we have answered 244 requests for a total of $35,866! That is an 82 % increase in requests over the first four months of 2018 and a 64% increase in dollars spent!

  • 114 Basic/Medical Requests
  • 67 Normalcy Requests
  • 63 Educational Requests
OPPORTUNITIES
TO SERVE
GALF Survey for Volunteer Child Advocates
Our Children's Needs Committee wants to hear from you! This 5 question survey will take you no more than 2 minutes and will help us immeasurably as we prepare future programs and services.
Will you take a few moments and help us here.
Are you a Social Media Wiz? We need you!
We are looking for a volunteer to help us gather metrics from our various social media platforms so that we can begin to determine our social media effectiveness and needs. If you like social media and/or gathering information and statistics this opportunity could be for you. We anticipate that this will take a total of 2 - 4 hours and can be done remotely. If you are interested, please contact us.
SuperHero 5K
Saturday, October 12 8:30 AM
Safety Harbor, FL
Registration is open!!! And this year we are offering up a .5K (yes, you read correct a .5K --that's 500 meters) too. You can register here. Volunteer Child Advocates use code VCA to get 50% off your registration and use code VCAK for 100% off registration for the child/ren for whom you advocate. If you are interested in sponsoring the SuperHero 5K, you can find out more information about sponsorship levels here.
CHAMPIONS FOR OUR CHILDREN
A BIG thank you to Wells Fargo for their $5,000 Grant
to support our Childrens' Needs Programs!
Guardian ad Litem Foundation of Tampa Bay | 727.464.6528 | Website
14250 49th St, Suite 4000 Clearwater, FL 33712