ECOT

On Saturday, January 7, 2012 more than 200 volunteers from the Tampa Bay Rays, the Tampa Metro YMCA, organizers from KaBOOM! and residents of the local community of Sulphur Springs teamed up to build a new, safe playground at Layla’s House. Layla’s House is an early childhood community learning center that provides a strong foundation to Sulphur Springs children and parents. Layla’s House serves children from infant to age five. These children will learn the skills needed to enter Kindergarten and be successful at learning.

The playground’s design was based on drawings created by children from Sulphur Springs Elementary who participated in a Design Day event in October 2012. The new playground provides young children in the Sulphur Springs area with a safe place to play.

This is the third consecutive KaBOOM! playground build for the Rays. Previous builds include YMCA Camp Cristina in Riverview and James B. Sanderlin Family Center in South St. Petersburg. The Rays are the only Major League Baseball team to have partnered with KaBOOM! for a community playground build.

On February 23, 13 Rays volunteers visited Woodside Hospice House; Woodside provides a warm and caring environment with around-the-clock care for patients and support for visiting family members and friends. Volunteers toured the grounds and engaged current Woodside residents. They left a lasting Rays impression by creating birdhouses that will surround the property. The birdhouses are featured outside every resident’s window, visible to hospice residents, staff and visitors.

For the third consecutive year, Rays volunteers have assisted in constructing a home for a family courtesy of Habitat for Humanity’s Charlotte County chapter. On March 28, 20 volunteers rolled up their sleeves to raise the walls at a new house in Port Charlotte, also the home of the Rays Spring Training facility.

On April 13, more than 30 Rays ECOT volunteers assisted Sweetwater Organic Farm in Tampa, weeding, harvesting and washing over 1,200 pounds of carrots. Sweetwater Organic Community Farm was established in 1995 as a nonprofit community-supported urban organic farm and environmental education center.

In May, ECOT partnered with the Tampa Bay Host Committee to clean up the CASA Domestic Violence Emergency Shelter in St. Petersburg. More than 15 Rays employees devoted their day to help clean, paint, landscape and remove unwanted brush and debris from the property.

On July 10, 20 Rays employees volunteered at Camp Rotary in Brandon as part of Camp Care-A-Lot, a camp offered to Shriners Hospital patients at no-charge. The camp hosts special needs children between the ages of 8–10 by providing a safe, secure opportunity for the kids to build self-confidence, trust and a realization that they are capable of managing themselves. Throughout the day Rays volunteers assisted the kids in water activities, arts and crafts, played games and helped serve lunch and dinner. Rays mascot Raymond also visited the camp interacting with the kids.

On August 30, more than 25 Rays employees volunteered at the Southeastern Guide Dogs campus located in Palmetto. The day started with a tour of the campus showing employees the facilities used to teach their students and train dogs. Employees played with the animals helping to teach them to socialize as well as listen to basic commands. The group then split into three clusters responsible for landscaping the grounds, dog walking and washing the animals. Dogs at Southeastern Guide Dogs represent mobility, independence, and freedom for their companions. Each dog will learn over 40 commands before they leave the campus.

As part of a commitment to community improvement, over 30 members of ECOT participated in a Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful pre-Hillsborough River and Coastal Cleanup effort at Courtney Campbell Causeway on September 14. Volunteers removed over 1,000 pounds of debris from the banks of Tampa Bay. Not only did the team remove unsightly trash, they counted each piece of litter collected to assist Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful with their participation in the International Coastal Cleanup. This information is used to determine future needs and projects in the area and creates an awareness of the need within the community. Data is shared with the International Coastal Cleanup, Keep America Beautiful, as well as local officials to help provide a local and global perspective.

On October 11, approximately 30 Rays employees volunteered at Camp Brorein located in Odessa. The team completed three projects including knocking down an old shed on the property, constructing a playground and clearing campsites. The projects will ensure the longevity of the camp as a resource for Boys and Girls Scout Troops in the area for years to come. The event was in partnership with the United Way’s Day of Caring which adopted 167 projects and mobilized approximately 3700 volunteers.

On November 12, more than 20 Rays employees assisted in the setup of the UPARC Foundation Festival of Trees fundraiser held in Clearwater. The UPARC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is recognized internationally for its innovative and rehabilitative programs for the developmentally disabled.

The Rays Baseball Foundation proudly supports teams in Hillsborough with the support of the Common Ground Christian Church RBI affiliate.

On Saturday, December 1, 35 members of the Rays Front Office and Raymond volunteered at the Give Kids The World Village in Orlando. Give Kids the World Village is a 70-acre, nonprofit “storybook” resort, located near Central Florida’s most beloved attractions, where children with life-threatening illnesses and their families are treated to weeklong, cost-free fantasy vacations. Rays volunteers enjoyed working such activities as pony rides, the 24 hour ice cream parlor, serving breakfast to the families and spending time at the Castle of Miracles.

Vincent DePaul in collecting new toys for the needed children of our area. St Vincent de Paul is one of the oldest and most respected charitable organizations in the area. They’ve been helping needy people in the area since 1932 regardless of race, color or religious affiliation. Some of the direct beneficiaries of this year’s toy drive included:

• Society of St. Vincent DePaul
• Santa Maria Mission
• Hillsborough County Pregnancy Center
• Hillsborough County Children Services
• Metropolitan Ministries
• St. Rita’s Mission
• Individual families who are in need of and request the assistance from St. Vincent DePaul
• Individual families who are referred to St. Vincent DePaul by County Agencies, Metropolitan Ministries and/or Salvation Army

On Saturday, January 19, 2013, 13 members of the Rays ECOT team along with Rays pitchers Brandon Gomes and Alex Cobb worked with the Edible Peace Patch Project to create a garden at Campbell Park Elementary. The Edible Peace Patch Project works with local volunteers to build sustainable gardens at low income public schools in order to address the impacts of poverty in St. Petersburg and teach kids about science and nutrition. Rays employees spent the day digging and filling the holes with a mixture of organic materials including logs, mulch and other compost, then topped it off with top soil. Once completed, the students at Campbell Park were able to take an active role in planting the garden and will continue to care for it and watch it grow.