Executive Vice President Edward Glazer hands out the fall grants to area organizations

On Thursday, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practicing in the background, the Glazer Family Foundation announced the donation of $25,000 to 17 Bay Area organizations for its Fall Grant 2000 Program.

The presentation of checks by team Executive Vice President Edward Glazer was held near the end of the Buccaneers' practice at One Buccaneer Place. Afterward, Head Coach Tony Dungy and several Buccaneer players stopped by to visit with the hundreds of organization representatives on hand.

The Glazer Family, owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, established the grant program in an effort to financially assist local organizations with special needs. The focus of the Grant Program is to support general health, safety, education and recreation for youth and families.

"By making these contributions, we are continuing our efforts to make a difference with the youth of the Tampa Bay area," said Executive Vice President Joel Glazer. "This is a great opportunity to stay involved with charitable causes and we are thrilled to be associated with these fine organizations."

The agencies that received grants in the Foundation's fall cycle included:

· Central Florida Council, BSA - Orange Co. · Community Pride Child Care - Pinellas Co. · Foundation for Dreams, Inc. - Manatee Co. · Foundation Village Neighborhood Family Center, Inc. - Pinellas Co. · Friends of the Library - Hillsborough Co. · Harvest Christian Academy - Hillsborough Co. · Hurricane Island Outward Bound School - West Central Florida

· Mental Health Assoc. of Tampa Bay, Inc. · The Life Center of the Suncoast, Inc. - West Central Florida · Palm River POINT, Inc. - Hillsborough Co. · Plant City Children's Theatre · Project: FOCUS - Hillsborough Co. · Redlands Christian Migrant Association - Hillsborough Co. · Salesian Boys and Girls Club Youth Center - Hillsborough Co. · Southern Scholarship Foundation - Hillsborough Co. · Suncoast Earth Force - Hillsborough/Pinellas Co. · United Methodist Cooperative Ministries - Pinellas Co.

In its second year of existence, the Foundation has donated approximately $1 million in contributions, tickets and special programs. Some of these contributions include hosting a holiday party at Shriners Hospitals for Children, purchasing 1,000 uniforms for the Boy Scouts of America and distributing over 33,000 teddy bears annually to hospitalized youth through the "Cheering You On" program.

The Foundation will begin accepting applications for the Grant 2001 Program beginning May 1 through June 15. For an application and guidelines, please visit our web site.

A detailed list of the grants and their purposes follows:

· Central Florida Council, BSA: $1,000 for uniforms to be given to boys in the Scoutreach Program in Orange County.

· Community Pride Child Care: $1,090 to support a touring interactive theatre that includes performances of "Frosty the Snowman" and will be seen by three and four year olds throughout North Pinellas County.

· Foundation for Dreams, Inc.: $1,000 for the Inclusive Camping Activities Modeling Project (ICAMP) which allows youth to design, develop and implement activities for children with handicaps in Manatee County.

· Foundation Village Neighborhood Family Center, Inc.: $1,000 for the creation of a Girls Club in the South Greenwood Community of Clearwater.

· Friends of the Library: $1,400 for materials for the Storytelling Festival that will allow youth to learn the art of storytelling. The festival will take place in Tampa on Saturday, April 21, 2001.

· Harvest Christian Academy: $1,300 to purchase furniture for the community library/media center for a reading program targeted towards children with low reading abilities in Hillsborough County.

· Hurricane Island Outward Bound School: $1,500 for CPR instruction and First Aid practical experience for students throughout West Central Florida. Youth between the ages of 13-17 will participate.

· Mental Health Association of Tampa Bay, Inc.: $1,025 for the "I'm Thumbody" program that is geared toward preschool and kindergarten children. The program will aid in reducing the incidence of mental illness.

· The Life Center of the Suncoast, Inc.: $1,250 to provide a post-traumatic grief intervention program for children and families after a traumatic incident or loss.

· Palm River POINT, Inc.: $1,500 to purchase chimes, CDs and a CD drive for a music program that will expose at-risk youth in Hillsborough County to a combination of musical an technological enrichment activities.

· Plant City Children's Theatre: $1,000 to purchase scenery and costumes for the Summer Play Project, The Lion King.

· Project: FOCUS: $1,700 to purchase a computer, software, and supplies for the tutoring/life skills program in the Progress Village Community in Hillsborough County.

· Redlands Christian Migrant Association: $1,400 to assist Hispanic juniors and seniors pursuing a higher education in Hillsborough County.

· Salesian Boys and Girls Club Youth Center: $1,130 to purchase read-along books and tapes for "Project Read and Learn". The Center is located in Hillsborough County.

· Southern Scholarship Foundation: $2,800 to provide housing for two Hillsborough Co. students who will be attending one of four Florida institutions - FSU, UF, FAMU, or BCC.

· Suncoast Earth Force: $2,255 to implement learning initiative programs at Dowdell and Meadowlawn Middle Schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. Subject areas will include science, social studies and language arts.

· United Methodist Cooperative Ministries: $2,650 to purchase texts and workbooks for an intensive reading and writing project for the youth that are falling behind academically in Pinellas County.