Glazer Family Foundation Co-President Darcie Glazer Kassewitz joined Mayor Bob Buckhorn and representatives from the Tampa Downtown Partnership to officially open the city's Winter Village on Friday afternoon. The centerpiece of the holiday-themed village is a super-sized Buccaneers Academy shade structure which was donated by the Buccaneers and will be available for use throughout various parts of the year for a variety of community-based events.
As part of the Glazer family's long-standing commitment to education for underserved students, the Buccaneers have worked closely with the Hillsborough County school system to create a comprehensive curriculum-based program that engages students and encourages learning. The program, known as Buccaneers Academy, is composed of 24 schools and serves more than 14,000 students that are located in mostly economically distressed areas of Hillsborough County. Each of the schools in the Buccaneers Academy program has also received a court-sized shade cover that provides a safe environment where students can participate in physical health and wellness activities.
The oversized shade structure which debuted at today's grand opening event is a symbol of the passion the team has for children and education. In addition to its use during the Winter Village, the shade structure - which is as long as the width of a football field (165 feet) and 60 feet wide - will be available for various community-based events as well as Buccaneers Academy programming throughout the year, including the warmest summer months.
This gift is part of the team's "Bucs for a Better Bay" initiative which is a far-reaching commitment to improving Tampa today and for generations to come. With the knowledge that health and wellness play a large role in the development of young minds and bodies, the Bucs were thrilled to join in the celebration of the inaugural event of the iconic shade structure that will serve as a resource for the downtown community for years to come.
The Buccaneers have donated a super-sized shade structure to the Tampa Downtown Partnership that will provide the downtown community with much-needed covered activity space at Curtis Hixon Park throughout the year.
