LB Shelton Quarles joined the long-running Homes for the Holiday effort and helped a single mother get a new home for her family
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continued to stand out as a community-minded organization in 2004, contributing time, effort and funds to numerous programs that made a difference in the lives of Bay area residents.
The Bucs continued their participating in many annual programs in 2004, but the year also brought a series of unique challenges when southern Florida was ravaged by a series of hurricanes in the summer and fall. The Buccaneers quickly sprang into action, collecting monetary donations from fans and getting food to hurricane victims for the holidays. Derrick Brooks was named Neighborhood MVP, an award handed out by the National Football League, for Week Six of the NFL regular season due to his efforts to aid hurricane victims. Through fan donations at the Sept. 19 game against the Seahawks, a Brooks pledge to donate $1,000 for every tackle made during the game and ongoing fan support, Derrick Brooks Charities raised over $45,000 for hurricane victims.
The Buccaneers welcomed several special guests to their facility during the season. Children visited One Buccaneer Place through requests to the Children's Dream Fund and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. As part of their respective wishes, the children received a tour of the facility and met dozens of Buccaneer players and coaches. By the smiles on the children's faces, you could tell their dreams really had come true.
In a show of support for youth football programs, the Buccaneers helped send a Bay area Pop Warner team to the National Championships in Orlando. The East Tampa Bandits Jr. PeeWee football team earned a berth in the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Orlando after taking the Southeast Regional Championship crown. The Bandits needed financial assistance to help with the costs of travel and lodging associated with playing in the national tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando from December 6-11. The Buccaneers donated $4,000 towards the team's costs, and the Bandits received the remaining funds through private donations and fundraisers.
Those are just a few small examples of what the Buccaneers do to support the community. During each month of 2004, members of the Buccaneers organization could be found out in the community doing their part to make Tampa Bay a great place to live.
Click on the links below to see what the Buccaneers were doing that month.
January 2004
