News Releases

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Brandon Moore
bmoore@tampabaywater.org
727-791-2304 | 727-470-0702

CLEARWATER, Fla. (December 15, 2015) – Tampa Bay Water announced Monday that it awarded grants to The Glazer Children’s Museum, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful and Keep Pinellas Beautiful for their efforts to protect the sources of the region’s drinking water. The grants were presented by Tampa Bay Water’s board of directors at its regular board meeting.

“This program is an important component of Tampa Bay Water’s outreach and education efforts because a major line of defense in protecting our drinking water sources is public awareness and support,” said Michelle Stom, chief communications officer for Tampa Bay Water.

Since 2008, Tampa Bay Water has awarded more than $150,000 in grants to fund projects and events sponsored by local community groups, non-profit groups, schools and universities that help promote protection of the region’s drinking water sources. This year’s grant recipients included:

• Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful - $10,000 -  for an Environmental Education Program to support education initiatives and presentations to school groups and community groups. This includes field trips and hands-on lessons at the Florida Learning Gardens which contains an Enviroscape Watershed Model to provide an interactive experience for understanding how different environmental conditions can affect a watershed.
• Girl Scouts of West Central Florida - $8,000 -  for the “What’s In My Bottle Matters” program to teach girls age 5-17 the importance of clean drinking water and what they can do to ensure our local water sources are protected for years to come. Grant funds will be used to help install new water fountain/filling stations and signage at Girl Scout camp properties to give scouts access to clean, safe drinking water and teach them from the ground up how water gets into their bottles.
• Keep Pinellas Beautiful - $5,300 - to support an education and outreach program and provide community based, age-appropriate, source water protection presentations to students and adults throughout Pinellas County. The program will give 36 educational presentations and attend 12 community events to promote local source water protection.
• The Glazer Children’s Museum - $4,000 - to support a water conservation education program throughout April 2016. Through the Museum’s permanent water exhibits and public education programs, guests will be able to engage and explore a variety of influences and impacts of water to the Tampa Bay region.

In attendance to accept the grants were Jennifer Stancil, president and CEO of the Glazer Children’s Museum; Debra Evenson, executive director of Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful; Elizabeth Kauffman, development manager for Girl Scouts of West Central Florida; and Patricia DePlasco, executive director at Keep Pinellas Beautiful.

To qualify for a grant, applicants provided a plan for a project or event related to source water protection in the Tampa Bay Water service area. The program grants funds from $2,000 to $10,000 for community-based activities including but not limited to: river clean-ups, storm water nature walks and educational field trips.

All grant applications received were reviewed and screened against the program’s selection criteria. Funds will be granted in 2016.

About Tampa Bay Water

Tampa Bay Water is the largest wholesale water supplier in Florida, providing high-quality drinking water to its members, who in turn, supply water to more than 2.4 million residents of the Tampa Bay area. Tampa Bay Water member governments include the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg and Tampa, and the counties of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas. Tampabaywater.org

About Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, Inc. (KTBB), a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide environmental education and volunteer opportunities that develop individual responsibility and environmental stewardship. Since 1989, KTBB has formed partnerships with local governments, corporations, schools, and neighborhood organizations to engage individuals and provide opportunities to enhance the community through volunteer participation. To get involved with KTBB, call (813) 221-8733 or visit KeepTampaBayBeautiful.org.

About the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida

The Girl Scouts have more than 1.9 million girls and 800,000 adult volunteers who believe girls can change the world. For more than 100 years ago, the Girl Scouts program has centered on the Girl Scout Leadership Experience—a collection of activities and experiences to earn badges, sell cookies, go on exciting trips, explore the outdoors, do Take-Action projects that make a difference, and more. They've made their vision a reality – helping girls discover their strengths, passions, and talents. For more about the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, please visit gswcf.org.

About Keep Pinellas Beautiful

Keep Pinellas Beautiful, the local Keep America Beautiful Affiliate is a 501(c)(3) – a nonprofit organization. Through partnerships and strategic alliances with citizens, businesses and government, our affiliate motivates thousands of volunteers annually to clean up, beautify and improve their neighborhoods, thereby creating healthier, safer and more livable community environments. To get involved with Keep Pinellas Beautiful, please visit mykpb.com.

About The Glazer Children’s Museum

The Children’s Museum of Tampa was founded in 1986 in response to the need for an informal, cultural learning environment dedicated to the needs of young children. The mission of the Glazer Children’s Museum is to create learning environments where children play, discover, and connect to the world around them to develop as lifelong learners and leaders. Along with 170 interactive exhibits within 17 themed areas, the Glazer Children’s Museum reinforces learning with Daily Programming and events. The Glazer Children’s Museum helps connect children to the world around them. To learn more about the Glazer Children’s Museum, please visit glazermuseum.org.