Team Fundraising Page of Robert and Tom's Team

Robert and I have been supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl-for-Kids Sake since 2016 and we are asking for your donation to make this our best year yet! Please support our team or join our team and bowl with us to help reach our goal! Robert was nine years old and waited over the summer to meet his Big Brother from Big Brothers Big Sisters. He was starting fourth grade at his new school, Campbell Park Elementary in St. Petersburg. I had recently completed my volunteer enrollment with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and we met on September 14, 2016. We had lunch at his school weekly during each school year as part of our site-based school mentorship program. Attendance, grades and behavior were very challenging for young Robert. We had many discussions about his future and how important it is to stay in school. Grades and behavior improved as Robert matured, and we developed a solid relationship just spending time together. We did everything from having simple conversations to shooting hoops or playing catch and throwing frisbees. We changed schools several times and stayed together to attend Rawlings Elementary and Pinellas Park Middle School. We wanted to see more of each other and get together outside of school, so we agreed to enroll in the community-based mentorship program. Robert has always loved bowling and has been participating in the Bowl-for-Kids-Sake fundraiser each year. (He was even given his own bowling ball by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and Pin Chasers!) We now were able to see each other on nights and weekends for not only bowling, also Rays games, Buccaneers games, as well as go to the speedway and other events around Tampa Bay! A large part of our time was always spent sharing a meal, and we soon learned of Robert’s fondness for Cajun food. He was able to try crawfish for the first time (and he loves it!) Robert attended Gibbs high school before being accepted to Sailfuture Academy, a school that serves Florida’s highest-risk teens based in St Petersburg. Each student completes a sailing expedition prior to graduation and Robert spent seven weeks with fifteen other boys working on a sailboat in the Caribbean Sea in September and October 2024. Robert is now 19 years old and attending St. Petersburg College to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. We've grown an enduring bond based on trust and authenticity, as well as a friendship that will last our lifetimes.