The Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce and its member businesses have always been strong s

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Overview
The Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce
and its member businesses have always been strong
supporters of our local schools, participating in
scores of school programs, projects and
fundraisers through the years. In the summer
of 2005, after nearly a year of discussion and
consideration, the Board of Directors of the UTB
Chamber voted unanimously to pursue the formation
of a 501(c)(3)Foundation. Why did we do this?
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Programs and Projects
Student of the Month Awards - This program has
been in existence since the early 1980s, honoring
outstanding elementary, middle and high school
students at the Chambers monthly luncheons, in
recognition of their excellence and leadership
both in and out of the classroom. Teacher
Appreciation Breakfast - This program brings the
faculty and staff of Oldsmars two elementary
schools together for a late-summer breakfast
designed to say Thank You in advance to the
people we entrust our children to each day.
Thousands of dollars in door prizes are raffled
off, Teacher of the Year awards for each school
are presented. and business/education
partnerships are formed.

Plans are in the works to extend this program to
the Chambers
Hillsborough
County service area.
to honor and say thanks
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Senior Leadership Scholarships
College Scholarship Program - Launched in the
early 1990s, the Chamber initially awarded a
single 1,000 scholarship to an East Lake High
School senior who excelled in creative writing.
In 2005, the Chamber presented four 1,000
scholarships one each to a college-bound senior
from East Lake, Alonso, Sickles and Leto high
schools. College Scholarship Endowment -
Spurred by a 125,000 seed contribution made by a
local benefactor, the Foundation is currently
working to establish a 250,000 scholarship
endowment, and plans to award up to 20,000 in
scholarships annually to our regions top student
leaders.

• Scholarship Eligibility
• Candidate must be a senior
• Candidate must have an unweighted cumulative GPA
  of 3.0 or higher for his/her high school career
• Candidate must be planning to attend an
  accredited college or university in the fall
  following his/her senior year
• Candidate must be nominated by a high school
  teacher, advisor, coach, counselor or
  administrator

to reward their efforts
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Youth Leadership Scholarships
Youth Leadership Award - In the fall of 2003 the
Chamber announced a new initiative to enhance the
development of leadership skills, civic
responsibility and character in our regions high
school youth, establishing an annual award to
recognize the contributions being made to our
communities by local teens. This years award
along with an additional 1,500 scholarship
stipend was presented to one of our four college
scholarship winners. Youth Leadership Program
- The Foundation is currently working to
implement a program designed to bring high school
leaders with divergent backgrounds together to
learn about their communities, each other and
themselves. Through a year-long series of
retreats and focus days, students will learn
about the current and future needs of our
communities they all have an opportunity to
interact with state and local business and
political leaders they all gain a greater
understanding of educational, cultural and
vocational opportunities available to them and
theyll get actively engaged in charting the
future of our region.
to recognize our youth leaders
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School Programs Extracurricular Activities
School Programs and Extracurricular Activities -
Not all school programs or extracurricular
activities are free of charge. To many students
each year do not participate in these programs
due to their families financial hardship.
Programs like Band, Chorus and Robots require
student fees for funding. Each program is
supported by a booster organization. The
boosters work together with the program director
to raise funds. Programs like Band and Chorus
compete in local, district and national
competitions. In order to be competitive
additional instructional staff is required.
Travel to competitions is costly. Lodging, meals
and transportation are just a few of the expenses
not paid for by our local or state government.
These costs are divided by the number of students
in the program. Students involved in these
programs participate in a number of fundraising

opportunities. Unfortunately there are not enough
of these opportunities to
fund the entire
program.
to alleviate financial hardships
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Expand Our Program to Reach More Students
The UTB Chamber is looking for corporate partners
to that will join in our efforts to expand this
Foundation to include neighboring counties and
schools. With your help we can recognize more
outstanding students and teachers while providing
assistance to more families in financial need.
Expanded Programs to Include
We feel the payoff is worth the investment!
Sponsorship For School Programs/Extracurricular
Activities Funds provided will pay student
member fees to ensure their participation. 4
Year College Scholarship Program The hope is to
provide students with not only a one time
scholarship but 4 times! Funds will be provided
each year as long as the student maintains a 3.0
GPA. Adopt a Student(s) School supply costs
increase each year. This program will provided
students with the necessary school
supplies. Adopt a Classroom Teachers are in
need of supplies as well. All necessary supplies
will be provided to them by the Foundation.
to get students involved