Partnership with HOPSports off to an energizing start
Tampa, FL- October 7, 2008

The huge smiles and excited screams from the children was one clue. Add in five Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two cheerleaders and the fabled mascot, Captain Fear and you had a special, fun event where the children at the Interbay Boys and Girls Club and the Boys and Girls Club of Suncoast learned how to LIVE UNITED through the United Way-NFL annual partnership, Hometown Huddle.

Thanks to United Way of Tampa Bay, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and HOPSports Training Systems, Hometown Huddle brought the children of the Boys and Girls Clubs an interactive fitness experience while giving them the opportunity to meet Bucs players and take home valuable memories and a Bucs autograph. Hometown Huddle is a collection of NFL volunteer projects conducted simultaneously in NFL cities across the country. The teams and their families participate in a variety of activities, including youth fitness.

The Buccaneers players who represented this year’s Hometown Huddle were: Andrew Economos, Philip Buchanon, John Gilmore, Elbert Mack, and Adam Hayward. Following comments by United Way President and CEO Diana Baker, and Boys and Girls Clubs executives Brad Baumgardner and Carl Lavender, JR., Gilmore and Hayward spoke to their own youth fitness experiences, and the importance of exercise as a youth. Children listened intently as the pair described what it takes to become a professional athlete.

After the motivational talk came the exercise fireworks. HOPSports vice president Shelli Pfohl and University of South Florida’s Lisa Hansen led the kids in a variety of training exercises. And the Bucs joined right in, jumping and running and stretching along with the kids.

The HOPSports Training System uses a media center and related sports equipment to offer a wide variety of fitness programming ranging from cardio to sports skills to dance. Customized LIVE UNITED messaging, United Way’s new theme, promoted the importance of civic engagement on the system, while the programs themselves trained and educated the youth. The HOPSports unit will be used throughout the school year in both the Tampa Bay and Suncoast (Pinellas) Boys and Girls Clubs as part of the HOPSports and United Way partnership. Students from the USF Physical Education Teacher Preparation Program will work directly with select clubs to manage the ongoing programs.

"United Way’s partnership with the Bucs and HOPSports is a tremendous asset in our efforts to help individuals and families improve youth fitness in the Bay area," said Baker. "The Hometown Huddle is the beginning of a wonderful relationship between United Way and HOPSports through the valued support of the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers."

The event finished off in style as the players and cheerleaders stayed to sign Bucs posters and cards provided by the team. As they were signing, beyond the autograph table stood a Live United banner, reminding us all that ‘when we reach out a hand to one we affect the condition of all.’ The children left with smiles on their faces, autographs in their hand, and the message of Living United in their hearts.