The St. Petersburg City Council approved allocating $1 million to establish the Opioid Support Grants Program. Nonprofits that provide treatment and recovery, overdose prevention and harm reduction, and substance use prevention and education services can apply for grants until Oct. 20. The tiered program will provide up to $25,000 or up to $100,000 in funding. For more information, visit the website here.
The Pinellas County Education Foundation celebrated three local leaders Friday for their local academic achievement support at its annual ChangeMakers Breakfast. The honorees included: Beth Rawlins, the 2024 Champion of Education for her Pinellas County Schools (PCS) referendum tax advocacy; Michael Feeney, executive director of elementary education at PCS, who received the Impact and Innovation Award for his work in early literacy; and Shy’Yonna P., a 2024 graduate and Take Stock in Children alumna, received the ChangeMaker Award for her accomplishments as a student leader.
SPCA Tampa Bay is waiving fees for all pet adoptions Saturday, September 7. All species are included in the fee-waived adoption event. For more information on SPCA Tampa Bay's Clear The Shelters event and to view adoptable pets, visit spcatampabay.org/clear-the-she
The Tampa Bay Rowdies will host their fourth annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Al Lang Stadium. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, followed by an opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Registration is free and open until Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. For more information, visit the website here.
Renowned zoologist and chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall is coming to St Petersburg. Tropicana Field will host “An Evening with Dr. Jane Goodall” Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. That will follow a Youth Environment Summit earlier in the day. Goodall’s Roots & Shoots organization will partner with local environmental groups to clean up beaches and parks and host workshops Sunday, Sept. 15.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast have received a $60,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation in support of bridging the digital divide and enhancing technological access for the thousands of kids and teens served by the two nonprofit organizations.
Funding will allow four Boys & Girls Clubs in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties to be equipped with learning spaces to facilitate skill development and creativity. These AT&T Digital Learning Corners will feature modern devices and tools, internet access and a curriculum that emphasizes digital literacy and multimedia projects.
St. Petersburg College is continuing its Mental Health First Aid Training program in response to the nation’s mental health crisis. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Community Foundation Tampa Bay’s support ensures public service professionals throughout Tampa Bay receive the training for free. For more information, visit the website here.
City, Pinellas County and Boley Centers officials celebrated the Whispering Pines Apartments opening Friday morning at 2655 54th Ave. S. in St. Peterburg. The 20-unit development will provide supportive housing for families earning less than 60% of the area median income and formerly homeless residents. The city contributed $910,000 to the project, and the county acquired the land to ensure a 99-year affordability period. Mayor Ken Welch called Whispering Pines another “great example of public-private collaboration.”
The Saturday Shoppes will host its Bounce Back to School Backpack Giveaway and First Florida Fruit Festival event from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. Saturday at Tropicana Field’s Lot 1. Live Love St. Pete and the St. Pete Rotary helped acquire 2,500 stocked backpacks and 1,000 school uniform shirts to distribute to local youth and families. The Fruit Festival will feature live music, unique vendors, award-winning chefs, bounce houses, face painting and food trucks.
Dr. Karalynne Brubaker, founder of Positive Impact Ministries, a St. Petersburg-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that addresses food insecurity, inequality and the root causes of hunger, was presented Saturday with a Global Humanities Award from The Sravasti Foundation. The San Francisco-based foundation recognizes and honors those who care about the fate of humanity and the dignity of life by making meaningful contributions.
Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay (RTTB) will distribute free hurricane relief kits at the St. Petersburg office it shares with Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties. The giveaway is Thursday at 1350 22nd St. S. from 3 p.m. through 5 p.m. or while supplies last. RTTB provides home repairs, housing, education and other assistance at no cost.
Low-income seniors can now apply to the My Safe Florida Home program, which provides up to $10,000 for storm-hardening upgrades and could lower insurance costs. The deadline for those aged 60 and older is July 15, and other low-income homeowners can apply from July 16 through July 30. Moderate-income households can participate from July 31 through Aug. 15. For more information, visit the website here.
