The Adams and Reese St. Petersburg and Tampa offices, through a firm-wide “Back to School HUGS Initiative,” collected donations to purchase school supplies, socks, undergarments and clothes for children through The Salvation Army Children’s Services Sallie House program and The Florida Guardian ad Litem Program. In total, the two offices raised approximately $850 in monetary and product donations.
In St. Petersburg, The Salvation Army Children’s Services Sallie House program is an emergency shelter/group home for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. The organization also runs a Children’s Village, a neighborhood of four homes with house parents for children in the foster care system and each home has a house parent who can care for up to 6 children for a total of 24 children birth to 17 years old at any one time. The homeless family shelter can be home for up to 10 children staying with their moms who work with case managers to find permanent housing solutions (birth to 12 years old); and social services and character building programs work with families and children in the community for various situations including offering weekly character building courses for children.
In Tampa, The Florida Guardian ad Litem Program is a volunteer program advocating for the best interests of Florida’s abused, abandoned and neglected children. Guardians ad Litem (GALs) are volunteers, who are appointed by the Court to advocate – speak up – for the best interest of a child who has been abused, neglected, or abandoned. The majority of these children have been removed from their homes and placed with relatives or foster parents. In Hillsborough County alone, there are more than 2,700 children in the dependency court system.
The Adams and Reese employee volunteer program, also known as HUGS (Hope, Understanding, Giving and Support), helps more than 200 organizations firm-wide and donates thousands of hours and untold dollars to offer communities “hands on” activities and assistance to those less fortunate. Whether in the form of special events or participation in agency-sponsored fundraisers, Adams and Reese employees and attorneys are known throughout the region and the nation for their community action.