This video story was reported and produced by Trevor Wymer.
The Super Bowl has come and gone, but its impact is still reverberating with some Tampa Bay nonprofits that shared in the financial windfall.
Dress for Success, a nonprofit organization with a Tampa Bay affiliate, was one of 28 local organizations helped by Forever 55, an initiative made by the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee to invest in the host community.
Dress for Success’s mission statement is “to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.”
They do so by not only providing women professional attire but also helping with resumé building and supplying items such as deodorant, makeup and even board games.
Katie McGill, executive director of Dress for Success Tampa Bay, was driven by her own experiences to find a way to help and empower other women.
“A lot of people, they say Dress for Success, they think you just give out clothes, but I love to say, we give out hope,” McGill said. “We have unemployed and underemployed women… Not only do we want to get them jobs, but help them keep the jobs.”
Throughout the pandemic, women have been disproportionately affected economically, compared to their male counterparts. More than half a million more women have left the workforce compared to men.
Student walkers helped, as well
Sidewalk Stompers, another nonprofit aided by Forever 55, aims “to improve student health and safety by increasing the number of student pedestrians through school-based incentive programs, community building, and road safety advocacy.”
“We see in our culture growing commitment to a sedentary lifestyle. COVID has certainly exaggerated that for many people,” said Sidewalk Stompers President Emily Hinsdale. “We’re on our phones, we’re in our cars, we’re at our computers, we’re sitting in meetings, and our children’s behavior reflect the same thing.”
Sidewalk Stompers received a $10,000 grant along with all other organizations chosen by Forever 55.
The organization plans to use the grant to expand their program at Broward Elementary School and further incentivize children by providing rewards such as bicycles and scooters.
