One Tampa Plan Unveiled, Will Assist Those Hurt By COVID-19

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor announces the One Tampa plan, which will help with rent, mortgage and utilities payments for City of Tampa residents.

Center ice at Amalie Arena is usually the backdrop for thousands of cheering fans and thunderous ovations, but on Tuesday, it was empty.

That didnā€™t stop Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, however, from standing on the same spot usually reserved for the heroics of the Tampa Bay Lightning and doing something that is likely to earn her cheers from thousands as well.

As hurting Tampa residents await aid from the federal government, Castor unveiled details of the City of Tampaā€™s new ā€œOne Tampa: Relief Now, Rise Togetherā€ fund, a partnership with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce that will provide significant relief for many in the community.

The fund will cover up to $1,000 for rent or mortgage paid directly to the landlord or mortgagor, and up to $250 for essential utilities (water, gas and electric).

Small businesses that meet the criteria will have up to $4,000 for rent or mortgage covered, and up to $1,000 for utilities. 

ā€œAs a lifelong Tampanian, I know one thing to be true: Tampa has grit,ā€ Castor said. ā€œWhen faced with challenges, our community always comes together to help our neighbors in need. One Tampa will provide critical financial support to those hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis.”

While the plan will effect the majority of those living in New Tampa, those who reside in the unincorporated sections ā€” Cross Creek, Pebble Creek and Live Oak, primarily ā€” are not eligible fro this funding.

Applicants will be able to apply online at OneTampa.org, by phone, or by mail by filling out an online qualifying questionnaire, which will be available Friday, April 17 at noon for individuals and families, and on Tuesday, April 21 for small businesses.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, Buccaneers, Rays and Rowdies have already donated $100,000 each to the One Tampa fund.Ā 

Anyone can be a part of the One Tampa project. If youā€™d like to make a tax-deductible donation, you can do so at the website.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay will be responsible for ensuring the aid is reaching those who need it most, while the Tampa Bay Chamber will assist small businesses that qualify for these grants.

For more information and details about qualifying criteria, visit OneTampa.org. Residents also can call the Crisis Center hotline at 2-1-1 and dial 7 for more information or assistance with the application process.

New Tampa Teen Wins Community Hero Award From The Lightning!

Harsh Bagdy (right) with 9-year-old Sabian, who was the first to receive a donation from Harshā€™s 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Charity Health Resources.

When New Tampa resident Harsh Bagdy was in the fifth grade at Montessori Preparatory School, the place he loved the most was the soccer field ā€” and it was in bad shape. More rocks and dirt than grass, it was too dangerous to play on.

So Harsh, whose father Ash had instilled in him a passion for giving back, decided to do something about it. Together, they rallied people in the community to raise $40,000 for a brand new field.

That was only the beginning. In seventh grade, Harsh secured enough money to build a new computer lab at Terrace Community Middle School. By his sophomore year at King High, he had founded his own nonprofit, Charity Health Resources, a 501(c)(3) that raises money to purchase quality wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs and other devices for people without adequate health insurance.

ā€œI see mobility as something we all take for granted,ā€ said Harsh, whose mother Kavita Jain works as a physical therapist. He said she often tells him about the great need for mobility equipment she sees. 

ā€œItā€™s impossible to go out, have a job or do really anything if you arenā€™t mobile, and if youā€™re worried about paying for food or housing, you canā€™t do anything about it,ā€ he said.

Harsh, 17, a first-generation American whose parents moved to Tampa from India 25 years ago and now a junior in high school, was honored by the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 19 as this seasonā€™s 25th Lightning Community Hero.

He received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program. Half of the money will go towards his own education. He gave the other half to Metropolitan Ministries, an organization heā€™s been volunteering with since the sixth grade, and the one he turned to when establishing Charity Health Resources. 

ā€œI instantly connected with Metroā€™s outreach team, because we had something they couldnā€™t easily provide and they could find people who needed it,ā€ said Harsh. 

Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Alex Killorn (left) and CEO Steve Griggs present Harsh Bagdy, the 25th Lightning Community Hero this season, with a check for $50,000.

A new partnership between Metropolitan Ministries and Charity Health Resources, made possible by Harshā€™s winnings, will put more members of the outreach team further into the community, allowing them to find mobility-challenged clients who are unable to travel to the main outreach center in Tampa Heights. 

ā€œBecause of Harsh, when our team meets someone in the community with a handicap or mobility challenge, we can just call him up and heā€™ll fulfill the need,ā€ said Metropolitan Ministriesā€™ president and CEO Tim Marks. ā€œThatā€™s something we never could have done without him.ā€

Charity Health Resources, said Harsh, has made between 15-20 donations in its first year. Their first donation was a new wheelchair for a 9-year-old boy named Sabian with spina bifida. He was growing too big for his chair and too heavy for his mother and grandfather to carry around, but his insurance wouldnā€™t pay for another wheelchair for two more years. 

The chair that Charity Health Resources donated to him enabled him to return to riding around in his grandfatherā€™s car, spending time with his cousins and other family.

ā€œI really enjoy hockey,ā€ said Harsh, who attended the January 19 Lightning game against the San Jose Sharks as the teamā€™s guest of honor. ā€œI see it as a faster-paced soccer game.ā€

When Harsh ā€” who is enrolled in demanding International Baccalaureate (IB) classes at King and travels multiple weekends a month for debate competitions, and also is a Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) member ā€” isnā€™t at school or doing charity work, he still loves playing soccer and occasionally goes out for movies or dinner with his friends.

He’s hoping for admission into a prestigious business school to pursue his interests in business.

ā€œBeing chosen for this award felt amazing, both for me and for the work Iā€™m doing,ā€ Harsh said. ā€œI may get the recognition for it, but the best part is that it allows me to spread my branches further and help people in areas I couldnā€™t reach before.ā€

For more information about Charity Health Resources, visit charityhealthresources.org. For additional information  about the Lightning Community Hero award, visit NHL.com/lightning/community/community-heroes.