Press Releases

CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY FOR LOCAL GRANDPARENTS AND CAREGIVERS THANKS TO DEBARTOLO FAMILY FOUNDATION AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

Tampa , Fla. (December 8, 2006) – The Family Enrichment Center (FEC) recently selected 15 of the agency’s grandparents and relative caregivers to participate in the annual Children’s Christmas Luncheon, sponsored by the DeBartolo Family Foundation and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department.

The luncheon, to be held Saturday, December 16 from noon until 2 p.m. at St. Lawrence Parish’s Higgins Hall in Tampa, marks the sixth consecutive year that the DeBartolo Family Foundation and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department have partnered to support the FEC, a non-profit community based, minority-owned, social service agency that provides child placement services, along with a variety of other family-centered programming.

The families will each be treated to a traditional holiday meal and every child will receive an assortment of gifts from

Santa Claus during the holiday event.

“Because of the generosity shown by the DeBartolo family and the Sheriff’s Department, dinner at the family table takes on a whole new significance for our families during this time of year,” said Olga Stirrup, Executive Director of the Family Enrichment Center. “Their continued willingness to give back to the community is a source of constant encouragement that we’re truly thankful for.”

The luncheon is planned and coordinated annually by Lisa DeBartolo, Nikki DeBartolo Heldfond and two-time Super Bowl champion Freddie Solomon, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, and his wife Dee, who are both active community liaisons with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department.