Elevate Tampa Bay is aiming to raise $250,000 at its 4th Annual Vision Breakfast on October 8, with organizers saying the money will fund full-time teacher-mentors for nearly 500 students across the district's Title I schools. The breakfast, themed “Our Story. Our Impact.,” will draw roughly 350 business, philanthropic, civic and education leaders to Armature Works in Tampa, with doors opening at 7:30 a.m. and the program beginning at 8 a.m.
According to The Business Journals, the event is presented by Skyway Capital Partners and will be held at 1910 N. Ola Avenue, the address of the historic Armature Works building. That structure was built in 1910 as the Tampa Electric Company's streetcar storage and maintenance facility, with streetcars running out of it until 1946 before it later became industrial space and eventually underwent a $20 million adaptive reuse project into the mixed-use event venue it is today, according to The Jaxson.
Elevate Tampa Bay says its model relies on full-time, salaried teacher-mentors who build long-term relationships with students both inside and outside the classroom. The nonprofit reports that 96% of its students graduate on time, and it serves students at Hillsborough High School, Middleton High School, Sligh Middle School, Memorial Middle School, and Lomax Elementary School. The organization provides what it describes as transformational leadership and mentorship through programs covering leadership and character education, mentoring, outdoor adventures, and college and career preparation.
A National Model Rooted in East Tampa
Elevate Tampa Bay was incorporated in Florida in August 2022 as an independent 501(c)(3) affiliate of the national organization Elevate USA, launching its local Tampa operations in 2023, per the entity's Florida Division of Corporations filing. Elevate USA itself traces back to 1982, when its founding affiliate, Colorado Uplift, launched in Denver; the network now spans more than 20 independent city affiliates that rely on full-time, salaried teacher-mentors available around the clock, according to Elevate USA.
The local chapter is led by Executive Director Dr. Jaraux Washington, an educator with nearly two decades of experience who previously managed projects with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and National Geographic, according to the organization's own biography. One of the schools in Elevate Tampa Bay's network, Sligh Middle Magnet School, sits in a Tampa zip code where 44% of children live in poverty — the sixth-highest child poverty rate in Florida, according to the Bullard Family Foundation. That same school was renamed the Thaddeus M. Bullard Academy at Sligh Middle Magnet School by the Hillsborough County School Board in July 2021, honoring WWE ambassador and philanthropist Thaddeus Bullard, known as Titus O'Neil, for years of community work there that began in 2016.
Graduation Gains Set the Backdrop
Elevate Tampa Bay's reported 96% graduation rate among its students stands out against a broader district backdrop that has itself been improving. Hillsborough County Public Schools reported a record graduation rate of 90.9% for the 2024–2025 school year, a 2.9 percentage point increase over the prior year, the district announced in January. This summer brought further gains: in July, the district earned an overall “A” grade from the Florida Department of Education for the first time in more than a decade, while Sligh Middle Magnet School posted a “B” grade for the first time in 25 years, per Hillsborough County Public Schools.
Bullard, who is also founder and CEO of the Bullard Family Foundation, will serve as keynote speaker at the Vision Breakfast. His foundation's back-to-school work at Sligh was covered by Hoodline in July, when volunteers assembled 30,000 backpacks for students there. Past Vision Breakfasts have featured Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks and Super Bowl champion coach Tony Dungy, who appeared as a special guest and keynote speaker in 2025.
Awards and a Familiar Face at the Podium
This year's event will present a Thriving Contributor Award to Elizabeth Fowler, who has served as Director of the Triad Foundation since 1995 and founded Frameworks of Tampa Bay, a local nonprofit focused on social-emotional learning. According to The Policy Circle, the Triad Foundation funds more than 35 Tampa Bay area nonprofits centered on youth mentoring, education and human services. Aetna/CVS Health will receive the Community Partner Award at the same event.
Frank Wiley, a news anchor and reporter for 10 Tampa Bay News, will serve as master of ceremonies. Tickets, donations and sponsorship opportunities remain available ahead of the October 8 event, with organizers framing the $250,000 goal as funding to sustain and expand the mentorship pipeline reaching nearly 500 students across the district's Title I middle and high schools.
