BACK THE LINE GOLF TOURNAMENT SUPPORTS LOCAL FIRST RESPONDER FAMILIES

By Makenzie Atkins

the band was well-received by the people of London,” said Sever.

“They were able to experience the history and culture for a week that offered a lifetime of memories.”

During the weeklong trip, students, staf and chaperones were able to spend time learning about the culture and history of London.

“My favorite part of the trip was getting to experience the culture of London with my friends,” said Elsie Owen, a freshman band student at Bloomingdale High School.

London’s New Year’s Parade has taken place every year since the late 1980s with over 10,000 people contributing to make it a success.

Each year, the London New Year’s Parade invites bands and cheerleaders from all over the world to take part in wishing the world a happy new year. As part of the weeklong trip, London invites groups from the USA to perform concerts all week at some of the most iconic venues. For additional information, please contact Susan Maley at 813-508-0248.

In what has become a yearly event, the Back the Line Charity Golf Tournament will once again provide a way for the local community to support a first-responder family in a time of need.

The third annual Back the Line Charity Golf Tournament is going to take place at Summerfield Crossings Golf Course in Riverview on Saturday, April 22 and begins with a 1 p.m. shotgun start.

Tis year’s event is to support the Guggino family of frst responders with funding to pay for medical expenses for their 6-yearold son, Luca Guggino.

According to tournament organizer Heather Cropper, all funds generated by this year’s event will help pay for medical expenses for 6-year-old Luca Guggino, the son of Tampa Fire Rescue first responders Laura and Andrew Guggino. Laura is a firefighter and Andrew is a driver engineer.

Cropper shared a comment from the Guggino family about the positive response from the local community: “We just want to say how grateful we are as a family for the love and support we’ve received. It has touched our hearts more than you all can know.”

The Back the Line organization has connections to the first-responder community and organizers say demonstrating support for those who serve and protect is important.

“It’s time for our community to come together and thank them for what they do

By Brad Stager

and give back when it’s needed most,” said Cropper, whose father is a retired firefighter/ driver engineer and husband is an active firefighter.

Besides the golf tournament, there will be other opportunities to support the cause.

“We will have a lot of awesome rafe items and silent-auction items,” said Cropper. She added that rafe and silent-auction donation opportunities are still available, with Saturday, April 1 as the registration deadline for golfers and sponsors.

According to the event flyer, four-player teams can register for $500 with the tournament dinner included in the cost. Sponsorships range from $150$2,000.

Donations of auction and rafe items marked “Attention: Back the Line Charity Events” can be delivered to the Tampa Fire Museum, 720 E. Zack St., Tampa, FL 33602, between 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Summerfield Crossings Golf Course is located at 13050 Summerfield Blvd. According to the tournament’s Event Caddy page, golfers can check in at 11:30 a.m. on April 22, with a shotgun start of 1 p.m. More information can be found at the Back the Line Charity Events Facebook page or by contacting backthelinecharity@gmail. com.