TRINITY, Fla. — A local law firm is giving away $1,000 each week to a deserving person or cause in the Tampa Bay area.
Stacy Kemp with Kemp Ruge & Green Law Group in Trinity started Kemp’s Causes, where the public nominates and then votes for the winners.
So far, Kemp’s Causes has given away $7,000 to different charities, people and organizations.
Some of the winners so far are Rise Tampa Police K-9 Club, Bishop Larkin Catholic School and Swim for CJ.
Here’s how it works, each Monday Kemp posts a video to their YouTube page and they ask people to comment on the video with their nominations.
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The nomination with the most “likes” with the thumbs up tab wins.
Do you have a local cause you feel passionate about? Tell us about it, and you may just earn $1,000 for the cause you care about. At Kemp, Ruge & Green, we feel strongly about giving back to our community, and we would like your help in deciding where we should donate. Therefore, we have launched a new local campaign: Kemp's Causes, dedicated to improving the lives of the people we serve. If you want to be involved, read below:
1. Each week, we will donate $1,000 to one of Kemp's Causes.
2. Kemp's causes can range from schools, youth sports, dance groups, rotary clubs, or even just an individual or family that needs a helping hand. As long as the cause is local, meaning inside Hernando, Hillsborough, Pinellas, or Pasco county, then they are eligible to enter.
3. Please, no political campaigns.
4. In order to nominate a cause, all you have to do is look at our weekly video on our youtube channel (Kemp's Causes playlist), subscribe to our channel, and leave a comment under the video with the cause you would like to nominate.
5. You can only nominate one cause per week.
6. We will calculate the winner based on the amount of "likes" or "thumbs up" your comment receives.
7. If you do win, you are not eligible to win again for 90 days.
8. Invite your friends, family, really anyone you can to get vote for your cause.
9. The contest will run each week from Monday (not sure what time you want for that) until the immediate Friday at 9 am.
10. We will announce the winners every Friday.
11. We will open nominations again on every Monday.
12. Let us know if you have any questions or need any assistance.
13. Good luck!
You can see here how people are liking their nominations.
The first winner was a local non-profit, Swim for CJ.
Dana Foland is sharing her story of a personal tragedy to hopefully save other families from experiencing her loss.
In January, her 2-year-old son CJ was involved in a fatal drowning at their Hernando County home.
“I went to the bathroom and a few minutes later I found him laying face down in the swimming pool and despite me being a nurse, and knowing CPR, he didn’t make it,” she said.
In the months since, Foland has turned to advocacy.
“It’s a positive way for me to turn my grief into something,” she said.
Foland was the first winner of Kemp’s Causes and is using the money to print swim safety brochures that will be placed around businesses in Hernando County.
Water Safety Brochure by wftsweb on Scribd
Swim for CJ also has a scholarship program that helps pay for swim safety lessons for other children.
The other part of the money the non-profit won will go towards paying for more private lessons.
“It’s a way for me to honor my son, and raise awareness, and hope to God this doesn’t happen to someone else's family,” Foland said.
Kemp said she plans to continue the $1,000 donation each week.
“When you just write a check and put it in the mail, there really is no intimacy with that, you don’t get to know the cause, you don’t get to know the people,” said Kemp.
For more information on the social media giveaway, you can click here.
