The Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce came together at The Regent on August 6 to host the annual Business and Education Event, a community-driven celebration honoring first-year teachers from over 50 public and private schools across the Riverview, Brandon and Seffner communities.
The event’s mission is simple yet impactful: to support new teachers as they begin their careers by providing essential classroom supplies, generously donated by local business members. Over 35 businesses participated, setting up tables filled with resources and materials. Teachers were provided with bags and walked from table to table collecting much-needed supplies to set them up for a successful school year.
The presenting sponsor, AdventHealth Riverview, led a strong group of community supporters, including cafeteria sponsors — The Mosaic Company and Christopher Ligori & Associates — and the coffee bar sponsor, Rasmussen University. Valedictorian sponsors included MyEyeDr., iCodeSchool, The Regent, Hillsborough Community College, Suncoast Credit Union, Herzing University and HCA Brandon Hospital. Principal’s list sponsors included Ellie Mental Health, Livingstone Academies, Sylvan Learning, Fairfield Inn & Suites Riverview, The Learning Experience – Rivercrest, TECO, Melissa Snively State Farm, Impact Taekwondo, LMCU of Sun City Center and ABC Events.
In addition to gathering supplies, teachers enjoyed a warm breakfast, coffee and juice while networking with local business leaders and receiving encouragement from school administrators. The chamber presidents, Jeff Campbell with the Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce and Amber Aaron with the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the educators and business partners and thanked the participating business sponsors and vendors. The representative board chairs of each chamber, Annette Bilyeu with Spectrum Reach (CHCC Board chair) and Steve Manning with Master Garage Door Co. (GBCC Board chair), also offered words of gratitude and encouragement.
Hillsborough County School Board member Lynn Gray addressed the crowd, offering words of inspiration and wishing the new educators a successful school year. Additional speakers included AnnMarie Courtney, director of partnership engagement, philanthropy and outreach with Hillsborough County Public Schools, and Owen Young, chief of student, family, and community engagement with Hillsborough County Public Schools.
As a final send-off, each teacher received a ream of copy paper and a special gift bag from the Riverview Woman’s Club, ensuring they left with both the tools and the encouragement to make a difference in their classrooms.
For more information about the Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce or the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, please visit their websites at www.centralhillsboroughchamber.com and www.brandonchamber.com.
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