TAMPA, Fla. — Patty O’Leary smiled as she explained her newest milestone. She just surpassed a decade serving as the executive director of the Children’s Cancer Center (CCC) in Tampa.
But, a local business who pledged to donate to her non-profit, which helps over 900 Tampa area kids through the fight with cancer, has given her an even bigger reason to smile this week.
“You can imagine the impact that meets on our families emotionally to know that local businesses are thinking of them at a time like this,” O' Leary said.
Will Crabtree become the sole owner of www.TampaPrinter.com in 2015. The company was formed in 1999 and makes shirts, banners and signs for Tampa Bay.
“Everything but keychains and cups,” Crabtree joked.
His latest project is totally new.
“Somebody said coloring book and then I kind of just ran with it from there,” he said.
His design team started working on a coloring book full of iconic Tampa Bay hotspots. The 48-page book features scenes from Centro Ybor, the Dali Museum, the Florida Aquarium, Tampa Theater, Sunshine Skyway Bridge and many more landmarks.
“The Dali Museum is my favorite. The lines on it are really, really cool,” Crabtree said.
Crabtree sent out 27 pre-order copies on Tuesday and got more orders today after a “big social media push”. Each sale is important because he’s pledged to give 25 percent of gross profits to O’Leary and CCC.
“Although it seems like everything has stopped, their needs have not stopped,” O'Leary said of her kids.
Pediatric cancer research is woefully underfunded. Estimates range from between four and six percent of all dollars given to cancer research end up designated for children. Funding every day items like food and gas for families is CCC's focus. Raising those funds is even harder.
That doesn’t sit well with Crabtree, either.
“It’s always just kind of struck a chord with me what they do and the resources they provide for the family who are going through that difficult time,” Crabtree said.
Crabtree’s wife, Ashley, is a pediatric emergency room nurse in St. Petersburg. His son, Jackson, is autistic and needed surgery to remove a mass on his brain at the age of three. Life experiences have made Crabtree very familiar with the struggles that come with sick kids.
That’s why the coloring book means so much to him.
The first edition is completed and features local artist’s work in addition to the Tampa scenes. Crabtree will continue to accept submissions and add to the book. He received more entries from local artists than expected. Artists are encouraged to submit work to be included in the next addition.
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