Bright House Network's Holloway Cooks for a Cause, HARC Benefits

Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Debby hit Brandon on June 25 but not enough to waylay plans for the third week of "Cooking for a Cause III" at the in Brandon, where Jen Holloway, marketing manager for Bright House Networks, served a tasty dish of tortellii bruschetta for the Hillsborough Achievement and Resource Centers (HARC).

"The weather was today's challenge but we still did a bunch of servings and deliveries," said Darren Dennington, Copper Bell proprietor and president-elect for the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce.

Holloway said she chose HARC to support the group's mission to help adults with disabilities "build everyday lives" and reach their full potential. The group has centers in Tampa and Riverview, she noted.

"It's not a charity that gets a lot of attention," she said. "Years ago they asked me to emcee a fundraiser and over the years I've seen them grow. I see the difference it makes in their clients' lives."

Holloway noted that with today's treatments and medicines, people with disabilities are living longer, and HARC is there to meet that growing need, of elderly people living with disabilities.

"The group was started by two moms with kids with disabilities who needed daycare," Holloway said. "After they grow up, these people need adult daycare and, for many of them, their families are now gone."

Holloway followed Hillsborough County School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia, who cooked for a cause June 18 and raised $1,037 for the Hillsborough Education Foundation, according to Dennington.

State Rep. Burgin cooked for a cause June 11 and raised $1,389.71 for the Brandon Outreach Clinic, he added.

Dennington said of the celebrity chef effort, now in its third year, that he is proud to have donated back to the community some $26,000 as a result of the first two years of Cooking for a Cause. With Burgin's and Elia's effort, that total is now at $28,426.71.

"It's a nice big number and with the next round we should top $30,000," Dennington said.

Next up for is Tammy Bracewell, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce.

Her chosen charity is the YMCA, and to send kids in need to camp for the summer. "The YMCA and the kids, it's a great cause to tie in to the $30,000 mark," Dennington said.

A complementary round of "Cooking for a Cause" will follow at the Copper Bell Cafe in Riverview, with celebrity chef Guy Boucher, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The aim is for each celebrity chef to draw to the Copper Bell Cafe on their designated day a large — and hungry — crowd. The event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also, orders can be phoned in, with free delivery donated by Erik Butler of TakeOutButler.com.

The premise is simple: Dennington invites community local community leaders to serve as celebrity chefs on their designated day for the fundraiser. Dennington and his staff, sometimes with the aid of the celebrity chef, prepare the ingredients for the meals the night before.

All proceeds and gratuities from the day are donated to the charity designated by the celebrity chef.

Jeff King is a senior account manager for Bright House Networks Business Solutions, the group that agreed to sponsor "Cooking for a Cause III." He also is a neighbor of Dennington's, which is how he found about about the celebrity chef fundraiser.

"I've seen it for the past two years, Darren is a customer of ours," King said. "It's a lovely event, the whole concept behind it. We're glad to be a part of it."

That all proceeds and gratuities from a full day of lunch servings is donated is "very rare," King said, "and that's why we wanted to pitch in and help."

Added Holloway: "It shows what true people with true hearts you have in the community." It speaks to the "good person [Dennington] is, giving back to the charities."

"It's so true," she added, "you get what you give."

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The Cooking for a Cause III Lineup For Brandon:

• June 11 — State. Rep. Rachel Burgin. Her chosen charity: Brandon Outreach Clinic.

• June 18 — School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia. Her chosen charity: Hillsborough Education Foundation.

• June 25 — Jen Holloway, marketing manager for Bright House Networks, the sponsor for this year's event. Her chosen charity: HARC, "one of the oldest and most-respected agencies serving people with disabilities in the Tampa Bay region."

• July 9 — Tammy Bracewell, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce. Her chosen charity: YMCA.

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The Cooking for a Cause III Lineup for Riverview:

• August 25 — Guy Boucher, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. His chosen charity: Susan G. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk.

• Additional celebrity chefs for the Riverview location of the Copper Bell Cafe will be named and scheduled for October, Dennington said.
  

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