By LOIS KINDLE
For the past three Christmas seasons, Lea Manningham has inspired her Girls of the World Inc. members to embrace the power of giving by making sure at-need children wake up to a Christmas morning filled with joy.
“I was raised in the inner city,” she said, noting her parents were always helping people either through their jobs or volunteer work. “My brother and I were blessed with truly wonderful Christmas mornings, but many of our friends weren’t.
LUZ GAONA PHOTO
Angel Martinez, 6, is over the moon about the new bicycle he received for Christmas from the Girls of the World Inc. Toys for Tots distribution. Inspira Tampa Bay, which serves neurodivergent kids, was able to help the families of more than 160 children during the recent GOTW Holiday Giving Day.
GOTW PHOTO
Hillsborough College work-study student volunteers, Lauria Figueroa, left, and Jani Baker, wrap the toys filling this table at the GOTW office in Apollo Beach for the GOTW Holiday Giving Day.
GOTW PHOTO
Girls of the World Inc. founder and CEO Lea Manningham started GOTW Holiday Giving Day to inspire her organization’s girls and young women to embrace the power of community service by making sure at-need children wake up to a Christmas morning filled with joy.
That left a lasting impression on me.”
Manningham—the founder and CEO of Girls of the World—grew up recognizing the importance of mentoring children, guiding them in life and teaching them the value of serving the community.
“Our Girls of the World Holiday Giving Day is one of the ways we choose to serve others,” she said. “We want to bless kids-in-need by helping make their Christmas mornings magical.”
The effort involves partnering with Doby Elementary School, local families, and the charities Safe Families for Children and Inspira Tampa Bay to identify families needing assistance—and then gathering toy donations from various sources. This year, those sources included the Publix store in Apollo Beach, which set up an in-store customer donation box; Girls of the World end-of-year holiday party; Toys for Tots; and generous individuals within the community.
Families-in-need who registered through Doby Elementary picked up toys for their children at the Girls of the World Inc. office in Apollo Beach last week. All remaining toys and six bicycles went to Inspira and four bicycles to Safe Families, which specifically requested them.
GOTW PHOTO
Talina Jones, a teacher’s aide at Doby Elementary School, stops by the GOTW office in Apollo Beach to pick up for Christmas gifts for students in need.
GOTW PHOTO
The Publix store in Apollo Beach partnered with Girls of the World Inc. to set up an in-store customer donation box for shoppers to fill with donations for GOTW Holiday Giving Day. Other toys came from Toys for Tots, GOTW donors and individuals in the community.
“Inspira Tampa Bay Inc. is deeply grateful to Girls of the World for its continued generosity and partnership,” said founder and CEO Luz Gaona. “Over the weekend, we were able to bring joy to 96 children in Wimauma and 50 to 60 more on Monday. Many of the families shared that this support made Christmas possible during an especially difficult time.
“The kindness of Lea and Girls of the World reflects the true power of community coming together to uplift our most vulnerable children and families.”
That kind of response is at the heart of Holiday Giving Day—not only blessing families in need but shaping the girls themselves.
LUZ GAONA PHOTO
Three-year-old Rebecca Vazquez-Cruz is all smiles about the pink pony she unwrapped early for Christmas on Dec. 20 at Inspira Tampa Bay. The gift was among hundreds that came from the Girls of the World Inc. Toys for Tots distribution, as a result of this year’s GOTW Holiday Giving Day.
After watching her members sort toys, greet families and witness the joy their efforts evoked, Manningham hopes they carry the experience forward. To her, Holiday Giving Day is more than a seasonal project; it’s a blueprint for raising compassionate, confident community-minded leaders.
A note of thanks
Holiday Giving Day wraps up an entire year of Giving for Girls of the World Inc., and Manningham credits the continued support of the following partnering organizations for making its programs and community projects possible: AdventHealth Hospital-Riverview; Community Foundation Tampa Bay, Mabel & Ellsworth Simmons Charitable Foundation Inc.; Interfaith Social Action Council of Sun City Center; HCA Florida South Shore Hospital; Chick-fil-A; Amazon; St. John the Divine Episcopal Church and Ye Royal Krewe of Charlotte DeBerry. She is also grateful to all of the woman from the community who volunteer their help during different classes and group gatherings.