Recap of the Team Godwin Foundation Back-to-School Bash at Friends of Joshua House
Earlier this month, Team Godwin Foundation transformed the campus of Friends of Joshua House into a full day of joy, generosity, and fresh cuts for the kids who call it home. From sunrise setup to an afternoon bubble dance party, the Back-to-School Bash brought together players, partners, volunteers, and vendors for one shared goal: Making sure every kid felt seen, celebrated, and ready for the new school year.
A Morning of Prep, Powered by Partners
The day began before the sun was fully up. GameTime Events arrived to start building out the carnival and backyard game zones, while the Team Godwin Foundation and Friends of Joshua House teams worked side by side transforming the full campus into a “day to remember.”
Frankie's Italian Deli kicked off a full day of incredible hospitality, dropping off breakfast to every house, with dinner to reheat waiting for the kids at the end of the night. Volunteers began checking in at the admin building, barbers, braiders, and stylists arrived to set up the barbershop, DJ Fresh got the soundtrack going outside, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Street Team and cheerleaders rolled in ready to bring the energy.
At 9:45 AM, everyone gathered for a quick orientation before the doors opened, a reminder of why the day mattered.
"Every kid deserves to walk into the school year feeling confident and celebrated. Today was about making sure these kids know they're seen and they matter." - Mariah and Chris Godwin, Team Godwin Foundation
Wristbands On, Smiles Bigger
At 10:00 AM, everyone fanned out across campus to greet the kids and put color-coded wristbands on so everyone could enjoy the different rotations. It was the moment the whole morning of setup had been building toward: Kids running to their stations, and a campus that had been quiet an hour earlier now buzzing with excitement.
An Afternoon of Rotations, Cuts, and Cannonballs
For the next several hours, kids rotated through five incredible experiences:
Haircuts, Braids and/or Fresh Fades: Professional barbers, hairstylists, and braiders donated their time and talent in the makeshift Barbershop sending kids into the new school year with fresh cuts and full confidence.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Street Team — Brought Bucs spirit, interactive fun, and unforgettable sway all day long.
Backyard Games — Cornhole, Giant Jenga, Giant Connect 4, Bucket Ball, Giant Checkers, and Giant Tetris kept kids moving.
Water Experiences — A water slide and water balloons cooled everyone down and was a big hit, manned by Gavin, a real-life superhero volunteer from BayHope who was soaked with water from 10A to 3P.
Carnival Games — Old-school milk bottle knockdown, ring toss, and more filled five tents' worth of games.
None of it would have been possible without our community of volunteers: BayHope running the carnival games, Ryan Nece Foundation leading bracelet and keychain making inside the barbershop, volunteers from Brick Media Group managing the backyard games, the Buccaneers Street Team bringing the football drills, DJ Fresh spinning tunes, and the hair people who showed up ready to work on their day off.
Lunch, Kona Ice, and Photos with the Players
Midday, the celebration shifted to a picnic style lunch. Kona Ice of Wesley Chapel rolled in to cool everyone down, followed by a picnic spread from Frankie's, which included sandwiches, wraps, meatball sliders, pizza, buffalo chicken empanadas, Italian pasta salad, fresh fruit salad, chips, and dessert. Kids capped off lunch with Polaroid photo ops and mini football autographs alongside the players. Special thanks to Antoine Winfield Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Dean Patterson, and Xavier Johnson for stopping by!
The Grand Finale
As the last rotation wrapped up and the Florida afternoon storms rolled in, the whole campus came together for a giant bubble and dance party. It was a day to remember!
To the entire team at Friends of Joshua House: Thank you for opening your campus and hearts to us.
A Little About Joshua House
Friends of Joshua House is a safe haven for abused, abandoned, and neglected children, offering a therapeutic residential group care program that provides a protected, nurturing, family-like environment for children 6-17. These children have been removed from their homes due to crisis and many have been through multiple foster homes. Our efforts supported their back-to-school services. Please consider supporting their work: Back-To-School Drive | Friends of Joshua House Foundation