Doing Good in Tampa Bay 2025

Volunteering is a family affair for Kelly Taylor and her girls, Trinity and Taylor Ballard.

The family welcomed a young boy into their home for 60 days while his mom worked to find housing and rebuild her life. This summer, they hosted two sisters until school started. On Tuesday, September 16, Better Together named them Host Family of the Year at our annual Doing Good Together reception for Tampa Bay at the Tampa Bay Yacht & Country Club.

The girls were surprised when their family was called up to receive a DOie Award. They don’t do it for recognition.

“To know that we have put a lot of effort into these kids that we have taken care of, and how we really do love them, and we really hope to get (to host) more — we’re just very happy,” Trinity said.

Celebrating Community

The night embraced the importance of community and working together to build strong families.

“Community partnership, that’s how we help families—together,” said Manuel “Manny” Pelegri, Community Development Specialist with the City of Tampa. Pelegri and his colleagues on the city’s Homeless Outreach Team were recognized as Community Partner of the Year.

Every year, Better Together hosts a Doing Good Together reception in each region we serve to thank our partners, volunteers, and supporters and recognize a few of our many supporters with DOie Awards.

The DOies — that’s “do” as in the recipients are doing good — commemorate the contributions of volunteers, partners, and supporters. Styled like a prized baseball card, each award recognizes the recipient’s impact with Better Together.

At Tuesday’s reception, we also paid tribute to a very special relationship between a young mom and her mentor, Danaee and Shelevia, who was recognized as Mentor of the Year. Shelevia spoke at the event. She spoke of a messy beginning that blossomed into a beautiful relationship. “I thank God for pairing us together,” she said, “because it’s clear that this is a divine orchestration.”

Danaee told her story in this short video:

The event was sponsored by GTE Financial, a company that not only supports us as sponsor but actively works with our families through financial literacy classes.

The DOies

This year’s winners of the Tampa Bay DOies are:

Super Volunteer of the Year

Kerri Sheeran

Kerri has mentored three moms and gone above and beyond for each of them.

Host Family of the Year

Kelly Taylor & Family

Kelly and her daughters, Taylor and Trinity Ballard, welcomed children in their home to care for them while the children’s parents worked to get back on their feet and continue to be supportive for the families.

Community Partner of the Year

City of Tampa

The city’s homeless outreach team works tirelessly to help individuals and families find housing, and their partnership has been invaluable to helping families build a stable foundation. “Community partnership, that’s how we help families—together,” said Manuel “Manny” Pelegri, Community Development Specialist, who accepted the award on behalf of the organization.

Mentor of the Year

Shelevia Dawson

Shelevia lives with open hands and an open heart, always ready to help those in need.

Department of Children and Families Partner of the Year

Devonique Freeman

Devonique creates a supportive and uplifting environment, even in the midst of challenging work. She is professional, knowledgeable, and always quick to offer help.

Church Partner of the Year

Northwest Church of Christ

Pastor Joel Harper empowers the congregation to serve the community with energy. They are all in, from hosting job fairs and prayer night to last-minute team meetings.