TAMPA – The Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation announced that Brandon Lowe, second baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay won the 2025 Giving Bowl.
The Giving Bowl brought together five Tampa Bay athletes from the Buccaneers, Lightning, Sun FC and Rays, to help raise awareness, money and support for charities through a three-week bracket-style fundraising challenge.
“This has been an amazing three weeks of giving back to the Tampa community, and we are honored to play a small part in the great work the crisis center and all the participating charities do for the Tampa Bay community,” Emily Mayfield said. “A huge thank you to all the athletes and charities who participated. We hope this continues to bring Tampa closer together, and we can’t wait to see the amazing things we can all do together in the years to come.”
Lowe and the Crisis Center outshined Ryan McDonagh and First Responders Children’s Foundation as well as Erika Tymrak and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in the bracket challenge.
“I want to sincerely thank all those who generously donated to support our cause,” Lowe said. “It is truly remarkable that we were able to raise awareness about mental health. The funds raised and prize money from the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation will ensure that individuals in need have access to the Crisis Center’s services. I can’t thank you all enough.”
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay earned a $50,000 donation.
“We so appreciate Brandon Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays for choosing us as his charity partner, and to the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation for hosting the Giving Bowl,” said Clara Reynolds, president & CEO for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. “This event was not only enjoyable but also significantly contributed to raising awareness about our mission throughout the community.”
While the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay came out on top, every participating charity received a donation from the foundation and leveraged the Giving Bowl opportunity to raise funds and awareness from the community at large. The Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation donated a total of $92,500 across the five participating charities.
Participating athletes and charity winnings were as follows:
- Brandon Lowe (Tampa Bay Rays) and Crisis Center of Tampa Bay – $50,000.
- Erika Tymrak (Tampa Bay Sun FC) and Humane Society of Tampa Bay – $20,000.
- Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and After-School All-Stars – $10,000.
- Ryan McDonagh (Tampa Bay Lightning) and First Responders Children’s Foundation – $10,000.
- Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Team Godwin Foundation – $2,500.
The Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation provides programs, scholarships and philanthropic opportunities to help others tackle life’s challenges in order to “BE” the best version of themselves. The foundation recognizes the resilience of the human spirit and supports those who persevere despite difficult circumstances.
On the web: bemayfield.org
