For over 30 years, we have witnessed young people better their communities and worlds after participating in ANYTOWN®, our signature summer leadership program. We’re less than a week away from Giving Tuesday and we love highlighting the very people whose worlds have been positively impacted and changed by dialogue, empathy, and action through our mission and programs.
Inspired by our popular ANYTOWN® icebreaker “In My World…,” each of their stories begin with this same simple phrase, but reveals something extraordinary — a world that’s kinder, more just, and more inclusive because of Community Tampa Bay and your support.
Kymbriell graduated from the ANYTOWN® program in 2014 and continued to stay involved as a volunteer over the years. Upon her high school graduation from Gibbs, she has spent the better part of her career promoting and educating others on water safety and drowning prevention. Through her own nonprofit, Courageous Leap Inc. she carries out this incredible work by providing swim lessons, lifeguard training, and implementing drowning prevention programs across the Greater Tampa Bay. Read below how her world has been shaped by the experiences she’s had at ANYTOWN®:
“In my world, I help to create the same environment of growth and understanding that changed me. When I first arrived at ANYTOWN®, I thought I knew exactly how the week would go. I assumed I would sit with my friends from my school, stay close to the people who looked like me, and ease my way into the experience. Instead, within the first hour, everything shifted. The staff mixed us into new groups with students from completely different schools, backgrounds, identities, and physical makeups. It was the kind of mix that could feel uncomfortable anywhere else, but ANYTOWN® had this way of making it feel natural and almost exciting.
What surprised me most was how quickly those walls came down. Conversations about diversity, respect, and leadership were never scripted or forced. They were genuine, honest, sometimes emotional, and always rooted in progress. We were not debating differences. We were understanding them. We were learning how to honor one another’s stories, and in the process, we were discovering pieces of ourselves.
The staff played a huge part in that. They did not just supervise us. They set the tone. They created safety. They made sure every young person there felt seen, valued, and supported. You could feel their care in every activity, every conversation, and every late night check-in. It was teamwork at its best and the kind of leadership many young people never get to experience in a school setting.
By the end of ANYTOWN®, I did not just leave with new friendships. I left with a new sense of purpose. I knew I wanted to stay connected to multicultural groups. I knew I wanted to build bridges, not just benefit from them. And most of all, I knew I wanted to come back one day as a volunteer. I wanted to help create the same environment of growth and understanding that changed me. ANYTOWN® did not just give me a week of memories. It gave me direction.”
Next week, on December 2nd, you can support our mission of cultivating the next changemakers and leaders of Tampa Bay who take the skills and tools from our programs and apply them to their community. Kymbriell is an impressive example of someone who strives to leave this world better than she found it. Your gift makes experiences like ANYTOWN® financially possible for young people across the Tampa Bay region.
