AES Restaurants’ Arby’s Day of Giving Awards More Than $135,000 to 10 Tampa Bay Nonprofits
Ten Tampa Bay area nonprofits received a major boost Wednesday as the AES Restaurant Foundation distributed more than $135,000 during its annual Arby’s Day of Giving, celebrating organizations making a difference across the region through customer generosity and employee involvement.
The June 24 event recognized 10 local charities selected by AES Restaurants team members, with funding generated through year-round customer donations at participating Arby’s restaurants. Guests contribute by donating $1 or rounding up their purchases at the register, with 100% of the funds collected returned to local communities through the AES Foundation’s Day of Giving program. Local restaurant employees nominate and champion nonprofit organizations that are making a meaningful impact where they live and work.
This year’s recipients included The Ivy Foundation Inc Manatee-Sarasota, Honey’s Mini Therapy Adventures, Lions World Vision, One Head at a Time, Ability to Include, Dress for Success, Big Dreams Through Small Steps, For Hearts Worldwide, Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary, and Southwest Florida Honor Flight.
AES Restaurant Group, one of the nation’s largest Arby’s franchisees, operates hundreds of restaurants across 20 states. The company established the AES Foundation in 2020 to support programs that strengthen local communities. Guided by the philosophy that “Attitude Equals Success,” the foundation allows employees to nominate organizations that are important to them while ensuring every dollar donated by customers is returned to community nonprofits.
Among the organizations recognized was Big Dreams Through Small Steps, a Manatee-based nonprofit dedicated to expanding opportunities for children and families through education, safety initiatives and community partnerships. The organization’s AQUAlibrium Drowning Prevention program provides free swim lesson scholarships to children, helping reduce the risk of childhood drowning while teaching lifelong water safety skills.
The original award to Big Dreams Through Small Steps was expected to provide swim lesson scholarships for approximately 40 children. During the presentation, AES Restaurants representatives decided to increase the donation when they found out about the large waitlist. The donation will now allow the nonprofit to expand the program and provide scholarships for 100 children who are currently waitlisted.
“This extraordinary gift means 100 children who may not otherwise have had the opportunity will receive life-saving swim lessons,” said Misty Ritch, founder and President of Big Dreams Through Small Steps. “Every child who learns essential water safety skills represents a family with greater peace of mind. We are incredibly grateful to AES Restaurants, its team members and every Arby’s customer who chose to donate a dollar or round up their purchase. Their generosity will save lives in our community.”
The remaining recipients also represent a wide range of community needs, including supporting children and families, expanding inclusion for individuals with disabilities, providing career resources for women, preserving vision services, honoring veterans, promoting global humanitarian efforts and caring for rescued animals.
The Day of Giving continues to demonstrate how small customer donations can create significant local impact, turning spare change collected one transaction at a time into life-changing investments for nonprofits serving communities throughout the Tampa Bay region.
