Young sisters honored by Tampa Police Department with citizen awards for work in community
TAMPA, Fla. - Two sisters in Tampa Bay already have their hands in the community and are being honored for their work.
Maite Castillo, 8, and Mia Castillo, 9, were honored by the Tampa Police Department Tuesday with Citizens Appreciation Awards.
The two sisters have been giving back and organizing service projects around the Tampa Bay area for the last several years.
They’ve worked closely with the Tampa Police Department and other agencies and organizations to collect donations, raise money, and do other outreach projects. The Castillo sisters have done dozens of service projects this year, alone.
"It feels exciting," Mia Castillo said. "I like to know that I'm helping people and that I'm putting a smile on their face."
The sisters host Front Porch Roll Calls for the MacFarlane Park neighborhood to help connect with Tampa police officers and the community.
From a young age, Maite and Mia started tagging along with their mom, Maria Castillo, to neighborhood events. Castillo has been the Neighborhood Association President for the last several years.
"Kindergarten, first grade, they participated if their class was doing something," Maria Castillo said. "But then now take the initiative on their own to come up with these ideas."
Their grandmother inspired the Castillo sisters’ first big project that they coordinated.
"My grandma, she had cancer," Maite said. "And I like to see people have smiles on their faces all around, so they don't end up like her."
Maite and Mia made goodie bags and delivered them to patients at the hospital, because they saw how difficult cancer treatment was for their own grandmother, so they wanted to brighten other patients’ days.
They quickly started organizing other projects with the help of their mother. The sisters held a cereal drive at their school to help feed children in need, they collected socks and other necessities for people experiencing homelessness, and they raised money for the Tampa Police Department’s Memorial Run, in addition to dozens of other projects.
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"The toy drive," Mia said. "It was for Christmas for the parents who couldn't afford gifts. That was for them to give to their kids just so they would have something for Christmas and make them happy."
Maite and Mia work with TPD to bring a lot of their ideas to life. On Tuesday, they were surprised with the Citizen’s Appreciation Award.
The Castillos say this was a rewarding moment to see their hard work and dedication recognized.
"You get to give someone something that they haven't had and hear something that they need," Maite said.
They’re excited to continue their work and organize more projects and events.
"I'm very proud," Maria Castillo said. "And they've definitely become, you know, leaders on their own, very involved in school and involved in sports, but still willing to do something for their neighborhood."
Maite and Mia have their sights set on future projects, including a project to help assisted living centers in the Tampa Bay area.