Anthony Saccento

Chief Financial Officer

Anthony joined Gulf Coast JFCS as Chief Financial Officer in October of 2024. His experience in Public Accounting includes tax, auditing, and general accounting. His Private Accounting experience includes being CFO and holding senior positions in investment, publishing, oil & gas, architecture, and non-profit industries. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from St. John’s University. He received both an M.B.A. in Finance and an M.S. in Taxation from Fordham University. Anthony is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of New York. He has periodically led accounting seminars through a major financial newspaper and has occasionally taught accounting and finance classes at the university level. He volunteers on the Deacon Board at his home church and has performed certified audits for a children’s mission in Kodiak, Alaska. He loves the outdoors and moved to upstate New York over a decade ago, from New York City, to pursue those opportunities. He now looks forward to expanding those experiences by having relocated to Florida.

Bear Hugs

Adoption Bear Hugs

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Celebrate Adoption with a Bear Hug

It’s time for Bear Hugs!

Teddy Bears are a special symbol in the foster child adoption world. They represent finding a “forever family” as often at the adoption finalization hearing, the judge presents the newly adopted child with a cuddly “Bear” to represent the new forever family they are joining.

With your support, Bear will continue to be an adoption ambassador in Tampa Bay.

About Adoption Bear Hugs
Bear Sightings
Adopt Your Bear
Give a Bear Hug and a Book!
Become an Adoption Ambassador
Host a Bear Hug Event

Have you read our new book? Bobby Bear gets a Forever Family

This groundbreaking new book gives children in foster care the opportunity to see themselves and their future adoption journey in print and on your bookshelf!

Your financial support allows the Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco find adoptive families for the hardest-to-place children in foster care – teenagers, siblings, and children with special medical or emotional needs.

Our goal is to find a forever family for every child before they age out of foster care – because every child deserves a forever family.

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Help Bear be an Adoption Ambassador:

Plan to take “Bear” out and about anywhere you go, where Bear can introduce others – grocery store, restaurants, the park, etc

Take a picture of your adventure with Bear and be sure to tell others about Bear’s story. For more information, scan the QR code on Bear’s tag.
Post your photo using the hashtag #AdoptionBearHugs and tag us on Facebook or Instagram at @HeartGalleryKids if you’d like us to see it and share it!

Meet Bear –

I am so excited to meet you all! I love to have adventures, learn new things, and spend time with my friends

Thank you for giving me my “forever family” and helping me share how many great kids are in foster care right now just waiting to find their “forever family”. My birth name is BEAR, but as my adoptive family gets to know me, I’m hoping you will help me find my very own nickname…just don’t call it a “pet name”! (tee hee)

I’m curious too, and love going on adventures with my family, especially outdoors to parks, or sporting events, maybe even the amusement park!

Download Bear Adoption Certificate

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Become an Adoption Ambassador:

Adoption Ambassadors are community champions and networkers promoting the opportunity to help foster children find their forever families through the Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco, a Gulf Coast JFCS program.

Each Ambassador agrees to champion National Adoption Month Bear Hugs community events by doing one or more of the following:

To host or locate a host for a gathering celebrating how the Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco makes adoption from foster care possible. Events will promote Bobby Bear Gets a Forever Family and supplemental opportunities to support adoption recruitment.
To give or collectively raise $1,000 to help us reach the Bear Hugs Adoption Month fundraising goal and help recruit for adoptive families for children waiting in foster care.
To like, comment, and share Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco’s social media posts during promotion and beyond.

Host a Bear Hug Community Event:

Bear Hug events can be organized by anyone interested in making adoption from foster care possible.

Bear Hug Community Events are coordinated third-party promotion events where invites, advertising, food, drinks, etc are handled by the host and supported by program staff.

Host-organized receptions may be located at your desired location including:

Your home or business,
Your worship space or other faith-related spaces,
Community festivals,
Community groups,
Brewery or restaurant.

Come One Come All Banners Feature Across New Book Cover stating Bobby Bear Gets a Forever Family

Email US

Kelly Jordan

Anthony Saccento

Bear Hugs

Celebrate Adoption with a Bear Hug

It’s time for Bear Hugs!

Your added support includes the following:

Advocate: $500 funds a new gallery location

Family: $250 sponsors a child-friendly event

*Individual contributions of $1,000 or more qualify for recognition in Gulf Coast JFCS Tree of Life Circle.

Your generous sponsorship includes the following:

Lead Sponsor: $7,500

Help Bear be an Adoption Ambassador:

Meet Bear –

Become an Adoption Ambassador:

Host a Bear Hug Community Event:

Bear Hug events can be organized by anyone interested in making adoption from foster care possible.

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