History

History

Originally founded as Bay Area Youth Services, Inc., BAYS was organized and chartered as a Florida Not-For-Profit Corporation on April 19, 1982. The agency, founded by the late William F. Bowman, was developed with the objective of improving the quality of life and increasing the potential of Florida’s youth. Over our 40-year history, BAYS has grown into a multi-faceted statewide organization with an impressive array of services.

Our organization is focused on innovative approaches to better meet the needs of today’s youth and their families. We specialize in working with adolescent populations and are continuously working to improve our service delivery models based on the evolving individual needs of today’s families and to address identified gaps in services. We are proud of the partnerships and relationships that we have developed over the years and are committed to work closely with stakeholders, youth, and families to continue to inspire change, growth, and success.


Our Mission & Vision

BAYS works in partnership with individuals, families, and communities to inspire change, growth, and success.

BAYS envisions communities that believe in the value and worth of all people and their ability to change, grow, and succeed.

Our Core Values

Over the years our name, mission, and vision have been updated, but our core values have stayed the same:

Professionalism
Responsibility
Integrity
Dedication
Enthusiasm

 Our team members embody these values and work every day to make a difference in the lives of individuals, families, and the communities served. We take our work very seriously and believe in the value and worth of each life we touch. BAYS is a special organization because of our employees. This has been evidenced by being named a Tampa Bay Times Top Workplace in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 and Top Workplace USA in 2021.