Krewe puts volunteerism at center of its mission

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A krewe of volunteers is fighting to bring domestic violence victims out of the shadows.

Thier 'service over swagger' style makes the Familia de Gladiatore Krewe What's Right With Tampa Bay.

"We are more than friends. We are like family." Christine Marie Smith one of the founders of Familia De Gladiatores Krewe.

They are a family that works together to help others.

"[We want to] have a purpose to our krewe. Not just a social krewe, or doing fundraisers, but actually volunteering our time and giving back." Christine said.

Christine and her friends formed the krewe in 2015. They primarily work with domestic violence shelters.

Their name comes from gladiators days, when men had to fight in the coliseum in Rome for their freedom.

"'With Courage Comes Freedom,' is our slogan. It was more than just a name. Everything has purpose and a meaning," Christine said. "We have fun while we do it. it's a great time but there's meaning behind it we want to give back and we want to help people." 

There are more than 70 people in the group. The krewe logged more than 500 hours of community service last year.