Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County Named Board Team of the Year

Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its Florida Area Council presented the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County Board of Directors with the 2019 Board Team of the Year Award at the annual Florida Area Council conference on Friday, August 23, in Jupiter, FL. This award recognizes the Board’s commitment to excellence and outstanding performance in marketing, planning, resource development and outreach.
 
The Board of Directors include Jonna Keller, Chair; Lee DeLieto, Chair-Elect; Ric Saba, Secretary; Meghan O. Serrano, Treasurer; Jaime DiDomenico, Past Chair; Hank Battie; Michael Beaumier; Fatima Demlak; Ernest Dubose II; Ken Freeman; David Glorius; Dr. Robert Gussin; Wayne Hall; Eric Kaplan; Karen Madden; Carolyn Mason; Gene Matthews; Nancy Mina; Mark Morrison; Michael Moulton; Nora Patterson; Richard Perlman; Dr. Richard Rehmeyer; Robert Scheb; Tom Shapiro; Ric Smalley; Lee Thacker and Lee Wetherington.
 
Within the past year, the Board has led the organization through a variety of strategic initiatives that have resulted in greater programmatic and developmental opportunities for thousands of area youth. Key accomplishments include, but are not limited to:
·         opening the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club in Arcadia, which is the agency’s sixth Club location and first site beyond Sarasota County lines;

·         strengthening the organization’s safety and security efforts by hardening the entrances of four Club locations;

·         expanding existing and building new partnerships with local organizations to provide youth with critical resources that further enhance their development;

·         earning a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator; and

·         launching capital projects and programmatic endeavors to support the organization’s accelerated growth.

 
Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County was also presented with the 2019 Core Program Award in Character and Leadership Development for its transformative Teen Program, which provides middle and high school students with top-notch leadership, service, entrepreneurial, vocational and college and career prep opportunities. Notable services that under the Teen Program umbrella include, but are not limited to, STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Leadership Training, SRQVolunteen, Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs and the Tom & Debbie Shapiro Career Resource Center.
 
Some highlights from this year’s Teen Program include:
·         Hosting the 5th Annual Alternative Spring Break, which resulted in 54 teens dedicating more than 815 service hours to 11 different nonprofit partners and community sites;

·         Establishing the College & Career Planning program, which assists teens through postsecondary prep activities such as SAT and ACT workshops, college tours and financial aid classes;

·         Sending 8 Club members to Panama City, Panama, to spend nine days experiencing the country’s culture and volunteering at a youth-serving organization through the first ever Cultural Immersion Trip; and

·         Congratulating Leonela Tase Sueiro for being named the 2019 Southeast Youth of the Year.

 
To learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County, visit bgcsarasota.com or call 941-366-3911.