Placement: Proclamations and Special presentations
Action Requested: Discussion.
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Recognition of the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County’s “Mobile” Club Winning the Southeast Region’s Prestigious 2023 Roxanne Spillett Program Excellence Award
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Submitted By: Alessandra “Alex” Tasca, Deputy Director, Neighborhood Services Dept. (NSD).
Strategic Plan Link: The City's Goal for vibrant neighborhoods.
Executive Summary (General Business): Neighborhood Services is proud to announce that the Boys & Girls Clubs (BGC) of St. Lucie County’s (SLC) “Mobile” Club was recognized and awarded the prestigious National Organization’s - Southeast Region - 2023 Roxanne Spillett Program Excellence Award for the best new program.
Presentation Information: NSD will provide a brief presentation and call representatives from the BGC of SLC up for a photo opportunity.
Staff Recommendation: Request that the Council hear the presentation.
Background: This award from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is coveted. The BGCA’s award program recognizes local Clubs from throughout the Movement for their achievements in outstanding local program development. Award-winning programs are fun, demonstrate imagination and are linked to observable youth development outcomes. And, year after year, they set new standards for program quality and excellence. NSD is so very honored to have partnered with our local BGC of SLC on the creation of such an innovative and successful program.
April 2024 marks the two year anniversary of this program and partnership. After the pandemic the City and local organizations were all looking for innovative ways to reignite some new learning opportunities and connect to people and places, and students, who might have had a hard time catching up after spending a lot of time learning from home and virtually. Our response was the “Mobile” Club.
The “Mobile” Club is a 7-passenger van pulling a 20’ trailer packed with everything needed to set up a pop-up Boys & Girls Club - music, tables, chairs, canopy tents, sports equipment, STEM materials, arts & crafts supplies, drinks, snacks, meals and more. The City allocated $75,000 of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to this program, which is used to supply materials and pay the Mobile Club staff. One of the fundamental purposes of the program is to bring access to BGCA programming to neighborhoods where traditional brick-and-mortar Clubs do not exist - yet!
The “Mobile” Club visits City parks in specific areas on a rotating basis on Saturdays and during the week on school breaks. A certified teacher is always on hand to help students with any tutoring needs and the program connects young people to other age groups in their families, and the community, creating a cross-generational, outdoor learning environment.
The program has been more impactful than we could have hoped. Over 1,200 children and their family members attended at least one “Mobile” Club during its first year of operation. Through this partnership, we are impacting children in our community by giving them extra tools to grow into successful adults and learn to enjoy participating in engaging activities, outdoors, and in their neighborhoods. We couldn’t have done it without the amazing staff and leadership at the BGC of SLC.
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Special Consideration: On March 15, 2024, we were also informed that the “Mobile” Club was selected as a finalist for Neighborhoods USA’s (aka NUSA’s) Best Neighborhood Program Award for Social Revitalization/Neighborliness. Award winners for this organization’s awards will be announced at the NUSA National Conference the end of May 2024.
Location of Project: City of Port St. Lucie
Attachments: Staff Presentation
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
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Legal Sufficiency Review:
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