This past week, we gathered as a community to celebrate the grand opening of Gary Wendt Boys & Girls Club Teen Center in Sunrise! Monday kicks off NATIONAL BOYS & GIRL CLUB WEEK and it coincides with the very first day of our Teen Center will welcome our Sunrise Teens! Together, we are going to help transform lives, build confidence in the passions that ignite dreams, and change our world for the better.
The Boys and Girls Club of Broward County (BGCBC) has for over 50 years transformed lives in safe and supportive environments for young people. Our discussions with BGCBC started years ago as we worked together to develop a vision of how to expand BGCBC into Sunrise. We began those discussions with the help of such folks as Rick and Rita Case and Dr. Doug Laurie from American Heritage and so many others who knew how much Sunrise wanted a true Teen Center in Sunrise.
Now, this partnership between Sunrise and BGCBC finally delivers on our long-term vision of Roarke Hall being a community teen center, providing a safe space for young people to grow and develop the tools to pursue their passions and dreams. The proven success of BGCBC earned through collaboration with community partners, generous funding from donors and countless hours dedicated by volunteers, will now be part of the success stories for our Sunrise young people and their families.
The Teen center will serve teens ages 13 to graduating seniors and will be open for members after-school and on Saturdays during the school year and during weekdays during the summer. Members pay $15 for the whole year. Services and programs BGCBC provides include workforce development, college prep, financial literacy education, leadership development, cultural enrichment and food supports with snack and supper programs. I met teens who came up in BGCBC, earning scholarships, becoming mentors and joining the motivated staff of BGCBC and they explained the importance of the Teen Centers in their own personal journeys.
The first Boys & Girls Club was founded in 1860. By 2010, clubs were serving more than four million boys and girls in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and the U.S. military bases. The Boys & Girls Club of Broward is now made up of 14 chartered Clubs with a membership of over 10,000 youth. Supported by many of the most prominent members of our community, BGCBC is proud to be the 5th largest Club in the nation.
To join our Teen Center call 954-537-1010 or email ANITREIA MACON, amacon@bgcbc.org
Summer Hours
Broward Schools – Summer Recess
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
School Year Hours
Broward Schools – Regular Days
2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Broward Schools – Early Dismissal
12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Broward Schools – Teacher Planning Days
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM