Changes are coming to the North Port and Arcadia campuses of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto counties, but for very different reasons.
Some of them unexpected.
Arcadia’s new building at the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Club was already planned, but the work on North Port’s Gene Matthews Club is the result of damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Both locations are building new facilities that will help them deliver on missions to enhance academic success, character and leadership, healthy lifestyles and preparation for college or careers.
Here’s what’s happening.
North Port
The Gene Matthews Club campus plans to build a new 14,000 square foot building after buildings on the South Biscayne Drive campus were devastated last fall by Hurricane Ian.
The original facilities included two church buildings, a gym and an outdoor pavilion on the five-acre site. Only the gym and pavilion survived the storm.
“Our plan was to eventually upgrade the old church buildings, and then on Sept. 28 Hurricane Ian came through and the two church buildings were damaged beyond repair,” said Bill Sadlo, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. “After the storm hit and schools reopened, we were serving children at the schools, letting them stay after school and running a Boys & Girls Club program at their schools. But once we were able to get back on site at the facility, even though it was limited with just the gymnasium and outdoor pavilion, we brought kids back to the club.”
Before the damage, the club served more than 300 kids during the summer and 250 during the school year. This summer, 180 slots were available. To return to full capacity, the rebuild project is expected to cost $7 million.
Sadlo says $3 million has already been raised, $2 million of which came from $1 million donations each from Steve and Marge Townsend and the Gulfcoast Community Foundation. Jaime and Julie DiDemenico also donated $500,000, and another $500,000 has been raised from the community.
With the rebuild, the campus will be renamed after the Townsends, but the club will remain the Gene Matthews Club. They hope to begin construction on the new building by the end of 2023.
Arcadia
The Louis and Gloria Flanzer Club in Arcadia is nearing the end of construction on a 10,000 square foot facility, with a ribbon cutting event set for Sept. 28.
The location opened in 2018, the first in DeSoto County and the sixth for the two-county agency. The club originally served 75 children, but in 2019 the city of Arcadia transferred the lease of the Smith-Brown Recreation Center, which is located next to the current club site.
The structure was transformed into a multi-purpose gymnasium that serves roughly 70 children in the summer and more than 80 during the school year. Once the additional 10,000 square feet is complete, the building will become a teen center while designated areas for physical activities, learning and other enrichment programs will move to the new space.
“They provide after-school care. They provide tutoring, counselors, I love it because, you know, as being a parent, I know my kids are somewhere safe,” said 41-year-old, mother of two Lutresa Bennett. “I have a clear mind knowing that mine are safe, you know, with people who care about them, who love them, who want to see them succeed.”
Bennett’s two daughters, ages 16 and 10, have been in the program for several years, and she plans to keep them in it until they both age out at 18.
“The program is just wonderful, and it’s impacted our small community a lot,” said Bennett. “They’re always asking how they can be of help with any assistance...I love this program, and it does a lot for the community.”
For information on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, visit https://bgcsdc.org/.
Sarah Owens is a reporter for the Community News Collaborative. You can reach her at slowens@cncfl.org
