The George Jenkins Memorial Boys & Girls Club Begins Its $4 Million Transformation in Winter Haven
Saturday, July 20th, 2024, Winter Haven, FL – Boys & Girls Clubs of Polk County officially broke ground on Thursday, July 18th at the George Jenkins Memorial Boys & Girls Club in Winter Haven, FL. The club is expected to be completed by the fall of 2025. The groundbreaking brought together community leaders, city and state officials, board members, and luminaries like Barney Barnett, Nick and Ashley Barnett, and executives from the United Way of Central Florida and GiveWell Community Foundation.
Originally constructed in 1967, this building has been a cornerstone of the Winter Haven community, providing a safe and nurturing environment for generations of young people. With this renovation, the organization will invest nearly $4 million raised during their capital campaign (Kampaign For Kids) to upgrade the facility to serve around 400 kids per day.
City of Winter Haven’s Mayor Nathaniel Birdsong stated, “On behalf of my fellow city commissioners and staff, we say thank you for coming and look forward to the ribbon-cutting day. This would not be possible without Publix and the legacy of Mr. Jenkins, who gave so much to this community.”
“When you look around today, take a moment to appreciate that literally tens of thousands of kids have attended, been kept off the streets, played, laughed and screamed, and thrived in this place over the last 60 years,” says Kerry Wilson, Six/Ten Principal and BGCPolk Director. Wilson gave a heartfelt speech recounting his days as one of the first Club members and added, “… on behalf of the board of directors, I extend our most sincere thanks to all of you for coming out this morning and celebrating the start of construction. I hope you all have had the opportunity to see the scope of our plans and to imagine for a moment when one day soon the average attendance here will likely be more than 400 kids a day. This facility will serve, by far, more kids than any of our other 9 clubs in Polk County.”
Plans for the Club include a teen lounge, a gym, an art room, a technology center, tutoring spaces, a full training kitchen serving hot meals every weekday, mentoring, and mental health counseling. The George Jenkins Memorial Unit will provide daily after-school and summer youth programs that deliver outcomes for youth in four key areas: health and well-being, character and leadership, academic success, and life and work readiness. The new Club, like all BGCPolk Clubs, is open to all youth K-12th grade with registration.
The renovation project has been made possible through the generous support of donors in the community. Together, they will continue to provide club members with all the resources they need to develop themselves as members of the Winter Haven community. For more information about the project or to learn how you can support the renovation project, please contact Ashley Ray at aray@bgcpolk.org or visit our website at www.BGCPolk.org.
