Various county leaders and the community joined together with the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay for the grand opening of the newly remodeled Carey Family Brandon Boys & Girls Club in Brandon on March 29. The club also relocated to Sadie Park as part of an expansion to the Bill Carey Brandon Boys & Girls Club, which previously could be found on Knights Ave.
Carey’s daughter Amy Carey Lee had a chance to reflect back on her childhood with the opening of this club.
“I remember as a little girl attending classes here at the old Brandon Civics Center, which was really the center of Brandon at the time,” Lee said.
This would be one of the eight clubs working under a community collaboration model. For instance, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department united to bring the vision of a stronger community to reality. At one point, the original Knights Ave. location operated under the leadership of Sheriff David Gee, which would be the first club to bring law enforcement into the conversation around community impact.
Currently, the club maintains its leadership under Sheriff Chad Chronister. This location will serve youth ages 5-18 along with the opportunity to accommodate up to 125 children and teenagers. With it being in between Mann Middle School and Yates Elementary School, students can walk to the club. The youth who come here get access to a baseball field, a playground and much more. To add, an on-site deputy will be on the premises as well.
“Having a deputy on-site not only creates a safer environment for children to learn and play everyday, but it also is a chance to show them that law enforcement officers are their friends,” Sheriff Chronister said.
For more information, visit www.bgctampa.org. It is located at 510 E. Sadie St. in Brandon. Call 444-0375.
