Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties invites local media affiliates to join us for a Dedication Reception and Ribbon Cutting at the new Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club. The Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys and Girls Club is the organization’s sixth Club location and first site situated in DeSoto County. The agency began operating this facility in July 2018 providing youth, ages 6 to 18, with year-round programs that help them excel in school, become leaders, and adopt healthy habits. Youth also receive healthy meals and snacks and foster meaningful relationships with peers and trusted mentors. In 2019, the City of Arcadia transferred the lease of the Smith-Brown Recreation Center that sits adjacent to the current Club building to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. In 2021 the agency transformed the structure into a multi-purpose gymnasium for youth with designated space for physical activities, project-based learning, and enrichment programs that further foster personal development. The Dedication Reception will celebrate the completion of the permanent Clubhouse; an addition of another 7,000 square feet to the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club for additional youth development programs. The facility will also be available for local use outside of the Club’s operating hours and will become a valuable community asset. As part of the ceremony, the incoming slate of 2023-24 Board Officers will be installed. The Dedication Reception and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will feature executives from Boys & Girls Clubs, the President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Jim Clark, the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust, the Club Director, Club members, key construction partners, and local community leaders including Coach Richard Bowers.

Thursday, September 28, 2023, 5:30 – 7:00 pm., Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club, 18 School Ave., Arcadia, FL 34266.