Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties (BGCSDC) received support from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to enhance structured literacy instruction to elementary-age youth participating in the organization’s Great Futures Academy Summer program (GFA).

The grant was provided through the Ira and Patricia Strauss Fund for Children’s Literacy, the Allen Wirtz Nobbe and Jo Bowen Nobbe Fund, the Leslie and Margaret Weller Fund, and the Bert and Betty Rosen Fund. This support provided Club members in grades K-2 the tools, resources, and academic support they needed to prevent summer learning loss.

Through structured literacy instruction, engaging activities, and guidance from Florida-certified teachers, GFA is designed to help young people enter the school year prepared, confident, and ready to succeed, with special emphasis on grade-level reading. This program combines academic instruction with the supportive environment found at BGCSDC. GFA helps students retain their progress from the previous year and ensure that summer is not a break from learning.

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