It's hard to believe summer is over and the end of the year is upon us. It has been such an incredibly productive middle of the year.
Our summer was action packed, just how we like it. We are thankful to all the community partners who helped provide tickets, event admissions and opportunities for our youth to take part in a variety of activities, helping them create positive memories which are so important for our Boys Town youth. Our Family-Teachers, staff and partners helped equip our girls and boys with all the back-to-school essentials needed and we celebrated summer's end with a pizza party and prayer for a great fall semester!
Fall has brought a lot of smiles to the youth on campus. Many are taking part in homecoming actives, fall sports that include football games and after-school and weekend intermural sports like basketball. We give big kudos to our Family-Teachers who organize the busy schedules of the 4-6 kids residing under their roofs. They shuttle children and embrace the leisure activities that are important to each child, and we are so thankful for their hearts to serve all the children!
Next time you visit our campus (please schedule a tour today; we would love to host you), you may not recognize it! We have painted our administrative office, replaced worn carpet in the Intervention and Assessment Center and had some generous community patterners take part in a campus beautification project – and we have other important projects in the pipeline. We know if the campus looks great, youth and staff will feel this too! Our staff work hard to create a family-centered approach, and we are working hard to ensure the environment looks this way as well. Our 50+ acre campus is a blessing, and we always welcome our generous community partners to help us keep our campus looking great.
As the year comes to an end, we are embarking on our busiest season – and we hope you will be a part of it all! We have many fun Halloween festivities planned. We look forward creating Thanksgiving traditions in each Family Home. And celebrating Christmas together with our staff, youth and community partners is always a joyous, meaningful time. Boys Town is truly a community partnership, and we are so thankful for all of those who donate items, time and financial gifts to help our campus thrive and allow us to grow our programs that help heal children and strengthen families all over Central Florida!
Cheerfully,
Laurie Stern, MPA