The Salesian Youth Center
-
-
T
he Salesian Youth Center (SYC) was founded in 1995 by the Salesian Sisters and is dedicated to serving all children, ages 5 to 18, regardless of ethnic, religious, or economic background. In the early 1990’s, the Sisters started a "Saturday Club", a weekly program that offered needy kids a safe place to play, a hot meal, and tutoring.
Originally located in the cafeteria of Villa Madonna School, this activity grew so popular that the Sisters reached out to the Tampa community for help with a capital campaign that enabled them to take over and renovate the old Jefferson High School Gym. The Sisters were able to expand their services and partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, thus forming the Salesian Youth Center/Boys & Girls Club. Boys & Girls Clubs provides the staffing, while the Salesian Sisters provide everything else. As Joe Garcia, a prominent real estate lawyer in Tampa, helped bring together the community to support the project, the center was named The Joe & Anne Garcia Salesian Youth Center.
It has since grown into a thriving community that has provided thousands of children a place to gather for a safe, consistent after school program. For more information, visit syctampa.org.
-