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Returning AmeriCorps volunteers will work with kindergarten through fifth-grade students to strengthen literacy skills.  By: Christy Waite Posted 12:41 PM, Oct 15, 2026 and last updated 12:42 PM, Oct 15, 2026 MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A program that has worked with thousands of Martin County children is returning after a brief hiatus, with a renewed focus on helping young students strengthen their reading skills. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County is celebrating the return of its AmeriCorps program, which places volunteers directly with students to provide individualized and small-group academic support. "We missed it. It was an extremely important piece to our success and moving the district forward," Martin County Schools Superintendent Michael Maine said. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County first introduced the federal mentorship program to the area in 2019. For six years, AmeriCorps volunteers worked with thousands of local students before federal funding shortfalls forced the program to pause. Now, program leaders have set new goals for its return. WPTV reporter Christy Waite connected with AmeriCorps Program Director for Martin County Boys and Girls Club, Russell Lamberti. "We want to serve 575 students, and we want to see an increase of 65% growth, and that can be in vocabulary, fluency and grammar," AmeriCorps Program Director Russell Lamberti said. AmeriCorps volunteers will work one-on-one and in small groups with kindergarten through fifth-grade students at four Boys & Girls Club locations, with an emphasis on literacy. For AmeriCorps Volunteer Experience Specialist Abelard Cesar, the mission also has a personal connection. "I am a Haitian American. I learned English at 13 years old, and I had mentors that helped me grow," Cesar said. The Boys & Girls Clubs says the program delivered significant academic results during its previous six-year run. In some cases, as many as eight in 10 participating students moved their reading from Level 1 to Level 4. About the same percentage maintained or improved their English Language Arts grades, according to the organization. The organization said students also showed improvements in literacy rates, assessment scores, school attendance and behavioral patterns. AmeriCorps members' work previously extended beyond the classroom. According to the Boys & Girls Clubs, volunteers completed nearly 50 service projects in Martin County and contributed more than 60,000 hours to community cleanup efforts and other acts of service. The return comes as literacy remains a focus across the county. Earlier this year, the Martin County School District reported that local kindergarten students tied for fourth place statewide in readiness scores and literacy assessments. The AmeriCorps program is part of a broader academic effort by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, which serves more than 1,000 members ages 6 to 18 in its daily programs. The organization also provides after-school academic assistance through certified teachers. Beyond its Clubs, the organization runs or manages several programs serving local children, including Reading Buddies, Character Counts!, career training using virtual reality technology, culinary programs and skilled-trades programs. With AmeriCorps volunteers returning, the Boys & Girls Clubs says it hopes to build on the program's previous results while giving more Martin County students the individual attention and support they need. To read the full article and watch the segment, click here!

Keith Fletcher Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, President & CEO It’s getting closer. We’ll soon swing open the blue doors of the new Hobe Sound Club and invite members to experience the exciting features of an advanced learning environment and the warmth and welcome that makes them feel at home. We recently invited community members to join us in celebrating the topping-off ceremony of the new club coming to the 5-acre parcel at the northwest corner of SE Lares Avenue and SE Edwyn Street. We’re aiming to open in late spring. The 28,142-square-foot building will offer a teen center, a gymnasium with an advanced lighting system, and programming space of nearly 5,000 square feet suited for hands-on, experiential workforce development exposure and training, as well as a commercial kitchen for our culinary team. The grounds surrounding the club will include an expansive garden area, outdoor classroom, soccer field with an 800-square-foot field house and scoreboard that doubles as a screen. The parking lot and dropoff/pickup route are configured to maximize safety and convenience for our members and their families. I’m extremely proud of our staff and design and construction team and very pleased with our experience working with Martin County. This undertaking evoked a different range of emotions than our previous construction project—the Greater Stuart Club spanning 39,000 square feet in East Stuart, which opened in 2024. In that case, we had a blank canvas of 3.6 acres thanks to an agreement with the Martin County School District. Creating the new Hobe Sound Club meant tearing down the facility that had served the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County since the early 1990s. BGCMC started with Peggy Cole and Hays Clark in 1989. They were dedicated to establishing a safe space for young people—especially those from challenging circumstances—to gather, have fun, play sports, make friends and get help with homework. Our inaugural club took up two storefronts in the Winn-Dixie plaza on Bridge Road. Early staff members remember using grocery carts to move books and computers into the building. Its 2,800 square feet accommodated 175 members aged 6 to 18. Thanks to the generosity of the community and fundraisers such as the “Steak & Burger Dinner” at Jupiter Island Club—in which the donors dined on burgers and the kids ate steaks—enough money was raised to move out of the storefront. Spanning 9,500 square feet, the Hobe Sound club on Lares Avenue opened in 1993. The gym was added a few years later. The former site served the community, too, hosting public soccer tournaments, Hobe Sound Chamber breakfasts, gardening demonstrations, even a butterfly release. Fortunately, the future Hobe Sound Club will serve in the same capacity. We’ll make it available for the community to enjoy as much as possible. An article published in The Stuart News on July 4, 1992, quoted Peter Fleischmann, BCGMC’s then executive director, on the kids learning “social skills and educational values that hopefully will stay with them all their lives.” What I find most comforting in revisiting stories of our humble beginnings is how consistent we remain to the spirit that inspired our founding. Across five clubs for 1,000 members in our daily care and more than 10,000 impacted annually through our programming, BGCMC continues to instill values and habits that transform lives. Our core emphasis on citizenship, academics and healthy lifestyles starts early. It’s the throughline in the STEAM courses, gardening activities, art projects, recreational time, even homework help, we offer to our kindergarteners through fifth graders. Even as our middle- and high-schoolers grow and gain access to leadership principles, workforce labs and increased opportunities for responsibility, they’re taught the importance of respecting others, respecting themselves and respecting their choices. It begins in an atmosphere where they’re fully accepted, encouraged, and valued. That commitment—whether kindergartners or high school seniors, whether at the clubs of the past or the future—is always awaiting them on the other side of the blue doors.  To read more, click here!

More than 200 young people from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County got their first taste of tennis on June 30 at The Greater Stuart Club, as the organization hosted its inaugural “First Serve” Experience in partnership with USTA Florida and the USTA Foundation. The event, designed to introduce members in 3rd through 12th grade to the sport in a fun, engaging and accessible environment, brought together participants from all five Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County locations for an afternoon of tennis activities, games and giveaways. Lou Reyes, Athletic Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, was the driving force behind the event, coordinating all five clubs to come together for the day. More than 25 volunteers from the local community helped instruct and encourage participants throughout the afternoon. What made the “First Serve” Experience unique was its approach to showing kids that tennis can be played anywhere. Organizers utilized every available space at the facility to demonstrate that the sport does not require a traditional tennis court to learn and enjoy. Participants rotated through more than 20 stations designed to teach movement, hand-eye coordination, rallying, teamwork and the fundamentals of tennis using age-appropriate games and modified equipment. The afternoon wrapped up with the SWAG Court, where participants put the skills and lessons they learned throughout the day to the test for a chance to win tennis equipment. Every participant also left with a SWAG Bag to encourage continued play and grow their interest in the sport beyond the event. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County became a National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapter this year, joining a network that brings tennis and education programming to underserved communities across the country. The “First Serve” Experience is a reflection of that commitment, removing barriers like access to courts and equipment to ensure every young person has the opportunity to experience the lifelong benefits of tennis. USTA Florida and the USTA Foundation are proud to support initiatives that make tennis accessible, fun and welcoming for young people across the state. The energy and enthusiasm at The Greater Stuart Club was a powerful reminder that when the sport meets kids where they are, the possibilities are limitless. To read the full article, click here.

Keith Fletcher Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, President & CEO Everyone benefits from structure and consistency. Fundamentally, that’s what Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County provides for our more than a thousand members as it’s what’s missing in many of their lives. This is particularly true of the most vulnerable, which the social services industry sometimes refers to as “the disconnected.” “Disconnected” describes young people—aged 16 to 24—who in many cases endured the difficulties of the foster system, come from low-income households, dropped out of school, and got in skirmishes with the law. Introducing them to structure is the beginning of sparing them a spot among society’s most depressing statistics; in fact, it’s often lifesaving. That’s why we’re particularly proud to have obtained a highly sought-after federal grant to launch a program uniquely aimed at permanently and positively altering the trajectory of their lives. YouthBuild, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and Employment and Training Administration, is the latest BGCMC initiative and among our most important. Created with a comprehensive, phased-in approach, YouthBuild serves a total of 66 young people over the course of 40 months. The participants dedicate 40 hours per week to the program. Half of that time goes to their academic education, with the opportunity to earn a high school diploma or equivalent. Our education partners in the process are Indian River State College and Martin County School District’s Stuart Adult Learning Center. Knowing how critical it is for the participants to clear this hurdle, we do everything possible to position them for success. Using our Greater Stuart Club as the meeting place and BGCMC certified teachers as additional support, IRSC Remedial GED instructors will provide lessons as needed. They’ll help participants improve their literacy and math skills, providing small-group academic support and individualized planning so they’re more confident in the classroom. Forty percent of the YouthBuild program is reserved for hands-on construction skills training. This includes up to 150 hours of the National Center for Construction Education and Research’s Introduction to Basic Construction curriculum. Participants can get credentials on aerial lift and forklift operations. In addition to pre-apprenticeship certifications, they can work toward a registered apprenticeship and get experience on active residential construction projects through our partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Martin County. Finally, 10 percent of the program emphasizes leadership development and community service. Many of these young people are natural leaders. Their circumstances and choices may have obscured or distorted this fact, but once invested in and equipped to succeed, they can really shine. The program provides, as needed, additional support services for participants. This included assistance with daycare, transportation, drug or mental health services, mentoring, financial literacy, digital literacy, and more. The structure of YouthBuild continues beyond the active-programming period. There’s a 12-month follow-up phase that assists with employment, apprenticeships and postsecondary job placement. A member of our team will maintain contact with frequent touchpoints, tracking and measuring progress and assisting as needed. BGCMC is honored for the opportunity to deliver to local young people the benefits of this program. Through thoughtful effort and investment, we can all help reengage, reenergize and remake the futures of the once disconnected. That’s how YouthBuild truly lives up to its name: Creating the next generation of builders by first building them up to overcome the obstacles what once held them back. To read the full article, click here!

Keith Fletcher Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, President & CEO AmeriCorps is back and looking for a few good mentors. Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County proudly introduced this acclaimed national service program to our community in 2019. It made a significantly positive impact before federal funding cuts forced a local hiatus. Its return is timely. AmeriCorps members are needed to compose the core of our elementary school literacy program. They’ll provide individualized and small-group support directly with kindergarten through fifth graders at four BGCMC clubs. We don’t have to guess about the benefits of investing focused attention into a child’s reading and comprehension skills. Over a six-year period, AmeriCorps members worked with thousands of local schoolchildren. Literacy rates, English Language Arts grades and assessment scores improved dramatically. Among some cohorts, we saw nearly eight in 10 students elevate their reading from Level 1 to Level 4 with about the same percentage maintaining or improving their ELA grades. Although self-evident, it’s impossible to overstate how drastically literacy rates shape life trajectories. Everything from lifetime earning potential to propensity toward incarceration trace back to literacy rates. We’re happy to echo the good news shared earlier this year by Martin County School District of local kindergarteners tying for fourth place statewide in readiness scores, which include literacy assessments. This is the kind of success that AmeriCorps is uniquely positioned to build upon. AmeriCorps members will experience the joy of creating meaningful connections with our members, contributing to their growth in self-confidence and equipping them for future success. BGCMC AmeriCorps members will also take part in community service projects. Previously, our AmeriCorps members invested nearly 60,000 hours annually in our community and organized nearly 50 service projects. So, what does it take to become an AmeriCorps mentor—besides a lot of energy, eagerness to help, and a heart for those in need? You must be at least 17 years old, pass a national service criminal background check and be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or lawful permanent resident-alien. Benefits, beyond the happiness that accompanies acts of service, include a biweekly living allowance, healthcare insurance, childcare assistance, the chance to receive bonuses for hours completed, and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon completion. Full-time mentors serve 1,700 hours and part-time mentors perform 900 hours. It’s usually a one-year commitment. AmeriCorps traces to bipartisan roots. The national program was inspired by the late President George H.W. Bush’s initiative to renew national service. President Bill Clinton launched the program through the 1993 National Community Service and Trust Act. The members service beings by taking an oath that reads: I will get things done for America – to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities. Faced with apathy, I will take action. Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground. Faced with adversity, I will persevere. I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond. I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done. If this sounds like you, please apply by visiting BGCMartin.org/AmeriCorps or emailing AmeriCorps@bgcmarting.org . To read the full article, click here!

Keith Fletcher Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, President & CEO It’s always nice to see young people in our culinary program learn the value of a hard day’s work. This summer, we got to watch them more fully learn something even more important—the value of kindness and generosity. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County (BGCMC), our culinary program is changing the lives of our members for the better. They’re earning industry certifications, learning employable skills, managing almost every aspect of our food truck, and operating our growing catering operation that even includes managing food service at a local yacht club. They’re also earning a competitive hourly wage. Nearly nine out of 10 BGCMC members qualify for Martin County School District’s free/reduced school lunch program, so the extra money they bring in through this part-time work often helps support their own parents and guardians. Now, thanks to the latest initiative put on by our culinary program, some members realized that no matter how severe their own circumstances, lots of kids in our community carry even heavier burdens. That inspired them to help lighten the loads of others. Food insecurity remains a growing concern across the Treasure Coast. To help alleviate the needs faced in rural areas over the summer, we launched a boxed meal program. It was part of the No Kid Hungry Florida food drive in conjunction with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For seven days a week over 12 weeks, our culinary program created 8,400 boxed breakfasts and lunches for a total of 100,800 meals made and served over the summer. Created in compliance with the state’s nutritional guidelines, the meals consisted of protein, fruits, vegetables, and milk. They were available for free to anyone ages 5 to 18. For a steady period this summer, we dispersed a week’s worth of meals from noon to 1 p.m. Saturdays from Big Mound Park in Indiantown as well as from the Okeechobee Library, as this was a regional effort serving rural areas. The young people in our culinary program cooked the meals at our Greater Stuart Club. They packaged the meals at our Hobe Sound facility. Transported through three trucks, the meals got distributed through our well-organized line operations that enable grab-and-go service to the recipients. As mentioned earlier, the members in our culinary program get paid for the work they do. In fact, a significant portion of our payroll is composed of the wages our members earn through culinary and our additional workforce programs and apprenticeships in the fields of electrical, HVAC, construction and more. But when it comes to staffing the teams to help disburse the food, we depended on volunteers. Thankfully, members of our culinary team stepped up. Many of them have known what it’s like to go hungry. Thanks to the culinary program, they also know the pleasure that comes with making someone a good meal. Thanks to this effort, they experienced the added joy of putting those meals directly in the hands of the people who need them the most. Developing a strong work ethic produces a lot of personal benefits. Developing a desire to help others in need—and the courage to act upon it—produces countless societal and personal benefits.  To read the whole article, click here!

More than 200 young people from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County got their first taste of tennis on June 30 at The Greater Stuart Club, as the organization hosted its inaugural “First Serve” Experience in partnership with USTA Florida and the USTA Foundation. The event, designed to introduce members in 3rd through 12th grade to the sport in a fun, engaging and accessible environment, brought together participants from all five Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County locations for an afternoon of tennis activities, games and giveaways. Lou Reyes, Athletic Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, was the driving force behind the event, coordinating all five clubs to come together for the day. More than 25 volunteers from the local community helped instruct and encourage participants throughout the afternoon. What made the “First Serve” Experience unique was its approach to showing kids that tennis can be played anywhere. Organizers utilized every available space at the facility to demonstrate that the sport does not require a traditional tennis court to learn and enjoy. Participants rotated through more than 20 stations designed to teach movement, hand-eye coordination, rallying, teamwork and the fundamentals of tennis using age-appropriate games and modified equipment. The afternoon wrapped up with the SWAG Court, where participants put the skills and lessons they learned throughout the day to the test for a chance to win tennis equipment. Every participant also left with a SWAG Bag to encourage continued play and grow their interest in the sport beyond the event. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County became a National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapter this year, joining a network that brings tennis and education programming to underserved communities across the country. The “First Serve” Experience is a reflection of that commitment, removing barriers like access to courts and equipment to ensure every young person has the opportunity to experience the lifelong benefits of tennis. USTA Florida and the USTA Foundation are proud to support initiatives that make tennis accessible, fun and welcoming for young people across the state. The energy and enthusiasm at The Greater Stuart Club was a powerful reminder that when the sport meets kids where they are, the possibilities are limitless. To read the full article, click here.

Keith Fletcher Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, President & CEO We’re used to bringing kids to our five clubs. Now we’re bringing our latest “club” directly to them. Through June, we’ve been hosting a kind of popup program at Martin County High School that’s modeled after our Club at Jensen Beach High School. It introduces key facets of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County to a fresh cohort of young people who are at an important stage of their lives. “While the school can help get them academically ready for graduation,” says Lori Vogel, principal of MCHS, “there’s so many things that Boys & Girls Clubs can help with, including testing, resumes, college, jobs and just figuring out what they want to do next.” Nearly 70 ninth- through 12th-graders are in the program from 9 a.m. to noon. BGCMC certified teachers help students looking to improve their performances in math, science, and English. The individualized attention increases accountability measures and overall performances. In fact, we recently assisted in conducting testing for more than 100 seniors who needed to meet final requirements for graduation. But alas, it’s summertime. Everyone deserves a break from schoolwork. Outings and activities are a big part of Club life, so we made sure the Martin County High experience was no different. Every Friday, we’ve gone on field trips to play paintball or visit Dave & Buster’s, Elev8 Fun and Rapids Waterpark. It’s fun, so word is getting out—in the best way possible. “The kids are calling their friends and saying, ‘You need to come here, this is great,’” says Vogel, “which I think is really cool and we’ve been growing all week.” Workforce development is another key part of BGCMC programming. We offer industry certifications, courses, even apprenticeships in such diverse disciplines as drone piloting, coding, fashion design, electrical, HVAC, construction, and more. A centerpiece of our offerings is our culinary program. From our food truck to our growing catering business, the BGCMC culinary program gives participants diverse opportunities to gain marketable job skills and earn a paycheck. At Martin County High School, students get a literal taste of the program. Each day, our culinary team cooks them breakfast and lunch. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, anyone who’s interested in culinary can take part. There’s always more activity during the kitchen those days. By combining academics, fun outings, and jobs training, we’re upholding the core Club principles of academics, good citizenship and nutrition and healthy lifestyles. It’s all possible thanks to our partnerships with the Martin County School Board, the district and principals such as Vogel and Andrew Connolly at Jensen Beach High. We’re excited about the program’s future potential at Martin County High as it contributes to higher graduation rates and more young people pursuing greater goals for their lives. “This program needs to be repeated because it’s helping kids,” says Vogel. “We had to move fast to get this one off the ground. But next year, we’d love to get more job training involved. When we expose them to things through Boys & Girls Clubs and they see what’s out there, they’re like, ‘I’m not just going to work at McDonald’s or Target.’” It was a great beginning and can only get better, says my colleague, Dr. Timothy Aitken. "We're grateful for the opportunity to partner with the leadership of Martin County High School and bring this experience to the students so they can not only get help academically,” says Aitken, “but also experience the acceptance and support of Club culture—discovering more of what they're interested in and capable of achieving." To read the full article and more, click here.

Keith Fletcher Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, President & CEO We can all recall the challenges of early adolescence. The strong desire to fit in and the sting of insecurity when you felt left out. Something as simple as wearing the “wrong” brand of sneakers could easily impact your social standing. But at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County, many of our members would be happy to have ANY brand of sneakers. Coach Steven Binder—founder and CEO of Project New Step Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring confidence, hope and opportunity for undeserved children—is a longtime basketball coach, skills trainer, mentor, and youth advocate. Steven created the foundation after recognizing something simple yet profound: A new pair of sneakers isn’t just a physical necessity; it can lift a child’s spirits, raise their self-esteem and confidence, and increase their sense of belonging. Coach generously volunteers his time at our Hobe Sound Club to teach our members the game he loves. He noticed that many of the kids lacked sneakers suited for running the floor, pivoting, jumping and properly enjoying the game. Some only had off-brand Crocks. Others had shoes so inadequate they resorted to playing in their socks. So, Coach stepped up—in a big way. Marshalling his network of contacts in the athletic sportswear industry, he teamed with his foundation’s outstanding board of directors. Then, with support from dedicated BGCMC donors, he secured nearly 1,500 pairs of shoes for every one of the members in the daily care of our five clubs. To help make the event a lifelong memory, BGCMC staff and his foundation created “Sneaker Celebrations.” They refashioned sections of each club to resemble a sneaker store at the mall. When the kids arrived at their respective clubs after a day at school, they experienced world-class customer service. First, they got measured for their perfect fit. This was a little for show as our team had already secured the ideal size for every child. Still, it was no small task. As any parent of multiple children can attest, kids’ feet grow fast. Imagine trying to get pairs for 1,500 kids. This lifted a significant financial burden off our families. Nearly nine in 10 of our kids hail from households that are economically constrained. Most members qualify for free/reduced lunch. We provide them with a healthy snack and meal daily, two meals a day during the summer, and backpacks full of food staples over the weekend and holidays. Thanks to the kindness of our community, we’re able to help our members with academics, workforce training, job opportunities through our culinary program, specialized vocational training and apprenticeships, and more. Now thanks to Coach Steven and Project New Step, we were able to give them something that’s pretty spectacular—the simple sense of satisfaction that comes with a new pair of cool shoes. Nike Dunks, in case you’re wondering, one of the most popular styles of retro sneakers available right now. Ideal for making sure our members can confidently put their best foot forward. To help make this free sneaker program an annual event, please visit ProjectNewStep.org.