The Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County celebrated the opening of the Smith & Moore Family Teen Center in March 2021 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The facility is located in Belle Glades, Florida.

The new Family Teen Center, which was built with financing through Florida Community Loan Fund’s New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program, will reach 1,200 annually in a highly distressed, low-income area with a poverty rate of 51%. The Family Teen Center includes high-tech amenities such as a robotics lab, technology center, makers’ space, digital media center, sound studio, and culinary kitchen. This is the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s first career readiness center with a goal to create other teen centers throughout the county. Programs at the facility can be a game changer for youth in the Glades area by ensuring club members graduate on time and with a plan for a post-secondary degree.

“As the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County celebrates our 50th year of service and the Smith & Moore Family Teen Center’s success, our vision is to continue to expand our career bound program which promotes and supports ‘on time’ high school graduation with a plan for the future,” said President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Jaene Miranda. “Our hope is to deliver dedicated ‘career incubator’ space at all Clubs that will allow teens to immerse themselves in high-growth industries through project-based learning and internships.”

FCLF provided $8.4 million in federal NMTCs for the Smith & Moore Family Teen Center. The investor is US Bank CDC. This transaction was completed in April 2019.

Learn more about FCLF and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County here.

Learn more about the ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s website here.

Pictured above, the Smith & Moore Family Teen Center. Below, the Robotics Lab at the center, and the ribbon cutting.