Summit donated $75,000 to significantly impact the lives of youth who attend the Baxter E. Luther Boys & Girls Club following our growing partnership with BGCNF through a recent renovation and expansion.
Boys & Girls Clubs offers care and learning environments for our city’s youth that are critically important to the future of Jacksonville. After completion of the expansion project, we felt that in order to truly set the Club up for success with their newly acquired space, it made sense to also give them a head start on funding the additional resources they will now have room for.
Expanding the Baxter E. Luther Club embodies our commitment to empower all young people to reach their full potential. While construction is at an all-time high, Summit took the time to not only complete our project but also to invest in our ongoing services to local youth, which I believe is a testament to their love for our community and its families.
The Baxter E. Luther Boys & Girls Club renovation and expansion includes the enclosure of an existing 6,000 SF basketball court into a gymnasium; a 1,020 SF addition to the gymnasium to include an office and restrooms; a 2,000 SF expansion of the main Club building to include a new teen room, computer lab, arts and crafts room, and expanded central game room. The renovation also provided space for a dedicated STEM/robotics room and a recording studio.
Summit is honored to have been given the opportunity to turn the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida’s vision of an expanded campus for the Baxter E. Luther location into a reality. With the help of our enthusiastic and generous Subcontractors, whose support on this project was overwhelming to say the least, we feel that we have been able to make a truly defining impact on the Club’s current students as well as the additional students it will now be able to serve. Playing a role in the improvement of our community continues to be an integral part of Summit’s culture, and we can think of no better way to contribute than by supporting the future success of our city’s youth.
Originally known as the Woodland Acres Boys & Girls Club, the Baxter E. Luther Boys & Girls Club was renamed to honor the legacy of its founder, the late Baxter E. Luther. Gripped by the need and poverty he witnessed among many Arlington families, Mr. Luther and other members of the former “Optimist Club” purchased land in Arlington and in 1972 established the Woodland Acres Boys’ Club. Today, the Baxter E. Luther Boys & Girls Club remains one of Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida’s earliest charters in Jacksonville.
Today, the Baxter E. Luther Boys & Girls Club provides Arlington area youth, ages 6-18, with a safe place to go after school to complete homework, have fun, reach their full potential and has been doing so for over 45 years.
With over 50 years serving the Jacksonville Community, Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida was chartered on July 23, 1962. Today, Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida has expanded to 28 Clubs across Northeast Florida, serving over 2,800 Club members every weekday in Duval, St. Johns County and Alachua counties. For more information about Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, visit: www.bgcnf.org