HOW IT ALL STARTED

The historic 13th Ave Community Center was founded more than 70 years ago by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and legendary educator Dr. Mary McLoed Bethune. Their dream was to provide a facility to help cultivate a solid educational base for learning so that inner city children could realize their full potential.

The Center has touched the lives of thousands of children throughout the 70 years and helped shape and propel the youth in to their destiny as professional athletes, business men and women, and productive individuals who have given back to the community as well as the center.

The 13th Avenue Community Center continues to strengthen not only children, but generations of families, by providing alternatives to children who oftentimes have limited choices.





ABOUT US

The mission of UCC is to “Build Dreams…and… Change Lives”, by continuing in the history of its centers and provide positive, productive environments filled with educational, cultural, recreational, and social opportunities to individual youth, their families, and the entire community, in a safe and supportive setting.


Annually, 1500 at risk youth and their families take advantage of the age- appropriate, developmental programming offered by United Community Centers. The agency’s ultimate goal is to set the stage for academic, social, cultural and recreational benefits that will promote skill development and retention into adulthood.


Many of the neighborhoods within zip codes 34205, 34208 and 34221, have the presence of many negative factors such as poverty, substance abuse, illiteracy, low self-esteem, low neighborhood attachment and transition and mobility. The deficiencies of these neighborhoods and the youth and families that reside within, are impacted by the community based programs of UCC, which are designed to offset the negative with positive alternatives. The one stop approach for meeting the needs of the community, created by partnerships with Manatee Technical Institute , Jobs ETC., Family Resources, The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and the Bradenton Front Porch Council help foster a sense of community revitalization and commitment to achieving self-sufficiency, which in turn promotes healthy families. These partnerships address the needs of Job Skill Training, Adult Basic Education and General Equivalency Diploma preparation, Individual and Group Counseling and English for Speakers of other Languages.