Overtown Youth Center Awarded Program Of The Year

By Olivia Guthrie Miami Times Contributor (Overtown Youth Center) (Overtown Youth Center) (Overtown Youth Center), the Miami Times

May 24, 2022

Try to break down the “invisible walls of a community” that limit those within it. That’s how Tina Brown, CEO of Overtown Youth Center (OYC) explains her mission, because she knows that “when you know better, you do better.”

In spite of the many challenges and financial worries families face in Overtown, students at OYC can dream big. That is why the nonprofit community organization took top honors yesterday at The Children’s Trust Champions for Children Awards ceremony as program of the year.

The annual awards are presented by Miami-Dade County’s largest funder of after-school and summer programs, known for its quality standards, results-based programming, and strict reporting and financial requirements. Programs that meet The Children’s Trust’s high benchmarks are intended to deliver results that give children a leg up on the road to success.

OYC was founded in 2003 by local real estate developer Martin Z. Margulies, along with NBA basketball player Alonzo Mourning and his wife, Tracy. The Mournings became the face of the center and champion its efforts.

Children engaging in an activity together at Overtown Youth Center.

(Overtown Youth Center)

Initially designed as a safe haven for children in the neighborhood, almost 20 years later, OYC has expanded far beyond its founders’ imaginations. It currently serves 600 children and youth through its programs and reaches 3,000 families annually through community support services.

Brown has worked at OYC for 17 years. She describes the organization’s goal as hoping to “provide children and families an opportunity to excel in life, as well as mitigate generational cycles of poverty.”

The organization strategically delivers resources to the community to inspire and empower the families who live there.

The center is composed of various programs that focus on select age groups. It also offers a positive parenting program (“triple P”) to “bridge some educational, economic and health gaps ... propelling families for generations to come,” said Brown.

She shared details of the educational supports OYC offers, and made special note of the exposure to arts and sciences that it provides to youth. Program participants are also offered opportunities to tour colleges locally and out of state.

“I am most proud of the exposure opportunities we provide for kids,” Brown said. “I believe that educational support is critical. The exposure opportunities that we provide students are life-changing.”

An Overtown Youth Center staff member passing out school supplies during a pandemic drive-through event.

(Overtown Youth Center)

Raenikqua James is just one of OYC’s many success stories. James, 28, started her journey with OYC when she was in sixth grade. She continued at the center through high school, where OYC helped her obtain a college scholarship. With that help she was able to graduate from FAMU with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, debt free. James is now a member of OYC’s staff, and has been since 2019.

“I am so happy to be back here now, to be able to give back to the kids, as so much was given to me,” she said.

Eleven-year-old fifth grader Eric Natheniel has been in the program five years.

“It’s very fun and educational,” he said. “They play games where you also can learn. It’s one of the best programs I have ever been to.”

During the pandemic, OYC went above and beyond to hold down its struggling community.

“We knew then more than ever that we needed to shift and provide the support that our community needed,” Brown said.

That it did, providing food distributions as well as virtual programs. Staff even conducted wellness checks to make sure families were doing OK.

OYC also made sure that their kids had the technology and internet access they needed to complete virtual learning. The center continued providing after-school programming, albeit modified due to COVID. Staff sent kids home-cooking and science kits that were completed with an instructor over Zoom.

Brown said these efforts were a must “to make sure that our students knew that no matter what the situation was, we were there to support them as educators, as confidants and as a family support team.”

The Children’s Trust’s motto is “all children are our children.” OYC holds a similar sentiment.

“We put our last names on these children. These families are our families,” Brown emphasized.

Bevone Ritchie has worked at The Children’s Trust for 17 years. Now its director of programs, she spoke to The Miami Times about the value OYC brings to the families it serves.

“This is a really great investment that we have with our partnership with Overtown Youth Center, and their approach is just so admirable. It’s not about the programs, it’s more about the families that they serve and being supportive to those families and their needs.”

Ritchie cited OYC’s comprehensive approach that offers additional individualized support for children and families, such as the family-style dinners served to kids during extended hours offered to parents who work late.

“It’s about making sure the individual needs of each child are being addressed,” she said.

All of this and more is why Overtown Youth Center is being celebrated.

“I feel really honored to be getting the program of the year award,” said Brown. “It’s a testament to our work … The community recognizes our work, respects our work, and our partners believe that our work is having a tremendous impact.”

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