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Boys & Girls Clubs Workforce Readiness Teens Build Benches for Local Veterans Nursing Home

FORT PIERCE, FL: On Wednesday, March 15th, eight Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County Workforce Readiness teens worked alongside Florida’s Carpenters Regional Council to build three park benches, one of which will be donated to Ardie R. Copas State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Tradition. The partnership focused on teaching Club members valuable trade skills while keeping community service at the core of their mission.

Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County’s Workforce Readiness program focuses on providing youth with opportunities for professional development and career exploration to help them later navigate the workforce. Partnerships with organizations such as the Florida’s Carpenters Regional Council introduces teens to the world of trade careers and teaches basic skills that can be applied to a variety of career paths.

For this project, Club teens were taught how to safely use available tools, work effectively as a team, and how these skills can be applied to other trades. They did all of this with one goal in mind – to give back to our community.

“At our Clubs, we strive to equip every young person with the skills they need to create great futures,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County CEO Will Armstead. “Often, that includes introducing teens to different careers such as skilled trade careers that they wouldn’t initially think to explore. We are proud to offer these kinds of opportunities and work with such great local organizations to do so.”

Before getting to work, each teen was equipped with their very own hard hat, safety glasses, gloves, and work belt courtesy of Florida Power & Light. “These young people are the only next generation we’ve got, and we want to ensure that they are ready to take on whatever comes next for them after their time in our Clubs,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County Director of Workforce Readiness Sean Mitchell. “We work really hard to make sure that all industries and career paths are represented in our programming and will continue to work with trade organizations to grow our teens.”

Boys & Girls Clubs serve youth ages 6-18, with workforce readiness programs available to teens ages 13 and up. To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County, the Workforce Readiness program, or the partnership with Florida’s Carpenters Regional Council, click here.