Active Older Adults Program
Adults 55 and older are invited to enjoy our free Active Older Adults program at Gwen Cherry Park and other select Miami-Dade Parks. Activities vary from park to park and may include fitness classes, games, field trips and arts activities. Call 305-694-4889 for the current activity schedule.
Learn-to-Swim
Boys and girls are taught to swim by certified American Red Cross Water Safety Instructors. Various levels of courses are offered for children and adults, plus parent and tots (ages 2-5).
NFL Y.E.T. Program
The National Football League (NFL) Youth Educational Town Center at Gwen Cherry Park in Liberty City is the result of the NFL's commitment to enhance the lives of at-risk youth in cities that host the Super Bowl. Miami-Dade County became the recipient of a Youth Educational Town (Y.E.T.) Center after hosting Super Bowl XXIX.
The third of 15 Y.E.T. centers in the nation and the only NFL Y.E.T. Center in Miami-Dade County, the 27,000 square-foot facility sits on 38.5 acres of Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces land known as Gwen Cherry Park. It cost $3.1 million dollars to build the facility, which was funded by the NFL, the Super Bowl Host Committee of Miami and private funds raised through the United Way. On December 16, 1996, the NFL Y.E.T. Center at Gwen Cherry Park opened to the public.
Each year, more than 700 children use the air-conditioned Y.E.T. Center which has a library and two computer rooms for educational activities and an arts & craft room, a game room, a large multipurpose room, and a 9,000-square-foot gymnasium for cultural, recreational and special events. The facility is complete with seven administrative offices, storage rooms, a kitchen and reception area.
The Community Center Manager
The Center Manager of the facility is Miami-Dade County's administrator of the Y.E.T. Center. This individual is responsible for the center's daily operations, including scheduling programs, assigning usage of rooms, maintaining the facility and ground and speaking at community meetings and functions.
Gwen Cherry Park Foundation
The Gwen Cherry Park Foundation is a group of 6 volunteers appointed to assist the Y.E.T. Center's agencies with fundraising. The funds raised by the Foundation are deposited in the Gwen Cherry Park Foundation's 501c3 and distributed to the agencies as needed. Donations can be given to any of the three non-profit agencies or directly made out to the Gwen Cherry Park Foundation. The foundation will guarantee the funds are used for the best interest of the center and children.
Center Programming
The programming at this Y.E.T Center is unique from all other centers. It is a public/private partnership designed to bring state-of-the-art education and recreational programming to the residents of Miami-Dade County. Under the leadership of Miami-Dade County, two organizations were chosen to each bring a special area of expertise to the center. It was decided that one of the agencies would be public and the other two private.
Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department serves as the public agency while the Miami and Boys & Girls Club of Miami represents the private sector. As the overseer of the center, Miami-Dade County hired a Community Center Manager through its Parks Department to act as its representative. Each agency is responsible for being self-sufficient and able to hire adequate staff to carry out its commitment to the center.
Boys & Girls Club of Miami
The Boys & Girls Club of Miami provides sporting competitions and optimist leagues for both boys and girls. The young people showcase their talents through tackle football, cheerleading, dance basketball, soccer, baseball, T-ball and softball.
Contact Bernard Summerall at 786-991-8514 or [email protected]
