TAMPA HEIGHTS, Fla. — For the past 25 years, one organization here in Tampa Heights has been committed to making sure kids in this community have care and resources for a successful future.
The Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association program is free and provides many different programs all year long. The programs include homework help, case management or even helping these kids become entrepreneurs.
It's a resource that connects kids from all backgrounds to the possibility of a bright future.
One of their pride and joys is a community garden.
"So they grew a lot of different things that just get them into the habit of being in the soil," executive director Naya Young said. "And not only the mental, you know, like the benefits of being in the garden. But it's also a way if you wanted to pursue that as an entrepreneur, you could have your own garden where you could sell foods and different things. So it's twofold."
The passion inside this former church that is now the Junior Civic Association is rampant.
The mission of keeping kids safe, connected and involved here all starts with its founder, Lena Young Green.
Green, a voice of the Tampa Heights community, started THJCA to make sure kids' voices are heard, too.
"One of my sayings is community work is not a sprint. It's a marathon with benchmarks along the way," Young Green said. "So you understand that even from the children that are young, they understand that this is what we work with today. But when I get older, I'm still going to need to be a part of this fight to keep my community the way I would like to be."
The number of people who work here may be small, but their mission is mighty and will continue to shine a light on the good in Tampa Heights.
"Our kids don't really have another option. I mean, as far as we know, we're the only free program that's here, we've had a legacy for, like I said, over 25 years," Young Green said. "We're trusted in the community, our kids know that this is a safe place."
