OUR MISSION
The mission of the Gwen Cherry Park Foundation is to serve as the advocacy and fundraising arm of the NFL YET Center and Gwen Cherry Park. It is our goal to fully fund an endowment to guarantee adequate funding – in perpetuity – to support the academic, athletic, cultural, social and health programs at Gwen Cherry Park.
NFL Youth Education Town (YET)
Under the leadership of H. T. Smith – and with critical support form Dean Colson, Hank Adorno and the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee – a $1 million Legacy Grant was secured form the National Football League to serve as seed capital to build the $5 million NFL Youth Education Town (YET) at Gwen Cherry Park. The additional funds were raised from local businesses. The YET Center was built with private funds, on time and within budget. On December 16, 1996, the YET Center was donated to the Miami Dade County Parks Department. This 27,000 sq. ft. building includes a 9,000 sq. ft. air-conditioned gymnasium, a library, a music and media studio, a computer room, two classrooms, a game room, and a full kitchen. This state-of-the-art facility is located on the 38 acre Gwen Cherry Park.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PARKS DEPARTMENT
Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department is the largest park system in the United States. The Department is responsible for the general facility operations and management of the NFL YET Center at Gwen Cherry Park. It seeks to provide quality programs to the youth and their families who attend the center and provide professional staffing and well-maintained facilities.
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF Miami-Dade County
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade provide sporting competition and optimist leagues for boys and girls activities such as contact and flag football, cheerleading, tennis, track, basketball, and baseball. All youth optimist sports provided by Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami serve both boys and girls ages 5-14. These programs allow youngsters to display their talent and team sportsmanship.
