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Family Center Seeks Input From Teens

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 21, 2008

BRANDON - The Brandon Family Support & Resource Center is seeking local teens interested in mapping out some summer fun and earning volunteer hours working on other community programs.

Already, the small core of teens launching the program is planning a trip to The Florida Aquarium in Tampa. The group also is tossing around plans for pool parties, bowling outings and trips to Lithia Springs County Park and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

"We want it to grow from this core group, and we want to form some leadership," said Eva Ruiz, outreach coordinator for the center. The Brandon center is at 1277 Kingsway Road, near Windhorst Road, and funded by The Children's Board of Hillsborough County. The teen council meets at the center.

The center, according to its Web site, is part of a national movement seeking to strengthen and empower families and their communities, fostering the development of children, youth and adults. Its free programs emphasize child development, self sufficiency, health and safety.

Teens 13 to 17 are encouraged to join the council, Ruiz said.

"We're going to try to do an activity every two to three months, and in between hold workshops on various topics," she said.

A babysitting certification program is scheduled for July 10, and a finance seminar is in the planning stages.

Nine teens who attended one of the first council meetings recently kept mostly to themselves. Ruiz said she has been working to recruit more members and encourage more interaction.

To find out more about the program, contact the Brandon Family Support & Resource Center at (813) 740-4634.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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