The Miami-Dade Boys & Girls Club marked its 80th year this week with its annual Wild About Kids Gala, a black-tie fundraiser for after-school education, mentorship and sports programs across South Florida. The anniversary offers a chance to look at the organization’s local roots and the broader network of youth programs in the county.
President Alex Rodriguez told WSVN that 200,000 children have enrolled in the club over the years, with 6,000 involved every year. He described homework assistance and educational support alongside what he called the club’s “informal mentoring system” with staff.
WSVN also reported on the experience of Summer Annel, a child involved with the organization. She said she enjoys the club, gets help with homework and knows staff check in on her. Her account illustrates the everyday support behind the club’s stated focus on empowering youth, strengthening families and building futures.
A Night of Auctions, Music and a Children's Dance
The station reported that guests at the event heard music and took part in a silent auction. Children performed a dance during the ceremony, bringing the young people served by the organization into the evening’s program.
The gala is one of the club’s signature evening events, held each fall as part of a broader slate of fundraisers, according to Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade. The organization also lists community activities such as holiday gift drives and summer program promotion.
How countywide youth programs are funded
The gala’s private fundraising is separate from the countywide network supported by The Children’s Trust, which says it funds hundreds of community-based programs at more than 2,000 sites, including after-school and summer programs, according to The Children’s Trust. The Trust separately reported that its board approved a $383 million allocation in 2023 to support 143 Miami-Dade after-school and summer camp programs over five years. That public funding allocation is distinct from money raised at the gala, according to The Children’s Trust.
Eight Decades of Local Roots
The Boys and Girls Club has supported children in Miami-Dade for more than eight decades, dating back to when the organization began serving local youth in 1946, Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade notes on its website. Over the years the group has layered on additional traditions, including a golf tournament held in memory of Charles “Bebe” Rebozo that has run since 1967 and a holiday tree sale that has benefited local kids since the 1950s.
Rodriguez credited the Ansin Foundation’s support for helping make the organization’s work possible, according to WSVN. The Ansin Foundation and WSVN are both listed as proud sponsors of the Boys and Girls Club of Miami-Dade.
A Fundraiser That Has Grown Year Over Year
This year's gala continues a pattern of rising fundraising totals for the event. The 15th annual gala in 2023 drew more than 300 supporters and raised over $600,000, while the 16th annual Disco Ball-themed gala in 2024 brought in more than $630,000 and helped hundreds of area youth receive fully paid one-year memberships, according to Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade. Last October, the 17th annual gala at the Loews Coral Gables Hotel drew more than 300 guests for a black-tie evening of cocktails, dinner and dancing and raised more than $700,000, as reported by World Red Eye.
Whatever this year’s total ends up being, the goal is to support South Florida children after the school bell rings through programs that provide education, mentorship and activities. For families like Summer’s, that support is measured less in dollar figures than in the reassurance that someone is watching out for them.
