New Image Youth (Website) was launched in 2004 to give children in Parramore a safe place to learn and play and since then, they have grown and now service roughly 120 youth in their after-school and summer programs.
In 2019, the non-profit launched a capital campaign to raise funds to purchase a new and larger space in the neighborhood and move out of its month-to-month contract on a space that it had long outgrown. Fast forward to this week, when it was made public that the Heart of Florida United Way had agreed to invest $1 million and purchase it a new building to support its ongoing after-school and summer programs for Parramore children and teens.
“From the moment I saw the stream of smiling children entering the Center, so excited to see Miss Shanta, each of them hugging her before they grabbed a snack and sat down to do their homework, I knew this place was special. After seeing the wall of graduates – dozens of pictures of students in their caps and gowns who had celebrated high school graduation over the years – I was convinced of the impact New Image Youth Center and Miss Shanta was having on each of these children and the neighborhood. Without a doubt, they needed a new and permanent home. United Way is proud to be a part of their journey.”
– JEFF HAYWARD, PRESIDENT AND CEO, HEART OF FLORIDA UNITED WAY
Renovation work is expected to begin soon on the former Tip Top Grocery building at 446 S. Parramore Avenue [GMap].
“The New Image Youth Center has been able to bring almost 20 years of transformative youth programming to the Parramore community. Now with the stability of having a forever home with the help of Heart of Florida United Way, we are looking forward to providing more services to more youth for the next 20 plus years to come. What a way to show our current generation of children, and our alumni how much the community supports their future.”
– SHANTA BARTON-STUBBS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NEW IMAGE YOUTH CENTER
