Education & Youth Enrichment
Submitted by Crockett Foundation
Mia learned to program robots. Jahkeem’s new coding skills launched a passion for esports. And Bryson’s visit to Bethune-Cookman University inspired him to work on boosting his standardized test scores.
Just imagine what these impressive kids will accomplish when they get to high school.
Mia, Jahkeem and Bryson are among the hundreds of Broward County middle schoolers learning how education can open doors to new possibilities, thanks to the Crockett Foundation.
Launched in 2002, the Crockett Foundation’s after-school programs, summer programs and student trips help middle schoolers improve their grades, learn new skills and foster a positive outlook on life.
It started with two brothers from Pompano Beach – Zack and Henri Crockett – who believed they could help kids facing difficult circumstances use education to achieve a brighter future.
Zack and Henri know what it’s like to grow up in a single-parent household; in a neighborhood struggling with economic disadvantages, lack of health care, high unemployment and other challenges.
Success on the football field propelled Zack and Henri to Florida State University and then the NFL. Now they are giving back to the place they call home through their foundation, which helps kids use education to overcome barriers to success.
The Crockett Foundation offers fun, innovative and inspiring programing to help kids build leadership skills, improve their grades and broaden their horizons.
They help kids set lofty goals, connect with community mentors and learn about career paths they may have never considered possible. Crockett Foundation after-school and summer programs make science and math fun by featuring experimental learning opportunities, such as computer coding and other technologies. Kids learn to build websites, create their own video games and play esports in the Crockett Foundation’s “Innovation Lab.” They try out virtual reality headsets, tinker with robots and put their new coding skills to the test in “hack-a-thon” competitions. The middle schoolers can even take college-level computer science courses and earn certifications through the Crockett Foundation’s collaboration with Broward College.
“We create the environment for these kids to be as innovative and creative as possible,” Henri Crockett said. “Get them to understand … they can be anything they want to be in life.”
Student trips are also a big part of the Crockett Foundation’s mission to expose kids to new opportunities. Each year, the Crockett Foundation takes dozens of middle schoolers – some of whom have never ventured much farther than their zip code – to visit new places so they can open their eyes to new possibilities.
Trips to New York, Atlanta, Washington D.C., the Kennedy Space Center and other destinations include tours of museums, visits to college campuses and conversations with experts in the science and technology fields students have been exploring back home. For many students, this is their first ride on an airplane and their first stay in a hotel.
Support from the Community Foundation of Broward makes these educational trips and other Crockett Foundation experiences possible. The Crockett Foundation’s first grant came in 2010 from the Community Foundation. Since then, more than $540,000 in Community Foundation grants have enabled the Crockett Foundation to expand its engaging programing and to take dozens of students on lifechanging trips each year.
“The Community Foundation has been such a blessing to our kids,” Henri said.
