Across Eastern Collier County, rapid population growth is creating a widening gap in opportunities for children and families. From the Golden Gate Estates corridor to the fast-growing Ave Maria area, thousands of working families are moving in, but large, covered indoor spaces for after-school programs, summer camps, and youth sports are noticeably absent.
“This is where families are moving,” says Sports CLUB CEO Lane Beatty. “And while stores and businesses are arriving, facilities that support children simply aren’t keeping pace.”
To meet this urgent need, Sports CLUB, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has launched a capital campaign to develop a new Sports CLUB Complex in Ave Maria. This facility will serve as a regional hub for after-school programs, summer camps, youth leagues, and essential enrichment opportunities. Children from nearby Immokalee will also be transported to participate in Sports CLUB’s proven K6 Sports programming and summer camp activities.
Yet another gap has become clear: philanthropic support has not yet matched the pace of growth in Eastern Collier County. “We’re asking the philanthropic community to look ahead, to shift some focus this year, so we can build the place that makes future programs possible,” Beatty explains.
Before after-school programs can expand, before summer camps can serve hundreds more children, before youth sports leagues can take root, the space must exist. “You need the place before you can have the programs,” Beatty adds. “This is the year that place can become real.”
This urgency in bridging need gaps is not new for Sports CLUB. For more than 25 years, Beatty has focused on one guiding principle: when gaps in opportunity appear for children, someone must step forward to close them. In 1999, after seeing a lack of engagement and fun in after school programs, he created the Sports CLUB program built on variety, choice, and fun. In 2009, he saw a need for better over instruction in youth sports and launched K6 Sports, ensuring every child receives consistent, high-quality coaching and mentorship. And in 2012, Sports CLUB transformed the former Progressive Gymnastics property into a centralized headquarters and indoor hub for after-school, summer camps, youth leagues, gymnastics and a dependable place where families could take their children during school breaks.
For more than two decades, Sports CLUB has proven that addressing gaps early helps children thrive. Eastern Collier County now stands at the beginning of that same story. With forward-looking philanthropy, the next bridge can be built, closing gaps before needs go unmet.
To learn more about Sports CLUB and become involved/donate to the campaign, please email info@sportsclubnaples.org or call/text 239-290-3430. You can also follow Sports CLUB on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube