Rotary Club seeks kids for new monthly club

Once upon a time, there were enough children on Longboat Key to fill a summer camp and have a Little League at Bayfront Park.

But the Longboat Key Town Commission agreed to cancel the camp in 2007 due to declining participation. It’s been at least five years since a Little League has played at Bayfront Park.

Resident Janet Shapiro remembers how the summer camp and Little League gave her son, Jeffrey, now 25, the chance to meet other children who lived on the island.

Shapiro and fellow members of the Rotary Club of Longboat Key hope to give the next generation of Longboat Key kids that same opportunity.

The Rotary Club is starting a Kids Club for all Longboat Key children ages 6 to 12 that will meet for two hours one Friday afternoon each month. The first get-together is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. March 27, at Bayfront Park Recreation Center.

Shapiro, who taught for 42 years in the New York City and Sarasota County school systems, said that Longboat Key children often don’t get to know each other because elementary school children in public school systems attend Anna Maria Elementary if they live on the north end and Southside Elementary if they live on the south end. Many others attend private schools, such as St. Stephen’s Episcopal School andd the Out-of-Door Academy.

“There are at least four or five different places to be going to school if you live on Longboat Key, so you might not know the other kids on Longboat Key,” Shapiro said.

All volunteers who help out at the Kids Club will be screened by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

The first gathering will feature crafts, games and light refreshments. Parents are invited to attend or drop off their children after registering them.

Join the Kids Club
Who: Longboat Key children ages 6 to 12

What: The first gathering will feature games, crafts and light refreshments.

When: 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, March 27

Where: Bayfront Park Recreation Center, 4052 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Why: The new group will allow the island’s children the opportunity to get to know each other.

RSVP REQUESTED: Email Janet Shapiro at [email protected].