YMCA Cooper Street Beautification
By Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director
The Cooper Street Recreation Center has been at the heart of its community for over five decades on Mary Street in Punta Gorda. In fact, if you look at the photo mural in our UWCC office, a Day of Caring project from nearly ten years ago showcases happy painters at Cooper Street sprucing it up.
Involving the community to prepare for new projects and services for the community at Cooper Street was a long-held dream of mine. That dream came true this past weekend. Along with 20 volunteers from YMCA Southwest Florida, Punta Gorda Airport, United Way Charlotte County (UWCC), and individual community members, the beautification dream was realized with incredible results.
Day of Caring is a hallmark of the work local United Ways use to mobilize their communities. Honestly, since the pandemic it has been hard to get back into the routine of scheduling these rewarding days of service. I am happy to say --- we are back and ready to take on projects for our local nonprofit partners.
At Cooper Street, volunteers started with painting, cleaning and organizing a couple of rooms inside of the Rec Center. Several volunteers were working outside in the flower beds, weeding, raking, mulching and planting. After several hours, the progress was transformational. I left that day feeling incredibly grateful for the experience and thrilled for future opportunities at this important community anchor. The spirit of goodwill was palpable and evident in each person.
Kim Amontree, Charlotte County School Board member and YMCA Southwest Florida Board member rolled up her sleeves and joined us for this project. She reminded me that the building was originally built in 1960’s in the days of segregation. Kim stated, “This project was such a wonderful way to recognize the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by Shannon Matthews, COO, YMCA Southwest Florida, “This is what service is all about on Martin Luther King weekend. Truly, magic happens when two great entities can come together like the YMCA and UWCC.”
YMCA Cooper Street Board Chair Dr. Paul Curtis was seen everywhere- painting, mulching and cleaning. He shared, “This is what collaboration looks like. You can see where you’re going, and the community can see the beautification of this space.”
My personal hope is that the community surrounding Cooper Street feels the love and knows we are here to serve. It was awe-inspiring to walk into those rooms, marvel at how large the space is, and realize the potential it holds.
A significant thank-you goes out to the team at Punta Gorda Airport, always willing to lend a hand. Whenever UWCC offers give-back opportunities like this, they are the first to step up with volunteers. Bless you all!
Another exciting development is that free tax preparation assistance will soon be provided at YMCA Cooper Street, one of two sites hosted by UWCC in Charlotte County. In just a few weeks, our citizens will be served by smiling volunteers through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. To schedule a tax appointment, please call: 941-421-7100.
The volunteers that day couldn’t get to all the projects, but future Day of Caring events will continue the work. Would you like to join us for our next Day of Caring project? Please visit unitedwayccfl.org/CooperStreet for more information.
For more information about United Way of Charlotte County’s mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty, please contact Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org or 941-627-3539.