Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties’ award-winning STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Leadership Training Program and PYE (Perlman-Price Young Entrepreneurs) Program have recently graduated 22 local high-school teens. STAR stands for Students Taking Active Roles; this fall, STAR students secured non-perishable donations from local organizations and distributed these items, in partnership with Harvest House, to those in our community facing hunger and homelessness. Teens who graduated from the STAR program include Aiden N., Pine View School; Ciara P., Sarasota High School; Daria T., Pine View School; Fabian O., Sarasota High School; Grace S., Cardinal Mooney; Laura M., Riverview High School; Lynn Y., Southeast High School; Makaela W., Suncoast Polytechnical High School; Miya O., Sarasota High School; Mykayla G., Booker High School; Nazaria D., Sarasota High School; Nia W., Booker High School; and Serenity F., Sarasota High School.

The Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs (PYE) Program introduces participants to the principles of entrepreneurship. In doing so, students learn how to identify and research a business opportunity, write a business plan, and, finally, pitch their plan to leaders from the community in order to compete for start-up funding for their business or nonprofit opportunity. Fall 2021 Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs (PYE) Program participants include Alan R., Sarasota High School; Aundrayah M., Booker High School; Bernadette N., Riverview High School; Dani I., Riverview High School; Ella S., Venice High School; Jose A., Booker High School; Pranav M., Pine View School; Ryan P., Riverview High School; and Yazmin S., Riverview High School.