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Families, Parks and Recreation
Press
Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Heather Allebaugh (407)
246.3423
Victoria Shade (407)
246.4318
Mayor Dyer, Commissioner Lynum, and Magic All-Star
Center Dwight Howard Celebrate the Opening of the
Parramore Kidz Zone Teen Shack
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WHAT: |
Parramore
teens now have a new place to hang out after
school – the PKZ Teen Shack -- complete with a
new photography lab, laptops and videogames. The
new Teen Shack, housed in the Downtown Orlando
Recreation Complex, will be officially opened by
Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard, Mayor Buddy
Dyer and District 5 City Commissioner Daisy
Lynum.
The new Teen Shack is an
initiative of the Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ) to
address the need for older youth in the area to
have a safe space to spend time in during
out-of-school hours. The new center became a
reality due to the generous support of Orlando
Magic Superstar Dwight Howard, who donated
$25,000 to this project as part of winning the
2007-2008 DeVos Community Enrichment Award. Each
year, the Orlando Magic honors a player who has
dedicated his efforts off the court for the
purpose of enhancing others’ lives at the
Orlando Magic Youth Fund Gala. In addition to
receiving the award, the player is granted
$50,000 from the Richard and Helen DeVos
Foundation to donate to the charity of his
choice.
A team of 15 PKZ teens
collaborated on the design, features, and even
rules of conduct for the Teen Shack, a space
that once served as the Orlando Magic’s training
locker room. The resulting space will allow the
youth to spend their time developing photographs
in the photography lab, utilizing
state-of-the-art laptops, or simply hanging out
with their peers playing videogames or watching
movies.
Other PKZ community partner
programs in the Orlando Downtown Recreation
Complex include the City’s open gym, the Center
for Drug-Free Living’s Midnight Basketball, Page
15’s Homework Roomz after-school tutoring, and
Workforce Central Florida’s Youth Employment
Services (YES) program.
Modeled after
the Harlem Children’s Zone, Parramore Kidz Zone
launched by Mayor Dyer in 2006, employs creative
outreach to engage a critical mass of
Parramore’s children and linking them to
positive opportunities, including
pre-kindergarten education, parenting education,
health care, mentoring, tutoring, and
constructive activities when school is out.
Orlando’s NBA franchise since 1989, the
Magic’s mission is to be world champions on and
off the court, delivering legendary moments
every step of the way. Off the court, on an
annual basis the Orlando Magic gives more than
$2 million to the local community and impact an
estimated 75,000 kids each year. The Orlando
Magic is also the developer of the new downtown
Events Center opening in the fall of 2010, and
the facility will be operated by the City of
Orlando and owned by the Central Florida
Community.
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WHO: |
Mayor Buddy
Dyer
District 5 City Commissioner Daisy W.
Lynum
Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard
Orlando Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex
Martins
PKZ Community Partners
PKZ Youth
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WHEN: |
Wednesday,
January 28, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.
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WHERE: |
Orlando
Downtown Recreation Complex
649 W Livingston
Street |
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