Movers and Shakers: President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County Announces Retirement

Pictured: Carl Weeks and BGC Manatee 2013    Youth of the Year Edonya Timmons

BRADENTON – For Carl Weeks, 42 is a magic number. That's how long he's dedicated his life to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County, and that's the number that Jackie Robinson wore.

With that baseball metaphor, Weeks today announced his retirement as President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County, effective August 31, 2013. 

"Forty two is a good number," said Weeks, an avid baseball fan and card collector. "It's been a blessed 42 years to be with the same organization and to positively impact the lives of children."

His history with the organization actually began in 1956 when he became a Club Member at the age of 8. In his early teens, he received 37 cents an hour to umpire baseball games. Little did he know that he would work for the organization for more than four decades and finish his career as its leader. 

“The Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County has experienced tremendous success under the leadership of Carl Weeks,” said Mike Moschella, Chairman of the Board for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County. “He truly believes in the mission of bringing hope and opportunity to every child in our community. He has worked every day to make this happen. It is rare that an individual has this amount of passion and commitment to their work and to their community. He has ensured that the slogan ‘Great Futures Start Here’ applies to Manatee County and all of our young people.”

Melton Little, a Boys & Girls Club alumnus and partner at Kallins & Little, P.A., represents so many young people who have walked through the doors where Weeks worked.  “There are those few people who you meet in the course of your life that set your moral compass and point you in the right direction. For me, one of those people is Carl Weeks.  As a boy, I looked up to, admired and listened to him. As a man, I realized that he was actually one of my heroes. No one person has done more, given more of himself or dedicated more of his life to children in Manatee County than Carl Weeks. I can't imagine that will change in retirement.”

Actually, Weeks doesn’t see himself as retiring. “I have a Honey-Do list that won’t quit,” he said. He also wants more time with his grandchildren and would like to get back into coaching. He said he’ll keep the door open, should opportunity come knocking.

Florida House Representative, Jim Boyd, touched on the reach of Weeks’ contributions by saying, “Carl will truly be missed as he has been a visionary leader and face of our Boys & Girls Clubs for so long. But he can retire and relax knowing he has made a positive difference in countless young boys and girls lives in not only our community, but across our great state.”

Looking ahead, Moschella said, “As we celebrate Carl’s retirement the future looks very bright for our organization. A solid foundation has been established, on which, it is now our responsibility to build upon. The Board of Directors has initiated a national search to find the best individual to help us carry on the work started here so many years ago by community leaders with the vision to see that our future begins with our youth.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County serves over 6,000 youths at seven locations (Daughtrey Elementary, Harllee Middle School, Johnson Middle School, Southeast High School, Bradenton, DeSoto and Palmetto Clubs). For more information, call 761-2582 or visit www.bgcmanatee.org.