She credits one bright learning room with getting her to college — now Florida kids are getting two more

Jaynise did her homework at her local Boys & Girls Club in central Florida, in a Panda Cares Center of Hope — a dedicated learning room with homework help, tutors and activities designed to make studying feel enjoyable. She credits it with keeping her on track in school, and she is now at Rollins College on a Panda Cares scholarship. Today that kind of room is multiplying: Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Panda Cares Foundation announced two more Centers of Hope for Florida — one in Hollywood, opening October 26, and one in Orlando — taking the state's total to nine. Each new center comes with a $45,000 grant to refresh the room and run its programs. Since 2020, the partnership has put more than $500,000 into Florida clubs, reaching more than 10,000 young people — and nationwide it has funded 209 centers, reaching more than 1.7 million kids. It matters because Florida students are still catching up from pandemic-era learning loss, and clubs say 86% of their young members are on track to graduate on time.