WHAT: On Tuesday, September 28, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl LB Derrick Brooks will host a kickoff party at the Ybor City Boys & Girls Club to discuss how club members can earn a space on the "Brooks` Bunch – Africa 2000" trip. The trip, scheduled for next June, will involve Brooks accompanying 15-20 members from the Ybor City, Ponce de Leon and Pine Hills (Orlando) Boys & Girls Clubs on a 10-day tour of Africa.
Beginning next month, Boys & Girls Club members who are interested in earning a spot on the journey will study in-depth Africa`s culture and history during bimonthly workshops held at Ybor City, Ponce de Leon and Pine Hills Boys & Girls Clubs. Participants will be required to complete a variety of assignments that test their knowledge of Africa, and students who earn high grades on their assignments and exhibit good behavior will have the opportunity to take the trip with Brooks.
To coordinate the trip, Brooks is working with the U.S.-Africa Free Enterprise Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that strives to strengthen the economic and educational ties between the United States and Africa. The Foundation focuses on teaching the American public and its school children about Africa`s economic, educational and cultural dimensions.
The "Africa 2000" trip will mark the fourth educational journey made by the BrooksBunch, a group Brooks formed at Tampa's Ponce de Leon Boys & Girls Club four years ago. Past Brooks
Bunch trips have included tours of Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Ft. Lauderdale.
WHEN: The kickoff party will take place on Tuesday, September 28
TIME: The kickoff will take place from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. The Kuumba Dancers, a local African dance troupe, will entertain at 6:45 p.m.
WHERE: Ybor City Boys & Girls Club 2806 15th Street, Tampa, FL, 33605
WHO: Members of the Ybor City, Ponce de Leon and Pine Hills Boys & Girls Clubs who are currently enrolled in 9th – 12th grade are eligible for Brooks` trip.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenny Townley Community Relations Media Coordinator Tampa Bay Buccaneers 813-870-2700, ext. 296