Sanford natives rally community for youth sports, mentoring weekend

Two Sanford natives are betting that a golf tournament, a celebrity basketball slate and a youth camp can do more than fill a weekend. They are trying to widen the support system around children who need coaching, mentoring and family engagement just as much as they need athletics.

Unity Youth Association, founded in 2006 by Kerry S. Wiggins Sr., Britt Henderson and Clifford Martin, will stage UYA Weekend on June 5 and 6 in Sanford. Wiggins, a lifelong Sanford resident and Seminole High School graduate who serves as city commissioner for District 2, and Henderson built the nonprofit after returning home from college. Angela Wiggins later joined the effort in 2008. The organization now says its mission is to inspire and enable youth to realize their full potential while uplifting the wider community.

The weekend opens Friday, June 5, with the Swing for Unity Golf Tournament at Mayfair Country Club, 3536 Country Club Rd. Registration and check-in run from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., followed by an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. That evening, Seminole High School’s Competition Gym, 2701 Ridgewood Ave., hosts community celebrity basketball games at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Admission is $7 per person, and UYA says community partners, leaders and current and former professional athletes will be part of the event. On Saturday, June 6, UYA’s football and cheer camp begins at 9 a.m. at Seminole High School’s Thomas E. Whigham Stadium, also at 2701 Ridgewood Ave. Campers will receive fundamental skills instruction, a camp shirt, snacks and lunch, along with free entry to Friday night’s basketball game.

UYA says the weekend reflects a broader year-round model built around mentoring, basic sports instruction, camps and one-on-one contact with professional and college players from the past and present. Its tutoring program meets Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is structured around 100% parent involvement, with certified Seminole County Public Schools teachers and support staff. The nonprofit says 85% of participating youth have improved academically, 90% maintain perfect school attendance and 80% show better behavior at home and school. UYA says its main focus is underprivileged and less fortunate youth, but its programs are open to any young person seeking a more productive path.

The work is rooted in a city of 61,051 people, where recent Census Bureau profile data lists a median household income of $69,987 and a 10.8% uninsured rate. Seminole High School’s enrollment of about 3,916 students gives the weekend a broad local reach, especially for families already tied to the campus. UYA also says it partners with the City of Sanford, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and Seminole County Public Schools, and it lists a main office at 401 East 1st Street #99 and a satellite office at FLSPECS, 815 S. French Avenue. In Sanford, the weekend is designed to do more than entertain. It is meant to connect young people with adults who know the city, know the schools and are trying to make sure opportunity reaches them first.