“Where you start doesn’t define where you can go,” actor Mario Lopez told a roomful of business and civic leaders at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tampa Bay’s annual Great Futures Breakfast. Recalling his childhood in San Diego, Lopez’s local club was his second home — and a second family — nearly every day from ages 5 to 15. The 2025 Outstanding Local Club Alumnus honoree Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. couldn’t agree more, having “grown up at the Ybor City club,” pledging, “I won’t forget where I came from.” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister called the Boys & Girls Clubs “a proven model … not just changing lives but saving them.” Board Chair Emeritus Hal Steinbrenner noted the New York Yankees’ 25 years of support while tallying the organization’s reach: over 24,000 children served annually, with 3,000 attending daily at 64 locations in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. Jordan Maxwell, a former Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tampa Bay Youth of the Year, thanked the advocates and mentors of the 100-year-old organization who changed his life’s trajectory. Donations climbed past $1 million during the Dec. 18, 2025, breakfast at TPepin’s Hospitality Centre to fund academic enrichment, life-skills training and character-building programs.
