AMIkids president and CEO Mike Thornton first joined the Tampa-based nonprofit more than 30 years ago. He grew up in St. Petersburg and was shaped by the community.
Thornton hopes to have a similar impact for local youth.
The organization, which has a presence in multiple states, works to empower children and adolescents and help them become confident adults. It offers various programs, including out-of-home care options, workforce development and education initiatives and family services.
“My experience in St. Pete was a lot of athletics, a lot of really good people who believed in me,” Thornton explained, “and nurturing relationships with my neighbors and mentors I grew up with.”
This support from family and friends allowed him to excel as a high school and college athlete as well as a professional. Thornton believes all children deserve education and mentorship opportunities.
One of AMIkids’s main initiatives is a floating classroom, which is docked at the organization’s boatyard in St. Petersburg. It’s a collaboration with the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.
Scientists take the young participants out on the water and educate them about the Tampa Bay estuary and the different species that live there. “The kids leave that experience so excited for the opportunity to go on the boat,” Thornton said, “but also to learn more about the environment around them.”
AMIkids also teaches children how to fish, kayak, swim and snorkel. Thornton hopes to continue to expand its marine education program and work with other partners. “We really believe that experiential education is key to getting kids energized about learning and getting them engaged.”
The AMIkids team is currently planning a seagrass initiative, Thornton said. Children and volunteers will have the opportunity to plant seagrass in areas that need to be replenished.
AMIkids students with Enterprise Rent-A-Car volunteers at the 2025 Earth Day beach cleanup at Gandy Beach in St. Petersburg.
Additionally, AMIkids has partnered with the Department of Juvenile Justice and oversees prevention programs.
It works with Manatee, Clay and Hillsborough counties to support middle school and high school students who are having challenges in the classroom – these can range from behavioral to engagement.
“You’re catching those young people early. A lot of them are not even involved in Juvenile Justice,” he explained. “That’s a really exciting program because it’s a lot of young kids and they get a chance to do some really cool hands-on activities.”
Co-founded by Fort Lauderdale-based judge Frank Orlando, AMIkids has been impacting children, teenagers and young adults since 1969.
Orlando had a vision to help troubled youth through educational programming. In partnership with the Florida Atlantic Ocean Science Institute, he gave some students the opportunity to work on a research vessel. This showed the children a different path and helped prevent juvenile detention sentences, according to the organization’s website.
AMIkids, once known as the Associated Marine Institutes, began in Boca Raton and eventually expanded to the Tampa Bay area – including St. Petersburg.
“One of the things that we’ve done, even in the very beginning, was form positive relationships with kids where they have someone that they feel they can talk to,” Thornton said. “A lot of times kids may make impulsive decisions because they just don’t know. They don’t have anyone to talk to to give them guidance.”