Cooper Street Recreation Center “The Rec”
Cooper Street Recreation Center is a multi-generational center located in the Punta Gorda Historic District and serving Charlotte County. It has been at the center of community life for five decades. Our mission is to build relationships that support, celebrate, and strengthen the community through providing social, cultural, historical, and education opportunities to community members of all ages.
Some historic pictures of Cooper Street Recreation Center:
Partnership with the Blanchard House Museum
Cooper Street Recreation Center and the Blanchard House Museum of African American History have partnered to create the Blanchard House Museum African American Research Library & Creative Writing Center.
Partnership with the YMCA
Cooper Street Recreation Center and YMCA of Southwest Florida have partnered to increase Youth Development Services in Charlotte County. YMCA operates the Before- and After- school program at Cooper Street Recreation Center.
Partnership with the SBDC @ FGCU
To expand the resource and training offerings provided by Cooper Street Recreation Center’s Education & Career Outreach Center, Cooper Street Recreation Center has partnered with the Small Business Development Center at Florida Gulf Coast University to promote entrepreneurship among our residents and to assist area small business clients to assist them with development, planning, growth, marketing, capital-access needs, and more. This follows in the legacy of Punta Gorda’s Historic Cochran Street Business District, known affectionately as “Down the Street”.