AMIkids

AMIkids is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help young people discover their true potential. Its offices are at 5915 Benjamin Center Drive in Tampa.

The organization traces its roots to 1969, when Judge Frank Orlando, Chief Juvenile Court Judge in Fort Lauderdale, believed young people needed mentors, opportunities and support instead of incarceration. Together with his friend Bob Rosof, then director of the Florida Atlantic Ocean Science Institute (FAOSI), he sent boys to work aboard a FAOSI research vessel as an alternative to juvenile detention.

The effort started in Boca Raton and later grew into Tampa, St. Petersburg and Jacksonville, becoming the Associated Marine Institutes (AMI). In 2009 the name changed to AMIkids to match its wider mission. Today it is a national nonprofit that has worked with more than 172,000 young people.

AMIkids combines education, workforce development, treatment, and behavior and skills training. Its services fall into four groups: community-based programs, residential programs, program enhancements and service coordination, including regional coordination for the Department of Juvenile Justice. Experiential education and adventure are central to its approach.

Supporters can donate, volunteer, become partners, hire AMIkids youth or contribute through the Marine Apprenticeship, Seagrass Restoration and yacht donation programs.