For two years the local nonprofit Tribe Seminole Heights has been a go-to activity center for kids after school.

From coding to cooking, to music, to Legos, the classes at Tribe are endless and thanks to a major grant the organization will be able to keep the lights on.

What You Need To Know
Grant helping nonprofit Tribe Seminole Heights to keep lights on

Tribe offers a number of educational activities for kids

Over 50 different activities to choose from; classes cost $5 each

Tribe has served over 900 families over the past 2 years
You can just about always find someone doing something at Tribe.

When Spectrum Bay News 9 stopped in, there was a serious game of Foosball happening between eight year old twin brothers Paxton and Jaxson.

Meanwhile, their little brother was in the other room for story time.

“We came in and I fell in love with this place the very first time we arrived,” said Mom Regina Payne.

Regina brings the boys to Tribe 3 to 4 times a week.

“We live in the Gulf Port area so it takes about 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic, but it’s completely worth it,” she said.

It’s a one stop place for children of all ages.

The classes constantly change, they only cost $5 each, and you can drop in and pay as you go.

For Regina, one of the biggest benefits has been the community connection to resources.

“Jaxon and Paxton were both able to get a laptop, a brand new Chromebook and because of that we’ve been able to follow-up on their coding classes,” she said.

From the massive community closet to the classes, everything is donated.

The Carr family just wanted something for their daughter Leiah to do after e-learning.

Soon they found themselves volunteering.

“She loves her classes, she gets to try different things. If she tries something she doesn’t love, she’ll try something else,” said Leiah’s Mom Stephanie.

Building up Tribe has been fun, but it gets expensive.

“Up to this point our organization had not received any funding or grants or sponsorships at all of significance. We’ve really been struggling,” said Director Kristen Brown.

That’s why a recent $30,000 grant from the Lightning’s Community Heroes Program has meant so much.

“We’re really hoping that money will be a launching pad for our future sustainability and success. It’s a huge gift to us, it’s a really big deal, our work is not over,” Brown said.

Over the past two years, Tribe has served more than 900 families.

They offer 50 different activities a week and can be a great place for high school and college students to volunteer.