Coconut Grove Cares

Coconut Grove Cares is a 501c3 non-profit organization that was founded by Elizabeth Virrick in 1948 in Miami, Florida. Ms. Virrick initially began working in Coconut Grove’s West Village to rid the community of outdoor toilets and provide its people with a fundamental human need—indoor plumbing. She dedicated her life to serving the community of Coconut Grove and responding its evolving needs. The Barnyard Community Center was established by Coconut Grove Cares in 1983 to provide low-income children in Coconut Grove – Village West a safe and enriching place to go every day after school and during the summertime. The Barnyard has served as a staple in the community ever since—to this day, the mission at Coconut Grove Cares remains steadfast—we continue to serve the working poor in West Coconut Grove and currently serve over 200 (unduplicated) low-income children as well as their families. Children from the West Grove in grades K-5 come to the Barnyard year-round to receive free afterschool care, summer camp and social services that are crucial to their social and emotional development. Children who attend the Barnyard’s afterschool and summer programs benefit from homework help, tutoring, psychological counseling, literacy intervention, social and cultural think tanks, chess, music, computer lab, art, yoga/mixed marshal arts, field trips, physical education, a robust summertime curriculum designed to prevent summer brain-drain, and so much more. Families rely on the Barnyard for social and legal services, such as housing assistance, job searching and resume assistance, family counseling, and technological support.