Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) touches the lives of 3.6 million youth each year. One of the main reasons for the organization’s success in brightening the future of young people is the work of mentors like Willie Cooper.
Willie Cooper has been involved with BGCA for most of his life. His relationship with the organization began in 1968 when as an 11-year-old he was one of the only Black boys to be allowed membership in the Bradenton, Florida, branch of what was then known as the Boys Clubs.
Back then, most local schools in Manatee County, Florida, did not offer sports programs before high school. As a club member, however, Cooper played baseball and basketball, often traveling across the state to compete against other teams. Among Cooper’s mentors at the club was former Major League Baseball player Hal McRae. McCrae, who is from the area, would stop by the club several times per week. Even today, he still drops in occasionally.
The example of mentors like McRae left an impression on Cooper. After he aged out of the club and earned an associate degree in criminal justice, he returned to BGCA, joining Manatee County Clubs as a part-time staff member when he was 24.
Cooper would remain with Manatee County Clubs for the next 40-plus years. Over this time, he did everything from teaching physical education to managing the club’s relationship with the community. More than anything else, the man everyone came to know as “Coop” or “Mr. Cooper” brightened the future of thousands of youth.
It was not only kids and teens who benefited from his guidance; fellow staff members did too. After the organization began accepting women in 1990, Cooper mentored his colleague Marti King, who went on to become the first woman to serve as a program director at Manatee County Clubs. Decades later, she remains grateful for his support.
When Cooper retired from the club in 2023, nearly 250 people attended his retirement party. In January 2024, the mayor of Bradenton declared that the week of February 13 would be known annually in Manatee County as Willie Cooper Week.