STARS Program
The Success Through Academic and Recreational Support (STARS) Program is the brainchild of former mayor Wilbur C. Smith III. The S.T.A.R.S. Complex located on Edison Avenue in Fort Myers was renamed the Dr. Ann Murphy Knight S.T.A.R.S. Complex on January 5, 2017. Dr. Knight and educator and long-serving member of the Fort Myers City Council, took on juvenile crime in the city and helped improve childhood education. A graduate of Dunbar High School who returned to the city that she loved to teach youth at Franklin Park Elementary, Edgewood Academy, and Caloosa Elementary for over 40 Years. The facility has been serving the Fort Myers community for over 25 years. S.T.A.R.S. an acronym for Success Through Academic and Recreational Support, has been a safe haven and recreational venue for children. The complex offers everything from academic assistance to dance and sports.
The mayor created a partnership between the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the City of Fort Myers, Fort Myers Housing Authority, Lee County School Board, Youth Partner Organizations, and the corporate sector. All these groups have a common denominator: STARS.
