After having to nearly shut its doors last summer due to financial difficulties, the Anna Maria Island community center is rebounding.

Things appear to be on an upswing for the center despite the problems, which include the recent loss of its executive director.

In June, the center faced the very real possibility of shutting down due to lack of membership and a difficult economy. Now, just six months later, the center has an influx of resources from generous donors and two new leaders promising to make the facility stronger than ever.

New Executive Director Cindy Thompson and Managing Director Kristin Lessig are working together to put the center on the path to success. The center's previous executive director left for personal reasons.

"At the end of the day, we have to remember that we are a business and we need a sustainable business model," Thompson said. "We need strong financial controls and these are things the board has implemented in their new strategic plan. So we kind of have a blueprint of where to go and where to protect ourselves."

While Thompson handles duties like securing donors and volunteers, Lessig handles internal operations like human resources, payroll and programming.

"I think they have just put a strong management team in place where we can work together to tackle you know both external and internal operations of the community center," Lessig said. "So that we can continue to flourish and move forward."

The duo wants to bring more people into the center by offering more activities for children, in addition to its adult offerings.

The center also is looking to fill about seven more positions on its board.