 NAPLES, FL (October 12, 2018) – The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Collier County Commissioners selected The Immokalee Foundation as the Business of the Month for October 2018.
Each month, the award is presented to an organization that has enhanced the community through financial, volunteer and active involvement in organizations and programs that assist in creating a better quality of life for all citizens in Collier County. Since its inception in 1991, The Immokalee Foundation's mission has been building pathways to success for the children of Immokalee by emphasizing education, vocation and life skills. The Immokalee Foundation now serves approximately 1,300 Immokalee students each year and matches area volunteers as mentors to its students. The Board of Collier County Commissioners and Bethany Sawyer, director of membership, Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, presented Noemi Perez, executive director, Immokalee Foundation, with a commemorative plaque at the October 9, 2018 County Commission meeting. Community Enhancement Activities The Immokalee Foundation annually commits more than $4,000,000 into the Immokalee community to enhance educational opportunities for the students residing therein. These funds also provide post-secondary scholarships to these students to help eliminate the financial barrier of a college or vocational education, enabling them to gain professional employment upon graduation. An integral part of accomplishing The Immokalee Foundation’s mission is building bridges between residents of Naples and the children and families of Immokalee. The Immokalee Foundation’s and its students’ successes are intertwined with the generosity of our volunteers and benefactors from Naples. Without the support of the greater Naples community, the programming of The Immokalee Foundation would not be possible. In fact, most of the foundation’s 140 volunteers who serve as mentors are from Naples. This is an extremely important volunteer function because Take Stock in Children scholarships, administered by The Immokalee Foundation, can only be awarded to students who are matched with a mentor. Through the program 100 percent of its students graduate from high school and enroll in college or a vocational program. Of those students, 84 percent graduate from a post-secondary program. Thanks to The Immokalee Foundation’s programs, graduates become skilled and qualified professionals, the majority of whom return to serve as part of the workforce in Collier County.
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