Our History & What We've Accomplished
A Short, But Very Productive Seven Year History: When we founded Grace Place in June 2004, we knew the Golden Gate community had great needs – and two years later it was identified by the Naples Children and Education Foundation study on Child Well-Being in Collier County, as "the highest pocket of need in all of Collier County”(outside of Immokalee).
Our work in the Golden Gate community could not exist without solid financial backing. The Board of Directors of Grace Place has intentionally established a strong financial foundation. Grace Place does not receive any government funding but relies on a broad base of community support including individual supporters, private foundations and philanthropic donors, business and corporate support, community and civic organizations, local charity events, and church partners.
- Over 95% of the families we serve live at or near the federal poverty threshold ($22,050 for a family of four).
- For 95% of the children, English is not the primary language spoken in the home.
- Almost 600 individuals (over 330 children) are enrolled in on-going classes each week.
- Our Bright Beginningschildren are entering Head Start, VPK, and Kindergarten with improved School Readiness scoreswhich will impact their academic success for years to come.
- Our local Golden Gate elementary schools have recognized the academic improvementof our students and the positive impactthey make in their schools.
- Our Program for Middle School Students is providing essential academic and mentoring support during these critical years as well as exposing these students to essential technologyskills and career explorationfield trips.
- Our High School Tutor Corpsand our Career Path Success Academyprograms are training students in employment, leadership skills, and college-prep skills.
- Our Adult ELL studentshave achieved educational, employment, and citizenship goals.
- Our Food Pantry met the emergency food needs for over 200 families each week (over 1500 families this year).
- Grace Place is accomplishing collaborative work with other key organizations, providing leadership, and has been recognized as making animpact on our greater Naples community:
- Grace Place is a United Way of Collier County Partner Agency
- We work with community partners including The Community Foundation of Collier, Leadership Collier Foundation of the Chamber of Commerce, the Education Foundation of Collier, and many others.
- We have over 200 community volunteers who teach, tutor and assist in programs monthly.
- Twenty-one ecumenical churches, several businesses, a number of foundations, and many civic, neighborhood, community and service clubs and organizationsare supporters and partners in the work we do.
- Grace Place purchased our campus (5 acres and two existing buildings) in the heart of Golden Gate in September of 2010. A major renovationof the Sanctuary building is being accomplished in the Fall of 2011. Future plansinclude a complete site development and a new classroom and media center.
Our work in the Golden Gate community could not exist without solid financial backing. The Board of Directors of Grace Place has intentionally established a strong financial foundation. Grace Place does not receive any government funding but relies on a broad base of community support including individual supporters, private foundations and philanthropic donors, business and corporate support, community and civic organizations, local charity events, and church partners.
