Guadalupe Center of Immokalee: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Through Education

Frequently Asked Questions

Immokalee-At-A Glance

• 50% of families live below the federal poverty guideline.
• 80% of families speak a language other than English at home.
• Approximately 65% of children who start Kindergarten drop out of school before graduating from high school.

Mission of the Guadalupe Center of Immokalee

The mission of the Guadalupe Center is to break the cycle of poverty by providing educational, social, and other support programs and resources. The goal of the Guadalupe Center is to break the cycle of poverty through education, and we do so by focusing on the very young.

Past

• Guadalupe Center of Immokalee was founded in 1982 as a soup kitchen and the oldest programs include the Clothing Room, Shower Program, and Back-To-School Shoe Program, and Thanksgiving in the Park.
• After-School Tutoring Program began in 1990 and Holiday Education Camps started in the early 90’s to provide structured learning activities when school is not in session.
• Day care facilities were added in 1991.
• An energetic group of volunteers raised over $200,000 to remodel a small building and the Preschool was added in 1996.
• The High School Tutor Corps Program began in 1996.

Present

• Annual operating budget of $3.2 M., with 107 employees.
• Serve 300 meals per day.
• Provide clothing to 5,000 people per year.
• Serve 4,000 meals at Thanksgiving-in-the-Park.
• Provides shoes to 500 children in the Back-To-School-Shoe Program.
• Holiday Gift Shop provides 800 families with food, toys, clothing, and other supplies.
• 155 children ages 6 weeks to five years enrolled in the Preschool with 350 on the waiting list.
• After-School Tutoring Program serves 200 children in grades K–2.
• Holiday Education Camp enrolls 250 children, grades K-5 in the summer and 50 during Christmas and Spring breaks.
• Tutor Corps is comprised of 42 high school students who work in the After-School Programs, Holiday Education Camps, and high school Supplemental Education Programs and internships.
• There are more than 40 Tutor Corps Program graduates enrolled in post-secondary education classes and receive scholarships from the Guadalupe Center.
• The new state of the art Morgridge Family Education Building was completed in early 2006. This 17,000 square foot facility enabled the GCI to double its Preschool enrollment to 155 children.

Future

• The original 10,000 square foot Jim Near Building will be razed in the Fall of 2007.
• A capital campaign, “Reaching Out, Changing Lives,” is underway to raise the $10 million necessary to complete this project. To date, we have received nearly all of the $10 M in gifts, pledges, and in-kind donations. The Guadalupe Center earned the prestigious $600,000 Kresge Foundation Grant by reaching $7.9 M in donations by June 2006.
• Construction has begun on the newest addition to the expanding education programs.