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.

Privacy Policy

The Guadalupe Center will not sell, trade, or share a donor’s personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations. 

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 over 250 meals per day.
• Provide clothing to 6,000 people per year.
• Serve over 3,500 meals at Thanksgiving-in-the-Park.
• Provides shoes to over 300 children in the Back-To-School-Shoe Program.
• Holiday Gift Shop provides hundreds of families with food, toys, clothing, and other supplies.
• Over 200 children, ages 6 weeks to five years, are enrolled in the Preschool with 350 on the waiting list.
• After-School Tutoring Program serves about 400 children in grades K–2.
• Summer Education Camp enrolls 300 children in grades K-5.
• Tutor Corps is comprised of 50 high school students who work in the After-School Programs, Summer Education Camps, and high school Supplemental Education Programs and internships.
• There are more than 60 Tutor Corps Program graduates enrolled in post-secondary education classes and receive scholarships from the Guadalupe Center.

Future

• Our educational programs will continue to expand and families will continue to be changed forever as we move forth in our mission to "break the cycle of poverty through education."