It has been well over a year since Hurricane Irma rocked Southwest Florida’s landscape and left in its path a trail of debris and devastation. We came together as a community, and here in Immokalee and in Everglades City, we can still be seen picking up the pieces of what the storm left behind.

Organizations, such as World Vision, are helping in our relief efforts and making a difference for the children and the teachers in our community. Most recently, World Vision announced an extremely generous grant of $120,000 to benefit schools in Immokalee and Everglades City.

The overall objective of the partnership between World Vision and CCPS is to improve the lives and well-being of children who were impacted by Hurricane Irma or living in the surrounding Immokalee communities. Grant funds will be used to address the following:

• School Uniforms / Clothes / Shoes

• Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Family Needs

• Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) Incentives

• Teacher and Student Recognition

• Retention and Recruitment Activities

• Provide gap funding for students attending iTECH

A total of $15,000 of the grant will be used toward the Migrant “I Dare You!” Awards. These awards, coordinated by the CCPS Migrant Education Program, focus on supporting the needs of our graduating migrant students as they transition to post-secondary education.

“Our partnership with World Vision would not be possible without the Benison Center,” shares Abel Jaimes, Director of Title I for CCPS. “The Benison Center and World Vision have been committed to supporting our local schools recruit and retain the best teachers by helping schools recognize teachers’ work and students’ achievements. They are positively influencing culture in our schools and our community through their donations and ongoing support.”