Moorings Park is an exceptional retirement facility that has a clear mission of social accountability through 
investment directly in the surrounding community. Each year, Moorings Park gives a specific amount of their resources back to the Greater Naples community in the form of grants to local not-for-profits and public health efforts including their support of The Education Foundation of Collier County’s Take Stock in Children Scholarship and Mentoring Program student induction and graduation and also Project Explore Mentoring Program that provides career skills for disabled high school students.
Moorings Park has built a culture of caring generosity for the residents, employees and those in the community that it serves. They are an outstanding example of philanthropy and the board of directors is exemplary in its commitment of helping to support successful aging. The residents and staff are very involved in their community and give so much to the families they serve. “Social accountability is part of the core values set by our Board of Directors. We think it is important to find ways to give back to the great community in which we live.” said Dan Lavender, President/CEO.
Moorings Park is being recognized by Gulfshore Life as the 2011 Outstanding Business in Philanthropy for Collier County.
This past year, Moorings Park hosted events for The Education Foundation of Collier County including the induction ceremony of incoming 8th grade Take Stock in Children students, a graduation ceremony for the graduating 12th graders, as well as the “Get On the Bus” tour for the Corps of Retired Educators. They provided food and welcomed mentors, students and their families to celebrate the student’s accomplishments for the induction ceremony and enabled a half-day educational tour followed by a lunch in their dining room for the Corps of Retired Educators.
Another project that exemplifies their culture of giving is the Project Explore Mentoring Program for high school students with disabilities to work with staff members at Moorings Park and learn a skill that will enable them to become gainfully employed. This partnership with the schools places a teacher on campus with the students to teach them the life skills they need to become valued employees. The families of the students are invited to a celebration each year and the students and their mentors share their stories about helping one another in their daily jobs at Moorings Park. It is an evening that brings pride and tears to everyone who has been involved in helping these young people succeed.
Their impact goes far beyond the work that is done with the thousands of dollars given to organizations each year. They care for people and provide the life experiences and skills that will help young people and provide the life experiences and skills that will help young people become productive citizens in the community. They open their facility and welcome the community to come in and experience their culture of generosity. They change the course of lives each and every day.
Giving back to a community can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. Recent Take Stock in Children 
graduate, Nasha Etienne, who attended an outreach trip to the Dominican Republic last spring, applied that concept to provide aid to those less fortunate. She is part of the Service Learning Group, a Florida Gulf Coast University program that provides opportunities for community involvement. The group spent countless hours fund raising and preparing for a trip to work at a boy’s outreach center over her spring break.
Nasha, who is working to obtain her nursing degree, felt that this experience was a life changing event for her. She wants to remain local upon graduation and is very grateful for her education and for Take Stock in Children which gave her hope for her own future. Nasha credits her success to mentor Carolyn Palumbo, as well as Mrs. Lavern Gaynor of the Dellora A. and Lester J. Norris Foundation who funded her scholarship, and Take Stock in Children Director, Linda Morton.
The students of the Service Learning group began preparing for the trip in September, 2010 under the direction of assistant professor and trip coordinator Ingrid Martinez-Rico, by holding a fund-raising event to earn money for travel expenses and accommodations. The group successfully hosted a Halloween haunted house that they had to promote, obtain vendor donations, set up and operate themselves. The benefit of this hard work not only resulted in a successful event, but taught the group communications skills and team work.
The students worked at a center called Accion Callejera, which means “Street Action”. This group works with boys up to the age of 18, to provide them with job skills, recreation, physiological counseling, and education to protect themselves from abuse. They help them determine a career that interests them and provide job placement. The majority of children at this center, many of whom sleep in the streets, have to work to help provide food for their families, shining shoes to try to earn some income.
The job of the students was to provide recreation, puppet shows, arts and crafts and games for these children, who because of their adult responsibilities, forget that they are still children themselves. Nasha noted that while their hands are rough from the hard work, they still have a tender childlike spirit. “The children have a happiness about them, and despite all their issues, still have hope.” remarked Nasha. “No matter what you go through, without hope, what else do you have? All they want is to be loved and cared for.”
On this last day of the trip as the group was making their preparations to return home, Nasha saw one of the children who had participated in the program who ran up and hugged her, and thanked her for the experience. When asked what he liked best about the program, the boy responded, “You come back every year and show me something different!”
Nasha is especially grateful to Linda Morton, Take Stock in Children Director at The Education Foundation of Collier County. “I have known Mrs. Morton for about seven years now. She has always been the person I can go to with any issue and she always does her best to help me.” says Nasha. “She inspired me to be the best I can be in so many ways. She is a great mentor. With the help of Mrs. Morton, Mrs. Palumbo and Mrs. Gaynor, I am just a few steps closer to reaching my true potential.” We will all benefit from such a kind, dedicated and caring individual among us. Nasha, we can’t wait to see what you accomplish next!
Click here to learn more about Accion Callejera.
for students, families, educators, and the community to work together so every student may succeed.
Every year, in conjunction with the annual If the Shoe Fits event, the Glass Slipper Award is given in honor of women for their
dedication and service to the children of Collier County. Congratulations to the 2011 recipients: Ingrid Aielli, Bunny Brooks, Linda C. Flewelling, Jo O’Reilly and Sandy Waite. Past recipients are Emily K. Bua, Rachel Gutman, Debbi Wallace, Linda Morton, Mary Lynn Hill, Monica Baker, Ally Loos and Kathleen Passidomo.
Save the date for December 6th when these women are honored at the event, presented by Naples Illustrated and hosted by Clive Daniel Home. It’s an evening of good company, fantastic raffle prizes, delicious food, sweets and cocktails (signature Shoetini!). As guests enjoy these indulgences, the evening is all to raise money to support a wonderful cause – the Take Stock in Children scholarship and mentoring program of The Education Foundation.
Tickets are $100 and all proceeds benefit Take Stock in Children. Please click here to purchase tickets online. For more information about the event or Take Stock in Children, please call 643-4755.
Please click here to visit our online auction site to view and bid on If the Shoe Fits auction items!
Help Collier students make great strides toward their future by hosting a 5K walk/run on Saturday, November 19th to benefit the Take Stock in Children Scholarship & Mentoring program. Put on your sneakers and invite others to form a team and participate in this worthy event. All student participants, high school juniors through college, are eligible to win scholarship dollars in prizes and drawings!
Check in for the event starts at 7:30 am. The run starts at 8:30 am at the Collier County School District Admin. Center located at 5775 Osceola Trail (behind Barron Collier High School). The cost is $10 for students, $35 for adults including a free T-shirt if registered by October 14th. Join us for prizes, drawings, food, music, and fun.
Click here to register for the 5K Walk/Run, or call 239-643-4755. Corporate team registration is available for $500 for up to eight runners. Call The Education Foundation for more information.
Or you can participate in the 2K Fun Walk if you’d like to come out and just want to walk for fun and enjoy the company of others in the spirit of education, please email: RSVP@EducationForCollier.org to RSVP.
The 2K Fun Walk is free of charge!
This event is generously sponsored by McDonald’s, The Naples Daily News, Suncoast for Kids Foundation and Collier County Public Schools. The local McDonald’s Owner/Operators, Mike Adams and Tom O’Reilly have actively supported the educational system in Collier County for over thirty years.
“McDonald’s is supporting the Take Stock in Children 5K because it helps in fulfilling our commitment to assist in providing the best educational opportunities for the children of the community. We feel that a quality education in grades K-12 is the foundation for students who desire to go on to college or other post-secondary educational training,” remarked Tom O’Reilly. “We are excited to be a part of an event that not only encourages a healthy and active lifestyle, but also assists in providing scholarship funds for deserving students looking to continue with their education.”
