Inspiring Words from a Bright Beginning Student Eba's Speech at our 2024 Hearts of Grace Hello, my name is Eba. I was born in Texas, but I grew up in Mexico. When I moved to the United States in 2005, I realized the importance of learning English to communicate, and it became my primary focus [...]
Four Year Olds Visit Kindergarten As the academic year draws to a close, Grace Place organized a special outing for our four-year-olds, providing them with an exciting glimpse into their future kindergarten experience. Accompanied by teachers and staff, the children embarked on a journey to Golden Terrace Elementary School. This field trip aimed to familiarize [...]
Grace Place Awards Four Full-ride Scholarships Thanks to our wonderful donors, Grace Place is thrilled to once again award full-ride Florida scholarships to four deserving students. Congratulations to Marisol, Sofia, Ilse, and Laury! These scholarships will pave the way for their bright futures as they embark on their college journey this fall. Marisol L. [...]
Swinging Success: Grace Place Golf Tournament Raises Over $490,000 Grace Place for Children and Families is thrilled to announce the success of its annual golf tournament, A Swing of Grace, held at Bonita Bay Golf Club on May 7, 2024. With the generous support of sponsors, participants, and donors, the event surpassed all expectations, raising [...]
Grace Place hosts inaugural Young Authors’ Festival Grace Place’s first-ever Young Authors’ Festival proved to be a setting where imagination had no bounds. Students in grades 3-5 authored and illustrated their own unique stories in preparation for the celebration where community partners, professional authors, volunteers, and friends joined together in their love for books. Kicking [...]
Cookies and Conversation A Recipe for English Language Learning Success Learning a new language can be a challenging journey, filled with the ups and downs of mastering pronunciation and grammar. Recently, 34 Bright Beginnings student parents participated in “Cookies and Conversation” with English-speaking staff members, donors, and volunteers - offering them a valuable opportunity to [...]
Leading the Path to Citizenship from the Front Clay Jones Clay Jones - veteran fighter pilot, retired CEO and Fortune 500 Corporate board member has taught citizenship preparation classes at Grace Place for the past six years. His story inspires us and his students. In 1967, facing uncertainty as a high school senior, Clay heeded [...]
Golden Gate Middle School Principal Advocates for After-School Programs Amid Challenges Dr. Jennifer Knutkowski In addition to overcoming post-pandemic achievement gaps and disruptions following Hurricane Ian, Dr. Jennifer Knutkowski, principal of Golden Gate Middle School, faces another significant challenge. A significant number of Golden Gate Middle School students are English Language Learner (ELL) students and arrive [...]
The Grace Place Approach Fostering Reading Proficiency and Educational Success in Golden Gate Communities Reading proficiently by the end of third grade has been adopted nationally as an important educational milestone. It is at this point that students begin to shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”. Without the ability to read instinctively, [...]
Harmony in Action: Food Pantry Volunteers and Donors When it opened in 2008, the Food Pantry was a small but important addition to the programs offered for Grace Place families. Good nutrition helps students show up at school prepared to learn, so helping with groceries seemed like a good idea. Fast forward through several hurricanes [...]