“You’ve won the Jubilee Scholarship.” Five words that changed Karen Merillien and Marlen Hernandez’s lives forever. The Jubilee Scholarship, a four-year “full ride” to Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), is offered exclusively to two Grace Place AP Leadership students each year. The scholarship includes all tuition costs, books, housing and a living [...]
MEET RICARDO When Ricardo started the Bright Beginnings program at Grace Place he barely spoke a word of English, not that you would know, because he barely spoke at all. "Ricardo was one of the shyest little boys I've ever met. He would cry every time we ventured out of the classroom [...]
Remembering Barbara Bush Barbara Bush’s philanthropy and advocacy has changed lives across the world. As a champion for literacy, she knew the boundless value in simply being able to read a book to your child, in being their first teacher. As we mourn the loss of this change maker, I wonder how many [...]
Grace Place had a special visitor recently when Will, the oldest sibling in the Alcius family, came to visit campus. Will, his brother Keith, and his sister Louise were some of the first students to attend Grace Place. Now, almost fifteen years later, their youngest brother Jordan is enrolled in the Academy of [...]
For the fourth consecutive year - the Community Foundation of Collier County and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation partnered to present Give Where You Live Collier. Grace Place was again selected as one of 38 nonprofits in Collier County to participate in this community-wide day of philanthropy. Over the past few years, the [...]
There was an abundance of Christmas spirit at Grace Place this December as programs celebrated the season with special parties and events. Mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers came together at the Bright Beginnings Christmas Festival to celebrate with educational Christmas themed activities. Even Santa himself made an appearance. The mom's in [...]
"Read Around Town" In celebration of this month being National Family Literacy Month, we held a special Family Literacy Day event on our Golden Gate City campus. The event's theme was "Read Around Town," and the Grace Place team came together to create our very own Grace Place Town for the festivities. [...]
This year Grace Place has added a schedule of special visits and field trips to the Early Childhood Education component of the Bright Beginnings program. Most recently, the children enjoyed a visit from the Humane Society of Naples. The children spent the week before the visit learning about pets. They learned about the characteristics [...]
Dear Friends, Our hearts go out to all the families affected by hurricane Irma. While the Naples area repairs and rebuilds in the storm's aftermath, many of the families in the Golden Gate community we serve continue to face life-threatening challenges. We are grateful to the many of you who have reached out, given funds, [...]
Dear Friends, We would like to start by saying we hope your families stayed safe during and after hurricane Irma. We are deeply grateful to report that our staff and their families survived hurricane Irma without injury, and that our educational campus did not suffer any significant damage. Our hearts go out to all the [...]