This week, Grace Place has been ‘taking care of business’ with a variety of fun and educational opportunities for our young people.

High school interns Arletys Gomez and Jamie Williams attended a week-long Junior Achievement CEO Academy at the Lutgert School of Business at FGCU and Annissa Williston completed Youth Leadership Collier.

Forty of our middle school students are engaged in “It’s My Business” classes each day and developing entrepreneurial business plans. They toured IBERIABANK’s Naples headquarters on Goodlette Road as part of their Career Exploration field trips.

At the CEO Academy, Arletys and Jamie received the equivalent of a semester of business classes in one week!  Jamie’s team’s business proposal (a security device that scans shoes without having to remove them) tied for first place, earning her a $500 scholarship!

At Youth Leadership Collier, Annissa learned team-building and communication techniques to help her become an effective, ethical leader committed to active community involvement. Participants interacted in daily sessions designed to give them first-hand experience in different aspects of the community, including local government, healthcare, business, and the arts.

We are truly blessed with many Community Partners that support and assist us in our mission of literacy, language and life skills. If you are interested in becoming a partner, call (239) 455-2707.

You are invited to see the student “Business Presentations” on Thursday, June 27, at 3:00 pm.  Please let us know if you can join us!