The Immokalee Foundation honored by Take Stock in Children

Volunteer mentor Susan Lineberry with her Immokalee Foundation student mentee.

For thirteen years in a row, The Immokalee Foundation has received Take Stock in Children’s (TSIC) Gold Level of Excellence Award. In addition, for the sixth consecutive year, the Foundation has received the highly coveted Luminary Award, having earned a perfect balance scorecard of 100 points based on Take Stock in Children’s key performance indicators.

For almost 34 years, The Immokalee Foundation has been preparing the next generation of leaders through a 100% focus on education, career readiness, and workforce development for students in Immokalee—from kindergarten to postsecondary education.

TSIC is a nonprofit mentoring, college success, and scholarship organization. Their mission is to break the cycle of poverty through education. They support low-income, academically qualified students statewide by providing postsecondary opportunities for degree attainment or career certification. The Immokalee Foundation is a proud local partner of the TSIC organization.

Participating Foundation students are matched with a committed, passionate volunteer mentor to guide them toward their future goals.

Immokalee Foundation Director of Community Outreach, Yeimi Espinoza, oversees over 100 community members who volunteer as mentors each year. “We continue to be so grateful to receive these very meaningful accolades from Take Stock in Children,” she said. “Our dedicated group of mentors has made such a difference in the lives of the students we support. We could not do this without them.”

TSIC provides qualifying Immokalee Foundation students with a Florida Prepaid tuition scholarship upon high school graduation and successful program completion.

“Since opening our doors, The Immokalee Foundation has added over 17,000 young professionals to the workforce, each falling into critical professional categories such as Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Education & Human Services, Engineering & Construction Management, and Healthcare,” said Noemi Y. Perez, Immokalee Foundation President and CEO. “This recognition is not just a positive reflection on The Immokalee Foundation, but also on the mentors, volunteers, and donors whose ongoing support helps to ensure that skilled professionals we need will be there when we need them.”