Shelter Chief Operating Officer Julie Franklin and Emergency Shelter Advocate Pat Mantey were recently honored by The Shelter. Julie received her five-year pin for service to The Shelter and Pat was honored as The Shelter Employee of the Quarter.
Photo courtesy Naples Daily News
By Katherine Hamilton
Naples Daily News, Aug. 5, 2108
Diana Garcia has lived in Immokalee since she was little. Now, with three little ones of her own — two of them enrolled in the Collier County school system — she appreciates any help she receives to give her children the send-off they deserve.
She and her children were among the more than 2,000 attendees of the seventh annual Lipman Family Farms Giveaway Back to School event at the Immokalee High School football field Saturday. More than 1,500 backpacks, as well as 200 bikes, $3,000 in gift cards and 150 haircuts were given to students and their families to prepare them for the upcoming school year.
“I think it’s really helpful,” Garcia said, her children by her side admiring their new backpacks. “It helps a lot with school supplies.”
Families flooded into the stadium at 9 a.m., enjoyed free food, drinks and games, including corn hole, and bubble-blowing, and got in line to receive the free backpacks, food and other supplies. Children who won “golden tickets” had the chance to hand-pick one of 200 bikes from Bikes for Tykes to take home.
Leticia Carmona,12, walked through the rows of bikes with her family, looking for the perfect one. She finally landed on a pink one with silver, shimmery streamers.
“I feel grateful,” she said with a shy smile.
The Friends of Foster Children Forever also hosted its fifth annual Back to School Bonanza for foster children with open dependency cases in Collier County on Saturday at the Golden Gate Community Center. The event was sponsored again this year by Arthrex and served more than 300 foster children, plus their siblings.
Lipman Family Farms is the largest producer of field-grown tomatoes in the country. It has been growing and processing tomatoes in the Immokalee area since the 1960s and has had its headquarters there since the ’80s, said Jaime Weisinger, director of community relations for Lipman Family Farms and a fourth-generation Lipman family member.
Immokalee is responsible for 75 percent of the nation’s tomato production in November and December, Weisinger said.
About 45 percent of the area’s residents live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Roth has volunteered for the event for six years and has brought her own two daughters with her to help since they were ages 4 and 6.
“It’s the experience of giving back to the community and making sure (my daughters) understand that there are people that are in need that really, truly deserve to be able to go back to school with full backpacks,” she said.
Only half of people in Immokalee have health insurance; the average person makes $10,000 a year; and 40 percent of people graduate from high school and 4 percent from college, the U.S. Census Bureau reported.
Collier County has about 1,400 homeless people this year and an additional 1,200 children at risk of becoming homeless, according to The Hunger and Homeless Coalition of Collier County.
It’s numbers such as those that make the Lipman Family Farms Giveaway Back to School event important.
“The entire community has come together around this event,” Weisinger said. “They know how important it is to this town. What you see now is the result of seven years of effort.”
Besides preparing students for school, the event had more than 40 exhibitors, representatives of nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
“(The vendors) will help people understand what services are available here,” Weisinger said.
One of the tents at the event was for The Shelter for Abused Women and Children. The shelter was recognized as a national model for its work serving immigrant and migrant battered women through its Immokalee Outreach Office.
The need for a shelter in Immokalee has grown over the years. Florida is the third-highest trafficking destination in the country, according to the Florida Department of Health. In 2015, 15 human traffickers were arrested in “Operation Human Freedom” by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. Six women ages 25 to 35 were rescued.
The nonprofit organization hopes to break ground for the new Shelly Stayer Shelter for Victims of Human Trafficking & Domestic Violence in January and will have 32 beds available.
“(The shelter) did an assessment to measure the need, and in addition to measuring the need for the domestic violence shelter, they also measured need (based on) human trafficking,” said Kaydee Tuff, communications manager for The Shelter for Abused Women and Children. “So, that was the impetus for combining the two into one facility with separate wings and separate therapy for each.”
Each month The Shelter Guild hosts children’s theme parties at The Shelter, including a meal and activities for the children. This month, they celebrated a Fourth of July theme with red, white and blue crafts and games.
Shelter CEO Linda Oberhaus was recently featured in the July 2018 issue of e’Bella Magazine. The story outlined Linda’s personal story and her efforts to raise awareness and assist survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
The Shelter is pleased to announce a new public service announcement is currently being aired, compliments of Steve Granato, Operations Manager for Renda Broadcasting Corp. SWF.
The Shelter is extremely grateful to Stephanie and all of the volunteers with Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores in Naples for their caring hearts and helping hands, June 11-12.
The Shelter is cheering for one of our own to be a contestant on the TV show, The Voice. Find out more about Marie – her story, her dream and her challenges – and how you can help.
As summer approaches, the Phyllis Clark Peace Garden is alive with color and life. Most noticeable are the caterpillars as they spend their days consuming leaves in preparation for their amazing metamorphosis. They are a vibrant reminder of The Shelter’s purpose and mission.
The Shelter Options Shoppe welcomed a bus full of thrifting enthusiasts during the Ultimate Luxury Resale Naples Shopping Bus Tour on Thursday, May 17, 2018 .
Shelter advocate Elizabeth is completing the El Camino walk in Spain to raise awareness for domestic violence and human trafficking. This is a 10-day walk and participants walk between 10-12 miles a day.
Purple was the color of the day during the Naples Grande Golf Outing, April 26, 2018. Because the event benefited The Shelter, ladies were encouraged to wear our signature color, purple.
Lie and try… That’s what it’s called when someone who can’t legally own a gun lies on a firearms background check to try to get one anyway. Lying on a background check is not only a federal felony, but third-degree felony in Florida. WINK News found rarely are those people punished according to state and federal records. Domestic abuse survivor Lisa shared her concern. We’re not using her last name because she is a victim.
Members of The Shelter Guild prepared a beautiful Mother’s Day dinner for participants in our emergency shelter. Each woman received a new outfit and had her hair and makeup done by local stylists who volunteered their time.
The Shelter congratulates Rebecca Thompson, our newest Employee of the Quarter, as well as Administrative Assistant Pat Nangle on 10 years of service and Susan Utz on 5 years of service to The Shelter.
Thank you to everyone who attended Apple Pie Day, Wednesday, April 25, at The Shelter Options Shoppe. Apple Pie Day honors the dedication of The Shelter’s amazing Options volunteers as well as the late Jack & Lue Harris
Alyssa Beck was a 15-year-old Jacksonville, Fla., runaway looking for a way out of her family home. She ran right into the hands of a violent sex trafficking group. Beck reveals her fight for survival and the horrors she faced in “’48 Hours’: Live to Tell: Trafficked.” The show aired, March 31, on CBS.
The Shelter is very proud of Dorota, one of our emergency shelter advocates. She recently completed the Mount Everest Base Camp trek to honor victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. She added a Shelter t-shirt to the collection left by previous hikers.
Laurie Weinberger, left, and Sheila Gea, right, of 100+ Women Who Care of Southwest Florida, present a check for $11,250 to Shelter CEO Linda Oberhaus.
Our Community Education & Training Advocate Vail Fisher recently presented training on how to screen for domestic violence to students at Lorenzo Walker Technical College.
The Shelter for Abused Women & Children held its 2018 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, April 10, 2018 at Kensington Country Club in Naples.
