Guadalupe Center at Highlands

The Guadalupe Center began in 1982 with a group of clergy and lay people working together to help impoverished families in Immokalee Florida. The group raised more than $200000 to remodel a building owned by the Catholic Church of Immokalee to serve as a soup kitchen to feed the hungry. Soon after it became apparent that there was a great need for educational programs for young children as we saw students falling behind in school; in response to this immediate need an after-school tutoring program began operation in the soup kitchen. At the same time the soup kitchen continued to serve over 35000 hot meals each year and our social services programs grew to include a clothing room and shower program. Thanks to a core group of volunteers these social services continue today and meet the immediate needs of families in Immokalee.

In 1984 the Center formed a Board of Trustees and registered as a 501©(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to break the cycle of poverty by providing educational social and other support programs and resources to the families of Immokalee. The educational programs became the primary focus of the Center. By the early nineties the After-School Tutoring program was formalized and running out of nearby Pinecrest Elementary School; this program has since expanded to include a second elementary school a summer educational camp and an integrated program for high school students to serve as tutors the Tutor Corps.

In 1996 with an eye toward finding a long-term solution to the economic disadvantages of the community we opened our first Early Childhood Education building and began the program that today is the face of the Guadalupe Center changing lives by focusing on the very young. Our goal is to develop our children to become responsible self-sustaining adults capable of giving back to the community with the same sense of hope and compassion with which they were taught all while providing essential emergency services such as a hot meal and clothing to those who need it most.
Additional Services:
After School SchoolYearOnly

Child Ages:

6 weeks - 8 years

Licenses & Accreditations:

Florida Department of Children and Families

Preschool:

Yes

Hours of Operation:

Monday_Friday 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM