BeCause They Care: Nonprofits in the news

Uncommon Friends Foundations to unveil venue

The public is invited to celebrate the grand opening of the new Gale McBride Pavilion for Character Education and Business Ethics at the Burroughs Home & Gardens, 2505 First St., in downtown Fort Myers. The event, being held Sept. 10 at 10 a.m., will showcase its new event venue that overlooks the Caloosahatchee River. Parking is across the street at the Langford Kingston Home.

The pavilion can accommodate up to 300 guests and is expected to be utilized to host weddings and a wide variety of public and private events for businesses and the public, including the upcoming Uncommon Evening to be held on Oct. 27.

For information, visit burroughshome.com or uncommonfriends.org or contact Executive Director Angela Melvin at 337-9503 or angela@uncommonfriends.org.

The Uncommon Friends Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization established in 1993, is dedicated to lifelong character building among today’s youth and business leaders. Its mission is to promote character education in schools, business ethics in the workplace and historic preservation of the Burroughs Home and James Newton Archives.

David Lawrence Center promotes two to supervisors

The David Lawrence Center, Collier County’s not-for-profit mental health and substance abuse treatment facility serving children, adults and families, announced the promotion of Jennifer St. Hilaire to clinical supervisor of the Children’s Community Action Team and Jessica Cullen to prevention supervisor.

St. Hilaire joined the center as an adult outpatient clinician in 2012 and was promoted to the Children’s Community Action Team clinician in 2013. As clinical supervisor, she will oversee the daily operations of the clinical team including case managers, clinicians, mentors and the nurse to ensure continuity and appropriate clinical treatment services are provided for the families. She will also continue to provide direct clinical care including individual and family therapy, mental health screenings, crisis intervention services, treatment plan development and case management.

In 2013, Cullen joined the center as a behavioral health technician in the Crisis Stabilization Unit and was promoted to discharge planning clinician six months later. As prevention supervisor, Cullen will be responsible for the advancement of the center’s prevention education programs.

Greener Grads, Goodwill SWFL partner to recycle graduation gowns

Greener Grads, a national sustainability initiative, will partner with Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida in collecting polyester graduation gowns. The program furthers the sustainable journey of recycling versus mass production as well as reduces the financial burden for students and families.

“Goodwill already collects caps and gowns, so partnering with Greener Grads seemed like the right fit,” says Goodwill spokesperson Madison Mitchell. “After graduation is over, most people aren’t sure what to do with their gown so it usually ends up sitting in the back of a closet. We’re offering an outlet to donate that graduation gown, so that others can put it to good use.”

More than five million gowns eventually end up in landfills each year. Greener Grads partners participate in the recovery-reuse-recycle initiative, directly aiding in the goal of diverting unnecessary pollution from the country’s waste stream. In addition, the Greener Grads’ recycling program allows graduation gowns to be rented at future commencement ceremonies for a substantially lower cost than purchasing a new one.

The public is encouraged to bring gowns to any Southwest Florida Goodwill Retail & Donation Center. To find a location, visit goodwillswfl.org/retaildonations.

Stacy Lee-Williams joins Our Mother’s Home

Our Mother's Home of Southwest Florida has hired Stacy Lee-Williams as the donor relations and special events coordinator. She will be integral in fostering and developing relationship with donors and volunteers and will oversee fundraising events.

She has more than 10 years of experience working in nonprofit in the administrative, fundraising and marketing areas. Previous nonprofit experience included the Dr. Ruth Cooper Center and the Southwest Florida fundraising office for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. As a past committee member for the Southwest Florida Diversity Council and the Hodges University Diversity Festival, she is very active in the community developing relationships. She also founded Riddim Runway, a Caribbean festival in Southwest Florida that showcases the Caribbean culture while assisting local charities. She holds a small business management certificate from Florida South Western.

‘Scarecrows in the Park’ contest to benefit Family Discovery Garden

Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation is inviting local businesses, organizations, elementary and middle schools and community members to participate in its sixth annual “Scarecrows in the Park” contest by fashioning unique, personalized scarecrows. The custom-made scarecrows will be on display at Lee County’s Lakes Regional Park during the Fall and Halloween Festival, Oct. 16-31. In addition to the “Scarecrows in the Park” contest, the festival will feature a pumpkin patch, bounce houses, hayrides, the Halloween Express train, and other activities for the community to enjoy.

The “Scarecrows in the Park” festivities will begin on opening night, with a kick-off party for the participants. Celebrity judges will select the winning scarecrow displays, and awards will be posted on winning displays throughout the event. The public will also view and vote for their favorites. The winners chosen by the public will be acknowledged and awarded prizes during the following days of the festival. Volunteer opportunities are available by contacting lakesvolunteers@leegov.com.

The donation/entry fee is $250 and all proceeds benefit the Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation, or donate $300 to sponsor a youth group entry, and $50 will go to supplies for that group. Nonprofit organizations can register for $150. Scarecrow registration forms are available at LakesParkEnrichmentFoundation.org/events.php. The deadline for registration is Sept. 30 and scarecrow names are due Oct. 1. School or youth groups that would like to participate should contact Bettie Zima at scarecrows@lakespark.org.

The Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to assisting the Lee County Parks & Recreation Department in the restoration of Lakes Park to a native wild habitat and adding improvements that increase the community’s enjoyment of the park. For information, visit LakesPark.org.

Local volunteer wins service award

Susan Kyle has received Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women’s Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award for club service. She has served the fraternity as an active member of an alumnae club since 1970. She was a founding member of the Southwest Florida Alumnae Club and is the only remaining founding member still active in the club.

The award is presented annually to an alumna who has performed duties that often go unrecognized but enhance the success of an alumnae organization.