NAPLES, Fla. (June 3, 2021) – Suncoast Credit Union recently awarded a $10,000 grant to The Immokalee Foundation to support career-focused educational programming and training through Career Pathways, a comprehensive curriculum that prepares the foundation’s students for in-demand, well-paying professional careers.
Suncoast Credit Union supports efforts that promote the education, health and emotional well-being of children in the Florida communities it serves, directly aligning with The Immokalee Foundation’s mission to provide educational opportunities that set the youth of Immokalee on a path toward future careers and financial independence.
Students from The Immokalee Foundation enjoyed the Fort Myers Tip-Off at Suncoast Credit Union Arena at Florida SouthWestern State College in 2019.
“We want to help set children up for lifelong success, and the Career Pathways Program utilizes innovative ways to break down barriers and help forge positive futures for students,” said Cindy Helton, executive director of the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation. “Through this program, children are set up to achieve financial success through rewarding careers of their choice.”
“The Immokalee Foundation’s innovative educational and professional development programs empower Immokalee’s youth to imagine a different future for themselves and gives them a path to achieve their dreams,” said Noemi Perez, president and CEO of The Immokalee Foundation. “We are extremely grateful for the support from Suncoast Credit Union to help us carry out this life-changing work.”
Developed with industry experts and educators, the Career Pathways Program includes concentrations in Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Education & Human Services, Engineering & Construction Management, and Healthcare.
Students enter the program in sixth grade and begin exploring career opportunities with rotations in each sector, along with aptitude and interest evaluations; parents also learn about career options and the post-secondary education needed to achieve a professional career in the student’s desired field. By high school, students have chosen their specific pathway and are immersed in the education and training needed for their pathway.
The Immokalee Foundation’s students consistently achieve a 100 percent high school graduation rate; every foundation student enters a post-secondary educational program, which 92 percent successfully complete.
The Immokalee Foundation’s Career Pathways program helps students learn about in-demand careers available in Southwest Florida.
Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 10th largest in the United States based on membership, and the 11th largest in the United States based on its $12.6 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 74 full-service branches and serves more than 934,000 members in 39 Florida counties. Since its founding in 1990, the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $32 million to organizations and initiatives that support the health, education and emotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit union serves. For more information, visit www.suncoastcreditunion.com.
For more than 30 years, The Immokalee Foundation has provided a range of education programs that focus on building pathways to professional careers through support, mentoring and tutoring, and life skills development leading to economic independence. To learn more about The Immokalee Foundation, becoming a mentor, its signature events, volunteering as a career panel speaker or host, making a donation, including the foundation in your estate plans, or for additional information, call 239-430-9122 or visit https://immokaleefoundation.org.
