Naples, FL – April 5, 2023 – The Immokalee Foundation announces the receipt of a generous $20,000 grant from First Horizon to support its award-winning Career Pathways program.
The Foundation provides high-quality educational services with an impressive 100% high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment rate. Foundation students continue their success after high school with a 92% postsecondary completion rate.
What begins as student success ultimately translates into career success, with an impressive 83% of Foundation alums working in their field of study.
Career Pathways is a critical starting point for Foundation students, many of whom never considered college a realistic option. The program provides highly customized educational and professional development support for Immokalee’s best and brightest—from middle school through postsecondary education. Specific components include mentorship, paid internships, field trips, ACT prep, scholarships, and more.
An outgrowth of a study of economic data and collaboration with area educators and employers, Career Pathways enables students to explore and choose from four unique professional pathways: Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Education & Human Services, Engineering & Construction Management, and Healthcare.
“I am especially grateful when our community’s financial leaders recognize our work,” said Noemi Y. Perez, President and CEO of The Immokalee Foundation. “First Horizon’s support echoes the sentiment I hear from so many in the Southwest Florida business community: The Immokalee Foundation’s students are not just our future leaders; they are future customers, borrowers, consumers, and donors. Their support promises to help even more students find their pathway to success.”
“The Immokalee community is important to First Horizon,” said First Horizon Naples Market President David Gordley. “As a leader in the community, we are proud to invest in the education of the children that call the Immokalee community home.”
About First Horizon: First Horizon Corp. (NYSE: FHN), with $79 billion in assets as of December 31, 2022, is a leading regional financial services company dedicated to helping our clients, communities and associates unlock their full potential with capital and counsel. Headquartered in Memphis, TN, the banking subsidiary First Horizon Bank operates in 12 states across the southern U.S. The Company and its subsidiaries offer commercial, private banking, consumer, small business, wealth and trust management, retail brokerage, capital markets, fixed income, and mortgage services. First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation’s best employers by Fortune and Forbes magazines and a Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. Bank.
About The Immokalee Foundation. For more than 31 years, The Immokalee Foundation has been preparing the next generation of leaders through a 100% focus on education, career readiness, and professional development for students in Immokalee—from kindergarten to postsecondary education. The Foundation provides new pathways to success and financial independence through robust programming that prepares students for well-paying, in-demand professional careers; please call 239-430-9122 or visit immokaleefoundation.org.
