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STARability Foundation awarded $80,000 grant from the Naples Children & Education Foundation to expand Jr. Trailblazer Academy NAPLES, Fla. (June 15, 2023) – STARability Foundation is honored to announce it has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, to expand its Jr. Trailblazer Academy program for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the 2023-2024 cycle. “We are grateful to the Naples Children & Education Foundation for this generous investment in our mission,” said Karen Govern, CEO of STARability Foundation. “These funds will help us offer vital support to students in our community and facilitate successful transitions in their next stage of life.” Modeled after the Trailblazer Academy, STARability's centerpiece program, the Jr. Trailblazer Academy is a structured after-school program that offers vocational training, continuing education and life-enriching opportunities such as art, health and wellness activities to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities between the ages 14 and 22 who attend Collier County high schools. The program also focuses on employment readiness training, life skills education and community connections through the arts and environment. “We are proud to provide funding that allows individuals involved in the Jr. Trailblazer Academy to achieve greater independence as they progress into young adulthood,” said NCEF Chief Executive Officer Maria Jimenez-Lara. “Providing students with disabilities the skills needed to excel post-high school graduation is extremely important. We are honored and excited to fund this program through STARability’s newest grant award. We look forward to seeing how this program changes lives and provides unique opportunities to many young people in our community.” Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCEF has impacted 60 of the most effective nonprofits in the community, providing over 300,000 children with the services and resources they need to excel. STARability offers a variety of innovative, results-driven programs designed to accommodate the needs of each unique participant through teaching life skills, providing vocational training and connecting participants to the community through meaningful and fulfilling social experiences. To learn more about STARability’s life-transforming programs, visit STARability.org. About STARability Foundation For nearly four decades, STARability Foundation has been shining a light on abilities, not disabilities. Formed by a small community of caring parents, STARability has become one of Southwest Florida’s leading nonprofits. Today, the organization is opening a world of possibilities for hundreds of individuals ages 14 and older by offering a variety of inclusive programs focused on vocational training, continuing education, teamwork, social engagement and community involvement. Their compassionate team supports people with disabilities by providing life-transforming opportunities that emphasize teamwork and a connection to the community while strengthening awareness and respect for individual abilities. To learn more about the services and program offerings available, please visit STARability.org. About the Naples Children & Education Foundation The Naples Children & Education Foundation, the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, is improving the educational, emotional, and health outcomes of underprivileged and at-risk children. Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCEF has impacted 60 of the most effective nonprofits in the community, providing more than 300,000 children with the services and resources they need to excel. NCEF’s unique approach, which emphasizes collaboration between organizations and bridges public and private resources, has become a blueprint for how to transform a community, one issue at a time.
STARability Foundation awarded $80,000 grant from the
Naples Children & Education Foundation to expand Jr. Trailblazer Academy
NAPLES, Fla. (June 15, 2023) – STARability Foundation is honored to announce it has been awarded an $80,000 grant from the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, to expand its Jr. Trailblazer Academy program for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the 2023-2024 cycle.
“We are grateful to the Naples Children & Education Foundation for this generous investment in our mission,” said Karen Govern, CEO of STARability Foundation. “These funds will help us offer vital support to students in our community and facilitate successful transitions in their next stage of life.”
Modeled after the Trailblazer Academy, STARability's centerpiece program, the Jr. Trailblazer Academy is a structured after-school program that offers vocational training, continuing education and life-enriching opportunities such as art, health and wellness activities to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities between the ages 14 and 22 who attend Collier County high schools. The program also focuses on employment readiness training, life skills education and community connections through the arts and environment.
“We are proud to provide funding that allows individuals involved in the Jr. Trailblazer Academy to achieve greater independence as they progress into young adulthood,” said NCEF Chief Executive Officer Maria Jimenez-Lara. “Providing students with disabilities the skills needed to excel post-high school graduation is extremely important. We are honored and excited to fund this program through STARability’s newest grant award. We look forward to seeing how this program changes lives and provides unique opportunities to many young people in our community.”
Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCEF has impacted 60 of the most effective nonprofits in the community, providing over 300,000 children with the services and resources they need to excel.
STARability offers a variety of innovative, results-driven programs designed to accommodate the needs of each unique participant through teaching life skills, providing vocational training and connecting participants to the community through meaningful and fulfilling social experiences.
To learn more about STARability’s life-transforming programs, visit STARability.org.
About STARability Foundation
For nearly four decades, STARability Foundation has been shining a light on abilities, not disabilities. Formed by a small community of caring parents, STARability has become one of Southwest Florida’s leading nonprofits. Today, the organization is opening a world of possibilities for hundreds of individuals ages 14 and older by offering a variety of inclusive programs focused on vocational training, continuing education, teamwork, social engagement and community involvement. Their compassionate team supports people with disabilities by providing life-transforming opportunities that emphasize teamwork and a connection to the community while strengthening awareness and respect for individual abilities. To learn more about the services and program offerings available, please visit STARability.org.
About the Naples Children & Education Foundation
The Naples Children & Education Foundation, the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, is improving the educational, emotional, and health outcomes of underprivileged and at-risk children. Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCEF has impacted 60 of the most effective nonprofits in the community, providing more than 300,000 children with the services and resources they need to excel. NCEF’s unique approach, which emphasizes collaboration between organizations and bridges public and private resources, has become a blueprint for how to transform a community, one issue at a time.