The Southwest Florida Community Foundation has approved a $15,000 grant for Charity for Change to add and update curriculum content, update its website and develop new evaluation materials for its 11-year-old Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) educational programs.
The grant will allow Charity for Change to:
- Hire a consultant to create new SEL content to augment existing curriculum
- Hire a platform developer to adapt the website to accommodate new content and automated systems to implement the new curriculum
- Work with a consultant to create new outcome measurement materials, including student and teacher surveys, pre- and post-tests and methodology for program observation and platform analytics
- Develop, train and sustain relationships with afterschool, summer school, in-school and pre-school providers to implement the new curriculum and outcome measurement
- Provide programming for an additional 300 students in the first year alone.
“For 12 years, we’ve seen great success in our educational programs that offer a prevention-based approach to violence and bullying to educators by addressing behavior and character proactively,” says Karen Conley, founder and CEO of Charity for Change. “Addressing the root of these problems is the core focus of the Charity for Change’s mission. The organization’s priority is helping children achieve their highest potential by giving them a strong foundation of social-emotional learning skills. With this grant, we will be able to strengthen and build our own successful program and impact more students.”
Charity for Change in 2008 started with two in-school programs in Collier County. Since then, the organization has served more than 62,000 children in Florida and several other states in afterschool, summer school, in-school and pre-school settings. Pre- and post-tests of children participating in the Charity for Change Afterschool Program at Guadalupe Center in Immokalee for the 2018-2019 school year showed an increase in character trait knowledge of 40%.
For information, please visit charityforchange.org or call 239-592-6787.
About Charity for Change
Founded in 2008, Charity for Change brings children together to see past their differences and work together for others in need to prevent bullying, violence and hate. Through character education and charitable activities, the organization serves children through its after school, summer school, preschool, and in-school programs. Since 2008, the program as impacted 62,00 children, instilling 19 character traits and raising $138,000 for 100 area charities. The goal of Charity for Change is to cultivate confident, compassionate children who become successful learners, contribute to their schools and communities, and participate in society as empathetic, resilient, ethical, and self-reliant citizens. For more information about Charity for Change, please visit www.charityforchange.org or call 239-592-6787.
About the Southwest Florida Community Foundation
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, founded in 1976, cultivates regional change for the common good through collective leadership, social innovation and philanthropy to address the evolving community needs in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Foundation partners with individuals, families and corporations who have created more than 400 philanthropic funds. Thanks to them, the Foundation invested $7.7 million in grants and programs to the community. With assets of $134.9 million, it has provided $85 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves since inception. The Foundation is the backbone organization for the regional FutureMakers Coalition and Lee County’s Sustainability Plan. The Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s regional headquarters are now located in the historic ACL Train Depot at Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers, with a satellite office located in LaBelle (Hendry County). For more information, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.floridacommunity.com.
