By: Victoria Quevedo
The Guadalupe Center in Immokalee brought second graders to Hideaway Beach on Marco Island for their annual Buddy Day event, giving many children their first experience at the beach.
“My dream has come true,” said Pedro, a second grade student.
“It’s a special day, because our students are able to experience different opportunities, like going to the beach, looking for seashells, learning about birds,” said Dawn Montecalvo, president and CEO of Guadalupe Center.
The Guadalupe Center is an early education center with the mission to break the cycle of poverty through education. During their beach trip, children rotated through different learning stations.
“We explore the beach. We do shelling, we look at books, we learn about birding,” said Bill Dempsey, president of the Guadalupe Center Board of Trustees.
