Guadalupe Center has received a $55,500 grant from the United Way of Collier and the Keys to enhance its After-school Tutoring & Summer Enrichment Program.

The United Way’s Community Investment Award will help provide academic enrichment to an estimated 600 Immokalee students in kindergarten, first and second grades who are designated as “at risk” for falling behind in school. Guadalupe Center’s program focuses on reading, math and science, and 100% of students show learning gains on standardized tests after participating in the program.

The grant covers part-time wages for 117 tutors, each of whom is a student at Immokalee High School and participant in Guadalupe Center’s college-preparatory Tutor Corps Program. Many Tutor Corps students help supplement their parents’ income to help pay for housing, utilities, transportation and food. Tutors complete a training program through Guadalupe Center and the Collier County School District, and collaborate with certified instructors to deliver academic assistance to younger students.

“The United Way grant allows us to serve two separate groups of students, providing academic support to our younger students while providing financial assistance and valuable experience for our older group,” said Guadalupe Center President Dawn Montecalvo. “Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty through education for the children of Immokalee, and we are incredibly thankful to count the United Way as a partner year after year.”

Guadalupe Center is among 23 partner agencies supported by the United Way, which directs its assistance to organizations addressing health, education and financial stability.

United Way of Collier and the Keys was founded in 1957 and has a rich history of bringing together individuals, nonprofits, businesses and government entities to fight for a strong, vibrant and healthy community. United Way works to advance the common good by focusing on the building blocks for a good quality of life – education, income and health. As a volunteer-driven organization, United Way partners with hundreds of volunteers and more than 40 local charities to provide hundreds of human service programs to nearly 200,000 residents of Collier and Monroe counties.