ANNUAL HUMAN NEEDS AWARD

  

Several years ago the Federation Board and the Jewish Community Relations Council established a “Fund for Human Needs” to recognize organizations for their generous spirit and service to the entire community. It was another way for Jews in Greater Naples, as represented by their Federation, to practice tikkun olam, “bettering the world.” 

 

This award allows the JCRC and the JFGN to acknowledge the positive contributions of several select non-profit organizations in our community.  Annually, monetary awards are given to two small non-profit agencies. The objective is to identify agencies who serve a severely means-limited, disadvantaged population. 


Grants have been made to

  • Harry Chapin Food Bank
  • Catholic Charities
  • St. Vincent de Paul Society
  • Collier Council on Aging
  • NAACP Collier Branch
  • Collier County Education Foundation
  • Redlands Christian Association Literacy Program 
  • Ronald McDonald Care Mobile
  • Baby Basics
  • Bedtime Bundles
  • Shelter for Abused Women and Children 
  • Senior Friendship Health Center
  • Lighthouse of Collier County​ 
  • Naples Equestrian Challenge
  • Shy Wolf Sanctuary -2017
  • Safe Families for Children of Southwest Florida -2017
  • Project HELP -2018
  • Grace Place -2018
  • Bedz for Kidz -2019
  • Laces of Love  -2019
  • Bikes for Tykes -2020
  • Collier Resource Center.  -2020
  • SWFL SURJ Covid-19 Mutual Aid Project-2020
  • Hunger and Homeless Coalition of Collier County - 2020
  • BookBuddiesOnLine - 2021
  • Naples Pride -2021
  • Cultivate Abundance -2022
  • STARability Foundation- 2022
  • Cafe of Life-2023

 

For more information, please email here.

2023 Recipient

The JCRC recognizes the human needs services that Café of Life provides to poor and hungry people of the Bonita Springs area in a manner that preserves the dignity of the client in a respectful environment. We are pleased to present the 2023 Human Needs Award to Café of Life to help further their activities.

2022 Recipients

Cultivate Abundance

 

JCRC recognizes the vital services that Cultivate Abundance provides by addressing the urgent issue of food insecurity among those who grow and harvest our food in Immokalee.  We are pleased to present the 2022 Human Needs Award to you.  Your activities support the mission of Jewish Community Relations Council.

Click here to learn more about Cultivate Abundance.

STARability Foundation

 

JCRC recognizes the vital services of STARability Foundation, which gives opportunities to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities for a quality of life they seek and deserve.  We are pleased to present the 2022 Human Needs Award to you.  Your activities support the mission of Jewish Community Relations Council.

 

Click here to learn more about STARability Foundation

2021 Recipients

BookBuddiesOnline is a summer program aimed at giving the top academic-achieving high school students from economically challenged minority ethnic populations a head start in preparing for college. Its mission is to keep elementary school children reading at or above grade level and instilling a love of reading in the process. Each grade school child is paired with a high school buddy who, while tutoring, will earn community service hours needed for graduation.

For more information, click here.

Naples Pride was the other group selected. It is headed by Cori Craciun. A volunteer-based grassroots nonprofit, Naples Pride aims to unite and empower southwest Florida’s LGBTQ community, to educate, and to foster social change and equality for all. Naples Pride helps meet the needs of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning community of SWFL from its community center, where it offers support groups for a wide range of individuals in need of support.   Click here for more information.

Click on image for more information.

2020 Recipients

SWFL SURJ Covid-19 Mutual Aid Project

In a world full of inequality, unequal justice, unequal opportunity, unequal resources, it is necessary that there are individuals and organizations who will step forward to address and seek to correct these inequities.  Earlier this year at the JCRC Day of Learning, one of our speakers, Sally Kohn taught us that the opposite of “love” is “indifference.”  The people who step forward are those who will not stand by as observers.  They reject indifference and choose to act affirmatively.  Their acts are, indeed, acts of love, acts of righteousness, acts of conscience and of justice.

 

The SWFL SURJ Mutual Aid Project embodies all these noble acts.  The Jewish Community Relations Council, a committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, believes that your project deserves both our grateful thanks and our support.  We are pleased to offer this check as a way to assist in the continued great work that you perform on behalf of those who as a result of numerous unfortunate circumstances, are suffering from food shortages exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Watch News Clip Here.

Hunger and Homeless Coalition of Collier County

In a world full of inequality, unequal justice, unequal opportunity, and unequal resources, individuals and organizations need to step forward to address and seek to correct these inequities.  Earlier this year at the JCRC Day of Learning, guest speaker Sally Kohn taught us that the opposite of “love” is “indifference.”  The people who step forward are those who will not simply stand by as observers. They are people who reject indifference and choose to act affirmatively.  Their acts are, indeed, acts of love, acts of righteousness, acts of conscience, and acts of justice.

 

The Hunger and Homeless Coalition of Collier County embodies all these noble acts.  The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), a committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, expresses our great appreciation to your organization and wants to help support the vital work that you are doing. We are pleased to present you with this check to assist you in your efforts to help those who are suffering from food shortages as a result of numerous unfortunate circumstances, which are further exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 Recipients

Bikes for Tykes

 

More information can be found here.

 

and

 

Collier Resource Center

 

More information can be found here.

 

2019 Recipients

Bedz for Kidz

Bedz for Kidz Cynthia Shafer, Founder

A volunteer advocate may request a warm cozy bed and bedding for a child in need of one’s own. For 20 years, Cynthia Shafer has served as a GAL volunteer advocate. In the course of her advocacy work, she recognized that caring people are sometimes willing to take in a vulnerable child, but they lack the resources to provide a bed. So, in 2001, Cynthia founded the Bedz for Kidz Program on behalf of the Guardian ad Litem Program. She and her husband have driven close to 120,000 miles throughout our five-county region while delivering and assembling over 2300 beds.

For more information visit www.voicesforkids.org

Laces of Love

LACES OF LOVE Co-Founders Jeanne Nealon & Susy Warren

The Laces of Love Charitable Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides new shoes to low-income and disadvantaged children. It helps create awareness in our community about the needs of these children. Since its incorporation in 2005, Laces of Love has provided over 150,000 pairs of new shoes to needy kids in Southwest Florida.

For more information visit www.lacesoflove.org