Guadalupe Center Named as Beneficiary of NaplesNEXT Ideas Festival

NAPLES (February 4, 2019) — Guadalupe Center will be a beneficiary of the NaplesNEXT Ideas Festival, festival organizers announced.

The Immokalee organization, which is focused on educational programs for children from infancy through college, will receive a portion of proceeds raised from patron ticket sales to NaplesNEXT, the thought leadership summit to be held at the Naples Grande Beach Resort March 17-19. The funds will be disbursed through NaplesNEXT’s Foundation NEXT fund established at the Community Foundation of Collier County.

Since 1984, Guadalupe Center has been helping children in Immokalee rise out of poverty through education. Low-income families in Immokalee struggle to support their children’s education at every level.

“We were inspired by the success and leadership of Guadalupe Center and wanted to address its needs as part of NaplesNEXT’s focus on bringing value to the community,” said Stacey Vollman Warwick, NaplesNEXT’s executive director. “Guadalupe Center’s transformative educational programs have had a positive impact on Immokalee, resulting in tremendous demand and long wait lists that we hope to help alleviate.”

The NaplesNEXT donation to Guadalupe Center will go to the Center’s early childhood, after school and high school programs. “We are thrilled to be the beneficiaries of the inaugural NaplesNEXT Ideas Festival. We appreciate the Festival’s support of our mission to break the cycle of poverty through education for the children of Immokalee,” said Dawn Montecalvo, president of Guadalupe Center.

The Guadalupe Center began in 1982 in a soup kitchen that was serving the needs of low income families families in Immokalee. Volunteers noticed that an alarming number of children were struggling with schoolwork and falling behind in class. To help alleviate this problem, they began an after-school tutoring program serving just 30 children. By 1984, the Guadalupe Center had formed a Board of Trustees and registered as a 501 (c)(3). From that point on, educational programs serving children from infancy through college has been Guadalupe Center’s primary focus and now serves 1,300 children.

About NaplesNEXT Ideas Festival

NaplesNEXT, a new concept in ideas festivals, elevates traditional thought leadership conferences by featuring an agenda of pioneers, innovators, trendsetters, and policy makers, integrated with luxury hospitality and culinary experiences, all against the backdrop of the exclusive Naples Grande Beach Resort.

Trends and new, compelling thoughts on politics, design, the environment, sports, social issues and more will be addressed by the lineup of presenters currently confirmed.

In addition to former First Lady Laura Bush as the event’s closing keynote speaker, 38 presenters will participate in 19 confirmed panel discussions, roundtables, Q&A sessions and experiences.

“NaplesNEXT will take the American conversation to the next level, present innovative solutions to a broad spectrum of contemporary issues, and help create a vision for a hopeful future,” said Stacey Vollman Warwick, NaplesNEXT’s executive director.

The James Beard Foundation and celebrity chef Gregory Gourdet, a James Beard House-featured chef and Top Chef star will direct culinary experiences that also feature Naples’ chefs including Fabrizio Aielli (Barbatella, Dorona, Sea Salt), Vincenzo Betulia (Osteria Tulia and The French), and Asif Syed (21 Spices).

A lavish opening reception celebrated at the private Naples Jet Center will showcase the talents of acclaimed celebrity mixologist Tiffanie Barriere, and Jon McDaniel, a Food & Wine magazine 2018 “Sommelier of the Year,” who will present a wine tasting themed “From Napa to Naples.”

Other engaging elements of unique, premiere entertainment include the acclaimed Boogie Stomp! piano duo and a March Madness Bracket Genius interactive luncheon.

Tickets are on sale at NaplesNEXT.com. Individual tickets are priced at $3,000 per person for the two-and-a-half day event. Patron packages and sponsorships are also available at a range of prices and including multiple tickets and numerous benefits.

For information and tickets visit NaplesNEXT.com.