NCF, Engaging Middle School Students in Philanthropy and Giving Back

Naples Children Foundation and Community School of Naples Engage
Middle School Students in Philanthropy and Giving Back

The Naples Children Foundation (NCF), the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, and Community School of Naples (CSN) launched a new educational collaboration to introduce middle school students to philanthropy, community need and the role that they can play in creating meaningful change.

Through a recent interactive 30-minute presentation, students learned about needs facing children in their own community, how NCF determines where resources can make the greatest impact, and how funds raised through the wine festival are transformed into year-round support for children in Collier County.

The program led by Maria Jimenez-Lara, CEO of NCF, and Ashley Gerry, NCF Trustee and CSN parent, connected philanthropy and community engagement directly to CSN’s four core values of Citizenship, Leadership, Scholarship and Stewardship. Students explored how these values translate into action and how they can make a difference at any age by contributing their time, talent, treasure and voice.

Lara highlighted NCF, the Naples Winter Wine Festival and the roles of citizenship, leadership and scholarship in creating community impact, while Gerry focused on bringing the stewardship component to life, helping students understand how they can use their individual resources and abilities to make a difference.

Rather than simply teaching philanthropy as charitable giving, this new collaboration brings real-world community impact into the classroom. By connecting CSN’s core values with the work of NCF, students gained a firsthand understanding of the needs facing children in their own community and the ways individuals and organizations work together to create lasting change.

The partnership reinforces a simple but powerful message: philanthropy and community leadership can begin at any age. CSN anticipates expanding the program to students in other grade levels.

The Naples Children Foundation (NCF) creates transformational change and improves educational, emotional and health outcomes for vulnerable children in Collier County. Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCF has impacted nearly 90 of the most effective nonprofits in the local community, providing 420,000 children with the services and resources they need to succeed. Through bold investments, collaborative partnerships, and data-driven solutions, NCF supports programs that ensure every child can thrive. NCF’s unique approach, which bridges public and private resources, has become a blueprint for how to transform a community—one issue at a time.