Page 72 - LIN JAN 2022 WEB FILES

Naples in the world, raising nearly $220 million for local children’s causes.

At the 2022 Festival, guests will have a chance to show their
Winter Wine Festival support through a live auction on Saturday, January 29th, while
supporters across the country who are unable to attend the Festival
will be able to participate in an online auction starting Friday,
Naples Children & Education Foundation January 21st.
“Our investment in a child’s education goes far beyond reading,
Set to “Raise the Grade” on Education writing and arithmetic,” said John Walter, NCEF Trustee and

as Vital Initiatives are Identified for 2022 Grant Committee Chair. “From early learning to high school
graduation, children who participate in NCEF-funded programs
2022 Naples Winter Wine Festival Fund a Need
receive a safe, nurturing environment and are set up for success
in the post high-school graduation years. Our investments are
he Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF)
designed to have life-long impacts on the children who receive
announced that its annual Fund a Need at the 2022 Naples
these essential services.”
TWinter Wine Festival will support its education initiatives
Research shows that children’s experiences in their school-age
for the underserved children of Collier County.
years can have a dramatic impact on their outcomes as adults. Here
The vision for “Raise the Grade” is
are statistics supporting the education initiatives:
that every dollar raised during a
• Early Learning: A child without an early childhood
special call to action auction
education is 25 percent more likely to drop out of school, 40
lot will go to support the
percent more likely to become a teenage parent and 70 percent
strategic initiatives of Early
more likely to be arrested for a violent crime. When children have
Learning, Out-of-School
the benefit of a high-quality early childhood education, they make
Time, and Career and
cognitive and social gains that prepare them to start school and
College Readiness.
enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed.
Founded by NCEF,
• Out-of-School Time: One in five children across America
the Naples Winter Wine
are alone and unsupervised after school. The hours of 2 p.m. to
Festival enters its 22nd
6 p.m. are the peak time for juvenile crime. For many children,
year and ranks as the most
unsupervised after-school hours and unoccupied weekends can
successful international
lead to experimentation as well as risky and dangerous behaviors.
charity wine
NCEF invests in programs that provide homework help,
auction
mentorship, focused academic support and enrichment
during non-school hours.
• Career and College Readiness: Only 36
percent of young adults in Collier County have
attained a high-quality degree or credential.
Regardless of whether they plan to attend
college or not, students need to learn the skills
that will allow them to navigate the peaks
and valleys of life after school. NCEF supports
programs that provide access to college readiness
for those continuing their education or career focused
opportunities for those who decide college is not their path.
Since its inception, NCEF has become the single largest source
of funding for essential services for at-risk and underprivileged
children in Collier County. Through its annual grants and
strategic initiatives, NCEF has impacted more than 50 of the
most effective nonprofits in the community, providing more
than 275,000 children with the services and resources to live
happier, more fulfilling lives.
NCEF has broadened its role over the years from
traditional grant-making to local charities on an annual
basis by adding seven strategic initiatives to fill gaps in basic
children’s services and develop long-term, collaborative
solutions. These strategic initiatives address gaps in the areas
of early learning, healthcare, hunger, mental health, oral
health, out-of-school time and vision.

72 Life in Naples | January 2022