IMMOKALEE BULLETIN May 5, 2005
Six L's gives to migrant center Six L's Packing Company, Inc., a fourth generation Immokalee, Florida-based vegetable grower and packaging company, has just announced a $100,000 gift to the Guadalupe Center capital campaign to build the Family Education Center. Guadalupe Center, a nonprofit organization established in 1982 to serve the impoverished migrant worker families in Collier County, sits in the heart of Immokalee, a scant 35 miles and a world away from the wealthy retirement community of Naples. Six L's, one of the largest US growers, has long recognized the value of the Guadalupe Center and its impressive impact on breaking the cycle of poverty in the region through child and adult education. "The values of commitment to community established by my grandfather, Max Lipman, when he started our family business three generations ago, still guide our company and have inspired us to make a major commitment to Guadalupe Center," commented Sheryl Weisinger, President of Six L's. Guadalupe Center of Immokalee is an oasis of support for a population whose median income is approximately $7,000, and who provide the much-needed labor jobs in burgeoning southwest Florida. The center offers a wide range of educational services that are offered to all ages from pre-school to adult. Some of the effective educational programs are Tutor Corps, whereby Guadalupe pays area high school students to assist school-aged children to keep academic pace with their peers; pre-school daycare and education, adult and child literary, and the well-known soup kitchen, which offers approximately 150 hot lunch meals a day for those who cannot afford food. "Our workers are our biggest asset and Guadalupe Center is a valuable partner in delivering support where it is needed most in Immokalee," said Ms. Weisinger. With a waiting list for services and an aging, cramped facility, Guadalupe's capital campaign will achieve renovation of the existing building and provide a 17,000 square-foot addition to continue to address the needs of its community and expand its educational outreach. The building is on target to be completed in November of this year and the Guadalupe Center capital campaign, which has kept pace with projections, is actively seeking funds to complete its goal of $8.5 million "We are deeply grateful to the Lipman family for their exemplary generosity. Six L's is a corporate partner with heart and we appreciate their efforts to set the pace in the community for others to support our efforts," said Guadalupe's President, Stanley Boynton.
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