2024 Grant Recipients

Our grants committee follows a three-year cycle of supporting partner agencies and purpose. This year’s grants support Physical Health and Development. Many thanks to the Grants Commission members who served this year: Charles Chesebrough, Robert Ciesick, Ed Hyer, Lisa Ingram, Linda Leatherbury, Sarah Lively, Barbara Roberts, Bill Tindall, Tim Truesdell, Carolyn Venable, Nick Weidenmiller.

They thoroughly evaluated grant applications; visited in teams each of the organizations who applied; and formulated a thoughtful and enthusiastic recommendation to the Vestry for approval of the following grants.
Gratefully,
Jackie Millan, Chair

2024 Recipients

ALLIANCE FOR PERIOD SUPPLIES:
Granted = $8,000
APS provides free, monthly period products to financially challenged women and girls so that they may participate fully in daily life. Two in five girls are missing school every month, and women are unable to secure hourly jobs because they cannot afford period products. In 2024, Trinity’s grant will impact  64 females for an entire year. Distribution is arranged through 20 Agency Partners in Collier County, including Collier County Schools, Grace Place, and Meals of Hope.

BABY BASICS:
Granted = $9,600
Baby Basics provides free disposable diapers to qualified, low-income working families in Collier County. Volunteers distribute diapers to the mothers of  children less than three years old. Trinity’s grant will supply diapers for 20 babies of Collier County residents at $40 per month for a year.

CANCER ALLIANCE OF NAPLES:
Granted = $10,000
Cancer Alliance provides on-medical financial aid, support programs and resources to children, families and individuals touched by cancer. Trinity’s grant will provide 400 gas cards ($25) or 200 grocery cards ($50) or a combination of both to Collier County families struggling with a cancer diagnosis.

COLLIER HARVEST:
Granted = $10,000
Collier Harvest provides healthy and nutritious food to hungry neighbors in Collier County. Trinity’s grant will go toward purchasing food for the Student  and Family Outreach Program. At the end of each month, this program delivers 50 bags of food that contain 7-8 meals each to Title I schools: East Naples Middle School, Golden Gate Middle School, Immokalee Middle School, and Shadowlawn Elementary. Guidance counselors and principals identify the  families who are truly in need and hungry, priority given to families that are unsheltered.

COLLIER HEALTH SERVICES:
Granted = $10,000
CHS (Healthcare Network of SW Florida) provides care for the vulnerable, at-risk populations in Collier County and cares for a disproportionate number of women living in poverty, without insurance and of Latino and Haitian descent. To reduce infant mortality, CHS is partnering with the USDA to enroll pregnant mothers in WIC (Women, Infant & Children), a nutrition education and food benefit program. To encourage participation, Trinity’s grant will be used for layettes, insulated tote bags, bottles, and diapers. The goal is to enroll approximately 200 women who would otherwise not receive support from the WIC Program.

EASTERSEALS of NAPLES:
Granted = $5,000
Easterseals Naples offers an Adult Day Training/Life Skills Development Program for people with disabilities or special needs who are seeking skills training before transitioning to competitive, community employment and independent living. Trinity’s grant will cover equipment needs for their Kitchen and Digital Literacy program: four cooking stations with stainless steel @$500 each, two digital 3D printers @$500 each, convection oven for $300; and supplies, appliances, equipment (blender, pots, and pans, etc.), training supplies and ingredients for the classes totaling $1,700.

FLORIDA DROWNING PREVENTION FOUNDATION:
Granted = $5,000
Florida Drowning Prevention Foundation prevents childhood drowning by funding swim lessons, free door alarms, and community water safety education. Most drownings involve children three years and younger. This organization provides swim scholarships of $100 for 8 lessons. The 8-week cost is $125 per student; the family is asked to pay $25 but no one is turned away. Trinity’s grant will cover lessons for 50 Collier County children.

FLORIDA LIONS EYE CLINIC:
Granted = $6,000
Florida Lions Eye Clinic (FLLEC) provides state-of-the-art medical and surgical eye care to the underserved who lack health insurance. Although the Clinic is in Bonita Springs and serves patients from all over the state, 40% of the patients are Collier County residents. FLLEC saw the need to open a satellite location in Naples to ensure that Collier County patients can reach eye care more easily through public transportation. With a new location in Naples, there is a need for additional, helpful quipment: a tonometer ($5,400), phoropter cylinder extenders ($400), and phoropter prism bars ($200).

LIGHTHOUSE of COLLIER:
Granted = $10,000
The mission of Lighthouse is to foster independence and enhance the quality of life for the blind, visually impaired and their caregivers. Trinity’s grant will provide two laptop computers with appropriate software for clients to practice computer skills acquired at Lighthouse for touch typing and voice input ($3,000); 25 white canes, an essential tool for the visually impaired ($2,000); and funding for transportation ($5,000). The transportation request grew out of a client advisory panel that rated this issue as a top priority, given the limited options for sight-challenged clients who do not have a spouse, relative or friend to drive them to training.

MEALS OF HOPE:
Granted = $10,000
Meals of Hope operates 10 food pantries in Collier County, and they have recently opened a stationary baby pantry in Immokalee. Trinity’s grant will assist with the purchasing of baby food, baby formula, and other supplies. Most families in Immokalee are large and often have more than one baby within the household. This project targets some 250 food insecure families in Immokalee that have young children.

NAPLES THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER:
Granted = $9,125
Annually NTRC improves the lives of nearly 800 special needs children and adults, ages 4-82, through therapeutic riding classes. To ensure the safety and efficiency of the therapeutic riding lessons, the current lift, which has been in place for several years, needs to be replaced ($5,300). Trinity’s grant will pay for the lift and an adaptive saddle $1499.99; one Wintec English saddle ($725), and one stock saddle ($1,600), as they have two new horses needing saddles.

NCH SAFE AND HEALTHY CHILDREN’S COALITION:
Granted = $10,000
One of the Coalition’s primary goals is to reduce infant death. Suffocation and SUID (Sudden Unexpected Infant Death) are the leading causes of death for children between one month and one year of age in Collier County. The Department of Children and Family is going through approximately 5 “Pack N Plays” each week as they find babies in unsafe sleep situations. Many parents are unaware of dangers of co-sleeping and often do not realize until it’s too late. Trinity’s grant will pay for 222 Pack N Plays.

NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CLINIC:
Granted = $10,000
The Neighborhood Health Clinic delivers quality medical care to low-income, working but uninsured Collier County adults, using a professional volunteer staff and funded by private philanthropy. The Clinic grew to 12,000 patient visits in 2022 with over 700 volunteers, including 250 doctors, 100 nurses, and 50 dentists. Trinity’s grant will make it possible for the Clinic to purchase, install and integrate Financial Edge NXT (FE) Accounting Software, which is designed to interface and manage data and transactions across all software programs. The total cost is $18,000, and the Clare Foundation, a private family foundation, has granted $8,000. A $10,000 grant from Trinity will enable the Clinic to put this “game changing” software in place.

PARKINSON ASSOCIATIONof SW FLORIDA: 
Granted = $10,000
There are approximately 7,000 people in Collier County that have PD. Given the importance of exercise and breathing to slowing the progression of the disease and minimizing symptoms, the Parkinson’s Association proposes a pilot program of in-person yoga classes twice a week for 50 weeks. Trinity’s grant will make this program possible by underwriting the cost for an instructor with advanced credentials and to rent space at a gym.

PROJECT HELP INC.:
Granted = $10,000
Project HELP provides support and advocacy for victims of rape, sexual or physical violence and sudden loss of a loved one. One aspect is to help prepare a rape survivor for the law enforcement interview, depositions, and court proceedings. Trinity’s grant would provide the balance of funding needed to purchase a stand-alone colposcope. A Colposcope enables more comprehensive and accurate diagnosis and documentation of injury during a forensic examination. This evidence will aid in the ultimate prosecution of offenders. Project HELP has raised $15,000 toward the total cost of $25,000.

SUNLIGHT HOME OF COLLIER COUNTY:
Granted = $7,250
Sunlight Home’s mission is to provide abused, trafficked, homeless pregnant women a loving home and help them grow to be independent women. Their new CEO requested a grant that will address needs she identified during her first month on the job: new gutters ($4,275); training materials for three staff members who support victims of extreme trauma ($1,994); equipment for a pre- and post-natal fitness program ($288.79); and computer and printer for supervised usage by residents for job searches, resume creation and business functions ($518.98).