Rotary Happenings: Rotarians learn about New Horizons of Southwest Florida
Have you ever wanted to be part of the “Super Kids Club?” New Horizons of Southwest Florida Director of Advancement Jennifer Nelson recently shared with the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club just how to do that locally. She leads fundraising, communications and events to increase awareness and financial support for New Horizons, a non-profit that strives to empower at-risk youth to reach their full potential through tutoring, mentoring and faith-building. Nelson works closely with staff, donors and partners to increase available financial resources. The efforts allow New Horizons to expand programs, support additional students and allow for future expansion of its programs serving K-12 students in the Southwest Florida communities.
In 2003, Bob and Ellen Nichols saw a need to reach the children in a small neighborhood in Bonita Springs. They could see the problems the children faced within their neighborhood and recognized the need to help children from non-English speaking homes with their schoolwork. Ellen Nichols had been teaching in a local public school and Bob Nichols was a professional boat captain. What started as going door to door and inviting children to come to the “Super Kids Church,” which would meet every Sunday at Manna Christian RV Park, became New Horizons. The Super Kids Club has expanded to multiple locations with a range of programs offered throughout the school year and summer. The Super Teens Club opened in 2006 in order to continue meeting the needs of students through their high school graduation. Currently, New Horizons includes seven programs that operate throughout the year, providing tutoring, mentoring and faith-building experiences to hundreds of the most vulnerable youth.
The program meets at local churches and parks to help keep costs down. Throughout its nearly 20 years, it has served thousands of at-risk children from kindergarten through their journey to college.
The Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club holds a meeting on Fridays at 7:30 a.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, and via Zoom; doors open at 7 a.m. To attend in person, email Bill Harkey at William.Harkey@gmail.com by the Tuesday before the meeting. For more information, visit sanibelrotary.org or www.facebook.com/sancaprotary.