Ever since Texas Roadhouse descended on Immokalee in late April with 1,200+ volunteers intent on giving the town a makeover and providing the needy with meals and support, we at TIF have been members of the Unofficial Texas Roadhouse Fan Club.

We first got to know the organization nearly a year ago now, when we began talking with the company about bringing its annual Humanitarian Day to Immokalee. Nearly six months later, the massive Texas Roadhouse crew arrived. They renovated the Immokalee High School athletic facility. They planted fruit trees. They made improvements to the Immokalee Friendship House building. They prepared and distributed nearly 10,000 boxes of nonperishable food. They sponsored a large mural depicting three children from Immokalee — a mural designed by student Josie Lopez and Jaime Hernandez, a teacher at iTECH — that now adorns a large outside wall of the Immokalee Housing and Family Services building.

During our College Tour 2011, TIF students made a stop at a Texas Roadhouse in Gainesville, Florida — and they took advantage of the occasion to unfurl a banner (pictured above) that shows how much they appreciate what Texas Roadhouse has done for Immokalee.

The Out of this World Community Carnival was held at Immokalee Middle School on February 5, 2011. The carnival was a community-wide celebration of literacy and science — and, of course, of the community itself. We were very pleased to be a part of this special day. Continue on to see a collection of snapshots from the day's events.

Last month, a woman by the name of Mary French delivered a truck load of school supplies to give to TIF students. What spurred Mary and her husband to donate to The Immokalee Foundation has been a mystery. That is, until now. Mary answered a few of our questions and discussed why she donated school supplies, her relationship with Immokalee, and what it means to have a benevolent spirit.

Last week, the United Arts Council (UAC) of Collier County asked local artists to volunteer to come together to paint a mural outside of the RCMA Community School in Immokalee. The mural is complete and looks fantastic — now there are freshly painted dragons adorning the walls outside the playground. The mural outlines began on Sunday and the final piece was finished up by Monday evening. On Monday morning, the students and staff told the artists and volunteers that worked on the mural how much they enjoy this new addition to the school grounds. 

To get involved in the UAC of Collier County or to find out a schedule of their events, click here.

In July, we reported on Immokalee senior Jonathan Cantu's amazing journey up to Chicago to fulfill his dreams in a burgeoning fashion design career. Recently, his impressive opportunity was noticed and reported in Florida Weekly, a local resource for all things news and entertainment. Click here to view the website.

Congrats again to Jonathan for his hard work and worthy recognition.