Twelve young men, including students from The Immokalee Foundation’s Career Development program, were honored at the 2012 Heavy Equipment Mechanics graduation celebration. The event recognized the first graduating class of the HEM program at the Immokalee Technical Center.

With the support of founding partners, The Immokalee Foundation, The Caterpillar Foundation, Kelly Tractor, Fites Family Charitable Trust, Kelly Foundation Inc., Collier County School Board and Immokalee Technical Center, the HEM program was launched in the fall of 2010.

The program is a state-of-the-art curriculum designed to prepare graduates to enter a field currently in high demand throughout the United States and Latin America. The program includes instruction for diesel engine technician, diesel engine mechanic/technician helper, diesel drivetrain technician and more.

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Joseph Zednik, an Immokalee Foundation board member and mentor, and Bonita Springs resident, has been named to chair the organization’s Charity Classic Celebration scheduled for Friday, Nov. 11, at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples.

Highlights of the evening include an extraordinary dinner, live and silent auctions featuring once-in-a-lifetime experiences, music, entertainment and dancing.

The event’s theme, Dream. Believe. Experience., celebrates the foundation’s mission to provide sustained educational opportunities that make aspirations come true for the youth of Immokalee. TIF's largest fundraiser raised a record-breaking $1.5 million in 2010 for the foundation’s educational programs.

“The programs funded by the Charity Classic Celebration help the kids of Immokalee obtain an education so they may have the opportunity to live the American dream,” said Zednik. “There is no better feeling than helping them grow, learn and succeed.”

Along with his position on The Immokalee Foundation board, Zednik is CEO of Prescient Ridge Fund, LLC, and is a former member of the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board of Options, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Eurex and National Futures Association. Zednik received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Every Tuesday afternoon throughout the spring, the sound of tennis balls bouncing off the pavement would fill the air at the Immokalee Community Park.

This is because Jim and Sulbey Holt were in town.

The Holts, who live in the Naples community of Pelican Marsh, would make the hour-long drive to Immokalee every Tuesday afternoon to serve as coaches to 20 third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders at Immokalee’s Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA). Along with an exceptional cast of additional volunteers from Pelican Marsh, the Holts would oversee the students’ commute to the park before diving into drills and exercises meant to provide the children with the skills and knowledge to play the game.

And Holts didn’t simply donate their time. At the end of each session, they treated the entire crew to some celebratory ice cream.

By bringing their passion for the game of tennis to Immokalee, the Holts have exposed these children to a new and rewarding experience that will translate not simply to better athletic skills, but to improved personal traits such as confidence, tenacity, teamwork, and the desire to learn new things. In other words, the Holts — like all of our incredible volunteers — are leaving significant and valuable imprints on the lives of Immokalee’s children.

The Great Naples Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) has announced its 2011 “Women of Achievement,” and we are thrilled to see TIF Executive Director Liz Allbritten on that list.

TIF's Vocational Success students teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to contribute to the construction of a home in Immokalee. The students (along with Elda Hernandez, our Vocational Succes program manager) devoted many man hours to the project during Make a Difference Day on October 23, 2010.

Continue on for images from the day.