Avenues of Services
Community Support
In 2024, Moorings Park Foundation awarded 20 community grants, totaling $545,000, to local organizations who serve seniors and support successful aging in SW Florida. Because of our generous residents, Moorings Park Foundation has become a leading advocate for seniors and continues to make a profound impact in the lives of others.
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- Alzheimer’s Association, Florida Gulf Coast Chapter | $6,000
Collier County Health Fair Awareness Initiative – allows increased awareness of their services.
- Amber’s Antibodies | $10,000
Grants Program – provides direct financial assistance to help Collier County families deal with the financial burdens of a cancer diagnosis.
- AVOW Hospice | $35,000
Palliative Care Services for Mature Adults in Southwest Florida – provides services that treat the physical, psychological, emotional, and existential symptoms of people living with chronic and serious illness to enhance quality of life for patients and their caregivers.
- Baker Senior Center | $50,000
Brain Joggers Early Memory Loss Group – program to stimulate thinking and memory and learn helpful tools that seniors can use in their own lives.
- Beverly’s Angels | $40,000
Essentials for Seniors Program – provides brand new items for the kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms for seniors in need, transforming a house into a home and enhancing their quality of life and well-being.
- Cancer Alliance of Naples | $25,000
Senior Financial Assistance – provides financial aid, support, education, and resources to cancer patients who are seniors.
- Collier Resource Center | $30,000
Senior Outreach Plan – provides expansion of information, referrals, advocacy, and case management for Collier County citizens.
- Collier Senior Center Golden Gate | $65,000
UPSLIDE Program and Grant Program – provides mental health counseling through and direct financial assistance to low-income seniors.
- David Lawrence Mental Health Centers | $25,000
Mental Health Services for Older Adults – provides inpatient and/or outpatient behavioral healthcare services.
- Florida Lyons Eye Clinic | $25,000
Preventing Blindness in SWFL Elderly – provides comprehensive eye care for seniors who cannot afford vision services.
- Home Base Florida Veteran and Family Care | $20,000
Warrior Health and Fitness Program – fitness program that empowers warriors to take control of their mental and physical well-being, provides tools to help manage stress, and provides a portal for more complex care for those in need of treatment for invisible wounds.
- Hunger & Homeless Coalition of Collier County | $60,000
Seniors of Firm Footing Program – helps to alleviate homelessness and loneliness among seniors.
- Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance | $30,000
Affordable Housing Initiative – funding to develop housing that is safe, healthy, and affordable for low-income seniors of Immokalee.
- Lighthouse of Collier | $14,000
Safe Cooking Techniques for Seniors with Vision Loss – program to teach visually impaired seniors how to live safely and independently at home and in the kitchen.
- Naples Take a Solider Fishing | $10,000
NTASF Senior Veteran Initiative – provides a weekend of appreciation for local senior Veterans in need.
- Parkinson’s Association of Southwest Florida | $10,000
Living Well with PD Only Happens with Exercise – provides movement and exercise activities to keep seniors healthier of mind, body, and spirit.
- Premier Mobile Health Service | $30,000
Mobile Clinic Services for Seniors – provides free health screenings and education on disease prevention for individuals over the age of 60 who are in need.
- Matthews House | $20,000
Senior Shelter Program – alleviate lack of stable housing, health and medical challenges, social isolation and loneliness by providing shelter, basic necessities and wraparound services tailored to the unique needs of homeless seniors, empowering them to regain stability and rebuild their lives with dignity.
- Valerie’s House | $15,000
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group – provides grief support for grandparents who have become the primary caregiver for their grandchild, following the loss of the child’s parent while also connecting them with resources, such as legal aid for guardianship, estate and will planning, and navigating financial responsibilities.
- Warrior Homes of Collier | $25,000 (Formally known as Wounded Warriors of Collier County)
Senior Veteran Support Services – provides direct assistance, rapid housing, and on-demand housing for senior Collier County veterans.
In 2024, Moorings Park Foundation awarded 10 educational grants, totaling $200,000.00. The organizations include educational institutions and non-profits who educate those who will serve seniors and the underprivileged youth of Southwest Florida. We are very proud to be part of an organization that understands the importance of education and opportunity.
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- Champions for Learning | $10,000
College and Career Preparation Program – equips and prepares students for their future learning and career goals.
- Florida Gulf Coast University | $30,000
The grant provides scholarships for high-performing Health Professions students who are pursuing a degree in the high-demand areas of Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies, Physical Therapy, Exercise Science, Athletic Training or Occupational Therapy.
- Florida SouthWestern State College | $20,000
The grant provides scholarships for students who are preparing to be licensed, well-trained professionals in the critical fields of Nursing, Emergency Medical Technician, paramedic and firefighting.
- Grace Place | $30,000
Leaders Empowered to Achieve Dreams (LEAD) – high school after-school and summer program, specifically designed to prepare Golden Gate high school students to successfully transition into adulthood by providing college and career access programming.
- Guadalupe Center | $30,000
Provides 10, $4,000 Tutor Corps College Scholarships to underprivileged children in Immokalee.
- Immokalee Foundation | $15,000
Healthcare Summer Camp – provides funding for 35 students to get hands-on learning opportunities in the field of healthcare.
- Immokalee Technical College | $15,000
Student Emergency and Gap Program – provides additional financial support and supplement learning and/or living needs.
- Lorenzo Walker Technical College | $25,000
Moorings Park Foundation Scholarship Fund – provides scholarships for students studying in fields that have the senior population as a primary or major benefactor such as Practical Nursing, Surgical Technology, Certified Dental Assistant, Certified Nursing Assistant, and Phlebotomy.
- Project Explore | $10,000
Workforce Readiness Program – based at Moorings Park for adults with special needs, the program offers hands-on experience to “explore” potential career paths.
- New Horizons of SWFL | $15,000
After-school education program to boost graduation rates for 150 underserved youth who are interested in Occupational Therapy, social work, and rehab counseling.
As a resident at Moorings Park, you know that our philanthropic mission is to help the most vulnerable in our community. Today, we face a catastrophic mental health and substance addiction crisis across our nation, but most importantly, in our own backyard and among our seniors. The aging process already brings significant mental health challenges, but the overwhelming psychological toll of the past five years—including two devastating hurricanes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and economic uncertainties—has skyrocketed the demand for care.
In response to this emergency, the Moorings Park Foundation Board unanimously voted to act by supporting the David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health (DLC), Collier County’s only comprehensive, not-for-profit behavioral health provider. DLC’s essential services are crucial for reducing tragedies and enhancing our community’s well-being. Here’s how you can help: this year’s Senior Peak Challenge goal is to raise $375,000 through resident donations.
To amplify our impact, the Moorings Park Foundation will match each gift dollar for dollar, with the intent of contributing $750,000. This is more than just a fundraising effort; it’s a community-wide commitment to combat the crisis head-on. Your $10,000 becomes $20,000, doubling the impact and laying the groundwork for multiple social and economic benefits when people are given the resources to reach their full potential. The future of mental health is up to us. With our help, DLC can establish a 15-bed geriatric wing at the Collier County Behavioral Health Center. It will provide essential services to seniors in crisis, offering 24-hour walk-in access. This new facility is slated for completion in fall 2026 and will serve as a lifeline for the most vulnerable populations. If our goal is met, this space will be recognized as the Moorings Park Foundation Wing.
To kick off our campaign, we’re proud to announce that resident Alan Horton has pledged $100,000. As past chair of the Moorings Park Foundation Board, he believes in the power of Moorings Park residents when they come together to support a cause. Identified as the highest priority, the board strongly backs this initiative and has committed 100% participation.
Horton said, “This crisis won’t solve itself. I’m hopeful this gift inspires others to support our community’s most forgotten citizens – our seniors.”
Why is this cause so urgent? Consider these sobering statistics:
• The number of seniors (65-plus) treated in the DLC Crisis Center increased by 52% from 2021 to 2023.
• Nationally, there are 300 patients for every one mental health clinician. In Collier County, the ratio is a staggering 930:1
Seniors are facing current and future economic distress while living on fixed incomes as inflation continues to rise.
The cost of inaction is too high, so it is critical for us to address the call for mental health and substance use services.
It saves lives, improves quality of life, strengthens families, reduces stigma, offers economic benefits, supports susceptible populations and contributes to a healthier society. By supporting the Senior Peak Challenge, you’re giving hope and healing to countless seniors. Our residents have always stepped up for those in need, so please join us in ensuring our seniors receive the care they deserve. Your generosity can change lives.
You may also visit the website at https://davidlawrencecenters.org. If you have any questions, please contact Georgia North, Foundation Administrator at 239-919-1692 or at gnorth@mooringspark.org.
One recent key initiative soon will help provide affordable apartments for 400 essential workers such as teachers, farmers, police and medical staff, and for low-income seniors, making between $45,000.00 to $90,000.00 yearly. In the last three years, the Moorings Park Foundation, Moorings Park Institute, Collier Community Foundation and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, have raised $10 million toward the planning, legal and other costs for an affordable apartment complex. Collier County Commissioners have selected the project’s nonprofit developer and provided land on a portion of the former Golden Gate golf course. Because of your generosity and support we hope to continue our mission of making a difference addressing the needs in our community. This dream will be able to become a reality come January 2023 when we expect to break ground. For updates, please click the link below.
https://collierclerk.com/updates-on-the-golden-gate-golf-course-development-projects/