Helping Our Youth Post Hurricane Ian

One group that has been tremendously impacted by Hurricane Ian with interruption in their school and home lives is youth. “The young people in our region need our support now more than ever,” shared Senior Vice President for Community Leadership at Gulf Coast Community Foundation Jon Thaxton. “We are honored to support regional nonprofits who assist our youth in need, especially after Hurricane Ian decimated our Gulf Coast.”

Here are several grants from Gulf Coast showcasing the way we are prioritizing and working with youth to respond to the critical need.

 In January 2023, Gulf Coast Community Foundation provided a $10,000 grant to Girls on the Run Southwest Florida from the Hurricane Ian Recovery Initiative for scholarships for students in Charlotte, DeSoto, and Lee counties. The nonprofit is 10 years old and headquartered in Punta Gorda. This is a national organization and each chapter is independently run. Their mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. They provide an opportunity for children to participate in an afterschool activity without a financial barrier, so they can be a part of a team with trusted adults and have physical activity. This chapter has one full-time and two part-time staff members and volunteers at each site. They run after school in the fall and spring semesters for grades 3- 5. They serve 600 girls annually and have impacted over 10,000 lives through their work. Many families are requiring financial assistance post-Hurricane Ian. Their executive director shared that the girls are really benefitting from this social support post-COVID and post-Hurricane Ian. At their last 5K, one middle school girl with intellectual disabilities crossed the finish line with her whole team cheering for her. The team stuck together and is building experiences that will have a lasting effect. Our support is especially helpful since many small businesses are struggling to provide sponsorships for these local activities post-hurricane.

Cork Elementary is located in Plant City. In the month of October, they began a “Penny War” where together students raised over $2,000 in just one school week following the storm to support disaster relief. Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Suncoast Humane Society Englewood will each be receiving funds of $2,225.20 from this student activity. This is a stellar example of youth taking the lead to benefit both humans and animals who suffered from Hurricane Ian.

Another agency assisting youth post-storm is nonprofit Mothers Helping Mothers who received a $10,000 grant from Gulf Coast for financial assistance for families impacted by Hurricane Ian. Since Hurricane Ian, the organization has seen an even greater need and requests for emergency assistance. Mothers Helping Mothers staff shared that one of their clients is between jobs and had to pay $500 out of pocket to fix their car because they don’t have comprehensive insurance. Since the hurricane hit and schools were closed for two weeks, they were unable to go to work while the other spouse searched for a local job to support their son who is having behavioral issues. The family can’t afford the security deposit that is required to move into their apartment and asked for help. Families who are living on the edge are supporting one another through this nonprofit and our funding.

We are striving to ensure that our youth, young adults, and their families receive the support they deserve after Hurricane Ian and always.