Rural Neighborhoods honored Liz Conchola as its Friends and Neighbors 2016 Volunteer of the Year for her tireless and invaluable work in our Back-to-School and Holiday Celebrations. Liz and her team sponsored book bags and school supplies at the start of the 2016-2017 school year and holiday gifts this Christmas Season for more than 500 children and adolescents residing in Rural Neighborhood communities. Thanks Liz!
Rural Neighborhoods completed its long-awaited $4.85M purchase of the Timber Ridge and Sanders Pines rental communities in Immokalee. These properties were built in the 1990’s by non-profit developer Immokalee Housing and Family Services (IHFS). Funds for the acquisition were provided by Community Housing Capital, Florida Housing Finance Corporation and Federal Home Loan Bank. Rehabilitation work…
Five Immokalee residents participated in resident leadership training in Orlando from August 14–17, 2024, joining over 150 other local citizens from urban and rural communities. The training organized by the Florida NeighborWorks Collaborative offered courses in Resident Engagement and Leadership, Disaster Response, Health & Housing, and Affordable Housing. One participant noted, “It was a great opportunity…
Rural Neighborhoods was one of 11 community organizations to receive a grant from Trinity by-the-Cove Episcopal Church in February. RN will use the generous donation to further its $2.5 million renovation at its Timber Ridge at Sanders Pines apartment complex in Immokalee. Specifically, the funds will cover improvements to the newly created community garden and…
Rural Neighborhoods and two south Florida non-profit organizations urged Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez to reconsider his executive action to comply with ICE non-binding, two-day “detainer” requests after President Donald Trump threatened to deny unspecified Federal grants to cities and counties that don’t fully cooperate with immigration authorities. The heads of the Coalition of Florida Farmworker Organizations and Centro Campesino joined Steven Kirk…
Hurricane Irma made nearly 100 structures in rural Immokalee uninhabitable in a matter of hours — mobile homes lost walls and roofs, traditional homes suffered flood damage from rising storm water. Hardest hit streets were marked by piles of clothes, drywall, flooring and furniture. Finding a new permanent residence takes longer than most imagine. Those…
Ten participants recently completed Rural Neighborhoods’ first Resident Leadership Academy in Immokalee. The Leadership Academy was designed to help residents expand their skills in areas like communication, resolving conflicts, and working in teams. The group also learned about ways to get involved to improve the community. The three-day class ended with participants breaking into groups…