Collier Resource Center
Quarterly eNewsletter
We envision a community where all people are empowered with information and have access to resources which increase their opportunities for success.
When we find a need, we fill it - CRC’s response to Hurricane Irma
Once the phone was working and the office was open, our volunteer team went into action. We notified other community organizations about our availability to assist with case management and we soon became a key player in post-Irma recovery efforts. We responded to calls about housing, overdue utility bills, medical expenses, where to find food and water, when ice would be distributed, and where clients could find emotional support for the trauma they experienced. 

We joined the effort to help with FEMA applications by offering our site and our volunteer help with this on-line application process. When we learned some of our clients didn’t have enough gas to drive to their medical appointments, we utilized our Guardian Angel Fund (see story about the fund in this newsletter) and purchased gas cards to help alleviate one of the post storm stressors.

As the United Way of Collier County refers to CRC, we are the “boots on the ground” in our community and we are here to serve.
Guardian Angel Fund Challenge
Thank you to CRC volunteers John Svirsky and Jeanne Livingston for their generous challenge gift. They offered $1,000 to launch the  Guardian Angel Fund (GAF) , which was established to help our clients with an expense that isn’t aided by other human service organizations.
 
The GAF makes a significant impact in the ways we can help our clients. One example is the 89-year-old woman who couldn’t use the Collier Para-Transit service for transportation to her medical appointments. She was riding on the Collier County bus, which meant she had to get to the bus stop early and walk a significant distance in the heat. Then she was jostled about as the bus made multiple stops before arriving at her destination. The GAF enables us to have funds for her to take a taxi and helps make her life a little easier.
 
With their gift, John and Jeanne offer a challenge to all Collier Resource Center supporters to donate to this fund so we can better assist our clients in their times of need.
 
We invite you to join their generosity and donate to the Guardian Angel Fund today.
Volunteer Spotlight: Voncile Whitaker
Voncile Whitaker has been with the Collier Resource Center (CRC) since the beginning. Voncile and Nina (CRC Board Chair and Co-Founder) met about seven years ago, while collaborating on a project called Community Outreach Coalition.  They worked together to bring representatives and information about various social service organizations into the community. That organization disbanded, but Nina and Voncile knew the concept had merit and wanted to find a way to make it succeed. When it was time to launch the CRC and volunteers were needed, one of the first people Nina reached out to was Voncile.
Resource Success Story
The July heat was unrelenting the day Marie walked from the Walmart parking lot in East Naples to the Collier Resource Center's office. She was living in her car but the car needed repairs and she needed help. Ironically, she was due to graduate the next day with certification as a nursing assistant. 

Click to learn how CRC was able to help Marie.
CRC to use Client Tracking Software
CRC has served over 250 clients to date. As we have grown and serve for clients, we have recognized a need for client tracking software.

As part of the Collier County Continuum of Care (CoC), Collier Resource Center works with the lead agency, the Hunger and Homeless Coalition of Collier County. The CoC is responsible for designating a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which helps nonprofits across the county track data in an effort to enhance collaboration among agencies, avoid duplication of services, and ultimately reduce hunger and homelessness in our community.

A new HMIS system for tracking data was recently introduced by the Hunger and Homeless Coalition. The Community Resource Network (CRN) is being implemented by local nonprofits with the help of Michael Overway, HMIS Administrator at the Hunger and Homeless Coalition of Collier County.

Click below to read how Collier Resource Center has been coordinating to implement the CRN.
We envision a community where all people are empowered with information and have access to resources which increase their opportunities for success. 

Your gift can make this vision a reality.
Please make a gift to CRC today!