MISSION
The Heights Foundation is a grass-roots, hands on organization that provides educational and life-changing opportunities for families in the Harlem Heights community.
HARLEM HEIGHTS
Harlem Heights, Florida is a small neighborhod located on Gladiolus Drive, between McGregor Boulevard and Summerlin Road in south Fort Myers, Florida. It was settled in the 1940's as a rural farm-working community.
- Approximately 400 single family homes, 375 multifamily apartments and 1,200 children.
- 55 percent Latin, 36 percent African-American and 9 percent Caucasian.
- Average household income of Harlem Heights is just under $34,000, which is about 30 percent lower than the Lee County average(MuniNet Guide).
Map of Harlem Heights | Satellite View of Harlem Heights
HOW THE HEIGHTS FOUNDATION BEGAN
At Thanksgiving in 1999, volunteers from Westminister Presbyterian Church loaded paper bags with groceries and turkeys and delivered them in the Harlem Heights neighboorhood. Through that outreach, we met the Morales family. Over the course of the next few months, we got to know them better, and eventually met their mother, Ana. While we knew their living conditions were poor, it wasn't until we were invited into their home that we became aware of their actual situation - which could best be described as abject poverty.
The family of eight lived in a rented, concrete block duplex. The windows were broken out and boarded up. There was no heat or air-conditioning. The kitchen and bathroom plumbing did not work properly, leaking onto the floor. They tied groceries in plastic bags and hung them from the ceiling fan - at night the rats came out of the attic through holes in the ceiling and crawled through their three-room duplex. The yard where the children played was shared with renters of the other side of the duplex - prostitutes and drug dealers. Because of cultural, language, and socio-economic barriers, this family had fallen through the cracks.
In response to this situation, several people from our church and our community got involved. We formed a non-profit organization which we named The Heights Foundation, Inc. A generous contribution allowed us to purchase a home and property on School Street in Harlem Heights. Volunteers renovated the home using donated materials, allowing the Morales family moved in. We call this our "House of Hope". Its purpose is to be an interim home for a family as they work toward owning a home of their own.
As we became involved with the Morales family, we met many more children and adults in the neighborhood, and became aware of many others needs. Building relationships with the children and their parents has allowed us to respond to these needs specifically. As a grass-roots, hands-on foundation, we have thoughtfully created programs that provide education and encouragement to promote strong family and community ties.
Please consider helping us in our efforts to create educational and
life-changing opportunities for families in the Harlem Heights community.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Victor Mayeron, President
Fred H. Kobie, Vice President
Heather Richards, Secretary
Rob Scharlau, Treasurer
Kathryn Kelly, Executive Director
Charlie Ingram, Immediate Past President
Bill Bloomhall
Jan Bloomhall
Terri Lee
Peggy Mannix
Kathy Mayeron
Roger Mercado
Susan Schmitt
Pam Stanley
Brian Thompson
Julie Workman