EMPOWERING CHILDREN TO SUCCEED
The Opportunists bicycling team at the starting line in Oceanside, California.
Wellington’s Great Charity Challenge Helps Opportunity Early Childhood Education & Family Center Raise Crucial Funds BY MIKE MAY
Thanks to the generosity of those in equestrian and bicycling circles, 2021 has been a banner year for the Opportunity Early Childhood Education & Family Center. This Palm Beach County nonprofit works to improve early childhood education. Through the Opportunity Early Childhood Education & Family Center, children of working families are empowered to achieve academic and life success through educational programs
and family programming that embrace the whole child. Opportunity has been serving children and their families in the Palm Beaches since 1939. Earlier this year, the nonprofit was awarded $18,000 from the Wellington-based Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments. And this summer, a group of four cyclists, known as the Opportunists, participated in a cross-country bicycle race to raise money for Opportunity.
This was the first time that Opportunity had applied to be part of the GCC program, which has been distributing money to Palm Beach County nonprofit groups since 2009.To date, $15.9 million has been awarded. According to GCC Executive Director Anne Caroline Valtin, Opportunity applied to be part of the GCC program, and its application was approved.There is always a vetting process for the charities. wellington the magazine | september 2021 43