INSIDER ENRICHMENT
Say It in Spanish
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GOLFING FOR A PURPOSE Monies raised at charity events this past summer continued breaking records. Grace Place for Children and Families, a nonprofit family literacy center committed to providing pathways out of poverty through education, raised $481,929 at their annual Swing of Grace charity golf tournament. The event, held at Bonita Bay Club, brought together community members, donors, and supporters for a day of purposeful play. The funds raised will directly benefit Grace Place’s educational programs, scholarship initiatives, and support services for students and families in Golden Gate. Grace Place first started in 2004 with one employee. Twenty-one years later, it boasts 120 employees,
ELISE PFISTER
Maria Thimothy has always loved languages. The native Spanish speaker, who immigrated to Chicago from Mexico, studied French at Northwestern University; she learned Italian to help her while traveling as a young graduate. Later, as an assistant director at a French institute in the Chicago area, she developed a Spanishimmersion preschool and kindergarten program for the organization’s sister school. Thimothy and her husband moved to Naples seven years ago with their children. As a mother committed to maintaining bilingualism in her own home, she saw a need in the area for Spanish-learning resources. With her background in language and at her husband’s prompting, she founded LingoStars, an organization offering full immersion workshops combined with fun activities to help more area children learn Spanish. Thimothy believes learning another language is a great opportunity, affording numerous cognitive, academic, and social benefits. “You even learn your own language better,” she says. Thimothy recommends starting young to achieve native-like fluency in another language. LingoStars offers numerous Spanish immersion classes and workshops—all taught by a team of native Spanish speakers—to children between the ages of 5 and 8, regardless of language proficiency. The fun, engaging classes focus on Thimothy’s methodology of “present, practice, and produce.” Currently, she is looking for a physical space where she plans to someday open a Spanish-immersion preschool. (lingostars.com) –G.S.
1,200 students, and more than 300 volunteers, as well as an operating budget greater than $6 million. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated, sponsored, volunteered, and supported this year’s tournament,” said Lära Fisher, CEO of Grace Place. “This community continues to prove it cares enough to make a difference.” (graceplacenaples.org) —G.S.
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