Category: Giving Back

The region’s largest private homebuilder, Neal Communities, and its trade partners raised a record $26,375 as the presenting sponsor of the 24th Annual BIG Backpack Event on July 30, 2023.

Hosted by the Multicultural Centre of Southwest Florida, the annual BIG Backpack Event provided 2,500 backpacks filled with school supplies and groceries to area families with children ages 5 to 12. More than 200 volunteers, including Neal Communities’ employees and trade partners, assisted with packing supplies and distribution at the event, which took place in a drive-thru at the Fort Myers Skatium.

“We look forward to this event and helping local families as they prepare for the upcoming school year,” said Tim Oak, south region president of Neal Communities. “In addition to our company’s sponsorship, our employees and trade partners collect donations and we volunteer to help. I’m thrilled that we were able to assist so many families this year.”

This was the eighth consecutive year that Neal Communities was the presenting sponsor of the BIG Backpack Event, and this year’s donation was the largest to date collected by the homebuilder. With a core belief that “Where You Live Matters,” Neal Communities has given more than $7.75 million to local charities throughout Southwest Florida and is committed to the communities where they live, work and build.

“There are no words that can describe the deep appreciation that we have for Neal Communities,” said Leonardo Garcia, the founder of the Multicultural Centre of Southwest Florida and event co-chair. “Thanks to Neal Communities, we have served close to 50,000 students in Southwest Florida over the years. Their support is much appreciated and needed.”

Other event sponsors this year included the City of Fort Myers, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County School District, CONRIC pr + marketing, HABA, Macaroni KID and Midwest Foods.

Many families in the region continue to rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Ian. Garcia said the BIG Backpack Event provided much needed relief, supplying children with new backpacks filled with pencils, pens, paper, crayons, folders and other essential back-to-school items as well as coupons and other giveaways.

“Ensuring that these families have what they need to start the school year off right is what motivates us to keep doing this year after year,” Garcia said. “We don’t want to see any family struggle and go without.”

For more information about the Multicultural Centre of Southwest Florida, visit www.Multicultural-Centre.org. For more information about Neal Communities, visit staging.nealcommunities.com/.

Neal Communities donated $15,000 to Venice MainStreet to sponsor its Friday night concert series and marketing efforts. It is the second consecutive year that Southwest Florida’s largest private homebuilder has supported the popular entertainment series in downtown Venice.

For more than 35 years, Venice MainStreet has hosted special events like the Friday night concert series in the city of Venice’s historic downtown district. On the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month, free music performances take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Centennial Park. Last year, the concert series, which is open to the public, drew an attendance of 15,000, said Kara Morgan, CEO of Venice MainStreet.

The year-round program is designed to attract both tourists and residents to the thriving business district along Venice Avenue. “We encourage people to visit downtown, have dinner, enjoy a little shopping and then enjoy the concert at 7 p.m.,” Morgan said.

Last year, Neal Communities was the first ever corporate sponsor of the event and donated $15,000. This year’s sponsorship makes a grand total of $30,000 that the homebuilder has put toward the event.

“We are thrilled that Neal Communities is going to sponsor our 2023-2024 Friday Night Concert Series. Just like last year, the funds will be used to pay local artists to perform and support marketing efforts for downtown,” Morgan said. “We’re excited to have them participate as a partner with us again and appreciate their ongoing support.”

Venice MainStreet is an accredited Main Street organization through the Florida Main Street Program and Main Street America. Its mission is to preserve and enhance the character, beauty and economic vitality of historic downtown Venice. The organization achieves its goals through marketing, promotions, special events and historic preservation advocacy.

“We are happy to support Venice MainStreet and a program that assists local businesses while also providing residents and visitors safe and fun events to attend,” said Pat Neal, founder and chairman of Neal Communities.

During the company’s 50-year history, Neal Communities has built more than 20,000 new homes in more than 90 acclaimed communities from Tampa to Naples. With a core belief that “Where You Live Matters,” the company has given more than $7.75 million to local charities throughout Southwest Florida and is committed to the communities where it builds.

For more information about Venice MainStreet’s concert schedules, performers, or to join the Venice MainStreet e-newsletter visit www.VisitVeniceFL.org. For more information about Neal Communities, visit staging.nealcommunities.com/.

Michael and Katie Emmons recently named the 13th scholarship recipient of the Taylor Emmons Scholarship Fund, which will pay for a student’s four-year tuition costs at The Out-of-Door Academy’s Upper School.

To help make this scholarship possible, The Out-of-Door Academy hosts an annual Taylor Emmons Memorial Classic. Neal Communities, the region’s largest private homebuilder, has been a $5,000 sponsor of the annual baseball game for the last three years and has donated a total of $15,000 to the fund.

“We are proud to support this program and help to provide a student with a quality education at The Out-of-Door Academy,” said Pat Neal, founder and CEO of Neal Communities.

The Taylor Emmons Scholarship Fund provides opportunities for socio-economically diverse students to experience an independent, college preparatory education at The Out-of-Door Academy’s Upper School. They learn in an environment that encourages students to achieve their highest academic goals and build character through a balanced program of academics.

For Michael and Katie Emmons, each of the 13 students also have become extended members of their family. “My husband and I keep in touch with all of them,” Katie Emmons said. “These kids are really special.”

All of the scholarship recipients have stayed in close touch with the Emmons family, she said. Twice a year, the recipients gather for a family dinner at a local restaurant. The Emmons also have attended high school graduation ceremonies for the students over the years. “They all have their own text chain and stay in touch. It’s really special,” she said. She said she is sure their newest recipient will be welcomed as a freshman by the upper classmen who also received the scholarship once school starts.

The 2023 Taylor Emmons Memorial Classic took place on April 13 at the Taylor Emmons Memorial Baseball Field at Dietrich Family Baseball Complex between The Out-of-Door Academy and Venice High School. The Out-of-Door Academy won 4-2. A total of $8,500 was raised this year.

Katie Emmons said the homebuilder’s support offsets much of the costs to host the annual game, allowing the rest of the proceeds to fund future scholarships. “We probably couldn’t do this without Neal Communities. We are so grateful for their continued support,” she said.

The Taylor Emmons Scholarship Fund was originally created in honor of Michael and Katie Emmons’ son, Taylor Emmons, a 2009 graduate who played on Out-of-Door Academy’s baseball team. Taylor was fatally hit by a car in December 2010. Katie said that, following the tragedy, the family asked for donations in lieu of flowers. A total of $150,000 in donations was raised. She said that Taylor truly enjoyed his time at The Out-of-Door Academy, including his time on the baseball field. With that in mind, the family decided the best way to use the funds was to support local students who wanted to attend the private school who otherwise could not.

“We’re very thankful and appreciative for Neal Communities’ support,” Katie Emmons said. “It means a lot to us.”

For the past year, young professional Katie Rhyne, community affairs coordinator at Neal Communities, has mentored Amajai Kirksey, a Manatee High School student, through a program set up by Take Stock in Children of Manatee County.

 

Take Stock in Children’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty for low-income, academically qualified students by providing opportunities for a postsecondary education. The students, from middle to high school age, are matched with a volunteer mentor, provided college readiness services and a dedicated college success coach. Each student is awarded a college scholarship and provided with postsecondary support through degree or certification attainment.

 

For Rhyne and Kirksey, the mentoring journey began near the end of Kirkey’s junior year of high school and continued throughout her senior year. Rhyne provided guidance as Kirksey filled out college applications and made decisions about how she would like to continue her education after high school. They spent at least 30 minutes a week together.

 

It was Rhyne’s first experience as a mentor, and it won’t be her last. She is already paired with another student, this time a high school freshman, who she’ll mentor through graduation. “Being able to share helpful pieces of advice and see Amajai make decisions for her future has been rewarding,” said Rhyne. “Take Stock in Children has an incredible impact. It makes college or technical school an affordable and attainable option.”

 

 

Rhyne is supported in her mentoring by both her immediate supervisor, Ivory Matthews, Neal Communities’ vice president of community and governmental affairs, who has volunteered with Take Stock in Children of Manatee County for more than 10 years, and by the company itself.

 

Neal Communities donated $10,600 to Take Stock in Children of Manatee County to provide a tuition-based college/technical college scholarship to a student in the Manatee County program. That scholarship was awarded to Kirksey, and Rhyne was proud to present it to her during the Take Stock in Children of Manatee County graduation ceremony held on May 6 in LECOM Park in Bradenton. They were joined by two other Neal Communities’ employees who also volunteer with Take Stock in Children of Manatee County, Neal Communities’ Finance Director Pamela Curran, who was named Take Stock Manatee Mentor of the Year this past January, and Neal Communities’ Sales Associate Sarah Toedman.

 

For Anne LeBaron, CEO of Take Stock in Children of Manatee County, the graduation ceremony is a yearly highlight. “We had 38 students graduating this year throughout Manatee County. That’s a 100 percent graduation rate for our mentoring program, and each one of them receives a scholarship upon high school graduation,” said LeBaron. “Many of these students have no one in their family that finished high school, much less college. They can start in our mentoring program as early as sixth grade or as late as ninth grade, and they must pledge to stay drug-, alcohol- and crime-free and spend 30 minutes a week with their mentor. For mentors, showing up in the lives of these students is a game-changer – you’re an encourager, a supporter, helping them be successful. Mentoring is my favorite 30 minutes of the week.”

 

For Pat Neal, founder and president of Neal Communities, it’s one of many ways the company gives back. Neal Communities has been a community partner and supporter of Take Stock in Children of Manatee County since 2011. “The Take Stock in Children program offers our employees a way to directly enrich a child’s life and prepare children for the future,” said Neal. “We are happy to support a program that focuses on helping our youth succeed.”

 

In total, Neal Communities has donated $29,200 to the organization. With a core belief that “Where You Live Matters,” Neal Communities has given more than $7.5 million to local charities throughout Southwest Florida and is committed to the communities where they live, work and build.

 

“Neal Communities is a huge supporter of mentoring. Ivory has been mentoring for years and has expanded that to many of her colleagues,” said LeBaron. “We currently have eight mentors from Neal Communities and could not be more grateful for their time and for the scholarship donations.” In addition to Rhyne, Matthews, Curran and Toedman, additional Neal Communities employees who serve as mentors are Steve Abraham, president of Neal Funding; MaryAnn Koops, area sales manager; Christine McKelvey, marketing manager; and Mike Storey, who retired in January and continues to mentor.

 

For more information about Take Stock in Children in Manatee County, visit TakeStockManatee.org. For more information about Neal Communities visit staging.nealcommunities.com/.