Bridging the Gap

For the second graders from the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee, it was a chance to see a side of Southwest Florida they don’t get to experience, far different from their everyday lives. For their “big buddies” at Hideaway Beach, the same was true, with the added satisfaction of bringing the light of enjoyment to a child’s eyes.

A recent Monday marked the return of Buddy Day, when children from Immokalee come and spend a day of arts and crafts, beaching, nature exploration and fun at Hideaway Beach Club’s picnic grove on the northwest corner of Marco Island. Each “little buddy” was paired with an adult volunteer, who helped facilitate their buddy’s day at the beach.

The kids, second graders in elementary schools in Immokalee, come through the Guadalupe Center’s after-school program, which covers kindergarten, first and second grade. Many of the children visiting, despite living in Southwest Florida for their whole lives, have never traveled outside Immokalee or seen the Gulf of Mexico, said Dawn Montecalvo, CEO of the Guadalupe Center.

“Most of the kids here today have never been to the beach before,” she said. “The expressions on their faces when they first see the ocean are unbelievable.” While the beachfront mansions in Hideaway Beach are far different from anything they likely encounter near their homes, Montecalvo said that as they drove through Marco Island on the buses to Hideaway, some of the things they were most intrigued by were crossing onto the island on the lofty Jolley Bridge, and the mailboxes of Marco. 

“We don’t see mailboxes with dolphins and manatees in Immokalee,” she said. On this particular day, they didn’t see a great deal of the actual beach or the Gulf of Mexico. The weather on Monday – Presidents’ Day, which is why they weren’t in school – was blustery, with a chill wind whistling over the water when you stepped through a gap in the mangroves to the beach. 

But the kids had plenty to do with their Big Buddies to keep them occupied and learning. Split up into five groups, they rotated through a variety of stations. Activities included golf cart rides, talking to Marco Island Fire/Rescue Dept. firefighters and getting the chance to sit behind the wheel of an actual fire engine, arts and crafts, learning about the birds of the shore, shelling and identifying seashells, games organized by staffers from the Greater Marco Island YMCA, getting photos with their buddies that were printed on the spot, and getting temporary tattoos. Each group’s schedule had slots for both lunch and snack time. 

All of this kept the Big Buddies hopping – or in the case of Hideaway resident and her Little Buddy Aliyah, skipping as they went from one program to the next. In addition to the adults who were paired with the children, there were many additional volunteers, both from Hideaway Beach, Verona Walk, Fiddler’s Creek, and other nearby communities, who helped out, said Linda Ryan of Hideaway, event coordinator, along with her husband, Mark. 

“The adults feel very rewarded, getting the chance to spend time with these kids from such a different background,” said Linda. “When the kids depart, they sing us a thank-you song, and some hold onto the adults’ legs.”

A number of the Hideaway residents, she added, go out to Immokalee or Ave Maria and serve as mentors for some of the children. Some of the youths involved with the Guadalupe Center, who also came along on the Buddy Day trip to help out, work as tutors for the younger kids, and can earn up to $4,000 a year in scholarships for their efforts. 

The shelling activities were sponsored by the Marco Island Shell Club, whose members put together bags of seashells for the kids and also “seeded” the sand with shells for them to find and identify. The birding was led by National Park Service rangers from Big Cypress National Preserve, who engaged in “bird Olympics.” 

The kids flapped their arms like wings and then tried to remember – or guess – how many times per minute different birds flap. They walked down “birding lane,” identifying various birds and checking off a list of avian traits. They peered through “binoculars” they had constructed out of black-painted toilet paper rolls and found you really can see more when your vision is concentrated.

Before they got back on the motorcoaches, provided by the Seminole Casino Immokalee, to go back home, each second grader was presented with a book and a stuffed animal to keep. 

“We love having the kids here and working with them,” said Linda Ryan. Hideaway Beach residents have been doing it for over 30 years. Over the years, Hideaway and their partners have raised millions of dollars for the Guadalupe Center, so Buddy Day is more than just a one-day event. To learn more about Guadalupe Center, a 501 (c)(3) organization whose slogan is “breaking the cycle of poverty through education,” call 239-657-7711 or visit guadalupecenter.org.