Christ Child Society of Naples serves the underserved children in Collier County

A young Herbert Cambridge Elementary School student in Golden Gate receives her first ever book from Christ Child Society of Naples. CHRIST CHILD SOCIETY OF NAPLES / COURTESY PHOTO

I had heard the name “Christ Child Society” over the years but knew nothing about it. Then a friend, Becky Newell, suggested I write about the society. Always trusting Becky’s advice, I pursued the topic and set off to learn about Christ Child Society. I’m glad I did.

Nationally, the history goes back to 1885 in Washington, D.C., with the founding of a small relief organization to aid underprivileged children. The founder’s spiritual focus was on the infant Jesus, and her organization began by supplying layettes — baby clothes and accessories — to newborns.

So, what about our local Christ Child Society of Naples? Well, a small group of friends realized, back in 1997, that they had a shared interest in and compassion for the underserved children in Collier County. They wanted their chapter to be multi-denominational and committed to the mission of improving infant care, providing basic needs and promoting literacy.

“To commemorate our 20th anniversary in 2017, we expanded to our fourth key initiative — providing college and technical education scholarships to students living in Habitat for Humanity homes,” said Cherry Smith, co-president of Christ Child Society of Naples.

Joe Landon

But the layette program, where it all began, is their hallmark program, according to Valerie Palmieri, the organization’s second co-president. “We partner with Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida for the distribution of 500 layettes every year. A group of women on Marco Island crochets the blankets for the layette, which also includes clothing for the first few months of life, a guide for new mothers, diapers, and the book ‘Bringing Baby Home,’ which is in three languages and tells the reader what to expect in the first year of life with a new baby in the home.”

Over time, more than 10,000 layettes have been handcrafted for new moms locally.

However, the scope of Christ Child Society, and its work — which is done totally by volunteers — goes far beyond the focus on newborns. In addition to the layette and scholarship initiatives, there’s also an important emphasis on their basic needs and literacy programs. These two interact with young children at Herbert Cambridge Elementary School, Golden Gate Elementary School and Fun Time Academy, to name but a few.

“The Christ Child Society has been an enduring and dedicated supporter of Fun Time Early Childhood Academy since 2005,” according to Fun Time’s executive director Jessica Campbell. “They have consistently demonstrated their unwavering commitment to children in need through a wide range of impactful initiatives. Their volunteers exemplify the depth of their love and support for our community.”

The group is very proud of its newest endeavor — the scholarship program that Smith mentioned.

Habitat for Humanity CEO, Rev. Lisa Lefkow, says that “for more than two decades, the partnership between Christ Child and Habitat has been amplifying the life-changing work of both organizations. Once families moved into their new Habitat homes, Christ Child welcomed them with the gift of blankets, bedding and books, and they built playgrounds in Habitat neighborhoods. But now, Christ Child is providing the scholarships, the ultimate hand-up to Habitat children.

Smith reports that, as of the spring of 2023, the Society has awarded 48 scholarships to students living in Habitat homes.

“Each scholarship is $20,000 in total, she said. “We partner with Habitat and the Collier Community Foundation to help realize the dreams of the student recipients.

“How do you quantify the impact on a child’s life by going to university? The act of selfless doing to impact a child is the essence of Christ Child Society of Naples,” said Palmieri.

To learn more, visit www.christchildnaples.org . And thanks to Becky Newell for the great suggestion. ¦

This column originally appeared in the Florida Weekly in September 2023. Joe Landon is a communications consultant who retired as executive director of communications for Collier County Public Schools in 2014. Contact him at joelandon@outlook.com .

The post Christ Child Society of Naples serves the underserved children in Collier County first appeared on Bonita Springs Florida Weekly .