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Jordan’s Blessings marks 7th anniversary with gifts to community

By Staff | May 11, 2023

Jordan Ashley Gutheim, a 20-year-old Evangelical Christian School graduate and junior at Florida State University and her boyfriend Benji Piechoczek were killed in a car accident on May 12, 2016 by a careless commercial truck driver.

The Jordan Ashley Gutheim Foundation was soon formed to spread “Jordan’s Blessings” which are presented annually every May to honor Jordan’s life. Jordan was known for her kind and loving spirit, her joyful personality and her willingness to go out of her way to help others. Jordan was passionate about animal safety, family, the elderly, children and serving the needy in impoverished countries. The fund supports efforts including no-kill animal shelters, elderly health and wellbeing, humanitarian mission trips, driver safety, family services and an annual four-year scholarship to FSU.

Over the past seven years, the foundation has supported a variety of non-profits including: MADD, Lee County Sheriffs Youth Activities League Teen Drivers Challenge, Dr. Piper Center for Social Services grandparents program (senior classroom mentors), Community Cooperative (soup kitchen), Valerie’s House, While We’re Waiting (Christian based organization for bereaved parents), the Gulf Coast Humane Society, the Cape Coral Animal Shelter, an annual FSU scholarship, three mission trips, food to frontline workers during Covid at HealthPark Medical Center where Jordan was born, Pace Center for Girls, Our Mother’s Home, Clinic For The Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW), United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee Counties, and Hurricane Ian relief.

The Jordan Ashley Gutheim Foundation announces its seventh annual Jordan’s Blessings. This year’s recipients include: PACE Center For Girls (Lee County) funding the second year of a three-year pledge to support the Reach Program Services which offers social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health counseling to girls ages 11 to 17 and their families. The funds are specifically used to expand the counseling suite which is named after Jordan; Our Mother’s Home completing a two-year pledge to fund the Early Childhood Learning Center which will be named after Jordan. Our Mother’s Home provides a safe and nurturing environment for young moms (ages 11 to 21) in foster care and their babies and will be moving into their new facility this year; Valerie’s House completing a two-year pledge to fund the Art Shack in their new facility which will be completed this year. The Art room is already named after Jordan. Valerie’s House supports children who have lost a parent and the surviving spouses; and Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimers Resource Center (The Dubin Center) which provides education, support and social opportunities to caregivers and persons living with all forms of dementia.

In addition, congratulations to Raven Gadson who was selected for the seventh annual Jordan Ashley Gutheim four-year FSU Scholarship.

Jordan attended Evangelical Christian School from preschool through high school and loved the school. Jordan’s love of the school extended to its teachers, students, athletics (playing both varsity soccer and track) and student government. Jordan’s Blessings completed a five-year grant, and this year provided a new four-year grant to the Lee County Sheriff’s Youth Activities League for the Teen Driver Challenge class. Seniors at ECS take the class and learn how to keep safe on the roads. The Jordan Ashley Gutheim Foundation donated the blessing in loving memory of three of her classmates Jordan Sadler, Jon Valentin and Joe Marcelek who died in a car crash in June 2014.

Over the last seven years, Jordan’s foundation has pledged $435,561 of which $400,561 has already been funded. Jordan’s family is grateful to everyone who has donated to help keep Jordan’s memory alive and support all that she loved.

The fund is available for anyone who would like to contribute by visiting bit.ly/JordanAshleyGutheim or sending a check to Collaboratory. Additionally, you can visit Jordan’s website at jordangutheim.org to learn more about Jordan’s life and Jordan’s Blessings.

About Collaboratory

Collaboratory is committed to coordinating the solving of all of Southwest Florida’s social problems on an 18-year deadline including homelessness, poverty, mental illness, racism, illiteracy and more. Collaboratory was founded in 1976 as the Southwest Florida Community Founda-tion. It has made over $100 million in grants since then and is home to more than 400 philanthropic funds. It is upon that legacy of a commitment to community that Collaboratory plans to fulfill on that mission at the level of its greatest expression.

To learn more and get involved, call 239-274-5900 or visit collaboratory.org.