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. PROVIDED

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 well-being, humanitarian mission trips, driver safety, family services and an annual four-year scholarship to FSU.

Over the past eight 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, The Dubin Center, 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 eighth annual Jordan’s Blessings. This year’s recipients include: Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida (CAC) to fund the Child Protection program; the Boys and Girls Club of Lee County to cover membership fees for seven children to attend after school and summer programs; and A.N.A.’s Friends for their Children’s Needs Program. CAC provides abuse determination, therapeutic counseling, parenting education and prevention programs to children and families in Lee, Hendry, Glades and Charlotte counties. A.N.A.’s Friends serves abused neglected and abandoned children in Southwest Florida. Formerly known as the Guardian ad Litem Foundation – 20th Judicial Circuit, A.N.A.’s Friends works tirelessly to provide vulnerable young individuals with the support, care, guidance and resources they need to overcome adversity and build brighter futures.

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 is now in the second year of an additional 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 eight years, Jordan’s foundation has pledged $464,561 of which $454,561 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 JordanAshleyGutheim or sending a check to Collaboratory. Additionally, you can visit Jordan’s website to learn more about Jordan’s life and Jordan’s Blessings.

About Collaboratory

Collaboratory is a regional community foundation with an evolved mission committed to coordinating the solving of Southwest Florida’s major social problems by 2040. Not alone, but with everyone — the entire community working together across all five counties: Lee, Hendry, Glades, Charlotte and Collier.

Collaboratory provides community leadership, raises and coordinates funding, and disburses funds to organizations that are helping solve the problems our donors and the community have identified as priorities. Collaboratory also provides capacity building with training and resources for regional partners. Given the complexities of the social challenges in our region, Collaboratory ensures we are all working together and that every generous donor achieves the biggest impact with their funds. By using and sharing data to track progress, we ensure that donor dollars are best invested to move the needle on improving social issues.

Connection and collaboration are at the heart of our mission. Since 1976, we have made over $120 million in grants to individuals and organizations across the region to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations. It is upon that legacy of a commitment to community we will collectively achieve our 2040 goal. To learn more and get involved, call 239-274-5900 or visit Collaboratory.org.