The Junior League of Boca Raton

Name of Initiative: In The Pines

Issue Area(s): Poverty

Awards:  2005 and 2011 Community Impact Awards

Metric of Success (if quantifiable/available): Working with a not-for-profit organization called In The Pines, The Junior League of Boca Raton has helped low-income farmworkers over the course of nearly two decades.

Overview

For nearly two decades The Junior League of Boca Raton has collaborated with a Florida not-for-profit organization known as In The Pines, Inc. in order to improve the lives of low-income farmworkers. In doing so, JLBR has evolved the program’s mission from a definitive focus on housing to a wide-ranging set of initiatives designed to improve the overall quality of life for these families. Its efforts have ensured lasting, sustainable success for the program’s clients, a hallmark of effective community impact.

Community partners

• In The Pines, Inc.
• The Farmworker Children’s Council
• St. Jude Church

How it works

Working in concert with its community partners, the Farmworker Children’s Council and St. Jude Church, JLBR developed a rich variety of services critical to keeping the families who reside at In The Pines intact, including computer-skills workshops, homework tutoring, bi-lingual literacy instruction, vocational training, and recreational and educational activities. Another key initiative was a pioneering program to replace 20 of In The Pines's outdated residences with dwellings that are LEED Platinum-certified, the highest standard of LEED-certification for “green” buildings.

What’s the impact?

For nearly two decades, JLBR has been an important force in improving the lives of low-income farmworker families in Palm Beach County. In addition to its innovative ideas and volunteer help, JLBR has leveraged its community partner network to support In The Pines’s growth and reach.