Pace Center for Girls, Manatee

One more post to celebrate Pace Manatee's Class of '24! It was full of traditions, with decorated caps, yard signs, and family members bringing balloons. This year, girls even received a special card letting them know the entire community is cheering them on as they soar into their futures!

This event sells out every year, but this year will be even more special. We're celebrating 35 years of changing lives and only have a few tables remaining - reach out if you'd like to sponsor!

Last week at our graduation ceremony, we were able to honor 4 girls who are furthering their education with scholarships provided by some of our incredible partners!

State Farm invested funds allowing 3 girls to continue their education and create a future for themselves. State Farm representative, Destiny Bridges, was present at the ceremony to encourage the girls to follow their dreams and never give up! One girl was awarded a scholarship earlier this year to continue her education as an Ultrasound Technician at Hillsborough Community College. Two additional girls earned scholarships to Manatee Technical College to begin careers as an Esthetician and a Nursing Assistant.

Through the Coleman Scholarship Fund at Pace Manatee, funds were also awarded to Isabella (pictured) who will be studying Environmental Science at the University of Souther Indiana. Wish her luck as she embarks on a new adventure this week!

Thank you to Mused Photo, for capturing these moments!

To make an inspiring day even more special, our 2024 graduates were welcomed to the stage by our very own Mayor Gene Brown, adding in some words of encouragement and personal reflections.

Following the Mayor, Senator Jim Boyd took the stage to deliver a commencement address, inspiring our graduates to embrace the future with resilience and purpose. He noted that they very well could sit in his seat one day!

Even though Tropical Storm Debby forced us to reschedule this milestone event for our girls, these community leaders rearranged busy schedules to be present and we couldn't be more thankful.

Photos courtesy of Mused Photo, who donated her time to capture the event the memories for our families!

We're so grateful for the generous Beth Brannon-Trent, who provided beautiful flower bouquets for each of our graduates on their special day! ❤💐

The girls know that Pace provides an opportunity for success, but the key to their success is what they chose to do with that opportunity. The quote says it all, "It's not where you start, but how high you aim that matters for success." - Nelson Mandela

We are so proud of these girls!

We were so grateful to have been a part of the SRQ Women’s Expo this year! Thank you Julianna Strout for creating this opportunity for women in our community to network and thrive, and for giving us a chance to share our mission with the attendees! Shout out to Bank of America for sponsoring the event and supporting women in business. And finally, Pace is very grateful to have the support of Cafe L'Europe, who contributed a basket that we were able to auction live at the event in support of the Pace program!

We are so grateful for this community ❤

UPDATE: We have officially rescheduled our Graduation Ceremony! We can't wait to celebrate with the graduates and their families 🎓❤

The Graduation Ceremony originally scheduled for tomorrow at State College of Florida has been cancelled due to Tropical Storm Debby. We will reschedule as soon as possible and look forward to celebrating the Class of '24!

These two make quite the pair ✨🎓 Kailey shared, "I made a lot of friends at Pace, including Zulema. She wasn't just the first friend I made, she's one I want to keep and I'm happy we're graduating together!"

We are so proud, and excited to see them walk the stage next week at graduation! ❤

We had so much fun at the Manatee Chamber Coffee Club & Non-Profit Showcase this morning! There are so many wonderful organizations and businesses in Manatee County to partner with, and we loved sharing the mission of Pace ❤️

The girls took an inspiring field trip to the Sarasota Art Museum! 🎨 It's incredible how art can open your eyes to new perspectives and ideas. Can't wait for the next adventure!

Sneak Peak! 🥳 We can't wait to celebrate our girls who have reached their goal of graduation in the last year!! Can you tell they're excited to walk the stage next month??

Summer is here, but the support at Pace Center for Girls never stops! ☀️📚 From academics to mental health, we're here for our girls all year-round. Let's make this summer a season of growth and empowerment! 💪🌸

Celebrating Independence Day by inspiring young women who embody the spirit of freedom and empowerment. Wishing everyone a joyful and safe Fourth of July!

Once a month, the ✨Magic Cart✨ visits the girls in class with a different theme to spread joy and deliver goodies!

This month's cart honored our fearless leader, Amy Wick Mavis. Her birthday is coming up and to commemorate the occasion, we celebrated with ice cream and presents! She created gift boxes for each girl filled with handmade bracelets, inspiring treats, and positive message stickers, and to end the day we all enjoyed ice cream sundaes. 🎉

Thank you to the phenomenal team at METV - Manatee Educational Television for this video highlighting our recent groundbreaking ceremony. We can't thank you enough for capturing our excitement over this momentous occasion - we're ready to Build for the Great in Every Girl!

PACE Groundbreaking Spotlight

This month, Brian Carter completed his over 10 years of service on our Board of Directors. Brian has assumed numerous leadership rolls, including serving as Board President. Brian helped lead the Board as we began our expansion project as well as we steadily increased our fundraising efforts. As a CPA, Brian would often say, “How much are we really talking about…” and then he would go into a simple analysis that would make everyone feel comfortable that we could reach that goal! Brian together with his wife Bethany, have been steadfast supporters of our Pace girls. While Brian’s term on the Board is coming to a close, we know that his advocacy and belief in the promise of our Pace girls will remain, ALWAYS. Thank you Brian for your service, leadership, humor and wisdom…our Pace girls are lucky to have you.

What a momentous occasion for Pace and the future of girls in Manatee County! Pace held a groundbreaking ceremony at our "home" located on 3508 26th Street West yesterday, sponsored by Halfacre Construction and Anna Marie Oyster Bar. Thank you to all those that attended, including so many special guests and speakers. We felt the support of the community and are excited to Build for the Great in EVERY Girl!

Thank you to our speakers:
Mary Marx, Pace, Inc. President and CEO
Tara Poulton, The Office of Congressman Vern Buchanan
Kevin Van Ostenbridge, Manatee County Commissioner
John Horne & Amanda Horne, Capital Campaign Chairs
Amy Wick Mavis, Pace, Manatee Executive Director

Thank you to our Capital Campaign Members:
John & Amanda Horne, Co-Chairs
Darcie Duncan
Buzz Turner
Kim Lyday Dalglish
Chelsea Oelker
Scott Kallins
Sandy Groseclose
Barbara Jennings

Thank you to our Pace Board Members:
Christina Garraffa Riggio, Chair
Brian Carter, Katie Carter, Caryn Rose, Kim Dalglish, Hayley Hassan, Trey Horne, Katie Rose Howard, Andria Ludlum Howe, Caryn Rose, Heather Shrum, Sandy Shahinian, Dottie Turner

And thank you to our investors, Pace staff, volunteers, girls and their families.

Happy National Mascot Day to our favorite Manatee County mascots: Pittsburgh Pirates' Pirate Parrot, Bradenton Marauders' Marty the Marauder, and of course, QUACKY - Pace Manatee's mascot for the Lucky Ducky Race for Pace! Thank you for bringing lots of smiles and laughter to Manatee County. 😁

ConQUACKulations to our 2nd Place prize winner of the Lucky Ducky Race for Pace, former State Representative Mark Flanagan! Fun fact: While serving in the Florida Legislature, Representative Flanagan advocated for funding for Pace Centers statewide in the mid 1990's! As we look forward to breaking ground on a brand-new facility, we are so thankful to the Manatee County Leaders who built a strong foundation for growth, partnering with Pace to change the lives of girls.

Thank you to John & Amanda Horne and Anna Maria Oyster Bar for sponsoring this fantastic prize: Weekly Dinner for 2 for an ENTIRE YEAR at Anna Maria Oyster Bar - it's a celebration every week!

Thanks to their partnership and the entire AMOB staff, over 2000 ducks were adopted and over $7,800 was raised at participating restaurant locations - helping more people throughout the County learned about Pace. Thank you for investing in the future of our girls!

Shout out to some fabulous donors for putting smiles on our girls faces (and feet!) with a whole box of smile slippers! ❤ These items will be added to our Corner Cottage, where girls can shop with points that they earn in class for making good choices and meeting goals!

Sometimes a collaborative effort can make a huge impact! Thank you to Marisa Powers, Jenifer Davies, Dana Gerling, Libby McDowell, Lisa Gonzalez Moore, Chris Sensenig, Terri Cromley, Mary Nyland Lifland, Crystal Golm, Alyssa Nohren, and Stephanie Kotlarczyk for helping sponsor this donation!

ConQUACKulations to our Grand Prize Winner, Angel Canizalez who adopted a flock of ducks from Marisa Power's Team, "Marisa's Movers," because he believed in Pace's mission and wanted to help change the lives of girls. Although the 2-year lease on the Jeep was tempting, Angel chose the $5,000 cash out prize, sponsored by Firkins Automotive. Fun side note: Prior to the race, Angel was fostering a dog who came with the name "Ducky," and he decided to adopt "Ducky" about the same time he adopted his ducks for the Lucky Ducky Race for Pace. Pretty sure "Ducky" made Angel a "Lucky Ducky" and will be invited to celebrate with a new toy!

Thank you to Firkins Automotive for not only sponsoring our Grand Prize, but also hosting our Ducktail Party and Duck Tagging events - we couldn't raise over $195,000 for our girls without your generosity and partnership! And thank you to Marisa Powers for leading the #1 Community Team once again and always advocating for our girls. You are both specQUACKular - thank you for helping Pace find the Great in Every Girl!

Today we said “Bon Voyage” to 9 girls, who are transitioning back to their district school to continue their education!

At this semesters Award and Transition Ceremony, we recognized girls who have greatly improved or excelled in each subject area with awards, and celebrated their success with a game of music bingo!

We’re also very grateful to Suncoast Buying and Selling Team - Selling Florida Real Estate, for making the day extra special with popcorn and “Summer Celebration” boxes for girls and even gifts for staff!

Some of our Pace girls stepped into the dreamy mind of Salvador Dali during their recent field trip to the Dali Museum!

They traveled inside and beyond the art to experience “Dreams of Dali” using virtual reality, and also witnessed the Dali Alive 360 exhibit which is an immersive multi-sensory art experience to remember.

Their time included a guided tour with a docent, and seeing the "Dali’s Floral Fantasies" exhibit, which features rarely displayed works of botanical art.

As we welcome June, we recognize Pride Month, Caribbean-American Heritage Month and Immigrant Heritage Month. We celebrate the stories and contributions of those who shape this country, our communities and our organization. Diversity is one of our greatest strengths and our collective commitment to a culture of respect and compassion allows us to create a bright future for our girls.

Enrolling now!

Do you know a girl who is afraid that she is not going to graduate from high school? These fabulous Pace graduates thought the same thing. Pace helps girls get back on track academically with small class sizes, individual attention, and counselors who are here to really listen to each girl.

Enrolling today to start on June 3rd for ages 11-17! Call Ms. Randi at 941-751-4566 or text her at 941-713-4566.

In case you missed it!! 🐥 Check out all the fun we had at our 2024 Lucky Ducky Race for Pace! Once again, we are so thankful to all of the team leaders, sponsors, volunteers, adopters, and the entire Manatee County community who came together in support of our Pace girls. You are all specQUACKular and we felt the love!

Thank you to Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County for sponsoring photos, and photographer Wendy Dewhurst.