The Gargiulo Educational Center in Naples has been improving the lives of children for more than two decades.

NAPLES, Florida – “They have to pick tomatoes.” These are the words of 11-year-old Gabriela Escobar Reyes, describing her parents’ daily routine. They are agricultural workers who leave Naples early in the morning to reach Immocali, where they work, and return late in the evening.

After graduation, Gabriela enters the Gargiulo Educational Center in Naples. The center has been helping children and providing after-school care for the children of agricultural workers for over 23 years.

“These families take buses back and forth to Immokali every day,” says Mary Asta to FOX 4. She is the organization’s executive director and says the group is hard at work creating an educational environment that supports students while their parents drive home.

Asta says the 10 certified teachers support students by helping with their studies and teaching them life skills like keeping a checkbook. Gabriela says what happens at the center matters.

“If I do my homework at home, my father won’t like it because it’s in English, but in Mexico he learned differently.” Not much space in the center.

Mary says the center has lost its study area due to damage beyond repair. “Sometimes we have to ask some of the older kids to leave because there isn’t enough room,” Asta says.

That’s why they are now working to raise $2.2 million to purchase a building near their current center – next to the homes of the students they serve. Meanwhile, students continue to visit the current center until a purchase occurs.

You can find out more about the Gargiulo Center at