Pace Center for Girls, Lee County hosts 2019 Tides of Change

FORT MYERS, Fla., (Nov. 19, 2019) – More than 330 community supporters recently came together for the 2019 Tides of Change in support of Pace Center for Girls, Lee County’s vital counseling and academic programs.
Held Nov. 8 at MarineMax Fort Myers, Tides of Change featured an evening of shoreside cocktails, dinner, dancing and a wave-making live auction to help chart a smoother course for at-promise young women in Lee County.
“Pace’s programs serve well over 100 girls each year right here in Lee County,” said Meg M. Geltner, executive director at Pace Center for Girls, Lee County. “Through impactful programs and counseling, 96% of our girls have improved academically and 95% have no involvement with the criminal justice system within a year of leaving Pace. We are so thankful for the tremendous community support seen at Tides of Change that will help us continue these lifechanging services for the girls and young women of Pace.”
Former Pace student Amy Iberger delivered the keynote address, highlighting the impact of Pace’s influential programs. Iberger transitioned from Pace in 2017 and went on to graduate from Riverdale High School. She is now attending Florida SouthWestern State College with a two-year scholarship that was donated at Pace’s 2018 Boo Ball.
“I learned leadership and how to work towards becoming the best version of myself every day,” Iberger said during the event about her time with Pace. “There’s a saying at Pace, ‘once a Pace girl, always a Pace girl.’ After watching my own personal transformation, I truly believe that and I am so proud to be a Pace girl.”
The signature Tides of Change event was led by co-chairs John Agnew and Suzanne Boy with Boy Agnew Potanovic Law Firm. Event sponsors included the Fort Myers Police Department as North Star Sponsor (title), Boy Agnew Potanovic Law Firm as the Anchorage Sponsor, Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida and Scott and Mary Fischer as Helmsman Sponsors, and Lee Health, Connie and Ed Lizak, Publix Super Markets Charities and Sanibel Captiva Community Bank as Compass Sponsors. In-Kind Sponsors included MarineMax, Caloosa Tent & Rental, Crave Culinaire, Florida Weekly, Gulfshore Life, Jason’s Deli of Southwest Florida, The News-Press, Priority Marketing, Red Door Photography and Ruth Messmer Florist.
To learn more about how to support Pace Center for Girls and its programs, please visit www.pacecenter.org/locations/lee or call 239-425-2366.
About Pace Center for Girls, Lee County
Since 2007, Pace Center for Girls, Lee County has been providing girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training and advocacy. The gender-specific, strength-based program is one of 22 Centers throughout Florida, and is known throughout the nation as a best practices model for diverting girls from the juvenile justice system. Pace is a registered not-for-profit organization that relies on the support of individuals, businesses, civic/community organizations and churches in Lee County in order to serve girls and their families. Since its inception, Pace Center for Girls, Lee County has served more than 650 at-promise girls and young women, believing each one deserves an opportunity to find her voice, achieve her potential and celebrate a life defined by responsibility, dignity, serenity and grace. For more information on Pace Center for Girls, Lee County, call 239-425-2366 or visit www.pacecenter.org/locations/lee.