FRONT PORCH

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (May 3, 2024) – Neal Communities, Southwest Florida’s premier, private homebuilder, donated $5,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County (BGCLC) to support the Odyssey of the Mind program. Odyssey of the Mind is designed to be a fun, problem-solving competition program that teaches students teamwork, spontaneous thinking and creative skills while preparing them for real-world challenges.

Each Odyssey of the Mind team is made up of seven students and is supported by an adult coach who helps the team stay organized but does not influence their solution to the problem. Dr. Elijah Lefkowitz, director of operations for BGCLC, describes the program this way, “Odyssey of the Mind is a student-centered approach to learning and a positive experience for our members. It’s a great way for our kids to express their creativity, use their STEM skills and compete with youth across the state and possibly the world.”

This is the first year BGCLC has participated in Odyssey of the Mind. The BGCLC team is a young team, comprised of two middle school students and five elementary school students. They recently participated in a regional competition, held February 24, 2024, at Ray V. Pottorf Elementary School in Fort Myers, Florida. The team placed second in the middle school division and advanced to the state-level competition, which was held March 30, 2024, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

“I am very proud of our team for making the state tournament on our first year competing,” said Lefkowitz. “Our kids have a lot of value to add to these events and this experience showed them how special they are.”

Teams that advance from the state-level Odyssey of the Minds competitions will compete again at the World Finals at Iowa State University later this month. Although they did not advance this year, Lefkowitz would be delighted to see the BGCLC team go that far.

“My goal is to make our members the most prepared citizens in Lee County, United States, and in the world,” said Lefkowitz. “Working at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lee County is my dream job. I get to design programs that help our members expand their horizons beyond what they would without our involvement.”

The donation from Neal Communities allowed the BGCLC to purchase team T-shirts for the competition and will help cover the costs of travel to the state-level competition. “We are very thankful to Neal Communities for their impact on our club and helping us get to the state tournament,” said Lefkowitz. He worked with Ivory Matthews, Neal Communities’ vice president of community and governmental affairs, to secure the donation. “Ivory Matthews has a vision for good that can be done in the community. I was reluctant to ask for the money we needed to go to the state championships, but she saw my passion and the benefit for the kids. She is a rare person, and I’m grateful for her and Neal Communities.”

With a philanthropic culture and a core belief that “Where You Live Matters,” Neal Communities has given more than $8 million to local charities throughout Southwest Florida and is committed to the communities where they live, work and build.

For more information about Neal Communities, visit NealCommunities.com. For more information about Odyssey of the Mind, visit https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/ or https://www.floridaodysseyofthemind.com/.