Never Give Up
- Kimberly Lohman Clapp
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
Collier County Nonprofit Celebrates A Decade of Service
The office space was no bigger than 9 by 12 feet, no match to contain the ideas overflowing from Nina Gray’s imagination.
“My dream was simple: to improve the lives of other people,” said Gray.
In that tiny room, Gray started making phone calls. The year was 2015, and the answer was nearly always yes.
So began the building blocks of Collier Resource Center. In its inaugural year, three volunteers, including Gray, helped 60 people. Often CRC assists that number of clients in one week.
“My idea,” Gray said, “was not to give all the things or solve all the problems ourselves, but to connect clients to the things, answers, services, and solutions.”
What kind of help does CRC offer? Air conditioning units, wheelchair ramps, Christmas gifts, bicycles, eyeglasses, hearing aids, oxygenators, childcare, rental assistance, food pantries. Furniture and blankets for people fleeing Ukraine. Disaster relief after hurricanes. Calls to women transitioning from homelessness.
Gray herself was raised by a single mother who worked long hours as a nurse. As a child, Gray refrained from asking for anything, not wanting to burden her mother further.
“When I see the children who show up at our door, their eyes wide with uncertainty and fear, I see my younger self,” said Gray.
Living in Naples since 1979, Gray worked with nonprofits for 31 years. She was a member of the team hired in 1982 to start Hospice of Naples, now Avow Hospice. At the Neighborhood Health Clinic, Gray served as CEO and Chief Advancement Officer. Being connected to well-meaning organizations gave Gray the idea that clients needed an advocate to navigate their way through the complicated maze of health and human service organizations. A licensed mental health counselor herself, she envisioned a nonprofit that would offer social work at no cost, plus follow-up care.
“So often, the first need, say an air conditioning unit, exposes a dozen other issues. When you are in crisis, it is impossible to sort through where to go to address each concern. My thought was, one call should do it all,” said Gray.
One of the most challenging obstacles in Collier County remains the lack of affordable housing. When a client loses a job, has health challenges, or is caring for dying loved ones, rising rents are impossible to meet.
In November, CRC will celebrate ten years of service. The nonprofit’s Board of Directors is planning a celebration, welcoming anyone who supports the mission (ticket required). “It would be hard to believe the powerful force for good in our community that CRC has become ...” said Board Chair Kelly Saylor, “... if you didn’t know Nina. She lives by the saying, ‘Service is the rent we pay for living.’ Her values and her dream guide everything we do. Our goal now is to continue to grow every year, in financial strength, and networking depth, so we can meet the need for the decade ahead.”
Gray is still connected to CRC, serving as Board Chair Emerita. “With maximum sleuthing, creativity, and effort, we can almost always find the appropriate resource,” said Gray. “We never give up.”
About the Author
Kimberly Lohman Clapp is the founder of Golden Hour Communications, shining a light on people improving the world. To learn more about CRC, visit collierresourcecenter.org or call 239.434.2030.
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