CFK Keys Currents-2020-21

Construction
Donor Spotlight
Clockwise from the left: Land is excavated to prepare to
build the foundation of the new Upper Keys Center.
Construction crews install stormwater management
components at the site of the new Upper Keys Center.
An artistic rendering of the new CFK Upper Keys Center.
Super Hero:
Ocean Reef
Community Foundation
Rising Hopes:
New Upper Keys
Center opening
August 2021
The College of the Florida Keys will soon have a new
home for its Upper Keys Center with a brand new 38,000
square-foot building in Key Largo. Though COVID-19 caused
the cancellation of a groundbreaking celebration in April,
excitement nevertheless mounted this spring as the site of the
old Shell World building at MM106 was cleared and prepped
for its new purpose. In September, construction officially
commenced. Fences wrapped in brightly colored banners now
proudly display images of the College’s future home to travelers
on the busy Overseas Highway.
CFK’s new Upper Keys Center is set to open its doors in
August 2021. With it comes a wealth of educational, workforce,
and economic opportunities for the people in northern Monroe
County. The College plans to expand several programs in
the upper Keys: Nursing, Emergency Medical Technician,
Paramedic, Marine Environmental Technology, Marine Resource
Management, Public Safety (law enforcement and corrections
academies), Construction Technologies Apprenticeships, and
Project ACCESS, a program for students with intellectual
disabilities. In addition, the College plans to develop new
programs at the facility including: Pharmacy Technician,
Phlebotomy, and Dental Hygiene.
The expanded space will allow twice as many students to
comfortably study, learn, and grow. The facility features seven
classrooms, two nursing labs, one bio-chemical lab, a 150-seat
auditorium, three apprenticeship labs, a testing center, and a
library. There are also student and employee lounges, a student
activities room, and a patio deck. In preparation for the possibility
of a major storm, there is a generator as well as a staging area
for a fuel tanker to park, which could help with fuel re-stocking
for the entire island chain.
Unlike that scenic highway location where the Upper Keys
Center will reside, the road leading to the development of the
much-needed community asset has been long, winding, and
sometimes bumpy. Committed to the task, CFK President
Dr. Gueverra and his team rallied support from federal, state,
and local government entities as well as businesses, nonprofits,
and private citizens. In 2019, a $16 million grant from the
U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development
Administration (EDA) provided the major funding boost needed
to make this shared community dream a reality.
Stay tuned on the CFK’s social media pages to follow the
progress of construction. In the meantime, prospective students
can apply on the College’s website at CFK.edu to be a part of
the first class of students at the new Upper Keys Center in the
Fall 2021 semester.
F
or more than 55 years, The College of the Florida Keys
has continuously evolved to meet the growing need for
higher education in Monroe County. Covering a service area
of 126 miles (the length of the Keys), the College has worked to
maximize its impact and relevance to the economies and needs
of each population center in the Keys. In evaluating the needs
of CFK’s service areas, it became clear that a stand-alone facility
in the upper Keys was critical to the success of our students,
the College, and the community’s workforce demand.
Since 2013, the College’s quest has developed through
various stages from feasibility studies and educational programs
review to location selection and funding consideration. Over
this evolution, one important group emerged that shared
the College’s vision for higher education in the Upper Keys,
understood the importance of community, and was ready to
“roll up their sleeves” and work toward supporting the goal
of a new center in Key Largo. This extraordinary group was
the Ocean Reef Community Foundation and its members.
For them and their work, the College is forever grateful.
From the left: ORCF Vice President Stephen Woodsum,
CFK Vice President of Advancement Dr. Frank Wood, CFK President
Dr. Jonathan Gueverra, and ORCF Grants Committee Chair Janie Sims.
Ocean Reef Community Foundation (ORCF) and their
resident-supporters have a long rich history of providing
critical support to numerous non-profit organizations in the
Keys and south Miami-Dade County. The spirit of charity and
desire to maximize the impact of giving motivated Ocean Reef
members to establish the Ocean Reef Community Foundation
in 1994. ORCF’s Community Grants Program funds dozens
of worthy charities in the interest areas of Education, Youth,
Health & Family Services, and Community in the Upper Keys,
Homestead, and Florida City each spring. Including 2020 grants,
the program has donated more than $11 million to improve the
quality of life in the communities where Ocean Reef employee
families live since the All Charities collaboration began in 2008.
For Monroe County, Ocean Reef Community is one of the
largest employers and CFK is the largest provider of higher
education. A partnership between the two was a natural fit.
In recent years, ORCF has supported the College’s needs for
nursing lab equipment, welding education infrastructure,
“Game-Changer” scholarships, apprenticeship scholarships,
and most recently capital support for the Upper Keys Center.
Upon the College’s selection and purchase of the site for
the Upper Keys Center, a dedicated leadership group
emerged from within the Ocean Reef Community. Under
the leadership of William Nutt, ORCF’s Chairman, a group
of education-minded philanthropists, comprised of Alan
Goldstein, Jim Anderton, Bill Parfet, Michael Berman,
Steve Markel, Thomas Davidson, and Ed Hajim, answered
the call to assist the College and launched an effort to raise
funds. Based on the work of this extraordinary group and the
Ocean Reef Community Foundation, the College recently
received a $1.2 million contribution toward the Center and
a pledge of another $1.2 million.
This generous support combined with a Federal EDA grant
awarded to the College, CFK Foundation support, and other
private assistance reaches a total of $20 million, the cost to
complete the Center. Hats off to the Ocean Reef Community
and all who have worked to make this dream come true.
The College looks forward to a long productive partnership to
benefit our students and our community.
10 KEYS CURRENTS A PUBLICATION OF THE COLLEGE OF THE FLORIDA KEYS
A PUBLICATION OF THE COLLEGE OF THE FLORIDA KEYS KEYS CURRENTS 11