Charity begins at home: Integrity Charitable Foundation picks Crossroads Hope Academy for support

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Nov. 6, 2023 - PRLog -- Crossroads Hope Academy, a nonprofit group home for male teens with multiple failed placements in the Florida foster care system, has been selected as the 2023-24 nonprofit organization of choice by Integrity Charitable Foundation.

The foundation is the nonprofit arm of Integrity Employee Leasing, one of the fastest-growing Professional Employer Organization (PEO) companies in the nation. Its mission: to provide financial support for nonprofit organizations making a difference in the local community.

"Our organization is proud to call Charlotte County home, and is committed to making our community shine even brighter," said Julie Davidson, president of the Integrity Charitable Foundation. "We strive to honor that hometown commitment every day and are thrilled to partner with Crossroads Hope Academy to help provide a sense of normalcy for children whose lives have been anything but normal."

The academy's main campus is located on the Babcock Ranch Preserve, with a home and school on a 20-acre site. A second location opened in fall 2022 near downtown Punta Gorda.

"Demand for our services has grown exponentially since the pandemic," said John Davidson, the academy's executive director. "We average nearly 100 referrals a month but can only accept a handful of those young men. The sustained support of the Integrity Charitable Foundation is absolutely vital to helping us fulfill our mission in support of some of society's most vulnerable members."

The Integrity Charitable Foundation has pledged to donate $50,000 to Crossroads Hope Academy. The charitable efforts kicked off with an employee Sunday football tailgate fundraiser at a local sports bar.

In its first full year of operation, the foundation designated the Southwest Florida-based Better Together as its initial nonprofit beneficiary, donating $60,000 collected through employee, client and individual donations to the organization. Better Together works to keep families together - and keep children out of foster care - through programs that empower parents to find employment and provide a loving, safe and supportive foundation for their children.

Since 2004, Integrity Employee Leasing has helped businesses grow by handling human resources including payroll, benefits, compliance, risk management and more. Through the Foundation, Integrity Employee Leasing's employees, as well as its clients, will have the option to participate in tax-deductible donations through payroll deductions and individual contributions.

To learn more, visit IntegrityEL.com/About/The-Integrity-Charitable-Foundation.