MILAGRO CENTER AWARDED $100,000 HIGH-IMPACT GRANT FROM IMPACT 100 PALM BEACH COUNTY
Funds will Help Organization Launch its G.E.M.S. (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science) Program for Underserved Middle and High School Girls
DELRAY BEACH, FL – Milagro Center is proud to announce it has been awarded a $100,000 high-impact grant from Impact 100 Palm Beach County, a prestigious recognition and transformative gift that will significantly advance its G.E.M.S. (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science) program for underserved at-risk middle and high school girls.
Impact 100 Palm Beach County is a women’s charitable organization funding local nonprofit initiatives. It is comprised of a growing number of women (827 women in 2025) who donate $1,000 annually, pool their funds, and vote to award multiple $100,000 high-impact grants to benefit the residents of southern Palm Beach County.
Milagro Center was honored during the Impact 100 Palm Beach County Annual Awards Celebration on April 23, 2025, where the organization received the grant in the presence of hundreds of community changemakers. A symbolic big check presentation marked the occasion.
A formal check signing followed on May 20, 2025, further commemorating this powerful partnership between Impact 100 Palm Beach County and Milagro Center.
“We are deeply honored and grateful to Impact 100 Palm Beach County for believing in our mission and, more specifically, our commitment to our G.E.M.S. program, which will create a holistic, S.T.E.M.-focused career-centered initiative that specifically targets girls aged 12-18 middle and high school students, particularly girls of color from underserved or underrepresented communities,” said Barbara Stark, President & CEO of Milagro Center.
Milagro Center’s G.E.M.S. program was developed to address a tremendous gender gap in STEM careers, especially in some of the highest-paying and fastest-growing jobs for the future like computer science and engineering, according to Stark. Per the U.S. Labor Statistics, women make up only 34% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. Of those women, less than 10% are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
“This innovative program will synergize STEM education, career pathways, leadership opportunities, and personal development to empower the next generation of female engineers, scientists, IT professionals, and mathematicians to pursue STEM careers, thus breaking the cycle of poverty for over 200 teen girls in South Palm Beach County,” Stark noted. “We believe that many of the young women participating in G.E.M.S. will become the STEM pioneers of tomorrow!”
Milagro Center will proudly display the 2025 Impact 100 Palm Beach County Grant Recipient badge on its website to celebrate this achievement and the incredible support of the Impact 100 community.
To learn more about Milagro Center’s mission and programs, please contact Barbara Stark, President and CEO, at bstark@milagrocenter.org or (561) 279.2970 ext. 101.
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ABOUT MILAGRO CENTER:
Established in 1997, Milagro Center is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure the social and academic success of underserved children and youth through Cultural Arts, Living Values, Academic Support, and Mentoring. Milagro Center provides afterschool and summer camp programs for children from kindergarten through 12th grade and operates three separate Centers – the S.T.A.R.S. Center for elementary age children, the Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Milagro Junior Teen Center for its middle school Junior Teen Leadership Program and the Milagro Teen Center for its high school Teen Leadership Program. Milagro Center has consistently achieved a 100% graduation rate for its high school seniors and a 100% matriculation of its third-grade students to fourth grade. For more information about Milagro Center, visit www.MilagroCenter.org or call 561-279-2970.
