Resident Jake, an avid sports fan, smiles big with his jersey on.

Meet Jake!

Jake has been a resident of the Protected Harbor II home since 2018. Since he moved in, he has been loving his additional independence. In the last 2 years, Jake has become more communicative with others outside of his immediate family, experienced shared responsibilities of a home, and established an independent discipline of a routine.

Jake is always trying to make people laugh. Not a dinner goes by where Jake doesn’t get at least one chuckle out of his housemates. He loves adventures and the beach, attending church groups, and playing basketball.

Residents and staff members would describe him as the busy type. He is interested in many things and is always up for anything. Often times, you can find Jake rooting for his favorite sports teams, the New England Patriots and Boston Celtics.

Jake enjoys staying active by running on Protected Harbor’s treadmill, playing tennis and soccer, dancing, and boxing. His favorite hobbies include creating art and researching various topics. Lately, he has been most interested in learning about colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Jake stands in his Publix uniform after attending orientation.

Before COVID-19, Jake worked at his family’s commercial cleaning business twice a week, but he has always had a goal to work at Publix. With the help of Protected Harbor’s support staff and Adult Day Training (ADT) classes, Jake went to his interview prepared. He was offered a position, and the staff worked with his Waiver Support Coordinator and Job Coach to help Jake be successful.

Shortly after attending his orientation, the state went into quarantine and Publix made the decision to postpone his employment. Jake now looks forward to beginning his dream job once things return to normal. We are very proud of Jake and pray that he will soon be seen at his local Publix serving the public, gaining new skills, and building new friendships.

Board of Directors member, Joe Gandolfo.

Protected Harbor is excited to announce the addition of Joe Gandolfo to our Board of Directors!

Born in Rome, Italy, Joe describes himself as a “preacher’s kid,” growing up with his father as a pastor and missionary. He moved to the United States with his family as a young boy, eventually earning a BA at City College of New York and subsequently, a Masters of Education. He then went on to teach in the New York City Board of Education for 32 years.

During his time teaching, he began to feel a burden for disadvantaged youth and their families. However, as a teacher, he felt quite helpless with the limitations imposed by the rules of distancing between students and their teachers.

While teaching, he began to work in the travel business taking student groups to Europe, and eventually becoming an independent contractor as a travel planner for American Express, a role he currently holds.

Joe now writes a travel blog to share his knowledge and experience of his travels.

In 2003, he began attending First Baptist of Naples where he met the “Band of Brothers,” a bible study group for men. Among the group, was Jeff Buchholz, Protected Harbor’s Board President, who introduced him to Protected Harbor.

“It was only after I personally visited the homes that I was able to visualize and understand how precious the residents are and how lovingly they are cared for,” said Joe. “I was hooked, and now I am honored to serve and hopefully, with God’s help, add my small contribution to Protected Harbor.”

Contributing, he is. Recently, Joe created a successful fundraiser for Protected Harbor and its residents. In addition to monetary donations, community members and organizations provided much-needed household items such as cookware, bedding, a mattress set, and games.

We are so thankful to have Joe as a part of the Protected Harbor family. His efforts to grow support for our residents among community members is very much appreciated.