A decade after a horrific tragedy, Jordan’s Blessings continues to honor Jordan Ashley Gutheim’s life and spirit.
This month, the Jordan Ashley Gutheim Foundation announces its 10th annual Jordan’s Blessings totaling $103,000.
On May 12, 2016, two young lives were cut short on their way to a picnic at a state park. On a clear sunny day, a commercial truck violently struck their car from behind and forced them into oncoming traffic. Jordan, a 20-year-old Evangelical Christian School graduate and a junior at Florida State University, and her boyfriend, Benji Piechoczek, a sophomore at University of Central Florida, were declared dead at the scene.
Arising out of the shock and horror that truly never goes away, her family established the Jordan Ashley Gutheim Foundation to spread “Jordan’s Blessings.” Over the past 10 years, every May, the foundation has donated to a variety of area nonprofits to honor Jordan’s legacy. Over the past 10 years, the foundation issued grants totaling $695,461.
Jordan was known for her kind and loving spirit, her joyful personality and her willingness to go out of her way to help others. She was passionate about animal safety, family, the elderly, children, and serving the needy in impoverished countries. The fund supports efforts including no-kill animal shelters, elderly health and well-being, humanitarian mission trips, driver safety, family services and an annual four-year scholarship to Florida State University.
The 2026 recipients include:
Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida (CAC) to help fund the Child Protection program. The advocacy center provides abuse determination, therapeutic counseling, parenting education and prevention programs to children and families in Lee, Hendry, Glades and Charlotte counties. The 3-year grant will be used to enhance the group therapy room and the kindness corner, both of which will be named after Jordan.
Hope Hospice and Community Services, Inc/Chapters Health Foundation to aid in the rebuilding of the Lee County/HealthPark location. Specifically, the reflection room will be named after Jordan, a place where families can gather, reflect on their family members life and share their grief.
In addition to the above-mentioned blessings, congratulations to Jayden Torres who was selected for the 10th annual Jordan Ashley Gutheim four-year FSU scholarship.
Jordan attended Evangelical Christian School from preschool through high school and loved the school. Her love of the school extended to its teachers, students, athletics (she played both varsity soccer and track) and student government.
Jordan’s Blessings is in the middle of its second multi-year grant to the Lee County Sheriff’s Youth Activities League for the Teen Driver Challenge class. Seniors at ECS can take the class and learn how to keep safe on the roads. The Jordan Ashley Gutheim Foundation donated this blessing in loving memory of three of her classmates Jordan Sadler, Jon Valentin and Joe Marcelek who died in a car crash in June 2014.
The foundation has supported a variety of non-profits over the years including: MADD, Lee County Sheriff’s Youth Activities League Teen Drivers Challenge, Dr. Piper Center for Social Services grandparents program, Community Cooperative (soup kitchen), Valerie’s House, While We’re Waiting (Christian-based organization for bereaved parents), the Gulf Coast Humane Society, the Cape Coral Animal Shelter, The Dubin Center, an annual FSU scholarship, three mission trips, food to frontline workers during COVID, Pace Center for Girls, Our Mother’s Home, Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida, the Boys and Girls Club of Lee County, A.N.A.’s Friends, Clinic For The Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW), United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee Counties, and Hurricane Ian relief efforts.
The Gutheim family is grateful to everyone who has donated to help keep Jordan Gutheim’s memory alive and support all that she loved. The fund is available for anyone who would like to contribute by visiting http://bit.ly/
About Collaboratory
Collaboratory is Southwest Florida’s regional community foundation and convener, committed to coordinating solutions to the region’s most pressing social challenges by 2040. For more than 50 years, we have mobilized philanthropy and stewarded more than $147 million in charitable investments across a five-county region by bringing together nonprofits, education, government, and private-sector partners to drive systems-level change. Through grantmaking, scholarship administration, community research, capacity building, and cross-sector collaboration, we align resources, talent, and data to ensure donor dollars are strategically invested for measurable, lasting impact and a stronger, more resilient Southwest Florida.
To learn more and get involved, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.collaboratory.org.
