The mission of the Bonner Chiles Foundation is to broaden and enrich the lives of families through its commitment to health, literacy, and social justice. We directly support the work of The Chiles Academy, a public charter school for pregnant and parenting teens and their families.
Our Beginning
The Bonner Chiles Foundation was born from a deep commitment to continue and expand the work of The Chiles Academy and its community partners in the Daytona Beach area.
“To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality.”
— bell hooks, author/activist
Our Goal
Our aim is not to duplicate, but rather to coalesce and support efforts already having powerful impacts across our community. The Bonner Chiles Foundation's purpose is to encourage, solicit, receive and administer gifts and bequests that will directly benefit the community in which it is located. We cultivate what is already growing, nurture and care for the garden where we live.
Our Community
27% of Volusia County children under 18 years of age are below the poverty level and that number almost doubles for female head of households with children under the age of 5
46% of Volusia households do not earn enough to consistently cover basic living expenses, 62% of Daytona Beach households meet this criteria
Daytona Beach has almost 3 times the number of families living in poverty than the state of Florida or Volusia County
One half of the residents in the 20 square mile zip code area of 32114 are under the age of 28, and this area is one of the most impoverished in the state of Florida
Get Involved
If you live near the site of the Historic Bonner Elementary School, pay us a visit and join in the work. We accept volunteers of all kinds and welcome any interests or skills you'd like to bring. College aged students can earn community service credits hours for school in addition to getting hands-on community organizing and educational experience.
Fundraising is what we do. Donations are vital to the growth of the Foundation and in turn, the sustainability of the programs we support. The gift amount isn't as important as the giving itself. Get in touch with us today about how you can give.