MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Turning Points is celebrating its 30th year of service this month, and a lot has changed with the nonprofit over the years.
In celebration of the milestone, Turning Points is hosting the 30 Acts of Kindness Challenge, where anyone in the community can take part in doing something good for others.
What You Need To Know
- Turning Points celebrating 30th year
- The nonprofit has been here since 1995 in Bradenton and last year helped more than 9,000 men, women and children
- Turning Points is hosting the 30 Acts of Kindness Challenge, where anyone in the community can take part in doing something good for others
- Turning Points is located at 701 17th Avenue West in Bradenton; the phone number is (941) 747-1509
Working hard and making a difference is what Kathleen Cramer knows best.
“’24 and ‘25 have been as busy as ever,” she said.
She has been the executive director of Turning Points in Bradenton for the last five years. She also has years of experience in charitable work with nonprofits.
“I have been in nonprofits for 26 years all over the country. Every single day, we are helping people and changing lives,” she said.
A wall showcases the lives Turning Points has impacted through The Smiles Project — a little to no cost dental program for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in Manatee County, just one of the many resources the nonprofit offers to help people.
“It changes people’s lives. We had a mom who had been hiding her smile for many, many years, and when she got her dentures, she said, ‘I’m going to be a better mom because I’m going to teach my daughters not to fade into the background like I was doing before,’” she said.
But when Turning Points first opened in Bradenton in 1995, it didn’t have all of these programs.
Cramer says a lot has changed since then.
“We’ve just kept growing. We’re giving out over $2 million every year to keep people housed,” she said.
“When Turning Points started, our focus was really on rental assistance — making sure people could get into places. And now, we have six core programs here at Turning Points,” she said.
Just last year, the nonprofit served more than 9,000 men, women and children in need — and they hope to serve even more soon.
“We’re ready to start moving off campus. Instead of asking people to come to us, we’re going to be doing more programming out in the community. And we are just working on a new pilot program with the Manatee School District,” she said.
From establishing roots in Bradenton to developing more community outreach programs, Kathleen is excited to help change more lives.
