WIMAUMA, Fla. — Surrounded by friends and her support system, Liz Gutierrez is making year 11 one to remember for Enterprising Latinas.

What You Need To Know

Enterprising Latinas in Wimauma is celebrating 11 years of helping Latinas in the community

The education center announced its capital campaign, ‘Somos Wimauma’ to help with the planned expansion

The expansion will include a daycare center, culinary lab and more

She founded the education center with one goal in mind: to help Latinas. She works to do that through business courses, education access and access to capital.

“The population is growing, the needs are great and no one else is doing it, so why not us?” Gutierrez said.

She announced an expansion of the center which will take form through a capital campaign known as “Somos Wimauma.”

The project will include the creation of an early childcare center, a culinary lab and retail and office space.

“This is an opportunity for them to get involved and to support something important in their community, but what we want is engagement. We want everybody to benefit from resources that we all can create,” Gutierrez said.

For Gutierrez, it’s about creating more opportunities for women. It can’t be done without support like the Raza Development Fund, a community development financial institution.

Annie Donovan, the president of the Raza Development Fund, says the institution was instrumental in helping get the center up and running.

“We find the people like Liz and like folks and team at Enterprising Latinas who have a dream, who know how to execute, and we come in with the capital to support that,” Donovan said.

Donovan says the expansion will impact families who need support in rural communities like Wimauma.

“In 2018 when we did the first building, she’s done so much with that building, she’s expanded and strengthened her network and she’s bringing real experts to the table,” Donovan said.

Gutierrez says this expansion will help open doors for more women to lean and grow and place small businesses can take root.

The center is hoping to start construction in May 2026 and have it completed by 2027.