Naples-based nonprofit House of Gaia seeks to build social inclusion and celebrate diversity in the community. President and founder Maria Luisa M. Carter decided to start the nonprofit—with its name meaning “House of Earth”—in 2008, drawing on her background in international travel and experience across other cultures. “I felt the urge of serving Naples and bringing all these cultural aspects to the community,” she recalls. The organization pursues its mission through a variety of classes and programs open to people of all ages and backgrounds, from drum circles to family art classes to Reiki and Zen meditation. As Carter works to help build community, she says she enjoys seeing kids in the organization grow up and bring their own children to classes and to volunteer. “At our center, is a…
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Naples Illustrated (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2023