Naples, Florida (March 2011) Friends of Foster Children of Southwest Florida announced that the first Sip and Sample fundraising event held on February 23 at the Village on Venetian Bay was a vintage success. Nearly 200 patrons in attendance purchased $25 passports to sample wines and appetizers at the participating Village merchants.
The event raised $4,800 to benefit children in foster care in Southwest Florida according to Jennifer Weidenbruch, the Executive Director Friends of Foster Children SWFL. “We are very pleased with the response from the community to participate in this fund-raising effort,” said Ms Weidenbruch. “It was a great time for a great cause and The Village Merchants and The Lutgert Companies were wonderful. Children placed into Foster Care are primarily due to tragic circumstances such as losing their parents, abuse or neglect. Often, they have no other family members to care for them. Taken from your home is a traumatic experience for anyone, and especially for kids.”
The funds raised at the Sip and Sample event will provide clothing, tutoring, summer camp and after-school activities for local children in foster care.
Statistics from the Children’s Defense Fund and Department of Children and Families Data from district 8 Foster Care System (Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry & Glades Counties) are distressing with a child being abused or neglected every 4 minutes. 134,567 children are victims of abuse of neglect each year and 29,229 children are in foster care.
Licensed foster parents receive between $443 and $546 per month, depending on age, to help with room and board. Less than half of the children removed from their homes are in licensed care. Non-related unlicensed foster parents are eligible for only Medicaid for support.
FFC recognizes that these children deserve to have their childhood kept intact and provides them with opportunities to become successful and strong adults. FFC, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, focuses on filling in the gaps in the state system. FFC’s support ranges from tutoring or after-school programs to enrichment activities that nurture the child’s talents and passions.
Scott Lutgert
In every community, there are go-to people who are able to make things happen.
They are powerful, often beyond their companies and positions, because they help shape the community. Some are out front, such as politicians. But most are not. They may be well-known or they may be behind-the-scenes movers. Many get involved with non-profits and use their influence in that realm.
Most of the people on this list have used their power largely to improve the community, either philanthropically, or by boosting the economy or public policy.
There is no universal criteria to create such a list. It’s part art, part knowledge, part experience and a lot of interviews with know people of influence to find out who they seek out to get something done.
The powerful know who are the most powerful.
Click here for more on Top 50 Most Powerful People on the Gulf Coast
The Friends of Foster Children (FCC) of Southwest Florida are teaming with M Waterfront Grille at the Village on Venetian Bay to benefit foster care children. On Saturdays, January 8, 15, 22 and 29, proceeds from delicious flatbreads that are sold will benefit the Friends of Foster Children.
The kids are joining in to show their culinary skills and will be preparing flatbreads outside on the veranda. Chefs will also be preparing the breads inside. Jackie Sereno, wife of Chris Sereno, co-owner of M Waterfront Grille, is a board member for The Friends of Foster Children and the inspiration behind this fund-raiser.
“I was so inspired when I met the foster children and learned that there are 500 children in the foster care system in Collier County,” said Mrs. Sereno. “We hope to have a fun event, which will raise awareness of this great need in our community and some much needed revenues.”
The state only provides the very basic of necessities, such as room and board for children. Friends of Foster Children provide what the state does not, including enrichment activities (football, gymnastics and music lesson fees), clothing, birthday gifts and tutoring.
The average length of stay in foster care is 33 months and 18% of the children are in care for five years or longer. The FCC believes education is the key to breaking the cycle of abuse and poverty in families and has implemented The Education Train tutoring program to address the individual academic needs of children in the foster care system. Many of these children are falling behind in school. These academic delays are often a result of the trauma of abuse and/or neglect, frequent placement changes, and switching schools often causing turmoil and stress. Highly trained tutors work one-on-one with the student. Tutoring is conducted at the student’s home, with a caregiver present, or in another public facility where adults are present.
The Foster Care Council is in need of volunteers that are interested in the Children’s Needs Committee, fundraising, grant writing and/or serving on the Board of Directors.
Please, call the Foster Care Council with any questions at (239) 262-1808 and
visit www.fostercarecouncil.org.
The 2011 Naples Winter Wine Festival charity auction holds the promise of acquiring rare vintages and unique and unforgettable wine country experiences around the globe. Of the 70 lots to be auctioned during the Jan. 28 – 30 festival to raise funds for underprivileged and at-risk children, the majority feature very special wines and trips donated by renowned vintners and private collectors.
“I’m betting wine connoisseurs will be thrilled at the prospect of owning a 3-liter bottle of Petrus or the very rare opportunity to obtain one-of-a-kind, large-format bottles from Cos d’Estournel, one of the top Bordeaux producers,” said Scott Lutgert, vintner lot chairman and trustee of the Naples Children & Education Foundation, the festival’s founding organization. “For U.S. wine lovers, we have impossible to obtain bottles paired with Napa-style luxury vacations made very personal by the vintners’ participation. There’s also a phenomenal Shafer Vineyards lot with a complete vertical of Hillside Select. You can’t find these wines and experiences anywhere else, and at the festival, the proceeds are all for charity.”
Here is a sampling of wine lots to be offered at the 2011 festival. Descriptions of all auction lots will be posted at www.napleswinefestival.com in late October.
Lot 2 is a remarkable collection of 28 Magnums – one from each of the festival’s participating vintners. Among the extraordinary bottles is a 2005 Torbreck RunRig, 2005 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Shafer Vineyards Sunspot Cabernet Sauvignon – 25th Anniversary Magnum.
Click here for more on Naples Winter Wine Festival.
The Pink Heals Tour is on the move. Guardians of the Ribbon, dressed in pink fire suits, will drive pink fire trucks across the nation on a journey to raise funds and awareness for women affected by cancer.
The North Naples Professional Fire Fighters Local 2297 and North Naples Fire District are teaming up with the Pink Heals Tour to show support and welcome four pink trucks to Mercato on September 25 at 5:30pm. As the trucks make their way across the states, messages of gratitude, hope and love are written on the trucks at each stop.
Spearheading the local effort, Battalion Chief Dave Bellamy is encouraged by local support. “We do some kind of fundraising every year. When I heard about what was happening with the Guardians, I knew I wanted to be involved,” said Bellamy. “It’s our first time and the response has been overwhelming from everyone—merchants at Mercato, local leaders, volunteers and medical professionals.” Proceeds from the Naples leg of the tour will benefit the Cancer Alliance of Naples and Pink Ribbon Yoga.
A day of celebration at Mercato from 5:30 to 10:00pm will include portrait painting, raffles, live entertainment, a bounce house, a dunk tank, hay ride, silent auctions and T-Shirts for sale; the major fund raising component to keep the trucks on the road. Attendees can tour the inside of the trucks and write their personal message on the outside.
The Guardians of the Ribbon is an Arizona non-profit organization consisting of firefighters, police officers and leaders in the community whose sole purpose is raising awareness for the fight against cancer.
In 2008, Glendale, Ariz., Firefighter Dave Graybill found inspiration by a fellow station’s firemen who donned pink shirts to honor the fight against breast cancer for women of Las Cruces. Graybill later had an epiphany – a pink fire truck. With no money to purchase a truck, he started out by driving around with a donated stainless steel pink ribbon on a trailer. Through a serendipitous encounter with a friend who learned of Dave’s mission, his friend’s wife wrote a check for $13,500 on the spot. Dave got his first truck on eBay sold by a firefighter in Jacksonville, Florida.
As Graybill’s pink truck rolled down the freeway, a woman starting crying out for him to pull over. He did and she was the first person to write on the truck. Although the primary mission was to raise awareness for breast cancer, women along the way reached out to gain support for other forms of cancer, and kicked off the idea for “Pink Heals Tour”.
The Guardians of the Ribbon has helped raise over $200,000 for cities across the country by bringing their pink trucks to help promote love and support. To learn more: www.pinkfiretrucks.org; www.northnaplesfire.com. To make a donation, checks are made payable to North Naples Professional Fire Fighters; include “Pink Heals” in the memo line, and mail to North Naples Professional Fire Fighters; P.O. box 112049; Naples, Florida 34108.
Mercato, a Lutgert Companies & Barron Collier Companies development, is located along US 41 north of Vanderbilt Drive. Find us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter; www.mercatoshops.com.
The Rotary Club of Bonita Springs Noon will host International Fest 2010 on Thursday, October 7, 2010 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm.at The Mercato on US 41 in North Naples. The event features a beer and wine tasting at all Mercato restaurants. There will be an after party starting at 8:00 at Blue Martini with live music for those who wish to continue enjoying the evening.
The event is open to the public. Attendees will receive a souvenir beer-tasting mug or wine glass to taste the various international beers or wines. In addition, restaurants and several retail outlets will serve complimentary hors d’oeuvres and provide gift bags. Passports will also allow participants to attend an after party at Blue Martini, so that no cover charge will apply.
Restaurants participating in the tasting event include AZN Azian Cuisine, Blue Martini, Bravo! Cucina Italiana, McCormick & Schmick’s, Piola Famosi Per La Pizza, Pure, Silverspot, Stage 62 Deli, The Capital Grille and The Pub.
Retail stores participating by offering gift certificates for the raffle, gift bags or hors d’oeuvres the evening of the event are: Sur La Table, Whole Foods, Spectacles, Bobby Chan, and others.
Passports include a registration form good for one entry into a grand prize drawing of an All-clad® 3 quart sauce pan from Sur La Table, a $250.00 value. Raffle tickets may be purchased for $1.00 each for a chance to win gift certificates from the Mercato restaurants and retail stores.
Passports may be purchased in advance for $25.00 by calling Nelson Marine at 239-992-6645 or the night of the event while supplies last for $30.00. Cash, Visa and Mastercard will be accepted. Advance tickets may be purchased and picked up at the International Fest 2010 Will Call on the sidewalk across from Blue Martini.
Proceeds from the evening’s event will benefit The Bonita Springs Assistance Office, Kids Against Hunger, Grace Place in Golden Gate (Naples), Bonita Nature Place and The Rotary Club of Bonita Springs Noon Foundation which supports various local charities and scholarships throughout the year in Lee and Collier counties.
This event is made possible in part with additional support from Coastal Beverage, Republic Wines, Baird Wealth Management, Bentley Naples, Naples Daily News and The Lutgert Companies.
Plans are going swimmingly for the 2010 Great Venetian Duck Race at The Village on Venetian Bay. On Feb. 27, 10,000 small yellow “adopted” rubber ducks will be dropped into Venetian Bay to race to the finish line. Top placing lucky ducks will win thousands of dollars worth of prizes. Ducks are $10 each and may be purchased online at www.naples.com/duckrace. All proceeds will benefit the Children’s Museum of Naples.
Click here for more on the Duck Race at Venetian Village.
Mercato First Fridays will mix fun with fundraising on October 2 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM as another charitable effort — “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” — is introduced to the community. Suzanne Perry has been selected as the first Neighbor in Need and will be honored on October 2 in conjunction with Mercato First Fridays.
“Neighbors Helping Neighbors” (NHN) is an offshoot of iWannahelp.net, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization designed for charitable involvement by means of a comprehensive website. NHN will focus its efforts to raise awareness and funds for one individual each month that is in dire financial need due to medical expenses.
Perry, a Naples resident since 1981, is a master hair stylist at Franco’s Beauty Center. In January, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and later doctors discovered she also has the aggressive cancer gene. Perry has no health insurance. Surgical costs and expenses related to chemotherapy and radiation treatments are anticipated to reach nearly $100,000.
“Mercato First Fridays provides an ideal platform for “Neighbors Helping Neighbors,” said Kristin Cartwright, Director of Lutgert Commercial Marketing. “We are pleased the committee has chosen Suzanne as our first “Neighbor.” First Fridays is intended to be a positive, fun event for the community and by incorporating a helping-hand program to our neighbors makes a good fit. Mercato merchants are enthused to be part of this compassionate endeavor in step with the mission of iWannahelp.net.”
Click here for more on Neighbors Helping Neighbors event.
Culinary Concept’s Karma Club has selected the Children’s Museum of Naples as the beneficiary of its fifth annual Yabba Island Pirate Ball.
The Pirate Ball will be held Wednesday, April 22, at the Yabba Island Grill. 711 Fifth Ave. South in Naples.
The event will begin with a silent auction and reception at 6 p.m. with dinner and live auction to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Event co-chairs, Louise Purtle, Mimy von Schreiner-Valenti and Stephanie Waltbillig, each members of the Children’s Museum Guild, anticipate hosting more than 200 guests dressed in their pirate best to enjoy a swashbuckling evening of good grub and grog.
Tickets are $350 per person and may be purchased at www.karmaclub.net.
A drawing for a 2009 Smart Car for Two Passion Coupe, valued at $18,000, will also be part of the evening and only 1,000 tickets, priced at $150 each, will be sold.
Click here for more on this article.
The Naples Children & Education Foundation is all about making dreams come true.
It has provided everything from books and counseling to eyeglasses and language classes to needy children through its Naples Winter Wine Festival. Every year, the festival raises millions for children’s charities in Collier County.
Since 2001, the three-day event has brought in $69.5 million with the mission of helping the lives of underprivileged
and at-risk children.
Most of that money — $67.5 million — has come from the auctions. Every year, donors put together exclusive auction lots that include rare wines, luxury trips, and exotic cars. All of the money raised goes to charity. This year’s festival is coming up — Feb. 6-8 — and its theme is “Dreams Do Come True.”
Click here for more information.
