While preparing to welcome a new baby to the family is typically a time of wonder and joy, an expectant mother’s rollercoaster of anticipation and nervousness is also accompanied by...
Strengths and vulnerabilities across and within systems are magnified during times like these. Our systems – healthcare, education, and the economy - are struggling under the weight of a virus...
Submitted by Sarah Owen, president & CEO, Southwest Florida Community Foundation and Jeannine Joy, president & CEO, United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee Counties SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS With the seeming...
Naples, FL (March 16, 2020) - The Community Foundation of Collier County and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation have each activated emergency relief funds: CFCC's Collier Comes Together Fund and...
The Battle Creek Community Foundation and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation hosted the second annual C3 luncheon on February 28 at Collaboratory to gather donors from these sister foundations to...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation will open its annual call for Community Impact Grant applicants on June 3, 2019. The Community Impact Grant is a program of the Southwest Florida...
by Lisa Wright, MSN, RN, Health Occupations Coordinator, School District of Lee County A 27 year-old-mother brings proof of residency and her official GED transcript to the offices of Fort Myers...
The Women's Legacy Fund gathered more than 100 Contributors and supporters on April 12, 2019 at Collaboratory for the annual Women's Legacy Fund Spring Luncheon. The Women’s Legacy Fund is a...
The team at the Southwest Florida Community Foundation is constantly learning. We are committed to staying connected to the community and are always on the lookout for ways to engage...
Hands down the best part about my job is meeting the interesting people who do exceptional things and give to their community in unique ways. This story starts with a self-described...
As a rule, I like to look at the things I have rather than the things I don’t. Focusing on gratitude can be a life-changing experience. I am fortunate in...
If you live in Southwest Florida year-round, you know the absolute best time to get outside and be active is the beginning of the year. The skies are blue. The...
Over the holidays a friend stopped by with a fresh baked cherry pie – so fresh it was still steaming from her oven. Standing there on our doorstep three days...
As 2018 winds down and the holidays are now almost behind us, the Amazon Prime boxes with the signature blue and black tape are making their way to the curb,...
As another year begins to wind down, many of us take a little more time to reflect and express gratitude. We are amid the holiday season, which tends to bring...
I noticed the Guide to Flipping Houses on the internet not too long ago, “5 Easy Steps to House Flipping.” I’m a closet fan of Flip or Flop, Flipping Out...
The Women’s Legacy Fund (WLF) of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently presented their 2018 grant check to the Career Pipeline for Women in Health Care program, a program focused...
$30,000 Grant Check to be presented to help women with education for a career in healthcare The Women’s Legacy Fund (WLF) of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation will hold its 2018...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Relief fund established for those affected by water crisis 100% of contributions will be disbursed in Lee County – donors encouraged to give FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 27, 2018)...
by Lauren G. Schmidt, Health Education Program Consultant, Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County Charlotte County children suffer unnecessary dental complications due to limited dental treatment options for the under...
How Yuzellie Turned a Dark Experience into a Drive for The Future By Dayhanna Acosta, Southwest Florida Women’s Foundation Two years ago, Yuzellie Garcia decided to return to school to become the...
by Jack Ham, Principal, The Academy, Port Charlotte, Fla. Another school year has come to a close, and The Academy has even more reason to celebrate than usual. Given the school's...
Every year our tribe of grantees make the journey to the Center for Public Interest Communications at the University of Florida. While on retreat, the tribe members work on strategies...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation will bring nationally renowned author and TED talk speaker Dan Pallotta to town on Saturday, November 3 for a one-day Board training seminar for nonprofit...
I decided to work from home today, so I am not wearing my business attire and am writing this from my comfortable couch with a very different view out the...
I have been a life long environmentalist. As boy, I sailed with my family all along the East Coast from New York to Maine. As a young adult, I took...
When I was a kid, I fell in love with the band REM. It was the album Out of Time that changed the way I thought about music and made...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation has launched an Earth Day campaign to raise awareness and funds for the environment in Southwest Florida. The “Earth Day the SWFL Way” campaign is meant...
Sometimes I feel like I am living in a commercial for Southwest Florida complete with soundbites, video clips, campaign themes and headlines. I see it all around me as I...
Recently, my six year old son received three sheets of glow-in-the-dark star stickers. We spent an afternoon applying them to the ceiling in his bedroom while he shared everything he...
This is a little bit of alphabet soup for you in the new year, but good news nonetheless. First, let’s just say that there are some nice benefits to being...
There was something very special about Mary. She lived to be 96 and during her lifetime she was educated, married a wonderful man, was well-traveled, had children and grandchildren she...
There is something about putting a bow on the year passed and getting a fresh start that always makes a new year exciting. It’s a time for imagining new goals...
As the year comes to an end, we thought it would be a good time to share some stories of local donors (whose names have been changed to protect the...
During this time of the year at the Community Foundation, our phone is ringing off the hook with people interested in expressing their philanthropy in the smartest, most effective ways....
by John Sheppard, senior advisor trustee and co-founder, Southwest Florida Community Foundation I grew up Fort Myers in the depths of the Depression. The stock market crashed in 1929, but Florida...
It’s tough to have a conversation without checking the Internet. We try to remember movies, facts, dates, and determine the best brand of this or that on a daily basis. ...
The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation is announcing emergency grants for two Florida organizations to provide support and aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The Foundation donated $25,000 to the Harry...
I have always known that lessons come from those you least expect. I have experienced it many times in my life so I was surprised how long it took me...
At 9 and 6 years old, my kids are fully engaged in Halloween. They imagine their costumes well in advance, constructing a long list of all the things they could...
Growing up in Southwest Florida, I have always heard about Hurricane parties though I have never been invited to one. I have been lucky to be away at school or...
Some people like surprises, others do not. While I like the idea of surprises, not all surprises are welcome. Not too long ago, I discovered the tile floors in my 1950s...
FGCU Institute for Entrepreneurship Hosts Second Annual Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 28, 2017)– Florida Gulf Coast University’s (FGCU) Institute for Entrepreneurship concluded the second annual Veterans Florida...
by Anne M. Chernin, MBA, MSW, Director of Client Services JFCS of Southwest Florida Last month I had the opportunity to travel to the University of Florida in Gainesville to participate in...
Grant cycle closes June 29, 2017 The Women’s Legacy Fund (WLF) of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation is placing its annual call for grant applications. This year, the WLF will be...
The end of a school year is always a milestone. Sometimes that milestone is making it to first or fourth grade, like it was in my house just days ago. ...
The Land of Opportunity Fund, an endowed field of interest fund of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, has been established by an anonymous donor who will match donations of $50,000...
He sat patiently in our waiting room. He didn’t have an appointment and I was tied up on a phone call. But he waited any way. When I greeted this...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently hosted 50 of its scholarship reviewers at a thank-you reception on April 20. Maria Valladares, a student of Nova Southeastern read a poem she...
