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...
by Molly Murphy, Communications Specialist, Family Initiative Incorporated At the age of two and half Amanda Stachler was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Her parents, Julie and Matt suspected prior...
by Leigh Ann Drew, LCSW and Matthew Grambow, Communications Coordinator In January, Avow Hospice was awarded a grant from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s LGBT Community Fund of Southwest Florida. The...
by Trish Fancher, Executive Director, Keep Lee County Beautiful, Inc. Mangroves are critical to the health of our waterways and ecosystems. As they grow they strengthen the shoreline decreasing the chance...
by Laura Perry, President, Glades Education Foundation, Inc. When you ask most middle and high school students what they want to do after high school, you often receive shrugged shoulders and...
by Angela Melvin, Valerie’s House Founder and CEO My name is Angela Melvin and I am the founder of Valerie’s House, a special place for children in Southwest Florida to connect...
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 Sr. Maureen Kelleher, Esq., Immigration Law Staff Attorney with Legal Aid Service of Collier County and facilitator of the ‘Legal Rescue and Empowerment Initiative’ Many thousands of immigrants and their...
By Sonya McCarter, Community Engagement Coordinator, Alliance for the Arts Four years ago, as an actress, my search for plays featuring compelling and interesting African-American characters in Ft. Myers came up...
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...
Preventing Dog Bites in Elementary Aged Children in Lee County By Nicole Ferguson-Morrison, DVM, MS, MPH, MRCVS Veterinarian, Lee County Domestic Animal Services Dog bites are a frightening experience for anyone, especially children....
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...
I have never eaten a soufflé. In the scheme of things, it is not a big deal but recently I saw the offering on a menu and began to consider...
Last week I ran into now former Fort Myers city councilman, Mike Flanders in a downtown coffee shop. I flagged him down on his way out the door to introduce...
I found out last week that I am not the only one with a storied past. If you are a regular reader of this column you know that I share...
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...
When I was in elementary school report cards were handwritten and grades were recorded in blue or black ink. I remember this because of a few bad decisions I made in...
by the Team of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation What on earth do you plan to do in honor of Earth Day this week? While the official Earth Day is April...
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...
No doubt many of you are recovering from the recent Easter egg hunting season. Spring is in the air and for weeks leading up to the Easter Bunny’s annual pilgrimage...
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...
This column was not written on Saturday, March 24, 2018 between 3:30-4:30 pm or 8:30-9:30pm. The reason I am certain about the timing is my observation of Earth Hour 2018. Every year...
Recently I was enjoying a cup of coffee with a new acquaintance who had reached out to learn more giving and philanthropy in Southwest Florida. When he asked me about myself...
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...
As expected this time of year the line to valet at the Naples resort seemed to stretch out endlessly. Experienced Southwest Floridian’s have grown to expect this during season and...
Wandering into the Chapultepec Forest seemed a bit mysterious. As I stood at the gates leading into one of the largest parks in the Western Hemisphere, I didn’t have a plan. I...
When someone asks you to help them change the world, it feels exciting at the onset and then all of a sudden, daunting. Changing the world can mean many things to...
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...
I enjoy reading and listening to interviews with famous leaders and CEOs. No matter the media outlet the questions seem to follow a similar pattern and always include the “What...
The plates of cookies and pitchers of fruit-infused water went untouched for weeks. This surprised me as I thought the smell of warm chocolate chip wonders and refreshing thirst quenchers...
I am a Girl Scout and a Boy Scout. I joined the Girl Scouts as a young girl, starting out as a Brownie scout and staying involved all the way through...
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...
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. ...
Our community does an amazing job providing food for hungry people during the holidays. My email inbox and social media feeds explode this time of the year with stories of...
Over the past year the Southwest Florida Community Foundation has sent at least two thousand thank you notes. Every letter we pen, whether electronically or handwritten reminds me of the generosity...
Recently I was traveling on a back road in Northeast Florida that reminded me of car trips with my grandparents. I spent many of my childhood summers with them and...
Whenever my adult kids travel home for the holidays I can count on at least one conversation with each of them on the topic of why I didn't push them...
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...
There was a time when the calendar turned to October and I sought out ways to bring a little fall into my South Florida life. Years ago I would seek...
I had committed to not writing articles about overcoming suffering and difficulties for the next few weeks. I felt like I had used all the words I had about hope...
I was enjoying one of the many fantastic performers at the Island Hopper Songwriter Fest last week in downtown Fort Myers, and just about the time I was feeling envious...
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...
I am writing this one for those of my neighbors in Southwest Florida who are reading this by flashlight. This is being composed on a laptop that was charged via...
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...
by Brandi Couse, Director of Operations and Education, Alliance for the Arts The Alliance for the Arts is many things for many people. For some it is a place to buy...
