The turning of the seasons has always given me pause. As Summer gave way to Fall, I reflected on the year, my mind drifting back to Spring, when it seemed...
Sugar Ray Robinson, considered by many the greatest boxing champion of all time, once said: “Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that’s...
The time-honored axiom that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure has never been more valid than when applied to our health. The prospects for an enhanced...
Walls may form barriers between the rooms in a home, but sometimes walls and barriers take on new meaning when thoughts turn to independent residential living options for Southwest Floridians...
It’s no secret that COVID-19 has changed everything. From the way we greet each other, to the way we organize our lives around new realities, to the way we gather...
The ability to navigate life with language that communicates complex thoughts, ideas and emotions makes us uniquely human. But our capacity to connect with and understand each other extends far...
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...
When COVID-19 closed schools in the spring, it also shut down a primary food distribution channel for Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that stocks elementary school pantries with nutritious food...
One of the earliest health concerns for children is visible with every smile. Teeth. From their earliest days as infants and toddlers, when dental-health treatment and family knowledge surrounding oral...
As the convergence of perilous disease in the air and transformational social unrest on the streets has created anxiety that sets our hearts, minds and souls on edge, an invaluable emotional outlet that is uniquely human exists...
As I am confronted with the social upheaval in the wake of the inhumane killing of George Floyd, the most recent in an abhorrent series of unjust deaths and devastated...
When the COVID-19 crisis closed schools throughout Southwest Florida, grade school students and their families were suddenly thrust into the unknown as they followed social-distancing guidelines and sheltered at home. But...
Cone of uncertainty. The term crossed my mind as I watched reports on Tropical Storm Arthur, which flared up before hurricane season even officially began. We’ve grown accustomed to hearing...
When the service missions end for local military veterans and their families, the mission of the nonprofit Home Base Southwest Florida begins. With the latest figures from the U.S. Department of...
This article is part of a summer series that highlights the vital work of regional recipients of 2020 Community Impact Grants from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. Even during the...
This article is part of a summer series that will highlight the vital work of regional recipients of 2020 Community Impact Grants from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. COVID-19 has caused...
Like so many Southwest Floridians, I’ve been remotely working from home, as the Southwest Florida Community Foundation stands with all those striving to balance health and safety while remaining efficient...
There is a great deal of talk these days around adaptability. Personal, professional, business, government and healthcare adaptability are top of mind as we navigate the pandemic in all aspects...
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...
I spend a good portion of my time these days virtually connecting with people who desperately want to do something to help those suffering as a result of the pandemic. ...
The subject line of the email proclaimed “This Event is NOT Cancelled” and for obvious reasons it caught a lot of attention. I’ve learned that some people felt a momentary flash...
These are anxious times. COVID-19 has impacted global and local communities and disrupted our everyday lives in ways large and small. As we work together to adjust to quickly changing...
Our world has changed, collectively and individually. Last week I was walking around Collaboratory and missing the energy of people meeting and connecting in the building. If I am honest,...
This column is difficult for me to write as it hits close to home. My birth year of 1963 places me on the cusp of the baby boomer generation, and...
by Sarah Owen, president & CEO, Southwest Florida Community Foundation I have a 3-hour limit. I don’t turn into a pumpkin, but anything longer than 3 hours in a car and...
by Christian Bell, Marketing Manager Ray Charles, Art Tatum, Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli—these great performers, who are all immediately recognizable for their amazing talent, all dealt with visual impairment. Many singers,...
Residents sharing meals to connect and discuss community On Thursday, October 17, 2019, people from across Southwest Florida will take part in a single day of conversation about the community and...
These six words have become a theme in my life. This summer I have tried to be more intentional about taking the time to get together with friends and colleagues...
by Jill Palmer, Executive Director, Florida Southern Gulf Chapter, American Red Cross Thanks in part to a recent grant from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, and in partnership with Lee County...
During this month of “love,” I am pleased to share a love poem to the community written by residents who joined the trustees and team of the Southwest Florida Community...
For the past year I have been wearing a simple gold ring in the shape of a circle. It isn’t an infinity sign, but the continuous circle serves as a...
For nearly 30 years a woman I never met has been whispering in my ear every time I sit down to write. Sometimes she shows up in everyday conversations as...
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...
The woman sat awkwardly on the folding chair outside the dark office of a small business, continually checking the posted hours of operation and the calendar housed on her phone. Without...
It has been four years since I sent a family holiday card. Around October my expectations and intentions reach a pinnacle and I believe that a festive greeting and a...
I just returned from a series of meetings and a conference in New York City. I was traveling solo most of the week which provided me plenty of alone time...
When I was a kid there was a corny saying that worked its way into conversations whenever someone said something that rhymed. I am guessing most of you have uttered it at...
120 people from 32 nonprofits from throughout Southwest Florida gathered on Saturday, Nov. 3 for Dan Pallotta's Bolder Board Training at Collaboratory located in midtown Fort Myers. The event was...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently welcomed two team members. Marina Nassif and Austin Brooks have joined the Foundation’s finance team. Nassif will serve as Controller and is a certified public accountant....
by Anne Chernin, MSW, MBA, Director of Client Services At Naples Senior Center we know that caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia can be challenging and,...
I work alongside a team member who likes to ask “there are no bad ideas, right?” before she launches into an idea generating session at the office. I find myself...
We just passed the longest day of the year last week and our team and the recipients of our grants are energized by the summer solstice as evidenced in their...
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...
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...
Plastics. This one word is actually ranked number 63 in the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 movie quotations in American Cinema. It appears in the 1967 movie...
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...
As I stood in the massive ticketing lobby of the Mexico City International Airport I was swept up in a wave of unfamiliarity. I felt disoriented and it took a...
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...
