Everyone is Welcome
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...
06
Sep
2017
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30
Aug
2017
Relief funds established for victims of Southwest Florida Flood and Hurricane Harvey
100% of contributions will be disbursed to organizations directly helping those in need. The Southwest Florida Community Foundation has joined forces to create giving funds to help our local neighbors enduring...
30
Aug
2017
Keeping Our GEMS in STEM
by Laura Frost, Director, Whitaker Center for STEM Education at FGCU Meet Cecelia who as a fifth grader loved math and science. When she got to middle school, she started to...
23
Aug
2017
Interwoven Works to Improve the Web
by Rachel Rainbolt, Development and Education Coordinator, Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Inc. Nature has always entertained and enthralled me; being a Southwest Florida native, I had exposure to the...
18
Aug
2017
Crawford joins Southwest Florida Community Foundation board
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation announces Mary Beth Crawford has joined its board of trustees. Crawford is a principal in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group and is based in the...
09
Aug
2017
Leveling the Playing Field
by Laura M. Perry, President, Glades Education Foundation, Inc. With baseball season in full swing, we savor the crack of the bat and the smell of popcorn and hotdogs, while relishing the...
07
Aug
2017
CAUSE & EFFECT: Books, Backpacks and Behavioral Health
Brace yourselves for the onslaught of back to school promotions. For those of you who grew up when school started after Labor Day the abundance of ads for all things...
02
Aug
2017
College Tours Expose Students of Dunbar to Possibilities
by Dr. Janet James, I Will Mentorship College tours are traditionally a process of gathering information from various colleges and universities, geographical areas, landmarks, hotels, restaurants, and student clientele. My experience with...
26
Jul
2017
Cooking up Career Success
by Vickie Rydz, Grants Manager, Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida For many Southwest Floridians, the mantra, “Season is over!” refers to reduced traffic, shorter waiting lines at grocery stores and shops,...
21
Jul
2017
Southwest Florida Community Foundation announces executive committee
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation announces its new executive committee. Dr. Larry Hobbs will serve as the Foundation’s new chairman of the board of trustees; Craig Folk will serve as vice...
21
Jun
2017
The Role of Creative Arts and Dementia
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...
05
Jun
2017
CAUSE & EFFECT: Love Actually or Love Mandatory?
When I walked into our office break room last week I was greeted by the aroma of bar-b-que, a beautiful bowl of tomatoes, fresh bread and a homemade Texas sheet...
24
May
2017
The Right Fit
I have a great pair of shoes that I never wear. I bought them the night before a special event and did not have much time to decide. When I...
The Land of Opportunity Fund established at Southwest Florida Community Foundation – Two pilot programs launched
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...
26
Apr
2017
Throwback Thursdays Take on a Whole New Meaning
The gentleman at the monthly meeting of the Southwest Florida Historical Society had a twinkle in his eye as he shared the mischief he had created on the grounds of...
12
Apr
2017
Growing Up Together
Florida Weekly and I hit Southwest Florida right about the same time. I was a little bit ahead of them on the calendar but when they showed up on the...
22
Feb
2017
Community Love Notes
Last week I was driving down College Parkway in Fort Myers and noticed a car stalled out in a turn lane. A moment later people were racing across the road...
08
Feb
2017
All We Need Is Love, or Is It?
I love the way kids think. That’s why I always end up talking to mine about topics that aren’t on your typical list of kid conversation ideas. To be fair,...
06
Feb
2017
Cause & Effect: It’s All Gone.
It’s all gone. That was the message delivered by my friend who emailed to let me know that the home shared by multi- generations of her family had been lost...
01
Feb
2017
An Open Shelf
The first home my husband and I bought together was a 1920s bungalow just a couple blocks off Daytona Beach. It had hardwood floors hidden under carpet and many other quaint...
18
Jan
2017
Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your Treadmills
I went to a new gym last week. I realize lots of people went back to gyms over the past few weeks as part of a blurry eyed pact they...
11
Jan
2017
Florida Repertory Theatre establishes agency endowment fund with the Southwest Florida Community Foundation
The Florida Repertory Theatre’s board of directors recently established a nonprofit agency endowment fund with the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. Established by nonprofit organizations,...
11
Jan
2017
How are you going to change the world?
How are you going to change the world? It was an innocent enough question that I asked each of the young professionals who visited our office last week. These six young...
05
Jan
2017
Southwest Florida Community Foundation announces $10 million New Markets Tax Credit project
FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 5, 2017) – The Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently closed on a $10 million New Markets Tax Credit deal to be used to restore the historic...
25
Dec
2016
Airport Santa Saves the Day
Neon orange shirt, crisp khaki shorts, tennis shoes, snowy white beard affixed with elastic band and a traditional red Santa hat. He looked exactly like what you might imagine for...
21
Dec
2016
A Little More Can Add Up to A Lot More
I learn new things every day. Many of my life lessons come from the team I work with and the donors I interact with at the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. Working...
07
Dec
2016
Holiday Dinners, Dolls, and Dignity
Holiday giving is heartwarming. There are so many opportunities to reach out into the community and do something generous for a neighbor. I don’t think there is any easier time of...
30
Nov
2016
A Potluck of Purpose
My preteen eyes would scan the table spread with bubbling casseroles and gelatin salads in search of the coveted homemade macaroni and cheese. It would arrive safely in its protective...
23
Nov
2016
Gratitude in the Present Tense
My sister-in-law has a decorative plaque hanging in her house that begs the question, “What if tomorrow you had only the things you gave thanks for today?” Inspirational quotes show up...
07
Nov
2016
CAUSE & EFFECT: Purpose Driven Politics
“Britt Is It” for President is my all-time favorite political slogan. You won’t be seeing Britt on next week’s ballot but this candidate did make a successful presidential run back...
26
Oct
2016
United Arts Council of Collier County helps make Arts:Work
Through music, performing and visual arts, the UAC works with our community to make real and positive change. by Laura Burns, Executive Director What’s your definition of success? Or how about economic...
21
Sep
2016
Connecting People with Plants and Beyond
by Renee Waller, Communications Coordinator, Naples Botanical Garden At Naples Botanical Garden, we strive to not only connect people with plants, but also to inspire and offer barrier-free access to the...
14
Sep
2016
The Immokalee Foundation gives young readers the literacy boost they need to succeed
by Steven Kissinger, executive director of The Immokalee Foundation When older students help younger students improve their reading skills, the impact is great on many levels. The Immokalee Foundation’s Immokalee Readers program...
07
Sep
2016
Pre-school/Library Partnership for Success: Moving the Needle on Kindergarten Readiness
by Ava Barrett, Director, Hendry County Library Cooperative How do you change unfavorable educational ratings in a county? The Hendry County Library System believes the answer is “from the bottom up.”...
31
Aug
2016
Flexibility. Engagement. Recognition.
by Karly Marcy, 2016 Florida Fellow, Southwest Florida Community Foundation Flexibility. Engagement. Recognition. Estate planning attorneys Guy Whitesman and Eric Gurgold emphasized these three words throughout our meeting about estate planning...
24
Aug
2016
Super Mom: How Community Programs Helped Mother of Six Start Her Own Business
by Kelsey Pena, 2016 Florida Fellow, Southwest Florida Community Foundation On Tuesday afternoons, while the Florida sun is beating down and the cicadas are chirping in their never-ending symphony, Diane Nghi...
17
Aug
2016
Four things this Fellow learned about life in a non-profit
by Taylor Tringali, 2016 Florida Fellow, Southwest Florida Community Foundation In the eight short weeks of my fellowship with the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, I have been immersed into the world...
10
Aug
2016
Southwest Florida Community Foundation Prima Donors Summer Gathering
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently hosted more than 20 of its Women’s Legacy Fund’s Prima Donors for a dinner at its Community Hub. The evening featured dinner conversations exploring housing,...
10
Aug
2016
Female Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support
by Lisa Milne, Vice President of Programs Alzheimer’s Association-Florida Gulf Coast Chapter Right now, in the United States of America, there are over 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease. According to...
03
Aug
2016
Real World Learning Model Student Highlight: Darchelle Excellent
by Jason Kurek, Champions for Learning “If you know you have the potential to do something, then you need to do it,” says Darchelle Excellent, Champions For Learning Real World Learning...
27
Jul
2016
The Next Wild Generation
by Mary C. Schoeffel, Development Director, The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) It is wild baby season! Are you one of the millions who watch YouTube videos of animals,...
20
Jul
2016
The Trickle Down Effect
by Gina Frazier, iWill Mentorship The youth’s eyes glistened with tears as he passed me in the hallway. Fearing the worst, I hesitantly asked “how’d it go?” He smiled ear to...
13
Jul
2016
Making Connections
by Tina Figliuolo Director, Community Relations and Development Charlotte County Homeless Coalition Four years ago a group of human service agencies, including many food pantries, gathered to discuss hunger in Charlotte County. For...
06
Jul
2016
Cooking Up Change
by Dr. Debra Mathinos, The Heights Foundation Fifty-six year old Roderick Lee has a past he isn’t proud of, but he’s not shy about saying so. Since 2010 he has been unemployed. ...
29
Jun
2016
Special play group is about more than just fun for children with autism
by Anjali Van Drie, MA, MSW, BCBA, Vice President Family Initiative, Inc. Every Saturday, a few minutes after 1pm, Dylan comes running in to the gym smiling and giving hugs. After making...
24
Jun
2016
Southwest Florida Community Foundation Achieves GuideStar Platinum
Allows Donors to Focus on Progress and Results The Southwest Florida Community Foundation has earned the Platinum GuideStar Nonprofit Profile Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar,...
15
Jun
2016
New Life for Lost Treasures
by Janelle Beaber, Director of Project Advancement, New Mission Systems International Two years ago, New Mission Systems International was opening The Fig Leaf Boutique, an upscale, second hand clothing and furniture...
14
Jun
2016
Local Service Organizations Receive Support from Southwest Florida Community Foundation and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
Nearly $250k awarded to organizations providing safety net for Southwest Florida The Southwest Florida Community Foundation and Robert Rauschenberg Foundation announced today that ten local nonprofits will receive $250,000 through their...
05
Jun
2016
Summer Playlists for Giving Back to the Community
Two summers ago I had the opportunity to wake up very early in the morning in New York City and make my way to one of the network morning shows...
01
Jun
2016
Arts Inspire Change
This summer, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation is spotlighting the nonprofit organizations funded through the 2016 competitive grant cycle. We have asked our 2016 grantees to send us their stories. ...