Member News

Help make a difference this holiday season. Purchase a gift for an Eva’s Closet & Foundation child!
Eva’s Closet, in conjunction with Eva’s Foundation, provides necessities and essential items to individuals and families in need  in SWFL with grace, honor, and respect. Eva’s supplies clothing, shoes, household goods, food, toiletries, and baby supplies at no cost. Eva’s aids the local public school system in providing school uniforms & clothing to homeless and transient families. Eva’s partners with other local non-profit organizations in SWFL to assist in ensuring the basic needs of their clients are met.
Family Wish List
– Diapers
– Socks
– Shoes
– Blankets
– Food
– Gas Gift Cards

Visit http://www.evas-foundation.org/ for more information or call 239.339.3216.

The attorneys and staff at Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., was happy to spread their community efforts in a few different ways this year.  The firm continued its annual tradition of supporting the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program and quickly adopted 30 wishes.
In addition to making a monetary donation, 25 volunteers (including attorneys, staff and family members) spent the morning of Saturday, November 17, cutting vegetables, turkeys, making pasta sauce and stocking the food pantry to packaging and doing Meals on Wheels delivery.
On December 8, 25 volunteers will head to Naples and host a private concert with five members of the Naples Philharmonic and serve a catered holiday lunch at the Naples Senior Center. The staff also made handmade gifts for the seniors.
For more information, visit Henderson Franklin’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HendersonFranklinStarnesandHolt/.

The employees of the Seminole Casino generously “gave back” by donating food and Publix gift cards for Thanksgiving food bags for PACE Center for Girls through the company’s November Hotel Ops’ Team Member event. Seven bags of goodies were delivered to the PACE Center, and they were extremely grateful for the donation.

Scotlynn USA Division works with the Harlem Heights Foundation every Holiday Season for a Christmas Toy Drive. The Heights Foundation provided 100 silver stars to their two Fort Myers office locations. Each silver star has a child’s gift wish for Christmas on the back. Scotlynn USA’s toy drive for the holiday season is until December 14^th. On Saturday, December 15^th, Scotlynn employees will help assist the event, ensuring every family is taken care of for the Holiday. For more information about the Heights Foundation, visit https://heightsfoundation.org/
 

Eight-Foot Brewing does a Monthly Vegan event (First Sunday of Every Month) where they invite vegan food and other vendors in. A portion of the proceeds is donated to aPlantbasedDiet.org. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/events/290071705177183/

Fort Myers Technical College is participating in the 2^nd Annual Chef’s Poker Run event. This event was created by the family of a student who had planned on attending FMTC’s Professional Culinary Arts & Hospitality Program. Sadly, he never got to that opportunity. On March 14, 2016, Joshua, 22, was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident. All proceeds raised from the Chef’s Poker Run go to the Joshua L’Heureux Culinary Scholarship Fund at Fort Myers Technical College. Joshua’s family created the scholarship fund in Joshua’s memory who loved to cook and was working as a cook when he passed away.
To register, click this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-chefs-poker-run-tickets-51738123119?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete
For more information visit: https://www.fortmyerstech.edu/

The Salvation Army has two main Christmas initiatives:

1. Angel Tree Program provides hope and joy to children and families during the Christmas season. This year we’re partnering with organizations, groups, businesses and individuals to provide a Christmas need and a wish to 3,000 Lee County children as well as items for a holiday meal for their family. If anyone is interested in helping, they can visit our Angel Tree at the Edison Mall, or visit our web site (www.SalvationArmyLeeCounty.org) to adopt an Angel online or find out other local businesses that are hosting a physical Angel Tree. Gifts are due to our warehouse by December 12. (Questions? Call (239) 278-1551).
2. Red Kettle Campaign raises funds to help support our Christmas assistance programs and other social services throughout the year. This year’s campaign is running from November 23-December 24. Volunteers are a critical piece of making the campaign a success and helping the most people we can in Lee County. Interested individuals and groups can sign up by visiting www.RegisterToRing.com, entering their zip code (or city/state) and selecting a time, day and location that works for them. We are ringing at various Pulblix, Walmart and Winn-Dixie locations throughout Lee County as well as Bass Pro Shops, JC Penney and a few local schools are hosting kettles. Local businesses and organizations are also welcome to host a kettle at their site. Questions? Call (239) 278-1551.

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) wants to brighten Christmas for dozens of children in Southwest Florida. The nonprofit organization dedicated to families is collecting toys at its offices in Fort Myers, Sarasota and Naples for kids who would otherwise go without this holiday season.
“Every child deserves something to make them feel loved and remembered at Christmastime,” said Jacquie Matthews Williams, LSF Community Outreach Coordinator. “That feeling of anticipation and hope we all get this time of year should never go unfulfilled.”
LSF’s goal is to bless at least 200 children with two toys each. The public is asked to donate new, unused toys appropriate for children age 9 and under. Dolls and miniature cars and trucks are OK, but items that appeal to both boys and girls, like books and puzzles, are even better.
Toys may be dropped off at the following locations on weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., through Dec. 17:

• 3661 Central Ave., Fort Myers
• 100 Wallace Ave., Suite 310, Sarasota
• 3050 Horseshoe Drive, N Building, Suite 197, Naples

The toys will be distributed at a Christmas Celebration sponsored by StayWell on Dec. 22 at the LSF office in Fort Myers. Children will be able to have their picture taken with Santa Claus at the event, which will also include free haircuts, music and candy. LSF will also hold celebrations for toy distribution in their Naples and Sarasota offices.
LSF is working with partners to arrange donations of bicycles for middle school children and gift cards for high schoolers.
To learn about the children who will benefit from the toy drive, call Williams at 239-217-4453 or email her at [email protected].

Massage Envy’s Naples, Coconut Point, Fort Myers, and Cape Coral clinics are participating in the “Be a Santa to a Senior” program sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care and Grace Works Unlimited.  Each location has Christmas trees with tags and a collection area in the clinics for members and guests to bring a wrapped or unwrapped gift for a senior.
https://www.facebook.com/SeniorCareFortMyersFL/
https://www.facebook.com/GraceWorksUnlimited/
facebook.com/MassageEnvyCoconutPoint
https://www.facebook.com/MassageEnvyFtMyers/
https://www.facebook.com/MassageEnvyNaples
https://www.facebook.com/MassageEnvySpaCapeCoralFL

Bishop Verot Catholic High School is having a toy drive to benefit Catholic Charities. The school will be collecting unwrapped toys through December 14th.  Please deliver to the school between 7:30am and 3:00pm Monday-Friday. Contact Jeff Brown at 239.274.6730 with questions.