Naples Florida Weekly
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Festival foundation distributes $15.1 million



Naples Winter Wine Festival co-chairs Becky Card, Lewie Card, Susie McCurry, David McCurry, Dan Mezzalingua and Kathy Mezzalingua with the ceremonial check representing funds distributed at the 2018 grant awards celebration at Bay Colony Golf Club. TONY ZOLLO / COURTESY PHOTO

Naples Winter Wine Festival co-chairs Becky Card, Lewie Card, Susie McCurry, David McCurry, Dan Mezzalingua and Kathy Mezzalingua with the ceremonial check representing funds distributed at the 2018 grant awards celebration at Bay Colony Golf Club. TONY ZOLLO / COURTESY PHOTO

Forty-seven nonprofit organizations serving children and families n Southwest Florida, including six long-term strategic initiatives that fill fundamental gaps in children’s services, received grants totaling more than $15.1 million as a result of the Naples Winter Wine Festival live auction in January. The funds will support a wide variety of efforts to improve the physical, emotional and educational lives of children in Collier County.

Trustees of the Naples Children & Education Foundation, the founding organization of the festival, celebrated the grant recipients recently at Bay Colony Golf Club.

“The Naples Children & Education Foundation continues to be a critical resource for programs and organizations striving to support and aid the underprivileged and at-risk children of Collier County,” said Valerie Boyd, chair of the 2018 NCEF grant committee. “We want to thank everyone who participated in and attended the 2018 festival. Every dollar raised has been given to one of these 47 impactful organizations that are helping change the lives of thousands of children in our community.”

In addition to 33 traditional grantees that received a total of $5,850,521, 14 organizations that help fill critical needs in the community by taking part in the NCEF’s six multi-partner, multi-year strategic initiatives received a total of $9,331,568. The 2018 Fund a Need, supporting children’s hunger and oral health, received $2.4 million and was the largest amount raised in NWWF history. The focus for this year’s Fund a Need was identified through the foundation’s most recent Study of Child Well Being.

“As we look back at this past year and the hardships we’ve overcome, it’s more important than ever to focus our energy on building a better and stronger future,” foundation CEO Maria Jimenez-Lara said.

Since inception of the foundation’s hunger initiative, more than 4.6 million meals have been distributed, with nearly 23,000 children having their basic need of food met through 357 Collier County food distributions last year alone. Since opening its doors in 2008, the NCEF Pediatric Dental Center, made possible through the foundation’s oral health initiative, has treated more than 125,000 patients and, through its mobile sealant program, also provided 9,000 third-grade students with dental screenings, referrals and sealants.

The grant committee, which is comprised of 11 NCEF trustees, works yearround to determine how to invest the funds raised at NWWF.

One of the world’s most prestigious charity wine auctions, the festival is a weekend of world-class food and wine for guests who enjoy intimate dinners in private homes and bid on once-in-a-lifetime travel and wine experiences during a live auction. Since its inaugural event in 2001, NWWF has raised more than $176 million, making a profound difference in the lives of thousands of children. ¦

Who got what

Here are the 2018 NWWF grantees:
Able Academy, $191,400
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, $100,000
Boys & Girls Club of Collier County, $450,000
Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, $75,000
Catholic Charities of Collier County, $180,000
Champions For Learning, $85,000
Collier Child Care Resources, $125,000
Collier County Child Advocacy Council, $426,300
Conservancy of SWFL, $19,140
Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation, $150,000
FlourishNow-Save Families, $130,500
Friends of Foster Children Forever, $339,450
Fun Tim Early Childhood Academy, $136,590
Gargiulo Education Center, $52,200
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, $100,000
Good Wheels, $75,000
Grace Place for Children & Families, $330,600
Guadalupe Center, $522,000
Legal Aid Service of Collier County, $500,250
Literacy Volunteers of Collier County, $34,800
MusicScores!, $40,000
Naples Botanical Garden, $75,000
Naples Therapeutic Riding Center, $174,000
NCH Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition of Collier County, $45,240
Pathways Early Education Center of Immokalee, $200,100
Redlands Christian Migrant Association, $160,950
Special Olympics, $65,250
St. Matthew’s House, $50,000
The Greater Marco Family YMCA, $317,550
The Shelter for Abused Women & Children, $269,700
United Arts Council of Collier County, $50,000
Valerie’s House, $75,000
Youth Haven, $304,500

And here are the NCEF strategic initiative partners that received funding:
ABLE Academy
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Boys & Girls Club of Collier County
David Lawrence Center
Early Learning Coalition
Early Literacy & Learning Model
Florida Eye Clinic
Florida’s Vision Quest
Golisano Children’s Hospital of SWFL
Guadalupe Center
Harry Chapin Food Bank
Lighthouse of Collier
Meals of Hope
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Redlands Christian Migrant Association
Southwest Florida Workforce Development
Program
The Immokalee Foundation
University of Florida College of Dentistry

A portion of the 2018 funds raised will be used for future programs and initiatives.

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