From Our Sponsors

Be Part of the Solution

Like you, I love living in Collier County. We live in one of the most desirable places in the U. S. due to our restaurants, shopping, cultural events, beautiful beaches, year-round warm temperatures, and lack of state taxes. But do you ever wonder what those taxes would fund if they existed? In other counties, taxes support human services programs. In Collier County, our government budget allocates only 1.7% for human services compared to the 8.4 percent average throughout Florida.

Because of this lack of funding, our nonprofits rely on philanthropy to survive. Two hundred thirty-two nonprofits with the broadest impact reported that cumulatively they must raise $402 million annually to sustain their operations. So how can we help these organizations meet vital needs that can easily be overlooked in the wealthy areas of our community?

The transfer of wealth study conducted by the Florida Philanthropic Network estimates that $35 billion will change hands from local baby boomers to their children, grandchildren, and loved ones by 2032— funds that could transform Collier County for the next generations.

Our solution is to capture just 3% of the local transfer of wealth through estate planning and create an endowment of $1 billion. This $1 billion endowment will generate over $50 million in grantmaking each year, supporting the programs that benefit our local youth, families, seniors and veterans, our environment, and other community needs— forever!

At the Collier Community Foundation, you have the opportunity to ensure the future of our community for the next generations. Whether you prefer to align your giving with our community initiatives or focus on your favorite causes, we provide you with the opportunity to choose. Invest in the community you love and support the causes you care about most to benefit your children and grandchildren. Call us at 239-649-5000 to learn more.

Sincerely,

Eileen Connolly-Keesler

Collier Community Foundation President and CEO

Improving the lives of our customers and the wellbeing of our communities.

In 1858, William W. Scarborough and eleven bold entrepreneurs opened The Bank of the Ohio Valley in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their purpose and promise was noble – to help improve the lives of their customers and communities through sound banking principles and superior service. This unwavering vision remains at the heart of everything we do today.

The name Fifth Third Bank came about when Third National Bank and Fifth National Bank consolidated to become The Fifth Third Union Trust Company in the 1920s.

Locally, we have been supporting the Naples community since 1991. Our employees have contributed numerous volunteer hours and serve on many local boards throughout the South Florida community.

As the Regional President for South Florida, the Bank is honored to partner and support such an elite group of organizations that share the same mission as the Bank when it comes to our communities.

I’d like to thank our employees and customers, who continue to serve and give back all while striving to improve the livelihood of our communities.

On behalf of myself and our employees, we continue to look forward to deepen our community partnerships and make our communities the best they can be for years to come.

Jim Weiss

Regional President, South Florida Fifth Third Bank

Together We Can Make a Difference

When a group of us gathered over 22 years ago to make a profound difference in the lives of Collier County children, we could have never imagined the results. Now, with nearly $244 million raised, over 50 organizations supported and over 300,000 children’s lives changed for the better Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) has transformed our entire community.

I’m honored to serve as the Chairman of the Board for NCEF this year and help lead the organization. Along with my husband Jeff Gargiulo, we have been proud to serve our hometown community and help introduce many wonderful and generous vintners, chefs and philanthropists to Naples.

We discovered in the beginning how passionate people are about helping children, and how they wanted to ensure that their donations were used in a disciplined and accountable way to make the greatest difference. When we say at the Naples Winter Wine Festival, “It’s ALL for the kids,” we mean it! All of the proceeds raised under the tent during the Festival’s live auction go right back into our community to fund NCEF’s annual grants and seven strategic initiatives that help over 50 nonprofit organizations, and the children they serve, thrive with lasting impact.

To confirm that our grants are meaningful, measured and effective, we ask our Trustees to devote hours of time vetting each application, conducting site visits and meeting with the staff at each beneficiary partner. We also invest in a team of professionals who review quarterly reports to verify that the dollars are going where intended and serving the greatest needs of at-risk and underprivileged children.

We invite everyone in the community to consider supporting the Naples Children & Education Foundation with a donation, in-kind gift or by volunteering. Together, we are transforming our community one child at a time.

Sincerely,

Valerie Boyd

Chairman of the Board

Here For Our Community, Thanks To Our Community!

The NCH Healthcare System is a monument to the power of community philanthropy.

The first fundraising effort to build a small clinic in Naples began in 1949 with a visionary group of community members seeking to raise $40,000. They ended up raising far more than the initial goal—enough for a “modern” 50-bed hospital which opened on March 6, 1956.

During the decades since, hospital and community leaders continued to look toward the future and brought the latest medical technology to our region… much of it made possible by the contributions and financial support of our community who recognized their donations would help generations to come.

All of us appreciate the contributions the Naples community has made to its home-town hospital throughout the years, and as resources grow tighter, and economic pressures grow heavier, our reliance on the community’s support of quality, top-notch medical care will continue to be paramount to our success.

Today, the NCH Healthcare System continues to grow along with our community as we transform into an Advanced Community Healthcare System™ to bring top doctors to our area, expand our research and clinical trial capabilities, and collaborate with best-in-class colleagues who are like-minded in the exceptional level of health care they offer.

These efforts have helped NCH to be nationally recognized for its exceptional level of care by the Leapfrog Group with an “A” grade, U.S. News & World Report who ranked NCH 15th in the state, and Healthgrades who named us as a “top 100 hospital in the nation.”

NCH Healthcare System truly is here for our community and proudly continues to grow and serve our region - all thanks to that first fundraising effort in 1949, as well as through the continued generosity of our community today. Your healthcare system and your community thank you for your unyielding support of quality healthcare close to home.

Paul Hiltz

President & CEO NCH Healthcare System

From Surviving to Thriving

United Way of Collier and the Keys (UWCK) mobilizes the caring power of community to improve lives in Collier and Monroe Counties. Through our donors, volunteers, and nonprofit partners, we are striving for a future where all individuals who live and work in our communities have the resources and opportunities they require not just to survive but to thrive! Our singular goal is to improve the financial condition of households in the areas we serve.

We have all experienced multiple crises in the last five years: Hurricanes, the COVID pandemic, and now the highest inflation in decades. The economic consequences of these crises only compound the struggles of individuals and families who are living paycheck to paycheck. Our hardworking neighbors often need a hand-up to move from crisis to stability, but stability is just a start.

United Way donors provide us the tools to work with thirtyseven local community-based agencies, community leaders, and state and local governments to offer resources where they are needed most. Through our 211 help line, we connect individuals to direct services like housing, food, and rental assistance. Through our disaster recovery program, we help residents to rebuild their lives over the long-term. Through our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, we ensure that community members receive their maximum refunds, and through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, we ensure that children from birth to five have a new age-appropriate book delivered every month. Additionally, we partner with the United Arab Emirates, NOAA, National Marine Sanctuaries, and others on an innovative coral reef restoration and marine science education initiative in the Florida Keys, where sixty percent of the working population is dependent upon a healthy coral reef for their economic sustainability.

All this work is powered through your contributions and support.

When you give to United Way of Collier and the Keys, you are helping all of us to have a healthier, more sustainable community.

Thank you,

Steven L. Sanderson, CFRE

CEO, United Way of Collier and the Keys uwcollierkeys.org/give