Cornhole Competition For Foster Kids And Families In Fort Myers This Week

There are so many great charitable organizations in Southwest Florida. In addition, there are lots of agencies that need help and populations that are underserved in the area. This is event season and there is no shortage of activities underway to support many of these causes. Some of the most popular and well attended include wine festivals in Fort Myers and Naples that raise money for children's health and well being. This one not only involves a wine tasting and help for kids, but also a popular sport. Play in a cornhole competition for foster kids and families in Fort Myers Thursday.

There are more than 35,000 kids in Foster care in the state of Florida. In fact, there are more kids than homes. It is common for children to travel from home to home, and sometimes several times in one week. Can you imagine moving from house to house with all of your belongings in a trash bag, never knowing where your next bed would be or meal would come from? These kids often fall through the cracks. This event is intended to help both the children and the families who take them in in our community.

The Rotary Club of Fort Myers South has their first Friends of Foster Kids event Thursday at La Ola Surfside at The Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers. Prizes include sunset cruises and more. Registration for the tournament begins at 5pm and the competition follows at 5:15. There is also a networking opportunity similar to the days of speed dating. Finally, the evening includes wine tastings, appetizers and live music. Click here for more details including tickets and registration info.

Loving your neighbor is an instruction that goes back to biblical times. I don't know about you, but I've had some neighbors I neither liked nor loved so much. However, this is a broader, bigger concept and it is also the name of the premier fund raiser for The Heights Foundation in Fort Myers. The annual event was held last night and it was impressive to say the least. The small buy mighty crowd that gathered raised a whopping $1 million dollars for the programs supported by The Heights Foundation. This is how you can Love Your Neighbor in Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral or wherever you call home.

Gulf Harbor is an affluent community off of McGregor Blvd. Harlem Heights is less than two miles away on the well traveled Gladiolus Drive.  Before the Heights Foundation was established, this was a neighborhood I was told not to drive through at night and even use caution during the day. The community was crime ridden and the kids were living in poverty that was twice the rate of everywhere else in Lee County. The disparity between these two neighboring communities was huge. .

If one could just help lift the other up in a meaningful, sustainable way, wouldn't it be good for everyone? Especially the kids. That was the idea Kathryn Kelly had when she established The Heights Foundation. Fast forward some 20 years and there are all kinds of programs, including a charter school, to support at risk kids and help their families. The goal is break the cycle of poverty in this community and for these kids.

The Heights Foundation has several fun fundraisers every year. This is typically the biggest. It has morphed into a plated dinner and live auction at the Heights Center, with a rooftop VIP party. I had the pleasure of being the emcee for the VIP portion last night and snapped a few photos. Congratulations on another great event and raising $1 million.