Raising funds for Spirit of the Holidays
Thanksgiving is two days away, so the holidays are officially upon us. It is not only time to get into the spirit of the holidays; it’s time to help raise funds for Spirit of the Holidays.
Spirit of the Holidays, a committee spun from the Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, assists needy children and families in the Fort Myers Beach area with gifts, clothing and food during the holidays.
Committee members are elf-like busy getting events planned and organized for this very important cause. They need your help to make sure a Beach child has at least one gift at Christmas or the holiday season.
Spirit of the Holidays is the brainchild of Tom and Fran Myers, owners of Red Coconut RV Park.
“Tom and Fran actually started Sprit of the Holidays when they were in Seafarer’s Village (back in the early 1980’s), and it’s kind of expounded since then,” said Committee Chairperson Amy Mellott. “They began working with the chamber and the fire department, and it went from there.”
Last year, Sprit of the Holidays helped 79 children and 36 families on the Beach. This year, the organizers are expecting about the same numbers. Your investment and sponsorship can help make a families’ Christmas Holiday a little brighter.
Here is a chronological list of a few Spirit of the Holiday events and/or events that will benefit the committee’s fundraising. Make a difference by attending one or all and make a contribution.
n The Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and the merchants of Santini Marina Plaza would like to invite everyone for the inaugural “Wrap Me Up In Christmas,” a holiday gift fair being held Saturday, Dec. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the plaza’s 7205 Estero Blvd. location.
The chamber is expecting some 50 vendors to be selling arts, crafts and gourmet gifts in an outdoor market setting. Santini merchants will also be holding sidewalk sales in connection with the event.
Volunteers from Cape Coral High School’s art classes will be dressed as elves and provide a gift-wrapping service for donations once you’ve chosen the right gift for the right person at the fair. Once your purchase is wrapped, the local UPS store will be on hand to pack and ship your gifts. What a great way to help a needy child and get all of your holiday shopping done and shipped to your family and friends at the same time.
“It was the chamber’s idea to come up with some additional events to bring people to the Beach to help our businesses and stretch the season as well,” said Chamber Event Organizer Nancy Eaton. “This event will benefit Spirit of the Holidays.”
Fair goers are asked to bring one unwrapped toy for the Chamber’s “Spirit of the Holidays” charity.
For more information on “Wrap Me Up In Christmas” or “Spirit of the Holidays” contact the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce at 454-7500.
“This is just another way we are helping merchants at all ends of the island and to benefit needy children,” said Eaton.
n The Spirit of the Holidays Annual Auction will again be held at South Beach Grille on Dec. 7, at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person, which includes a dinner choice of salmon or steak.
Proceeds from the auction and any other fundraising efforts enable The Spirit of the Holidays committee to provide for needy children of Estero Island.
“We have a lot of items, but we are still getting some new ones in,” said Mellott, who listed a wheel barrel of booze (an auction favorite) as well as a hosted dinner for four by the Fort Myers Beach Fire Fighters as two of the donated items.
“The dinner will be cooked and served by the firemen. I’m sure that will be a favorite of the ladies,” said Mellott. “We also have some vacation packages and a lot of great items so far.”
For tickets and more information on the auction, contact the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce office by either dropping by 17200 San Carlos Blvd or by calling 454-7500. Tickets can be picked up at the door or by calling Mellott at 463-7200 (ext. 207). Don’t delay. Deadline for dinner reservations is Dec. 2.
n The annual Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District Pancake Breakfast will be held at Fire Station #32 on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 7 to 10 a.m. Local fire fighters will cook pancakes and sausage to go along with orange juice and coffee. K-Kids, a youth club of current Beach school fifth graders sponsored by the Beach Kiwanis, will seat the hungry customers.
The cost of the breakfast is $5, which goes to Spirit of the Holidays.
n Red Coconut RV Park will have its annual ‘Wrapping Party’ for Spirit of the Holidays on Dec. 15. Volunteers, food donations, wrapping paper, gift bags, boxes and bows are still needed for this notable cause.
“This is when we have all the gifts, set them on tables, according to which family it is, and have everyone who wants to come to help wrap presents,” said Mellott. “We are hoping to get food donations from restaurants to supply food for the people who are wrapping gifts.”
n This year, the Spirit of the Holidays Committee is offering a Spirit Giving Tree to local businesses to benefit the cause.
Chairperson Amy Mellott will be creating ornaments, which will have a specific child’s name, an assigned ID number, their age and three of their wishes.
“The idea is that businesses will get these ornaments, put them on a tree and people can come and take the ornament, buy the gift and return it to the tree unwrapped,” she said. “It can be in a bag, but unwrapped because we do are own wrapping party.”
As of Friday, five businesses have agreed to erect giving trees in their offices to benefit needy children. They are South Beach Grille, Lahaina Realty, Century 21 Tripower, Indian Creek RV Park and the chamber office.
“The Giving Tree is a new thing this year,” she said. “I assign the kids an ID number and create ornaments. “If businesses want to hold a giving tree or help out with anything related to the Spirit of the Holidays, we are still looking for item donations. We have sponsorship packets and are still looking for sponsors. We need food and supplies for our pancake breakfast and wrapping paper, gift bags, boxes and bows for the Wrapping Party. I do have more ornaments that can be placed on trees.”