Santini Plaza parking proceeds go to Beach Elementary
The Fort Myers Beach community has stepped up to the plate once more. All of the 2009 Sand Sculpting Championship parking proceeds at Santini Marina Plaza have been donated to Beach Elementary School.
Santini Marina Plaza Manager Al Durrett, his wife Kathy, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Inc. Managing Broker Gary Anderson and Coldwell Banker Cares Foundation Representative Gloria Hall donated a check for $1,810 to Beach Elementary Principal Larry Wood on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Coldwell Banker Beach branch office. The combined efforts will go a long way to the school’s programs, according to Wood.
“We appreciate Coldwell Banker and Santini Plaza as well as the Durretts and Gary and his staff for thinking about us and our kids and continue to support us and all of our programs,” he said. “It’s really fortunate to receive such support from the community in a lot of ways.”
Al Durrett agreed that the proceeds are going to a worthy cause.
“The parking done on both Saturday and Sunday at Santini Marina Plaza provides money for Beach Elementary School which Gary Anderson of Coldwell Banker and myself have agreed to share the proceeds,” said Durrett. “Santini Plaza is really happy to be a part of this and I know Coldwell Banker is too. Beach Elementary School needs all the help it can get 365 days a year.”
The donation should ease the tension for those who didn’t believe they should have paid for parking at Santini that weekend.
“I think some of the public was a little upset that parking was being charged locally around the Holiday Inn but, by these donations, you can see that the money isn’t going into anybody’s pocket except our children on Fort Myers Beach,” said Durrett. “We were excited to do this, and we want the public to know what the $5 was for.”
Anderson echoed the sentiment.
“Each one of my agents contributes a minimum $5 for each closing they have,” he said. “It adds up. We are awaiting a check I think in the amount of $1,600 for the Bay Oaks teen program.”
The giving doesn’t stop there for Coldwell Banker. Officials from the Real Estate branch have been collecting can tabs for a worthy charity.
“We take 10 percent from everything we make, and we fund that directly to the Ronald McDonald House,” Anderson said. “We’re a direct supporter of that. I recently took four gallons of the tabs to the Ronald McDonald House.”
Other businesses and community members pitched in that weekend. Volunteer parking lot attendants at both Lahaina Realty and Colonial Bank were collecting donations for the Fort Myers Beach Little League.
“Everybody needs to participate in helping Beach Elementary and Bay Oaks,” said Durrett. “It’s a community project. It’s our kids. It’s our future.”