FMBCF to hold Spring Fashion Show Saturday
The Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation is gearing up for its yearly Spring Fashion Show and Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. this Saturday. The former Beach Pilots Club members will hold the 12th annual event at South Beach Grille in Santini Marina Plaza at 7205 Estero Blvd.
The fashion show/luncheon is the nonprofit club’s second major fundraiser of the year. Anthony’s in Fort Myers will provide fashions. Tickets are $30, and can be purchased by calling 517-483-3477 or 765-1723 before Friday morning.
“Eight of our club members will model the women’s clothing from Anthony’s,” said FMBCF member Joan Beutler, who is one of the event chair people, along with Brenda McGinn.
The event is expected to feature door prizes and a silent auction this year. Auction items include a wine basket with hand-painted wine glasses by local artist Carla Cranston; a martini basket with martini glasses hand painted by local artist Gretchen Johnson; two-night stay at the Pink Shell Resort; dinner for two and a bottle of wine at South Beach Grille; dinner for two and a bottle of wine at Coconut Jacks.
Proceeds from the fundraiser, which has benefitted the Gresham-Kite Scholarship house at Florida Gulf Coast University in the past, will focus on local Beach projects and charitable organizations supported by the club this year.
“We have already donated some of our proceeds to Laces of Love, an organization that gives shoes to needy children, and Bedz for Kidz,” said FMBCF member Nancy Mulholland. She said other donations go to Keep Lee County Beautiful, Beach Elementary School, Mound House and St. Vincent De Paul.
Last year, more than $2,700 was raised at the fashion show/luncheon.
“Hopefully, we can exceed that amount,” said Beutler. “Many people would like to see the fashion show earlier in the year when more residents are on the Beach and not making plans or leaving for their northern homes.
South Beach Grille has hosted the fashion show for the past several years. The Beach restaurant served 117 attendees in 2010.
“The staff at South Beach Grille always looks forward to this event. It’s a great cause,” said General Manager Robert Saunders. “The club women and the staff always have a lot of fun. We look forward to seeing new faces this year.”
The Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation was also very active in fundraising at the recent Beach Relay For Life event.
“We were the second-highest money-raising team with more than $7,000. We were second highest only to Chapel by the Sea, who raised twice as much as we did,” said Mulholland.
The Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation will continue its nonprofit work the following Saturday. The final project for this spring is the Annual Keep Lee County Beautiful “Earth Day Trash Bash” scheduled for Saturday, April 16. The countywide litter cleanup campaign will take place from 9 a.m. to noon with headquarters at the Beach Elementary School. This site offers plenty of parking and the volunteers spread out to cover all of Fort Myers Beach. This is a day when all Lee County residents and visitors are invited to make a difference in their environment by cleaning up their own neighborhoods and communities. The Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation is the local coordinator.
The Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation (formerly the Pilot Club & Foundation of Fort Myers Beach) is a local organization dedicated to working cooperatively to improve the quality of life in Fort Myers Beach and surrounding communities. Meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month, October through May, at the Fort Myers Beach Art Association. For more information or membership inquiries, please call President Kate Duffy at 218-9742.
-information provided by Cheryl Hohmann