CHAPTER 197
Caught in the Act of Kindness - August 2025
Celebrating individuals, groups and organizations that share their time, talent and treasure to meet the needs in our community.
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop
Women’s Giving Circle of Southwest Florida is proud to support Community Cooperative, Inc. with a $20,000 grant, one of eight 2025 grants awarded, for its Senior Women Wellness Project. Other recipients included The Baker Center, The Collier Senior Center – Golden Gate, Senior Friendship Centers, The Dubin Center, Dr. Piper Center, Legal Aid Service of Collier County, and St. Matthew’s House. With $154,000 granted this year, WGC has now contributed nearly $1 million to nonprofits uplifting women and families in our region.
Suncoast Credit Union Foundation donated a new refrigerated delivery truck and trailer, valued at $250,000, to Harry Chapin Food Bank. Additionally, the nonprofit received a $58,000 check from Naples Woman’s Club, a $15,000 grant from the Wawa Foundation and a $10,000 check from GL Homes.
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Members Club at Marco’s Champions for Charities donated $50,831 to Warrior Homes of Collier to support its efforts to provide supportive housing for local veterans.
Several generous community organizations and charitable foundations — Shadow Wood Country Club; Spring Run Golf Club; Pelican Sound Golf & River Club; West Bay Club; Copperleaf Golf Club; Wild Blue; United Way; and Cape Coral Community Foundation — granted a total of $307,000 to Interfaith Charities of South Lee to support the organization’s mission to provide hope and help for neighbors in need.
The League Club awarded a $60,000 grant to Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance for kitchen cabinets, countertops and bathroom vanities to help alleviate costs of the nonprofit’s affordable and safe apartment buildings.
Photo courtesy of the Naples Zoo
Wilson & Johnson Private Foundation awarded a $500,000 gift to the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens to support the transformation and return of a beloved attraction, the stage for the iconic Safari Canyon Theater.
West Bay Community Charitable Foundation granted $25,000 to Alliance for Period Supplies of SWFL to supply a full year’s worth of menstrual products to 806 girls across Lee and Collier County schools. The nonprofit also received a $3,500 donation from The Isles of Collier Preserve Foundation to stock local food banks with the period products needed to support 1,356 women and girls next month.
Delta Dental Community Care Foundation granted $20,000 to Neighborhood Health Clinic to increase access to quality oral health care for uninsured patients.
Suzanne King, Esther Lully, Carolyn Kovach
Naples Woman’s Club donated $47,000 to Collier Senior Center to support professional mental health services, peer support and emergency financial aid for vulnerable seniors across the county.
United Way of Collier and the Keys granted $10,000 to Baker Senior Center Naples to support caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias.
Melissa Barlow and Donna Lindberg
The League Club awarded a $7,500 grant to The Heights Center/The Heights Foundation to support its MOSAIC (Musical Opportunities Supporting the Arts in Our Community) program. The nonprofit also hosted its annual Back-to-School Outreach, sponsored by Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands, providing more than 500 students with backpacks and supplies for the new school year.
California Closets of Southwest Florida, in partnership with The Scout Guide Naples, designed and installed a state-of-the-art storage system at Beverly’s Angels’ new home base, Tinsel Team Headquarters, to organize and display items for its Dear Santa program.
Photo credit: Helen Werner Photography
GL Homes hosted Boys & Girls Club of Collier County’s Jingle in July holiday gift drive to highlight the need for items for teens while also providing festive activities for 160 members during the Club’s Summer Camp.
Lodge Secretary Arlene Hansen; Collier Resource Center CEO Kari Lefort; Lodge Treasurer Kim LeBetz; Grant Coordinator Brian Kamp
Naples Elks Lodge #2010 granted $2,500 to Collier Resource Center to support its signature event, Cocktails for a Cause.
Physicians Regional Healthcare System fully funded the Immokalee Foundation’s Healthcare Summer Camp at Florida Gulf Coast University, giving 36 students hands-on experience and insight into healthcare careers, while also hosting 13 student interns at its Pine Ridge and Collier Boulevard hospitals.
For the second consecutive year, Preferred Travel & Company collected shoes — 172 pairs! — in support of Laces of Love Charitable Foundation Inc., which will distribute them to children in Collier and Lee counties.
Grace Place for Children & Families hosted its fourth annual Back to School Bash, distributing more than 940 backpacks filled with grade-specific school supplies. Families also accessed free vision screenings and glasses fittings from the Naples Lions Club, along with resource booths from David Lawrence Centers, Healthcare Network, Healthy Start of SWFL, and the Alliance for Period Supplies.
For consideration in Caught in the Act of Kindness, email an example of how an individual, group or organization went above and beyond to help those in need to inspireme@ebellamag.com. Please include a related high-resolution photo as well.
