second annual March of Dimes Fair April 19, 2011

Saturday, April 23rd, be a part of the second annual March of Dimes Fair being held at Berkshire Commons at 7101 Radio Road, Naples, in front of the Publix.  There will be bounce houses, games, and food, with Easter egg hunts at 11am, 1 and 3pm.  Raffles will be drawn for restaurant gift cards, spas, cruises, and more. Admission is five dollars and includes one lunch and raffle entry. The fun starts at 10am, and goes until 4pm.  Everyone is welcome and all proceeds go to support the March of Dimes.

8THAnnual Easter Bunny Toy Run April 15, 2011

On Saturday, April 23, Harley Davidson of Fort Myers and the Harley Owner Group Southwest Florida Chapter will host the 8^th Annual Easter Bunny Toy Run to help provide toys to patients at The Children’sHospital of SouthwestFlorida.

The event includes an escorted route, entertainment, giveaways and a free post-run meal. Don’t ride a bike, but want to help? No problem! Just bring your items for donation, such as arts and craft supplies, toys and games, to Harley Davidson ofFort Myersthe week preceding the event and riders will deliver them for you. No stuffed animals, please.

WHO:              TheSouthwest FloridaChapter of the Harley Owners Group (HOG)

WHEN:           Pre-Registration at Bike Night on April 22

                        6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Harley Davidson ofFort Myers

- or -

Register from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at Harley Davidson of Fort

Myers on Saturday, April 23

Registration fee $5

WHERE:        17 mile ride from the point of registration (Harley Davidson ofFort Myers,

2160 Colonial Boulevard

) to The Children’sHospital of SWFlorida, a part of the Lee Memorial Health System, located atHealthParkMedicalCenter(corner of Summerlin and Bass Roads).

The Children’sHospital of SouthwestFlorida, located withinHealthParkMedicalCenter, is part of the Lee Memorial Health System inLeeCounty,Florida.  As the only facility of its kind between Tampa and Miami, The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida is dedicated to giving children and teenagers the highest level of medical and surgical care available anywhere.  Lee Memorial Health System Foundation, through its role as the primary fund raising entity for The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, is proud to be affiliated with Together For Kids – The National Support Network for Children’s Hospitals

Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium’s 6th Annual Egg-cellent Easter Eggstravaganza! March 31, 2011

Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium presents

 

April 23, 2011, 10am-4pm

 

Hop on over to Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium’s 6^th Annual Egg-cellent Easter Eggstravaganza!  This year’s Easter celebration is sure to exceed egg-spectations!  It will be a fun filled day of games, Easter eggs, prizes, and live animals! 

Come and enjoy an Easter Egg hunt!  Egg hunts will occur every 30 minutes, beginning at 10:00am, throughout the day. Test your hopping skills in our Bounce House of in a sack race!  Meet Rapunzel and the other princesses!  Visitors can also play carnival-style games to win more candy and prizes!  The Easter bunny will be available all day for photos, which cost $3 for members, $5 for non-members.  So come have a hopping good time at Calusa’s 6^th Annual Egg-cellent Easter Eggstravaganza!

Admission to the event is $9 for adults, $6 for children ages 3-12, and free for children under 3. Nature Center members are free.  Please call 275-3435 for more information.

The Center is located at 3450 Ortiz Avenue at the intersection of Colonial Blvd. and Six Mile Cypress in Fort Myers, one minute from I-75 at Exit 136. Additional information is available at www.CalusaNature.org or by calling 275-3435. Admission to the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium is $9 for adults and $6 for children (ages 3-12). This one-price admission includes the Museum, Butterfly Aviary, Trails, and all Planetarium shows scheduled that day. Group rates are available for 15 or more people. Family memberships are available which entitles members to free admission for a year and many other special prices on programs and discounts in the gift store.  We welcome new volunteers; please call 275-3435 to schedule an orientation.

Free Autism Screening for Young Children March 31, 2011

 

 

 

 

The Children’s Hospital of SouthwestFlorida, in partnership with the Ronald McDonald House Charities^® of Southwest Florida, offers a free monthly autism spectrum disorder screening for toddlers 18 months to five years of age.

 

The next screening will be held April 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the East Lee County Library,

881 Gunnery Road North

, Lehigh Acres.

 

It is estimated that one in every 150 children is diagnosed with some form of Autism Spectrum Disorder, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.

 

Medical consultants for the project stress that an early diagnosis can make a vast difference for toddlers and their families. They say early intensive behavioral intervention can make an immense difference not just in the development of the child, but in their families as well.

 

The ASD screening is conducted by the NeurosciencesCenter at The Children’s Hospital, under the guidance of pediatric neurologist Jose Colon, MD, MPH, and pediatric psychiatrist Marianne Krouk, DO. The screenings are administered by an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, who has extensive training and experience in typical child development and developmental disorders.

 

A physician referral is not required. To schedule a screening, please call 239-343-6838.

Shelter Participates in National Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 10-16th March 31, 2011

The Shelter for Abused Women & Children

Shelter Participates in National Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 10-16th    -As part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), April 10-16, 2011, The Shelter for Abused Women & Children focuses on “Reshaping the Future, Honoring the Past” by participating in the 20th Judicial Circuit Court‘s Community Awareness Day, taking place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at Centennial Park, 2000 West First Street, Fort Myers.      The event features representatives from organizations across the 20th Circuit Court, which covers Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties, providing information on victim services, as well as family-friendly activities. According to the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), part of the Office of Justice, NCVRW was first observed in 1981 to promote victims’ rights, as well as honor crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. Why it’s important (2009 statistics from the NCVRW Resource Guide, OVC): 20 million crimes were committed in the US; of these, 4.3 million were violent and 15.6 million were property crimes An estimated 15,241 persons were murdered nationwide, a 7.3 percent decline from 2008 Of female murder victims in 2009, 35 percent were killed by an intimate partner Violent crimes by intimate partners (current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend) accounted for 26 percent of non-fatal violence crimes against females and 5 percent against males During a one-year period, 3.4 million people ages 18 or older in the US were stalked For more information on The Shelter’s programs and services, please call 239.775.3862, or visit www.naplesshelter.org To Prevent. To Protect. To Prevail. The Shelter for Abused Women & Children.  The Shelter for Abused Women & Children, Collier County’s certified domestic violence center, has served more than 57,000 individuals since 1989, providing programs and services designed to prevent domestic violence before it begins; advocating for societal changes to end domestic violence in our community; and meeting the immediate and long-term needs of victims and survivors.   The nonprofit organization is included in a list of the 14 top-rated domestic violence centers across the United States by America’s premier independent charity evaluator, Charity Navigator, and has received their coveted 4-star charity rating for two consecutive years. If you or someone you love is in an abusive relationship, please call The Shelter’s confidential 24-hour crisis line:    239.775.1101   www.naplesshelter.org  To Prevent. To Protect. To Prevail.

A FAIRY LOVELY AFTERNOON March 30, 2011

 

 

 

            A “Fairy Lovely Afternoon” is being offered for all girls, from kindergarten up, who believe in fairies at the Burroughs Home, home of the Uncommon Friends Foundation, 2505 First Street, Fort Myers, on Sunday, April 17, beginning at 2:00 p.m.  The whimsical afternoon will be held under the oak trees for mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, and nieces who “believe.”

 

            Dessert fit for a fairy will be provided while those attending are entertained by playwright and storyteller Laurie Nienhaus as she shares a modern fairy story.  Girls are encouraged to wear a fairy costume for the fairy parade.  Photo ops will be available, and perhaps a fairy encounter will occur.

 

            Girls will make a tissue flower craft with help from the North Fort Myers High School ROTC.

 

            Reservations are required and may be made by calling 337-0706 or emailing Christine@BurroughsHome.com.  The cost is $30 for children and $25 for adults.        

 

                The Uncommon Friends Foundation, established in 1993, is a character education foundation whose mission is to instill ethics, moral values and a sense of purpose in tomorrow’s leaders. The foundation is dedicated to enriching society by promoting the positive values author James D. Newton discovered in five unique men and their wives—Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Dr. Alexis Carrel, and Charles Lindbergh—intellectual giants who helped shape the 20th Century.   

Additional information about the foundation or the fairy event may be obtained by calling 239-337-9505 or checking the website at www.uncommonfriends.org.

 

 

FIFTH ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC March 28, 2011

PROTECT YOUR PRECIOUS CARGO March 28, 2011

 

 

 

 

The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida Kohl’s Center for Safety Program will be providing free car seat safety inspections on Saturday, April 9 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the FamilyHealthCenter, , Lehigh Acres.

3400 Lee Boulevard, #102

 

Research shows that an estimated 30 percent of children still continue to ride unrestrained and 80 percent of all car seats are used incorrectly.  More than 1,700 children have been saved since 1996 just because they were riding in a properly fitted car seat and in the back seat.

 

Education and information to improve these numbers is of critical need in our community.  According to Safe Kids and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a correctly used safety seat reduces fatality risk by 71 percent and serious injury risk by 67 percent. 

 

Car seats will be available at a reduced price if your car seat is part of a recall, out dated or not the appropriate car seat for the child.

 

Bilingual fitting technicians will be available. Appointments are strongly encouraged and may be made by calling 239-343-5224 or visit www.leememorial.org/prevention/kohls.asp for a time that’s convenient for you.

Spring Fling 2011 March 25, 2011

Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium Presents

Spring Fling 2011

Reaching New Heights

Saturday, April 9^th, 7pm

Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium requests the honor of your presence at their annual fundraiser, Spring Fling 2011 Reaching New Heights.  The evening will consist of delectable appetizers, an open bar, a $2,500 reverse raffle, and a silent auction.  It will be the perfect evening of good company, amazing prizes, and celebration of Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium moving into the future and Reaching New Heights in environmental and space science education!

During the evening we will hold a reverse raffle where party goers will have the opportunity to win $2,500!!!  Door prizes will also be raffled off throughout the evening.

The elegant fundraising event will also host a silent auction with amazing prizes such as a full-day fishing adventure with Captain George Howell, dinner for two aboard the romantic Sanibel Harbor Princess, or a wine tasting party for 20 from Total Wine!

Come celebrate with Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium as we move into the future of environmental and space education and REACH NEW HEIGHTS!

Tickets are available NOW!  $100/person with reverse raffle entry and $30/person with door prize entry.  Call (239)275-3435 to purchase tickets.

The Center is located at 3450 Ortiz Avenue at the intersection of Colonial Blvd. and Six Mile Cypress in Fort Myers, one minute from I-75 at Exit 136. Additional information is available at www.CalusaNature.org or by calling 275-3435. Admission to the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium is $9 for adults and $6 for children (ages 3-12). This one-price admission includes the Museum, Butterfly Aviary, Trails, and all Planetarium shows scheduled that day. Group rates are available for 15 or more people. Family memberships are available which entitles members to free admission for a year and many other special prices on programs and discounts in the gift store.  We welcome new volunteers; please call 275-3435 to schedule an orientation.

1ST ANNUAL IMMOKALEE RUN AND RIDE FOR LITERACY March 3, 2011

 

1st Annual Immokalee Run & Ride for Literacy
A charity event for Jump Start Family Literacy Academy
Saturday & Sunday: April 16 & 17, 2011 

www.immokaleerunsandrides.com 

April 16th – Saturday: 5k run & One-mile Fun Run
Closed course within Farm Worker Village in Immokalee, FL 

5k run: $20.00
1-mile Fun Run: $5.00 

April 17th – Sunday: Bike ride – Metric Century, 30 miles, & 15 miles
Start & finish at Farm Worker Village, Immokalee, FL
62 mile – route includes ride to Ave Maria
30 mile – route through Immokalee
15 mile – route includes ride to Lake Trafford 

RIDE STARTS: 8:00a.m. – 62 mile start 9:00 a.m. – 30 mile start 

9:30 a.m. – 15 mile start. Ride leader will meet with riders prior to the ride start. 

Pre-registration $20.00

 

Day of event $25.00

 

Extra Meal tickets  $5.00 each

 

Charity: Jump Start Family Literacy Academy
The Jump Start Family Literacy Academy provides full service family literacy to Immokalee families with children age’s birth to five, which includes age-appropriate preschool instruction and educational play for children and English, reading and parenting for parents. The Jump Start Academy is housed at Farm Worker Village in Immokalee and is structured to involve the family as a whole, thereby making long-term intergenerational changes in order to secure a healthy quality of life for the children and break the cycle of illiteracy. Since its inception in 2003, the Jump Start Academy has provided preschool education for over 260 children and English speaking, reading, and writing education for over 185 parents.