Panel supports Captiva Holiday Village fundraiser
To raise money for the 2011 Captiva Holida Village, a special fundraiser will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Boatsides, located at 15699 Captiva Drive.
Sandy Stilwell, a Captiva business owner and president of the Captiva Community Panel, said she was thrilled with the success of the Captiva Holiday Village.
“It was hugely successful. I have to compliment Denice Beggs and Paul McCarthy for their leadership and organization. It wouldn’t have been the same without their vision,” Stilwell said. “We want to even do more next year by making it a five week long event and encouraging residents to decorate their home too.”
But in order to make this year’s event even bigger and better than last year’s, it’s going to require a bigger budget — especially when most of the 2010 event was bolstered by many local business owners paying out of pocket and relying on donations.
“Local business contributed to funding the Captiva Holiday Village — lighting it, feeding it, decorating it — but now we have to fund the future of the event,” said fundraiser co-chair LeAne Suarez.
That’s where the Captiva Community Panel stepped in.
“The Captiva Holiday Village committee approached the Panel about getting involved in the fundraiser by creating a special account where people could support our Holiday Village,” Stilwell said. “The party is open to all and it’s our way of celebrating this past year’s accomplishments and raising money to support next year’s event. We are planning a New Year’s Eve Celebration on Andy Rosse Lane as well. It has been so much fun seeing all this excitement about the holidays.”
During the fundraiser, there will also be a live musician and a video presentation featuring clips and highlights from the 2010 Captiva Holiday Village events. And, according to Suarez, the first annual Captiva Holiday Village fundraiser will take place in a unique venue.
“Boatsides is a 10,000 square foot home that is for sale. It’s really a one-of-a-kind home, and we’re very fortunate that Northern Trust is allowing us to host this event there,” Suarez said.
To RSVP, contact LeAne Suarez at 239-872-1632 or LeAne.Suarez@sothesbyrealty.com.
For those that cannot attend the event but would like to contribute, tax deductible donations in the form of checks made payable to the Captiva Community Panel, with a notation in the memo “Captiva Holiday Village Fundraiser,” can be mailed to:
Captiva Holiday Village
P.O. Box 125
Captiva Island, FL 33924
For more information about the Captiva Community Panel, go to www.CaptivaCommunityPanel.com.
For more information about the Captiva Holiday Village, go to www.CaptivaHolidayVillage.com.