Cape News

Massive charity effort under way

Numerous efforts to raise funds to aid Hurricane Ian victims

Hurricane Ian caused historic damage resulting in an historic cleanup so it's no surprise there likely will also be historic charitable fundraising to aid victims.

As the community cleans up and rebuilds, a vast array of organizations, foundations and businesses have set up relief funds to help the Southwest Florida community. Many of the funds are organized through long-standing and trusted groups while others are through crowdsourcing platforms like GoFundMe and might require a bit more caution from donors.

"I've seen disasters bring out some of the best in humanity but unfortunately the worst in some," says Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis. "As we saw during the tragic Surfside building collapse, scam artists will use the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian to scam people for their own personal gain. It's absolutely despicable, and the best way to avoid falling victim is to do your research before giving to any recovery fund or charity."

What follows is a lengthy (but still partial) list of Hurricane Ian relief efforts in the region:

United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades and the Collaboratory

As of mid-October, 1,800 donors have contributed more than $1.8 million dollars for Southwest Florida disaster relief efforts, with an additional $457,000 committed. Donations can be made by visiting www.collaboratory.org.

Collaboratory Communications Lead Noelle Casagrande said the beauty of the partnership with United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades is through the relief fund, Collaboratory can collect and house the funds, while the United Way can deploy them.

One hundred percent of the funds donated will be deployed directly through local nonprofits to assist Southwest Florida neighbors impacted by Hurricane Ian.

"Collaboratory wants to provide a safe and reliable location for those who want to assist their Southwest Florida neighbors as they recover from the storm," Collaboratory President and CEO Sarah Owen said in a prepared statement.

London Bay

London Bay announced in early October a $50,000 match challenge for Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief. For every dollar gifted through Nov. 1, London Bay will match. According to a release, 100 percent of the donations will support efforts established by the two community foundations, The Collaboratory and the Collier Community Foundation.

"The work of rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Ian has already begun, thanks in large part to the instrumental work activated at the city, county and state levels to mobilize people, resources and funds to begin the recovery efforts throughout our community. We are grateful to these heroes," Mark Wilson, president and CEO of London Bay, said in a prepared statement. "While the road to recovery will be a winding journey, London Bay is committed, more than ever before, to Southwest Florida. We invite the public to join with us and help double efforts to rebuild, and create, once again, a beautiful oasis for people to live, play and work."

Donations can be made at www.londonbay.com/hurricane-ian-relief.

The Collier Community Foundation's Collier Comes Together Relief Fund is overseeing the match challenge for both organizations. At the end of the campaign the funds will be split between the two.

American Red Cross

Since Hurricane Ian impacted Lee County, 1,800 people from the Red Cross are supporting the operation on a statewide level with a large portion of those volunteers on the ground in Southwest Florida.

American Red Cross Regional Communications Director Rachel Nelson said someone can make a financial donation and designate it to go directly towards Hurricane Ian survivors.

Donations can be made by visiting www.redcross.org, by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text Ian to 90999, which will make a $10 donation that will appear as a charge on the donors cellular bill.

"The Red Cross is focused on making sure people have a safe place to stay, food to eat and access to different types of healthcare and support," Nelson said.

There are also 100 Emergency Response Vehicles that are circulating through communities. Nelson said the vehicles pick up hot meals from kitchens and deliver them to communities in need.

She said if someone lives in a neighborhood where they have not seen services, they should call I-800-RED-CROSS and report that, as staff circles back and follows up with those calls.

For up-to-date information on services, individuals should visit their Facebook page @SFLRedCross.

Lee Health Foundation

Although the Lee Health system suffered $10 million in damage to its facilities, the greater challenge is helping their staff get back on their feet as many have lost their homes and cars, as well as focusing on childcare and basic needs. The Lee Health Foundation has set up SWFL Stronger Together Employee Relief Fund, which the community can support by visiting www.leehealthfoundation.org/donate.

As of early October, approximately $300,000 has been raised, with more funds continuing to be donated.

Chief Development, Marketing and Communications Officer Chris Simoneau said the fund was set up immediately after the storm and is focusing on helping employees get back on their feet.

When Hurricane Ian swept through the area, it totaled 400 or more cars when flood waters came in at HealthPark and Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. The foundation is trying to help employees with their deductibles, which he said will cost about a half a million dollars.

"Almost everyone has been impacted. The scale of the impact is very wide as well. For some people that had small damages to people who have lost everything. People on Sanibel lost cars and homes and today are living at hotel rooms with suitcases they left the island with," Simoneau said of the broad array of damage.

Lee Health has hundreds of units across their system, with one of them being NICU. He said the unit has a white board with photos of who has been affected by the storm, 100 people.

"It's scary. The scope of the need is really scary," Simoneau said.

Transportation is one of the key areas the foundation is trying to assist with, to make sure they can get to and from work. In addition, he said they have opened all of their childcare facilities and currently are not charging anyone.

The desire is to raise some additional funds to extend the length of time families will not be charged.

Another hurdle is finding uniforms for employees, as a great deal of people have lost their clothing.

Another massive problem, Simoneau said is finding a way to help their employees get back on their feet with short-term housing.

Although the need is beyond great, the generosity of the community is undeniable.

"I spoke yesterday with one of my board members. She was in Bonita Beach and she couldn't speak," he said in early October, as she was so overwhelmed with the loss of her home. "'I don't have the words, but I want to support you.' She and her husband gave a $10,000 gift to support our staff. She was thinking of others. That is the beauty of Southwest Florida. The generosity and willingness to come together and support each other, it is remarkable."

Simoneau said last week he called a couple of friends in the donor community, which turned into a much greater effort with 25 on the call from Marco Island to Sarasota. He said they are all individually working to help their community, as well as pledging to help each other.

"It's not competitive, it's a collaborative fundraiser. We are trying to maximize for Southwest Florida and not compete. We are trying to leverage as many resources as we can for the community," Simoneau said.

Foundation for Lee County Public Schools

In early October, The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools created a Hurricane Ian relief fund to meet the immediate needs of educators and students.

President and CEO Marshall Bower said as of mid-October more than $100,000 has been raised. Both Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier and Bower are making the major decisions of how the money will be given based on conversations with principals, teachers and students.

Bower said they have heard a great deal of students losing everything and being misplaced, with one being relocated to Tampa.

"They will come back here and put into some other temporary housing," he said.

In addition, Bower said he has also heard of principals who have lost their homes, others losing their cars.

"The extent of damage and need is still coming in, but I think it is rather large with students and teachers," he said.

Individuals can either make a donation at www.leeschoolfoundation.org, or by sending a donation designated to Hurricane Ian relief to P.O. Box 1608, Fort Myers, FL 33902.

Blessings in a Backpack SWFL

Donations are currently being sought to help feed children in the community, which currently serves more than 6,200 students in 28 school based programs in Lee and Collier County. Through Blessings in a Backpack, children are provided with backpacks full of nutritional food for the weekend. With a $130 donation, a child will be fed for an entire school year. Donations can be made at https://swfl.blessingsinabackpack.org/hurricane-ian-response/.

"I like to tell my donors, your dollars stay here. We want dollars to stay local. There is going to be such a need for our program moving ahead past the storm," Executive Director Cecilia St. Arnold said. "Kids that weren't eligible for the program are now displaced from the storm." Now they are eligible.

She said last week and this week she has been able to feed 10,000 kids. Blessings in a Backpack SWFL has partnered with other organizations and agencies to help feed children, by delivering shelf stable food.

"The bottom line, I do it and then ask for forgiveness after the fact. The kids need to eat," she said, which is why the donation page has been set up.

Now looking forward, she said there are numerous kids who have been displaced from their schools, especially on Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Pine Island, as well as a few schools in Cape Coral. There is an estimated nearly 2,000 children that have been displaced and now in need of services.

"Two of my schools are blessing schools that will now be getting hundreds of more kids displaced that will be eligible for the program," she said.

St. Arnold said there are a lot of kids on Fort Myers Beach who are now homeless. In addition, she said many people do not have insurance.

"We are going to have a new poor in Lee County that we didn't have two weeks ago," she said.

Community Cooperative

A Lee County Strong Emergency Relief Fund was set up for Community Cooperative to address the long term recovery that will take place. Individuals can donate to the cause by visiting www.leecountystrong.com.

Community Cooperative Chief Executive Officer Stefanie Ink-Edwards said there are lot of people here helping from all over as an initial reaction to the storm ensuring their are supplies and food, which is wonderful. She said after they all the leave, the community still has a long road ahead and they wanted to an opportunity to specifically raise funds for that.

There has not been a goal set for the amount to be raised, as Ink-Edwards said there is no number too big to raise.

"If we raise all the money in the world it is going to take a lot to put the community together," she said, adding that although Hurricane Irma was bad, Hurricane Ian's impacts are way worse. "Multiple communities that are completely devastated and people have lost everything."

Ink-Edwards said there has been an evolution of the help needed since the area was first impacted by Hurricane Ian. At the beginning people were seeking generators, clean water and food. It has transitioned to a much deeper need in terms of housing, individuals not working, baby supplies, cleaning supplies and long term recovery.

"Today we tarped a roof for a gentleman who had a tree fall through the roof," she said.

Ink-Edwards said there are two subsets of individuals, those who had wind damage, and those who experienced flooded homes and temporary housing.

Matlacha Hookers

A GoFundMe page has raised $119,000 as of mid-October, to help those of Matlacha and Pine Island. The fund stemmed from Gabby Hall, a past resident of the island, and Kevin and Jennifer Russell, who started The Things to Do on Pine Island Facebook page as a main hub for information.

Donations can be made at https://gofund.me/25455428.

After Hurricane Ian there was no power, or internet service, the island did not know anything that was going on, which united everyone.

Vice Madam Julia Gaylor said after replying to a Facebook post, a GoFundMe page began with the Hookers overseeing it, as they have been in existence for 24 years and already have a nonprofit status.

Within the first three days after the hurricane, Gaylor said everybody from everywhere got together and started organizing captains and boats and began rescuing people and bringing them off island, as well as bringing supplies on island.

"We paid for all the gas barged out, about $11,000. We spent about $1,000 on walkie talkies, so the different supply areas and people helping us out could chat together," she said.

In addition, they reimbursed about $2,000 to $3,000 worth of gas for those captains that were taking people on and off island and bringing in supplies. In addition, 70 to 80 sheets of plywood were also purchased.

The recovery is under way as the road was put in, which now has pavement and lines, in Matlacha.

JF Smith Contractors is leading the volunteer tarping for those who need their roofs patched up.

"It's really amazing how many businesses and organizations have some kind of loyalty to our island. They are really coming to help us in this event. It's very overwhelming," Gaylor said. "Our focus now is the cleanup and rebuilding. Everybody should realize that you have to be patient. There are a lot of people here to help, they are just volunteers and we are doing the best we can. Try to be nice, try to be patient and love your neighbor."

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce

A GoFundMe has been set up to help sustain the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce, as members will not be billed for the rest of this year and the first two quarters of next year, so far.

"We have set up a fund to help our chamber sustain for local businesses in the next year, two years, how long it takes for us to rebuild. We will continue to operate and assist the city, state and federal levels as we build our infrastructure and progress as we get closer and closer to opening," President and CEO John Lai said.

As of mid-October, he said they have raised some money, but have not put a goal on the fund.

"We have been looking at our strategic partners and our outside community, our visitors as we send that out," Lai said.

As far as financial needs, he said they have businesses that will not be able to employ their servers and cooks.

"Therefore we really would like to give them assistance so we don't lose them to another state, or county," Lai said, as those employees build the destination and service the islands have been known for. "We have to keep the good employees that have made Sanibel special."

Donations can be made by visiting www.sanibel-captiva.org.

Lani Kai Island Resort

A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist more than 100 workers of Lani Kai Island Resort that have been affected by the storm.

Marketing Director Melissa Schneider said most are out of work and some lost their homes and possessions.

"All were affected in some way, and a significant amount lost everything they own from it. Absolutely devastating," she said.

As of mid-October, more than $28,000 had been raised for the Lani Kai Island Resort staff through the GoFundMe site at https://tinyurl.com/2ontqlzy.

"We are so very grateful for all of the overwhelming love and support we have received from past patrons, guests and friends, who donated a significant amount of funds for the GoFundMe our family set up to help our displaced crew who lost everything in the blink of a hurricanes eye," Schneider said.

Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce, which has raised $4,270 as of mid-October. Donations can be made at www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-pine-island-florida.

Executive Administrator Tammy Aeschiliman said they want to do help as much as they can, with the funds going towards business needs that are necessary. She said although the chamber office has yet to open, they are here for any kind of help.

"As with many towns, the small business owners of Pine Island are the backbone of our community," stated the chamber's Facebook post. "They are an amazing network of individuals and families who have worked tirelessly to build their businesses, create jobs, provide goods and services to the area, and contribute generously, in a multitude of ways, to our community. The damage to these small businesses owners has been significant, but their spirit is strong."

Pure Green

A local business has set up an employee relief fund for its 16 employees, as their business was closed for eight, or nine days.

"All things considered, we were very fortunate. We don't have roof damage. We didn't get water damage. We did have $7,000 in product that needed to be discarded. We were able to donate about $2,000 worth of juice and that was kind of fun to see that be given out to good use," Pure Green co-owner Brad Weiss said, adding that there was some cosmetic damage on the exterior part of the building, something the landlord will handle.

The business, at the Surfside Shops in Cape Coral, opened Oct. 7 after electricity came back on the night before. Weiss said luckily he had placed an order for fresh product, enabling them to serve people and give some of their employees some hours.

"Sixteen staff members rely on the shop for income," he said.

The damage his employees experienced, ran the gamut from losing part of their roof to losing their cars due to flooding. Weiss said he and Michael Holmes, the other co-owner, wanted to give back to their employees who missed work due to the business closing after the hurricane.

"Based on a given week, it's about $5,000 in payroll," he said, which is the goal of their GoFundMe. "Because we are not originally from here we have broader networks. We shared the post out on social media and shared GoFundMe on my professional network."

Weiss said they were planning on matching the next $750 that is donated, which will take them over the $4,000 mark.

"We are hoping to help them out with additional funds they weren't expecting due to the loss of hours and it hopefully helps them pay for expenses related to Ian," he said.

Donations can be made by visiting www.gofundme.com/f/pure-green-cape-coral-employee-relief-fund.

Pure Green is back to its normal business hours.

"We are excited to be open and welcome people back in. We do have WiFi for those still without. They don't have to buy anything. They can sit in air conditioning and catch up and whatever they need to on their personal devices. If someone needs to come in and work and get some stuff done on their electronic devices for a couple hours, they are more than welcome to use our space," Weiss said.

Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina

Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina, a destination resort with 195 condo-style villas on Fort Myers Beach, was in the direct path of Hurricane Ian.

Although the resort did not sustain any structural damage, there was significant damage to the ground floor and second level including the lobby, signature restaurants and bars (Rae's and Bongos), as well as the marina. The resort is in the planning stages for a renovation that will ensure some of the resort's iconic amenities return, including the giant octopus that was a highlight of the swimming pool.

A reopening date has not been set, but on Oct. 13, Pink Shell welcomed back a group of its employees to assist in the clean-up and recovery efforts alongside the restoration company, Gilbane Restoration Services.

"The resort's priority is to continue supporting its employees and their families as they work toward a reopening plan and getting more of their staff back to work on the property," officials said. "Because they value their guests and staff like family, the property has established the Pink Shell Associate Relief Fund via a GoFundMe page. All donations will go directly to the resort's team members who have lost access to vital resources, faced significant damage to their homes, or have been displaced in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian."

Elite DNA Behavioral Health

A variety of clinics statewide are collecting hurricane relief supplies for Southwest Florida.

Dr. Reese VanCamp, director of Advanced Providers for Elite DNA Behavioral Health and a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and family nurse practitioner, said they are collecting supplies across all open offices right now, which includes 24 different Florida clinics all the way to Tallahassee. Some of the local clinics include the Fort Myers Metro office, Fort Myers Plantation office, Naples, Lehigh Acres, Venice and Port Charlotte on Harbor Boulevard.

The supplies collected will be delivered to Heights Foundation, Harry Chapin Food Bank and Community Cooperative. VanCamp said they are looking mostly for nonperishable food, clothing, baby products such as diapers, wipes and formula, water, first aid supplies, personal hygiene products and paper products.

Elite DNA Behavioral Health has also started a GoFundMe on its Facebook page for providers who have been displaced. VanCamp said they have five that have lost total homes, while everyone else has had flood damage or lesser degree damage. She said Elite will double the amount that has been donated.

SalusCare

The SalusCare Crisis Stabilization unit, which is in Fort Myers on Deer Run Farm Road, was hit hard by Hurricane Ian, resulting in $2 million in damage. This location, which served 30 adults and 16 children, is now completely inoperable.

"Our Lee County citizens right now do not have a public receiving facility under the Bakers Act, or volunteering looking for psychiatric care," President and Chief Executive Officer of SalusCare and LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker Stacey Cook said. "As a not for profit, we are not able to afford out of pocket expense. That is why we have insurance. Unfortunately we are not getting anywhere right now."

So, instead of serving more than 4,000 individuals who are experiencing acute mental health symptoms are now having to go the emergency department, which is already over-burdened.

Cook said they had work being done to start the remediation of mold, drying it out and rebuilding.

"The wind insurer and flood insurer are arguing back and forth of who is responsible for flooding," she said, adding that a work stoppage was issued. "The remediation, construction and build back has completely stopped."

Those who are able to make a donation can do so at www.saluscareflorida.org.

Unfortunately the Ortiz location, 2789 Ortiz, the Bob James Empowerment Center, all 11 buildings are completely down. The staff and residents are at a shelter.

"Our intention is to make repairs. We are still waiting for an adjuster. We have to go through insurance and that whole process to find out when we are able to engage in repairs and have permission to do that," Cook said.

The Cape Coral campus is also severely damaged. Cook said they are working with insurance, and once they get the okay, they will rebuild. Those Cape Coral residents can call (239) 275-3222 to receive care.

Good news, SalusCare's outpatient therapy and psychiatry are open for business at 3763 Evans Ave. Patients are being called with options to do face-to-face, or telemedicine appointments, as well as refilling medications. Individuals can call (239) 275-3222.

The adolescent program is anticipated to reopen within the next week or so.

Cook said it is very important for all the SalusCare locations to be up and running, so they can care for those individuals that are experiencing either preexisting psychiatric conditions, or first time because of the trauma of the storm.

"The earlier we can identify, diagnose, and treat, we can prevent that from becoming chronic. We are working hard to identify those folks, to get them scheduled and get them seen and begin the treatment process," Cook said.

She said many years of discrimination and stigma has really slowed advances in the development in medications, normalization of these brain based disorders, mental health and substance abuse.

Cook said it is important to speak out loud and share stories, so brain-based diseases can be prioritized.