WGCU

Writer/Producer: Lynne Howard Frazer

Many dream of sailing away, but for those with disabilities and special needs in southwest Florida, sailing is no longer an impossible dream. With a fleet of specially-designed boats, and the help of dedicated volunteers, the Freedom Waters Foundation provides sailing programs for people with disabilities, and yacht outings for those with cancer and other special needs.

Resources:

www.freedomwatersfoundation.org

www.sailability.org

Writer/Producer: Janina Birtolo

The big red barn at the corner of Center Street and Goodlette Road in North Naples houses a lot more than horses. It’s also the home of the Naples Equestrian Challenge, a program that helps disabled children and adults find beneficial therapy through the fun of horseback riding.

Resources:
Naples Equestrian Challenge: www.naplesequestrianchallenge.org
Special Equestrians, Lee & Charlotte Counties: www.specialequstrians.net
Family Network on Disabilities of Florida: www.fndfl.org
Florida Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities: www.advocacycenter.org
LARC, Inc., providing opportunities for Lee County people with developmental disabilities & their families: www.larcleecounty.org

Writer/Producer: Lynne Howard Frazer

Although they have survived for millions of years, sea turtle populations are plummeting -- and volunteers are working to help protect the precious eggs laid on southwest Florida's beaches -- and ensure the survival of these ancient mariners. Both the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and Turtle Time, Inc. rely on volunteers to serve as "sea turtle sentinels" during the summer nesting season. Volunteers help locate and protect sea turtle nests, and serve as roving ambassadors for the mammoth mothers and their beguiling babies.

Resources:

Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation
Kristie Anders, Education Director
3333 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL   33957-0839
(239) 472-2329
turtle@sccf.org

Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation website:
www.sccf.org

Turtle Time, Inc.
Eve Haverfield, Founder
(239) 481-5566
eve@turtletime.org

Turtle Time website:
www.turtletime.org

Writer/Producer: Shawn Holiday

For those interested in donating more than money, there are plenty of groups that appreciate hands on help, even getting their hands a little dirty. Preserving nature at the Naples Botanical Garden means volunteers are digging right in to fulfill a mission. For them it’s both the activity and the interaction with both plants and people that keeps them moving as they recharge themselves to help another day.

Resources:

Naples Botanical Garden
4820 Bayshore Dr
Naples, FL 34112
Amy Kessler
239/643-7275
akessler@naplesgarden.org

Writer/Producer: Shawn Holiday

About 1,000 US World War II veterans die each day and it’s up to the surviving veterans to provide a proper military funeral. Cape Coral VFW Post #8463 has the area’s only full honor guard who attend several memorial services a week for Southwest Florida’s deceased veterans. These volunteers from the Korean, Vietnam and later conflicts are the latest veterans to ensure their brothers in arms receive the honor and recognition they deserve.

Resources:

VFW Post #8463
4709 SE 11th Place
Cape Coral, FL 33904
239/542-8463
Bob Reiser, Captain of Honor Guard
239/770-5308-cell

Colllier County Veterans Council:
http://colliervets.com/

Lee County Veterans Services:
http://www3.leegov.com/VeteransServices/

Charlotte County Veterans Services:
http://charlottecountyfl.com/HumanServices/Veterans/

202 Volunteering
Soup Kitchens
Writer/Producer: Shawn Holiday

Sometimes volunteering can be a teaching experience. Helping local soup kitchens serve the hungry also feed one’s own needs to grow and expand horizons. Volunteers at two area facilities assist with preparing meals and fixing lives as well as picking up some cooking tips along the way.

Resources:

St. Matthews House
2001 Airport Road, South
Naples, FL 34112-4814
239/298-5026
Julie Clay
julie@stmatthewshouse.org

Community Cooperative Ministries Inc.
3429 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Fort Myers, Florida 33916
Phone (239) 332-7687
Sarah Owen, Executive Director
www.ccmileecounty.com

202 Volunteering
ECHO
Writer/Producer: Janina Birtolo

Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, better known as ECHO, takes a unique approach to feeding the hungry. Volunteers here dig in the dirt, help with research to develop new, hardy crops, make jams and jellies and conduct tours for the public – all in the hope of easing hunger around the world. Learn how what they sow yields untold rewards at http://www.wgcu.org/ECHO.

Resources:

ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) = www.echonet.org

The Heifer Project
www.heifer.org

The Hunger Site
www.thehungersite.com

Feed the Children
www.feedthechildren.org

202 Volunteering
Harry Chapin Food Bank
Writer/Producer: Kristy Vaughn

Volunteers are the bread and butter of the Harry Chapin Food Bank.  Without the generous gift of time and effort from people within the community, the food bank couldn’t exist, and the 100, 000 Southwest Floridians who live in poverty would go hungry.  The food bank’s need for help never ends.  Volunteers are needed to move, sort, and distribute the food that arrives daily to the warehouse, and they are also needed to collect non-perishable foods at social events, such as The River and Blues Festival and Minnesota Twins spring training baseball games. 

Resources:

Harry Chapin Food Bank
http://www.harrychapinfoodbank.org/

ECHO: Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization
http://www.echonet.org/nursery.htm

The Florida Association of Food Banks
http://www.fafb.org/

Daily Bread: Fighting Hunger in Southwest Florida
http://www.dailybread.org/

America’s Second Harvest: The Nation’s Food Bank Network
http://www.secondharvest.org/

Writer/Producer: Kristy Vaughn

Volunteering in a humane animal shelter is an easy way to help a dog or cat in need, as well as interact with people who are concerned for animal welfare.  Getting involved is simple.  Learn how the donation of time is important to the success of non-profit rescue shelters, such as The Gulf Coast Humane Shelter or For the Love of Cats, and discover how the work can enrich the lives of both volunteers and animals.

Resources:

The official site for Southwest Florida’s Humane Society.

The official site for For the Love of Cats, a kitten rescue shelter on Marco Island.

The official site for the Animal Refuge Center of Fort Myers

Find local pet adoptions, and read up on pet care tips.

Find animal shelters anywhere in the country.

Read about animal rescue, volunteer work, and pet adoptions on a national level.

http://www.animalrefuge.com/ 

• Where have you volunteered before, and what did you think was most rewarding about the experience?
• Do you know of other non-profit animal rescue shelters in Southwest Florida?
• Have you ever adopted a rescued dog or cat?  Share your pet-adoption story, and inform us of which shelter you adopted through. 
  

Writer/Producer: Rod Clarke

Since the dawn of man, Canis Lupus has been depicted as a loathsome beast to be feared, shunned and destroyed. But volunteers at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary in Naples have dedicated themselves to defending and befriending wolves, and say man would do well by emulating his long-time adversary rather than persecuting him.

Deanna Deppen
Rescue Services, Volunteer Coordinator
Admin@shywolfsanctuary.com

Resources:

Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Education & Experience Center

The Wolf is at the Door, Inc.

Florida Lupine Association

• Have you or anyone you know ever owned a wolf or wolf dog?
• Have you ever volunteered at an animal rescue facility or animal shelter?

Writer/Producer: Lynne Frazer

Two special hospitals in southwest Florida offer volunteers the chance to get up close and personal with the patients -- and these patients are really "wild." Sick and injured wild animals receive a second chance at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Naples, and the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, or CROW, on Sanibel. While most of the volunteer jobs are far from glamorous, the ultimate satisfaction is not the feeding, the nursing or the cleaning. It is the simple act of watching a wild thing go home again. 

Resources:

www.conservancy.org

www.CROWCLINIC.org 

• Have you ever made a referral to one of the wildlife clinics on behalf of an injured animal?
• Do you know of any other wildlife clinics in Southwest Florida?

Writer/Producer: Libby McMillan

See how Southwest Floridians who love babies can take part in a unique opportunity to make a difference, as part of Healthpark’s volunteer Cuddler program. These special care-givers contribute to the quality of life for premature and ill babies as well as their families.

Resources:

http://www.leememorial.org/volunteer/

Forum Topics:

• Do you know of any other ways to assist premature and ill babies and their families?
• What do you think of the Cuddler program?

Resources:

www.avowhospice.org 

www.hopehospice.org

www.tidewell.org

Forum Topics:

• How has a hospice program helped out your family?

• In what ways did the volunteers make a difference through your hospice experience?

Writer/Producer: Kristy Vaughn

Discover how becoming a mentor can positively impact a child’s life.  Mentorship programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Florida, strive to match kids who are lacking in self-confidence with adults who are ready to be a friend.  There are volunteer opportunities to fit any schedule.  If weekends or afternoons are flexible, then the Community Based Program is perfect for the mentor who wants to bring a child to a park or out fishing.  Or make the most of a lunch hour by spending it with a child at his or her school, quietly reading in the library or playing a game of Scrabble, through the School Based Program.

Resources:

BBBS of SWFLA 

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Voices for Kids

Ronald McDonald House

Forum Topics:

• If you have mentoring experience, then what advice could you give to someone getting started?
• Can you suggest other ways to volunteer as a mentor?