Grassroots Activism

Habitat for Humanity

2010-03-02T18:21:00Z

Writer/Producer: Shawn Holiday

When financial calamity strikes, those with the fewest resources face the stiffest challenges. Losing a house impacts families, neighborhoods and businesses. But out of a staggering economic downturn has stepped an opportunity to fill empty homes; a program with no bail-outs or exotic financial transactions. Habitat for Humanity of Lee County is purchasing foreclosed homes in a comprehensive effort that saves money, preserves housing, and allows deserving families to enjoy a home they can afford.

Resources:

Habitat for Humanity

Crisis in Paradise: Regional Health Care Realties

2009-09-24T15:58:00Z

WGCU Special CONNECT! Airing LIVE Thursday, Sept. 24, from 8 to 9 p.m.

Writer/Producer: Rachelle Grossman

Hosted by Jim McLaughlin, the special includes a panel of regional health care experts, including Jim Nathan (CEO, Lee Memorial Health Systems); Nina Gray (CEO, Neighborhood Health Clinic in Naples); Lalai Hamric (CEO, Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida) and Denise Heinemann (FGCU). The show features video stories of Southwest Floridians who are struggling to get access to affordable health care. The live, call-in show also includes a phone bank serviced by trained staff from United Way 211 and health care volunteers.

RESOURCES:

In Charlotte, Glades, Hendry & Lee Counties, call 211 for information and referrals for medical assistance and prescriptions.

In Collier County, call (239) 657-6807 for information and referrals.

Medical Services:

Regional:

Family Health Centers – (239) 278-3600

www.fhcswfl.org

The website provides office locations and phone numbers.
12 medical and 6 dental offices.
Family Practice, OB/GYN, Internal Medicine, Pediatric Physicians and Dentists.
Care for every member of the family.
Center services will not be denied due to an individual's ability to pay.

Charlotte County:

St. Vincent De Paul Community Health Care Clinic & Pharmacy – (941) 766-9570

www.svdpchcare.org

Serves working poor & uninsured.

Collier County:
Neighborhood Health Clinic – (239) 261-6600
www.neighborhoodhealthclinic.org

Provides medical care to low-income, working, but no insured.
Delivers services in a caring, supportive environment.
Clinic does not duplicate services offfered elsewhere in the County and helps direct people to those resources.
Full range of medical services.

Collier County Health Dept. – (239) 252-8200
www.doh.state.fl.us/chdcollier

Glades & Hendry Counties:

Health Dept. – La Belle - (863) 674-4041
Clewiston – (863) 983-1408

Lee County:

Lee County Health Dept. – (239) 461-6100
www.leechd.com

Crisis In Paradise: Feeding the New Hungry

2009-07-20T13:13:00Z

Producer: Kathy Johnson
Writer: Rod Clarke
The troubled local economy has taken a fearsome toll, making Southwest Florida one of the hardest hit areas in the nation, with an unemployment rate topping 12 percent. Homes have been foreclosed or abandoned -- lives and families shattered. Children, seniors, and low-income workers are the fastest growing segments of need. They’ve been called “the new hungry.” Watch this half-hour special Connect! that features ways to find help and ways that you can volunteer to assist in this “Crisis in Paradise.”

Resources:
Café of Life
Founded in 1998, in its formative months the Café of Life offered coffee to its clients. From this humble beginning the Café of Life has become a fixture in Bonita Springs, serving luncheon meals Monday thru Friday to individuals and families from all walks of life.
Our purpose today is to assist in meeting the basic needs of the less fortunate people of Bonita Springs, Florida, providing nutritional and supplemental assistance while preserving the dignity of the client.
CCMI
Community Cooperative Ministries (CCMI) was incorporated in 1984, and has long been a driving force in the Fort Myers community, providing food to homeless and nearly homeless, as well as emergency groceries and affordable childcare to the working poor. In July of 2006 the agency expanded its mission outreach to Lee County by merging with agencies that had historically provided home delivered meals to the homebound hungry (Meals on Wheels), and transportation services to the frail elderly (Faith In Action). This merger created an agency that is able to provide comprehensive, unduplicated services to the homeless, nearly homeless, homebound, seniors and children more effectively, more efficiently and with greater compassion than at any other time in the former agencies histories.
Grace Community Center
In January, 2007, Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Coral purchased the nearby 5.2 million dollar 56,000 square foot former Winn-Dixie grocery store for the purpose of bettering our North Ft. Myers community at the intersection of Hancock Bridge Parkway and Orange Grove Boulevard.
The Center will be a hub for the community, providing a path that our neighbors can live lives of freedom and dignity. Programs will include free and reduced fee medical care, literacy and GED classes, after school programs for our middle and high school students, a food bank and automotive job training. We also intend to provide some employment opportunities through our retail ventures including a coffee shop, bookstore, thrift store, moving company and child care. Community events include Family Fun Nights, regular worship services and recovery meetings.
Harry Chapin Food Bank
Since 1983, the Harry Chapin Food Bank has served as the only Food Bank in Southwest Florida (Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties). On an annual basis our Food Bank provides nutritious, quality food to more than 150 Partner Agencies that provide direct services to those in need. Partner Agencies are non-profit organizations that are comprised of church food pantries, neighborhood centers, Kids Cafes, low-income housing sites, senior nutrition centers, family crisis centers, group homes, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, day care centers, rehabilitation facilities, and disaster relief agencies.
Lee County Pocket Guide to Emergency Assistance (can be printed out)
This guide was prepared to help those who find themselves homeless or in immediate need of some sort of assistance. It does not contain all the services which may be available to assist you or guarantee services are still available. Our sincere hope is that it will connect you with someone who can be of assistance.
Salvation Army -- Lee County area
The Salvation Army has been in Lee County for over 57 years and in Hendry County for over 14 years. Throughout those years our mission has remained constant: to provide services to people experiencing hunger and homelessness, regardless of race, color, sex, age, or religion while continuously leading and assisting our clients as they strive towards the goals of attaining affordable housing, stable employment while simultaneously fostering a sense of greater self-determination.
Senior Friendship Centers
Senior Friendship Centers, Inc., established in 1973, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping older adults live with dignity and independence in Sarasota, Desoto, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties. Funded in part by State and Federal agencies, and support from private foundations and individuals, Senior Friendship Centers serves more than 10,000 older adults annually.
St. Matthews House
More than a Homeless Shelter
Since 1988, St. Matthew's House (SMH) has provided housing, spiritual support and structured recovery programs for the homeless in our main facilities in Naples, FL. St. Matthew's House can house 174 men, women and women with children in our combined facilities in Naples and Immokalee.

United Way of Lee, Hendry & Glades
United Way is working to improve the quality of life for all people in our community by coordinating the local human service network and providing resources to United Way supported programs. Our goal is to create long-lasting change. Last year our United Way raised over $8 million and distributed funds to 70 Partners and over 160 programs. These United Way supported programs positively changed the lives of over 300,000 families, children, seniors, and individuals right here in our community.

Feral Cat Activism

2008-11-10T18:12:00Z

Writer/Producer: Lynne Howard Frazer

Millions of stray cats are killed every year in animal shelters -- a shocking statistic that has inspired a grassroots movement to change ineffective and inhumane animal control methods.

Throughout southwest Florida, an underground network of cat-lovers protects friendless felines, and promotes a new no-kill method of feral cat control called "Trap, Neuter, Return," or TNR.

Resources:

Michele Antonia, Founder
Animal Compassion Project, Inc.
humane@earthlink.net
(239) 825-4093

Jim and Jan Rich, Founders
For the Love of Cats
www.floridacatrescue.com
(239) 642-8674

Alley Cat Allies
www.alleycat.org

Clean-Up Efforts

2008-11-10T18:09:00Z

Writer/Producer: Kristy Vaughn

All it takes is one cause and any location to start-up community activism. Many Southwest Floridians strive to clean-up their neighborhoods and area beaches by organizing groups to pick up the liter that would have otherwise been left to spoil and decay. Trash left along roadways or washed-up on beaches makes our natural playgrounds hazardous, which is why grassroots organizations, such as Adopt-a-Road programs and Keep Collier Beautiful, continue to grow and flourish. But, more community activists are always welcomed and needed. Learn how to establish a trash-talking group, and meet others who share a common goal for a cleaner and safer environment to live, work, and play.

Resources:

http://www.keepcollierbeautiful.com/
Keep Collier Beautiful, the organizers of Bay Days

http://www.oceanconservancy.org/

Ocean Conservancy, the home for the annual national Coastal Clean-up

http://www.adoptaroad.com/
Lee County Adopt-a-Road program

http://www.dot.state.fl.us/
Florida Department of Transportation

http://www.wm.com/
Waste Management, trash and waste removal

Burrowing Owl Activism

2008-11-10T18:06:00Z

Writer/Producer: Rosie Emery

Cape Coral is home to Florida’s largest population of Burrowing Owls. When development first began in this area and the land was clear-cut for homes, these owls found suitable habitat in the sandy soil of freshly cleared lots and set up residence.

Burrowing owls create burrows and also make use of abandoned ones. However, with increased development, many of the vacant lots where the owls live and nest are being bulldozed and destroyed.

Some of the citizens of Cape Coral have banded together to help protect their feathered neighbors and to educate the public about them

Resources:

Pascha Donaldson
President Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife
ed.pascha@att.net
Website:
www.ccfriendsofwildlife.org
239 980 2593

For information on building regulations regarding Burrowing Owls:
Lori Blydenburgh
Planning Technician
City of Cape Coral
239 242 3204
lblydenb@capecoral.net

111 Grassroots Activism - Audio Live

2008-04-14T22:38:00Z

111 Grassroots Activism - Crushed by my Silence

2008-04-14T22:37:00Z

Writer/Producer: Rod Clarke

When they retired from medical practice a decade ago, Dr. William Lascheid and his wife Nancy, a nurse, their consciences wouldn't let them walk away from the working poor who needed help but didn't have health insurance. They opened the Neighborhood Health Clinic in Naples, which has utilized volunteer medical professionals and public donations to serve more than 25,000 people.

Resources:

St. Vincent DePaul Community Pharmacy

St. Vincent DePaul Community Health Clinic

Neighborhood Health Clinic (Naples)

Volunteers in Medicine

Forum Topics:

111 Grassroots Activism - Angels of Easy Street

2008-04-14T22:35:00Z

Writer/Producer: Rod Clarke

At the Corner of Easy Street and Gibraltar Road in Port Charlotte stands a beacon of hope to some 40,000 local residents who lack adequate health insurance. The St. Vincent de Paul Community Health Care Clinic and Pharmacy relies on volunteer doctors and nurses to provide free care to the uninsured, the homeless, the indigent.

Resources:

St. Vincent DePaul Community Pharmacy

St. Vincent DePaul Community Health Clinic

Neighborhood Health Clinic (Naples)

Volunteers in Medicine

Forum Topics:

111 Grassroots Activism - Crisis in Care

2008-04-14T22:32:00Z

Writer/Producer: Rod Clarke

When Southwest Florida's economy went into a tailspin, thousands found themselves out of work, out of health insurance and denied access to the health care system. Rather than wait for national reform, doctors and other medical professionals across the region took action to make sure the needy received the care they need.

Resources:

St. Vincent DePaul Community Pharmacy

St. Vincent DePaul Community Health Clinic

Neighborhood Health Clinic (Naples)

Volunteers in Medicine

Forum Topics:

109 Living Green - Audio Live

2008-04-03T20:14:00Z

Growing and Eating Locally Produced Food

Mar. 24, 2008

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase…’local is the new organic’? Not only are many people becoming more conscious of what they’re eating, but also WHERE it came from. Join Jim McLaughlin for a discussion about growing and eating locally produced food. He’s joined by someone from Worden Farm in Charlotte County…and by the president of the local chapter of Slow Food - a worldwide organization that promotes organic, sustainable and local agriculture.

109 Living Green - Green Team

2008-04-03T19:37:00Z

Writer/Producer: Rosie Emery

Interested in knowing what young people in Southwest Florida are doing to protect the environment? The Green Team and the Monday Group are two groups that continue to engage and inspire their communities, as they work to protect and preserve the local landscape and challenge adults to become more environmentally sensitive.

Tylor Compton
The Sanibel Green team
(239) 410 9109
TylorSC@LeeSchools.Net

The Monday Group
Cindy Bear
Environmental Resource Teacher/Lee County(234) 275-3033
CindyLB@LeeSchools.Net Forum Topics:

109 Living Green - Local Organics

2008-04-03T19:35:00Z

Writer/Producer: Rosie Emery Food that is grown both organically and locally is becoming more and more available to Southwest Floridians. In addition to food, membership in a Community Based Agriculture Farm such as Worden Farm can provide other perks such as food workshops and a friendly community. A trip to your local Farmers Market is a fun outing complete with colorful characters, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well as other locally produced items.

Resources:

Naples Farmers Market:
http://naplesfarmersmarket.com/ Punta Gorda Farmers Market
http://www.wordenfarm.com

The Fort Myers Beach Market
Contact: Anita Cereceda
(239) 463-4293
E-mail: timessquarefmb@aol.com

Farms:

Somerset Organic Farms LaBelle
Carl Ream – V.P. Sales 239 253 6055
www.somersetorganicfarms.com

Worden Farm
Chris and Eva Worden (941) 637 4874
office@wordenfarm.com
Jenny and David Burd(239) 263 0424FriendlyBurds@aol.com

To learn how to reduce your families carbon footprint:
David Suzuki Foundation
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/What_You_Can_Do/carbon_neutral.asp?source=WhatYouCanDo

Forum Topics

In 2007, the New Oxford American dictionary’s word of the year was “locavore” - a locavore is someone who eats food grown within a 100 mile radius of where they live, thereby reducing their carbon footprint and supporting the local economy. Will the rise in gas prices encourage us to become locavores?
What can you to reduce your carbon footprint? Do you know how you can offsetyour personal C02 contribution – gasoline, plane travel, air conditioning?
Does the word “organic” confuse you, or have you been buying organic food for some time
Do you think organic food is better for you or that it doesn’t make any difference?

109 Living Green - Affordable Green Housing

2008-04-03T19:33:00Z

Writer/Producer: Janina Birtolo Learn about Sustaining Tomorrow Today, an FGCU program that brings students and volunteers together to help create environmentally friendly affordable housing in Bonita Springs, clean up the Cocohatchee Estuary and design native plant gardens. Sustaining Tomorrow Today aims to preserve natural resources, benefit all who live in Southwest Florida and provide opportunities for the exchange of ideas. Resources:Sustaining Tomorrow Today: http://ruby.fgcu.edu/courses/jfitch Florida Green Building Coalition: www.floridagreenbuilding.org/db/Florida Green Communities: www.greencommunitiesonline.org/about/programs/florida.asp

U.S. Green Building Council: www.usbg.org/LEED/

National Association of Homebuilders Green Building Program: www.nahb.org

Estuary Conservation Association: www.estuaryconservation.org

Florida Yards & Neighborhoods program: www.fyn.ifas.ufl.eduFlorida Friendly Landscapint: www.floridayards.org (Great interactive yard design feature) Forum Topics: