For the second consecutive year, Florida Community Bank is the presenting sponsor for The Immokalee Foundation’s 2016 Charity Classic Celebration dinner and auction, taking place Friday, Nov. 11, at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples.
Committed to supporting the communities in which the company and its associates live and serve, Florida Community Bank’s company philanthropy is focused on investing in local youth by providing mentorship, volunteer efforts, and event sponsorships.
“Florida Community Bank is dedicated to supporting our future generations,” said Kent S. Ellert, Florida Community Bank president and CEO. “We believe actions speak louder than words, and we have made a substantial financial commitment to help The Immokalee Foundation achieve their mission of providing local children with a bright future. At Florida Community Bank, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to be successful, and we are honored to partner with this life-changing organization.”
Luis Cartagena, a member of The Immokalee Foundation board of directors and a vice president and Immokalee branch manager for Florida Community Bank, added, “Continuing our support of The Immokalee Foundation helps students – and they are the future leaders of our community. Providing educational opportunities and opening doors to support their dreams is a win-win for everyone involved.”
The Immokalee Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary, with long-time supporters teaming up to chair the Charity Classic Celebration and Pro-Am events for the silver anniversary.
Parker Collier, who joined with other community leaders to found The Immokalee Foundation in 1991, serves as honorary chair of the Charity Classic Celebration. Board members Don O’Neill, Mac McDonald and Jay “Dick” Stonesifer are chairing the event, which is the foundation’s biggest and most important fundraising gala of the year. Board member Kevin Johnson is organizing the Nov. 14 Pro-Am golf tournament for the fifth consecutive year with Mark Lye, a Golf Channel analyst who is one of The Immokalee Foundation’s Pro-Am founders.
The Charity Classic Celebration, an evening of fine dining and entertainment, begins with a reception at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $550 per guest.
Attendees can support the youth of Immokalee during Fund A DreamTM, a unique live bidding experience enabling donors to contribute to Immokalee’s children in specific and tangible ways by supporting programs that provide students with opportunities to grow, learn and advance. Fund A Dream auction categories include college funding and vocational scholarships, reading support and intervention, and college success and experiences. Benefactors also may provide support to build leadership and life skills, fund studying abroad programs, provide access to arts and technology, and foster youth leadership.
The Immokalee Foundation’s Charity Classic Pro-Am at Bay Colony Golf Club in Naples features more than two dozen of the world’s greatest golfers – including 2016 PGA Champion Jimmy Walker and LPGA Major winner and 2016 Olympian Lexi Thompson – with Naples’ most philanthropic players. Each foursome will be matched with a different professional player for the first and second nine holes during an exclusive pairings party at The Old Collier Golf Club on Sunday, Nov. 13.
The Charity Classic Pro-Am begins Monday morning with registration, breakfast and a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Lunch and an awards presentation follow the tournament. Entry fees for the scramble-style tournament begin at $5,000 per entrant and include two tickets to the 2016 Charity Classic Celebration.
Additional event sponsors are Arthrex Inc. and Caterpillar Inc., Partner Circle sponsors; Kelly Tractor, Education Circle sponsor; Naples Illustrated and Naples Daily News, Media sponsors; Huntington Bank, Success Circle sponsor; Hertz Global Holdings, Fifth Third Bank, Mercedes-Benz of Naples, MidwestOne Bank, Progress Rail – A Caterpillar Corporation, and Sabadell Bank, Pathways Circle sponsors; Northern Trust, Table sponsor; and Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, Pairings Party sponsor.
The Immokalee Foundation provides a range of education programs that focus on building pathways to success through college and post-secondary preparation and support, mentoring and tutoring, opportunities for broadening experiences, and life skills development leading to economic independence. To learn more about The Immokalee Foundation, its signature events, volunteering as a career panel speaker or host, becoming a mentor, making a donation, including the foundation in your estate plans, or for additional information, call 239-430-9122 or visit www.immokaleefoundation.org.
