provided to The Santiva Chronicle
In celebration of Sanibel’s 50 years as an incorporated city, join the Rotary Club of Sanibel Captiva for a night of community, entertainment, music, and a live auction by Tommy Williams to support our islands at SanCap Soul.
The event will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 at the heart of the island, The Sanibel Community House, where Rotarians and friends will celebrate the Soul of Sanibel and Captiva.
Attendees will enjoy a cocktail hour with heavy hors d’oeuvres, soul music playlist, a presentation of Rotary’s impact and the progress we’ve made since Hurricane Ian, a live auction and ‘’lots of love’’ presented by Tommy Williams.
“We feel the name tells our story and that the evening will prove that Rotarians really care about the soul of islands.” Williams, a professional auctioneer and proud Rotarian, will lead the auction as attendees bid on spectacular items to support Rotary. Auction items include a $5,000 gift certificate to Congress Jewelers, original artwork by local artist Rachel Pierce, Two Boating excursions, Dinner for 12 by a local restaurant, a behind-the-scenes tour for 10 including cocktails at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium.
Rotary will host SanCap Soul in lieu of their annual Arts and Crafts Festival. “The festival is our primary fundraiser; it typically generates more than $100,000, which is distributed to various nonprofits. Sadly, the lack of visitors on the island made this year’s event impractical,” Scot Congress who spearheads the annual festival and will chair this year’s event said. “Our nonprofit recipients’ need is the greatest ever; SanCap Soul is our effort to fill the gap.”
All of the proceeds from the event will go directly toward the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Trust Fund. The funds are then awarded to organizations and nonprofits locally, regionally, and internationally through grants.
Locally, the club funds several college scholarships and helps to support organizations like F.I.S.H. of Sanibel-Captiva, BIG ARTS, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, the Community House and Sanibel Historical Museum and Village, plus Habitat for Humanity and the Harry Chapin Food Bank. Last fall, Sanibel Captiva Rotary club awarded nearly $90,000 in grants to twenty non-profits.
With so many wonderful causes on the island, SanCap Soul is a one-stop opportunity to benefit many within our community at a unique and rewarding experience. All donations go to nonprofits with no overhead or administrative costs taken out.
The Rotary Club is one of the world’s largest and oldest service organizations, with over 1.4 million members. The Club’s programs aim to restore hope—to help the world heal from destructive conflicts and, in turn, to help us achieve lasting change for ourselves. It is a fitting goal as the islands continue their recovery post-Hurricane Ian.
Admission is $50 per person and tickets available for purchase at www.sanibelrotary.org.
More information about Rotary is available online at www.sanibelrotary.org. For details about membership and SanCap Soul, contact Maria Espinoza, at (239) 314-4712