Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort MyersSun and clouds with a stray shower possible
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
the weather authority Sun and clouds with a stray shower possible The Weather Authority says sun and clouds overhead will lead to another day with above-average temperatures.
FORT MYERS LCSO offering youth boxing program The Lee County Sheriff’s Office youth boxing program is your kid’s golden ticket to mastering the art of self-defense.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend armed 13-year-old The man who helped apprehend an armed 13-year-old spoke on the incident.
NAPLES Naples Cars on Fifth event fuels $2M for local charity efforts For over two decades, car enthusiasts in Southwest Florida have gathered on Fifth Avenue in Naples.
MARCO ISLAND Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island set to reopen Collier County announced the reopening of the Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter to host Puppy Bowl 3 ahead of big game Ahead of the big game on Sunday, Cape Coral Animal Shelter will be featuring its very own Puppy Bowl III.
FORT MYERS From the ballpark to the beach: the Minnesota Twins are back for Spring Training 1700 miles later the Twins truck is here and the team from Minnesota is ready to spend the next six weeks here in Fort Myers.
the weather authority Warm stretch continues throughout this weekend The Weather Authority says if you are a fan of the warmer weather, you are going to love this weekend.
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
MATLACHA Little Pine Island bridge work causes delays, FDOT promises progress Construction on the Little Pine Island Bridge has narrowed traffic to one lane, causing significant delays for drivers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
FORT MYERS Colonial Boulevard continuous flow intersection opens Sunday in Fort Myers Drivers along Interstate 75 near Colonial Boulevard can expect changes soon.
the weather authority Sun and clouds with a stray shower possible The Weather Authority says sun and clouds overhead will lead to another day with above-average temperatures.
FORT MYERS LCSO offering youth boxing program The Lee County Sheriff’s Office youth boxing program is your kid’s golden ticket to mastering the art of self-defense.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral man speaks on helping apprehend armed 13-year-old The man who helped apprehend an armed 13-year-old spoke on the incident.
NAPLES Naples Cars on Fifth event fuels $2M for local charity efforts For over two decades, car enthusiasts in Southwest Florida have gathered on Fifth Avenue in Naples.
MARCO ISLAND Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island set to reopen Collier County announced the reopening of the Caxambas Park boat ramp on Marco Island.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter to host Puppy Bowl 3 ahead of big game Ahead of the big game on Sunday, Cape Coral Animal Shelter will be featuring its very own Puppy Bowl III.
FORT MYERS From the ballpark to the beach: the Minnesota Twins are back for Spring Training 1700 miles later the Twins truck is here and the team from Minnesota is ready to spend the next six weeks here in Fort Myers.
the weather authority Warm stretch continues throughout this weekend The Weather Authority says if you are a fan of the warmer weather, you are going to love this weekend.
SANIBEL Sanibel’s red tide raises health alerts and wildlife concerns With great weather in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be a perfect beach weekend. However, visitors to the barrier islands should exercise caution.
NAPLES Naples Automotive Experience raises funds for St. Matthew’s House The Naples Automotive Experience brought excitement and philanthropy to the community, raising money for St. Matthew’s House.
MATLACHA Little Pine Island bridge work causes delays, FDOT promises progress Construction on the Little Pine Island Bridge has narrowed traffic to one lane, causing significant delays for drivers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Support women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day The first Friday in February marks National Wear Red Day!
Ongoing repairs following Naples plane crash A deadly plane crash that occurred one year ago in Naples, Florida continues to impact lives in Southwest Florida. The tragic event involved two pilots who lost their lives on Interstate 75.
Credit: Flickr/Jimmie Many parents and students alike remember clipping Box Tops off of their groceries and taking them to school. Each clipping could mean a ten-cent donation, resulting in additional funds for field trips, supplies and technology. But a year ago, Box Tops for Education began transitioning from physical clippings to a receipt-scanning app. Receipts must be scanned within 14 days to count, or the value expires. If you shop online and use a delivery service, you can forward receipts to receipts@boxtops4education.com. As a result, parents say they’ve stopped participating and some schools’ bottom lines are showing it. Participant turned spectator Wendy Canamucio of Naples estimates she’s clipped hundreds of Box Tops over the years for relatives. “There’s always a contest with the class to see who could get the most for a pizza party or ice cream or something like that. it was fun,” Canamucio said. Canamucio says she even went out of her way to buy products with the Box Tops logo. “I had four little Ziploc’s going for each kid and they’d be all excited about who’s going to get it, or who had the most,” Canamucio said. But since the program switched to the app, she says she doesn’t even both with it anymore. “I couldn’t find the receipts, or stack them in a pile and say I’ll get to it later and then never did. It was inconvenient,” Canamucio said. She says she’s submitted just three receipts this whole school year. Schools showing a decline Canamucio isn’t the only person struggling with the change. In Charlotte County, Meadow Park Elementary School received $1,207 in the 2018-2019 school year, compared to $520 in 2019-2020. At Vineland Elementary, their year to year loss was almost $800. In Lee County, both Pine Woods and Three Oaks Elementary Schools say they saw more than a $1,000 decrease in revenue from last year to this year. And in Collier County, Laurel Oak Elementary saw a more than $900 decrease in revenue. At Sea Gate Elementary, they went from $1,337 in 2018-2019 to just $77 this past school year. Elizabeth Sanchez runs the Box Tops program at a Laurel Oak Elementary School and says they use the funds for technology. “Since it (Laurel Oak Elementary School) started doing Box Tops, it has made over $23,000. It it’s been doing this for about 20 years, so that’s not small change,” Sanchez said. When WINK asked Box Tops for its annual revenue, they wouldn’t share it with us. However, they provided this statement: “For over 20 years, Box Tops for Education has been focused on helping families easily earn cash for their schools. Since its inception, more than 70,000 schools have earned more than $934 million to fund supplies, field trips, playground equipment and more. “In 2019, we launched our Box Tops for Education mobile app, which lets shoppers conveniently earn cash for their school of choice by purchasing participating products and scanning their store receipts. By opting into the mobile app and scanning a store receipt, all participating Box Tops products and bonus offers are automatically identified and instantly added to a school’s earnings online. “Additionally, this past May, we focused our efforts on recognizing teachers. We partnered with Chance the Rapper on an inaugural award show on Instagram, where we donated $300,000 directly to teachers and schools, and through a social campaign (#GiveExtraCredit) in partnership with Kids in Need Foundation, we donated an additional $150,000 throughout the month.”