Experts give safety tips regarding reigniting heatersNaples Winter Wine Festival: 25 years of helping Collier County children
FORT MYERS Experts give safety tips regarding reigniting heaters With record cold fronts this week, some are now turning on their heaters for the first time in a while.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival: 25 years of helping Collier County children This year marks the silver anniversary of The Naples Winter Wine Festival. It was an idea sparked by a group of like-minded friends.
NAPLES Girl’s weightlifting popularity growing in Collier County Since the sport was introduced in Collier County schools three years ago teams have seen a sharp increase in participation.
CAPE CORAL Trend of phasing out shingled roofs for metal In Florida, the trend of replacing shingle roofs with metal roofs is gaining attention.
CAPTIVA Red tide warning near Turner Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Turner Beach.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Beach Town Council facing threats over development projects Tensions have risen in Fort Myers Beach, with local council member Karen Woodson facing verbal threats and abuse.
NAPLES Attendees arrive ahead of 2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival The Naples Winter Wine Festival is set to begin on Friday night, marking its silver anniversary.
COVID-19’s hidden dangers Researchers have discovered that the neurological effects of long COVID extend beyond common symptoms like coughing and sneezing.
Locals react to Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to end the nation’s birthright citizenship policy.
Watering schedule to begin for unincorporated Lee County residents A once-a-week watering schedule is being issued for unincorporated Lee County, which is intended to conserve water and protect the aquifer.
ESTERO Upcoming election for Village of Estero canceled According to Tommy Doyle, the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, the scheduled election for the Village of Estero has been canceled.
LEHIGH ACRES Quan Martin representing SWFL on NFL Championship Sunday Washington Commanders safety Quan Martin, who went to Lehigh Senior High, is representing Southwest Florida on NFL Championship Sunday.
8-story Naples hotel passes first hurdle in approval process An eight-story, dual-brand luxury hotel received unanimous preliminary approval from the Naples Design Review Board, the first hurdle in a yearlong planning process.
Jacksonville Gov. Ron DeSantis to reinforce immigration policies Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is looking to enhance law enforcement’s role in helping the federal government with immigration policies.
Man accused of stealing ATV from DeSoto County campground A man has been arrested after allegedly driving an ATV that was reported stolen last year in DeSoto County.
FORT MYERS Experts give safety tips regarding reigniting heaters With record cold fronts this week, some are now turning on their heaters for the first time in a while.
NAPLES Naples Winter Wine Festival: 25 years of helping Collier County children This year marks the silver anniversary of The Naples Winter Wine Festival. It was an idea sparked by a group of like-minded friends.
NAPLES Girl’s weightlifting popularity growing in Collier County Since the sport was introduced in Collier County schools three years ago teams have seen a sharp increase in participation.
CAPE CORAL Trend of phasing out shingled roofs for metal In Florida, the trend of replacing shingle roofs with metal roofs is gaining attention.
CAPTIVA Red tide warning near Turner Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Turner Beach.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Beach Town Council facing threats over development projects Tensions have risen in Fort Myers Beach, with local council member Karen Woodson facing verbal threats and abuse.
NAPLES Attendees arrive ahead of 2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival The Naples Winter Wine Festival is set to begin on Friday night, marking its silver anniversary.
COVID-19’s hidden dangers Researchers have discovered that the neurological effects of long COVID extend beyond common symptoms like coughing and sneezing.
Locals react to Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to end the nation’s birthright citizenship policy.
Watering schedule to begin for unincorporated Lee County residents A once-a-week watering schedule is being issued for unincorporated Lee County, which is intended to conserve water and protect the aquifer.
ESTERO Upcoming election for Village of Estero canceled According to Tommy Doyle, the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, the scheduled election for the Village of Estero has been canceled.
LEHIGH ACRES Quan Martin representing SWFL on NFL Championship Sunday Washington Commanders safety Quan Martin, who went to Lehigh Senior High, is representing Southwest Florida on NFL Championship Sunday.
8-story Naples hotel passes first hurdle in approval process An eight-story, dual-brand luxury hotel received unanimous preliminary approval from the Naples Design Review Board, the first hurdle in a yearlong planning process.
Jacksonville Gov. Ron DeSantis to reinforce immigration policies Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is looking to enhance law enforcement’s role in helping the federal government with immigration policies.
Man accused of stealing ATV from DeSoto County campground A man has been arrested after allegedly driving an ATV that was reported stolen last year in DeSoto County.
This year marks the silver anniversary of The Naples Winter Wine Festival. It was an idea sparked by a group of like-minded friends. While sitting around a table drinking wine, the brainstorming session evolved into a mission to support programs that improve the physical, emotional and educational lives of underprivileged and at-risk children. How do you do that? By throwing the most successful charity wine event in the world. History and help The Naples Children and Education Foundation is the organization behind the festival. Since its inception, the festival has raised nearly $302 million, which it has distributed to more than 90 different children’s charities in Collier County. Some of the festival’s accomplishments include: Providing 350,000 children with the services and resources they need to excel 65% of kindergartners that attended Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) were deemed “Ready for Kindergarten” in the 2023/24 school year 35% decrease in the number of juvenile arrests (2019-2022) NCEF research on The Achievement Gap At-risk children who don’t get support services are: 25% more likely to drop out of school 40% more likely to become a teen parent 50% more likely to be placed in special education 60% more likely to never attend college 70% more likely to be arrested for a violent crime Where does the money raised go? Child Advocacy – 20% Out-of-Shool Time – 22% Early Learning – 25% Medical/Healthcare – 33% Growing Needs 75% of 4-year-olds are not participating in voluntary prekindergarten programs 65% of Collier County Public Schools students are eligible for free/reduced lunch 80% of children screened through the NCEF Pediatric Oral Health Initiative experienced tooth decay due to lack of treatment 85% of Title I students and at-risk children have vision problems that are either undetected or untreated 65% of foster care children don’t have placement within Collier County Commemorating the Silver Jubilee The 25th Anniversary celebration will take place January 24 – 26, 2025. The big event, the auction, is on Saturday at The Ritz–Carlton Naples, Tiburón. For more information, click here. WINK News will present a 30-minute special on the festival at 7 p.m. Thursday night. You can watch it in its entirety in the video at the top of this story.