Special Events Raise Money for Pineland

by Claudine Payne

Little Porter Goss drew the winning raffle tickets for the hand-made wooden canoe and other prizes. (Photo by A. Boomer)

Raising money to save Pineland occupied the thoughts and time of many supporters over the past year. Several special events for the benefit of the Randell Research Center offered a way to combine entertainment with fund raising.

Boat and kayak tours organized by Karen Walker started off the 1996 fund-raising year. Unfortunately, the March weather in Pine Island Sound and Estero Bay was not as supportive as the local businesses and individuals who donated their services and goods. Rain forced cancellation of some tours, but those that weren’t rained out were filled to capacity. Corbett Torrence’s kayak tour to Mound Key and Bill Marquardt’s day-long excursion to Calusa archaeological sites were especially popular. The tours raised $1409 for the RRC.

Also in March, Ray and Anna Stober arranged a benefit showing of “My Fair Lady” at the Broadway Palms Dinner Theater in Fort Myers. A portion of the proceeds from a special block of tickets went to the RRC, raising $1343. Theater-goers were also treated to a reception organized and hosted by Debbie Randell prior to the performance.

In August, the New Arts Festival in Fort Myers presented Calusa Culture Night, an evening of dance and music. Performed by the world-famous David Parsons Dance Company and directed by Stuart Brown, Calusa Culture Night attracted the largest crowd of the Festival season. After the performance, Jan Brown (Stuart’s mom) raffled off books, prints, the Calusa video, and ceramic bowls, all donated for the cause. The proceeds of the raffle were shared by the New Arts Festival and the RRC, netting us $135.

Most recently, Anne Boomer of Boca Grande purchased and then raffled off a beautiful hand-made wooden canoe, several quilts, and some autographed first-edition books, resulting in $5,400 for the Randell Center fund.

Our thanks go out to Karen, Ray, Anna, Debbie, Jan, and Anne for organizing these events and to the many people who donated their time, services, or goods for the benefit of the Randell Research Center.

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