Guests enjoyed samplings from the area’s finest restaurants, fine wines, a signature Blue Bay Martini, champagne and live music by The Wayward Souls, rockin’ blues band.  Participating restaurants included The House of Pasta, The Jac Island Restaurant, Keylime Bistro, LYNQ, MudBugs Cajun Kitchen, St. Charles Yacht Club, Sunshine Seafood Cafe and The Timbers Restaurant and Fish Market.

Live and silent auction proceeds benefit School Success programs for at-risk children in the Harlem Heights neighborhood in Fort Myers.

Event sponsors include Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands, J.P Morgan Chase & Co., entech, Acentria Insurance (Jason and Sherri Huff), Rich and Sandy Heinrich, Sammy Lucas and Greg St. Clair, and JP Morgan Limousine.

“Our School Success programs include our charter school, academic tutoring, after school and summer camp programs, scholarship and college access assistance, school supplies, and tuition support,” said Kathryn Kelly, President and CEO of The Heights Foundation. “Each program is geared to meet the specific needs of children and young adults who seek to further their education.”

The Heights Foundation works to build self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood.  The mission is to support education and wellness, promote family and community development, and provide the benefits of enrichment and the arts.  The Heights Center, supported by The Heights Foundation, is a place for Education, Opportunity, and Enrichment.   GLAD Kids is a child care and pre-k center serving more than 80 children birth-five.  The Harlem Heights Community Charter School currently serves kindergarten through fourth grade and will expand to serve up to fifth grade.

Photos By Angelina Hobbs

California Wines, Party Bus, & Ruth’s Chris

• 20 guests for a 2-hour tasting and educational class on the pairings and profiles of some of California’s most prestigious growers and producers in the private wine room at the new Total Wine & More of Coconut Point in Estero.
• Enjoy gourmet hors d’oeuvres from Ruth’s Chris of Coconut Point including premium beef, fresh seafood and artisanal cheeses
• Four hours of a party bus courtesy of Davis Brothers Limo ensures you arrive home safely and in style.
• Wine connoisseurs, this is an experience you won’t want to miss.

In-Home Wine Dinner for Ten by Chef Justin

• Explore the culinary creations of St. Charles Yacht Club’s Chef Justin Fleming as he prepares 5 courses with seasonal produce, succulent seafood and roasted meats.
• Perfect pairings with lush wines from Merryvale, Mondavi and V. Madrone Vineyards.
• Table décor, plate ware, glassware, utensils and florals are also included in this truly special in-home dining experience for 10.
• Mutually agreeable date. Not valid Wed.-Sat. nights Dec.-March. Expires November 19, 2020.

Florida’s Largest Country Music Festival

• Attend the beach party of the year, The Tortuga Music Festival in beautiful Fort Lauderdale.
• Two general admission tickets for three days by the Atlantic Ocean while listening to some of country music’s biggest stars.
• Lineup includes Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Billy Currington, Lee Brice and a special appearance by Barenaked Ladies.
• Two-night/three-day stay in an intra-coastal view room with balcony at the beautiful newly-redesigned Fort Lauderdale Marriott Beach Resort & Spa. Just minutes from the festival.
• Date Specific April 17-19, 2020.
• Dance in the sand all day and into the moonlight at the Florida concert event of the year!

Bahama Breeze In-Home Caribbean Party for 20 with Steel Drum Entertainment

• Bahama Breeze brings the Caribbean to your doorstep.
• Three-hour, in-home 20 guest bountiful buffet of tropical flavors including fresh fish, chicken and beef entrees, coconut rice, crisp salads, spicy salsas, delicious desserts and more!
• You can customize the menu to your personal preferences.
• Signature frozen cocktails, chilled beer and refreshing wines.
• The favorite musician of the Bahama Breeze regulars will take his steel drum talents on the road to make the party perfect.
• Escape to the islands with great food, music and tropical décor.
• Includes plate ware, utensils, napkins, table linens and candles.
• Choose a mutually agreeable date. Not valid Friday and Saturday nights December-April.

Festive Holiday Getaway Featuring the Tran-Siberian Orchestra December 13

• Escape with your love or your bestie to the holiday vibrancy of Florida’s East Coast.
• Package includes two premium, third-row tickets to the Dec. 13, 2019 Trans-Siberian Orchestra “Christmas Eve & Other Stories” at the BB&T Center in Sunrise (Fort Lauderdale area).
• The tickets include Lexus Club seating and amenities featuring complimentary valet parking, unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks and an unbelievable dinner buffet featuring chef-attended prime-rib carving and sushi stations, pastas, vegetables, salads and an endless array of holiday-inspired desserts.
• The Lexus Club is the most elite seating in all of BB&T Center and these tickets are not available to the general public. This area features multiple bars, dedicated servers and private restrooms.
• Relax the night of the concert with an overnight stay at the 4-star Renaissance by Marriott Plantation, just minutes from BB&T Center.
• Spend the next day having a fabulous brunch or doing some holiday shopping at the close-by Sawgrass Mills with over 350 stores and multiple restaurants.

Sign Up Opportunity – Five Course Wine Dinner at The Roadhouse Cafe

Join us for a five-course dinner in the “wine room” with wines expertly paired by owner Marc Neeley.

You’ll enjoy Sterling Sliver quality meats aged a minimum of twenty eight days, Italian pastas topped with homemade sauces, the highest quality and freshest produce and seafood, and homemade desserts.

Tuesday, January 21, 6pm
$500 per person
Limited to 20 guests

Fund A Need – Sponsor our Heights Kids to attend Summer Camp and After School

• $2,500 sponsors a child through the entire after school program. Year-long support for at-risk youth allows parents to work and kids to succeed.
• $1,000 provides a safe, fun, enriching summer camp experience. All summer long, kids can expand technology skills, learn arts and science and become more physically fit.
• $500 provides one month of summer camp.
• $250 provides one month of after school.
• $100 provides one week of camp for one child, with nutritious food, educational enrichment, and life-skills building programs.

There’s still time to purchase your tickets or become a VIP sponsor and enjoy our VIP party at the home of Tim and Sandy Youngquist.

Purchase Tickets

Funds raised will support educational programs at The Heights Center

Participating Restaurants Include:

Dante’s Coal Fired Pizza   –   The House of Pasta   –   The Jac Island Restaurant  –   Keylime Bistro –   MudBugs Cajun Kitchen  –   St. Charles Yacht Club   –  Sunshine Seafood Cafe   –  The Timbers

Sponsored By

VIP Sponsors

Rich & Sandy Heinrich

In-kind Sponsor:  JP Morgan Limousine Service

Sponsorships and VIP Benefits

$5,000 Sponsor

• 8 tickets to the event and exclusive VIP pre-party
• 8 etched wine glasses by Sanibel’s Luc Century and sponsor pins
• Name or logo displayed at the event
• Name in website, social media promotion and emails
• Name or logo in advertising, website and social media promotion

Provides a whole summer of Camp and an entire year of AfterSchool for an at-risk kid

$2,500 Sponsor

• 4 tickets to the event and exclusive VIP pre-party
• 4 etched wine glasses by Sanibel’s Luc Century and sponsor pins
• Name or logo displayed at the event
• Name in website, social media promotion and emails

Provides an entire year of AfterSchool for an at-risk kid

$1,000 VIP

• 2 tickets to the event and exclusive VIP pre-party
• 2 etched wine glasses by Sanibel’s Luc Century and sponsor pins
• Name or logo displayed at the event
• Name in website, social media promotion and emails

Provides a whole summer of Camp for an at-risk kid

Oops! We could not locate your form.

The VIP reception was held at the waterfront home of William and Patricia Hearn.  St. Charles Yacht Club hosted the main event.  Live music was provided by The Juice Rockin’ Blues Band.

Guests enjoyed samplings from the area’s finest restaurants including Blue Coyote Supper Club, Café Italia, Cip’s Place, Culinary Education Center of Sanibel, Key Lime Bistro, LaMotta’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, St. Charles Yacht Club and Society. The Timbers Restaurant and Fish Market provided a raw bar for the VIP reception.

Guests had the opportunity to bid on fabulous auction lots including tickets to a Maroon 5 concert, a wine dinner for four at RumRunners, a stay at South Seas Resort with a private sailing class by Offshore Sailing School, an in-home cooking class for ten by renowned Chef Loretta Paganini, a wine cooler from Good Deals Appliances filled with standout wines, including a rare bottle of 100 pt. Screaming Eagle Cabernet, an insider’s trip to Cuba with Chef Gloria Jordan, tickets to James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt with use of a Jaguar or Range Rover from Jaguar Land Rover of Fort Myers, a wine tasting for 20 at Total Wine with hors d’oeuvres from Ruth’s Chris and limousine from JP Morgan, and an in-home dinner for ten by Chef Justin Fleming of St. Charles Yacht Club.   Guests were able to sign up for a special seven course dinner at the home of Dorothy and Ron Fitzgerald by Chef Dustin Valette of Valette’s in Healdsburg, California and St. Charles Yacht Club’s Executive Chef Justin Fleming.

“We are so appreciative of our sponsors, donors, restaurants, guests and our hosts who opened their hearts in support of The Heights Foundation,” said Kathryn Kelly, President and CEO of The Heights Foundation.  “Our School Success programs include our charter school, academic tutoring, after school and summer camp programs, scholarship and college access assistance, school supplies, and tuition support.  Each program is geared to meet the specific needs of children and young adults who seek to further their education.”

For more information about The Heights Foundation and The Heights Center visit www.heightsfoundation.org or call (239) 482-7706.