In spite of being forced to cancel its Inaugural Gala on March 14th, The Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation exceeded its fundraising goals by raising $220,000. Four days before the event was to take place, organizers who were already prepared to host almost 200 guests, realized continuing would pose a health risk due to the Coronavirus, so they quickly scrambled to repackage the event into a “Stay-at-Home Gala”.
As a result of this success, The Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation Board was able to accelerate the timing and increase the amount of funding awarded to both F.I.S.H. and Community Hous-ing & Resources (CHR), to aid their ability to respond immediately to the increase in human needs experienced as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
The Gala was intended to support The Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation’s mission of helping nonprofits that positively impact the lives of those in need who live or work on Sanibel or Captiva and providing educational grants to their employees. In keeping with the Foundation’s strategy of holding events that are “a good time for the greater good”, the Inaugural Gala promised to be an uplifting evening complete with open bar, live dance music and gourmet food.
While disappointed to cancel what was billed as the party of the season, organizers were pleased to raise such a significant amount, the majority of which will benefit social service nonprofits on our islands. The Foundation Board also noted that having 150 Sanctuary mem-bers RSVP “yes” before invitations were even sent out served as a testament to how much Sanctuary members care about the well-being of everyone in the community.
The Inaugural Gala and reconfigured “Stay at Home Gala” were chaired by Lisa Schmidlin. Committee Members included Cindy Brown, Cassie Gaenger, Melissa Gauntlett, Debbie Klug, Linda Linsmayer, Ann Keches, Krys Stegmann, Kathy Wiesemann. The Sanctuary Golf Club staff was also critical to this success.
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