Wine Fest brings in $202,000 for charities
Local event sponsored by the Fort Myers Rotary Club
SPECIAL TO FLORIDA WEEKLY

COURTESY PHOTO Fort Myers Rotary Club presents proceeds checks to area charities. From the left are: Patricia Bell, president elect; John McGee, Rotary Trust Fund; Dr. Steve Machiz, Founding Chairman of Southwest Florida Wine Fest; Dr. John Iacuone, Executive Director, The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida; Gary Green, past president; Charles Idelson, Hope Hospice Board Chairman.

The Fort Myers Rotary Club presented $202,000 in net proceeds generated from the club's signature event, the Northern Trust Southwest Florida Wine Fest 2007, to two local children's charities at the Jan. 8 Rotary Club meeting.

Checks were presented by Wine Fest Chairman Dr. Steve Machiz and Rotary Club Past President Gary Green. The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida, Wine Fest's primary beneficiary, received a check for $138,000 for use toward the hospital's building fund. Hope Child and Teen Care, a program of Hope Hospice and Community Services, the event's secondary charity, received a check for $29,000. An additional $35,000 was presented to the Rotary Club Trust Fund leadership to continue the club's support of children's charities locally as well as internationally through Rotary International.

"Four years ago, we set out to find a way to raise money for local charities," said Machiz, founding chairman of Wine Fest. "And we found a fun way to do that and entertain the adults at the same time. It's proving to be a perfect formula for doing well by doing good."

In its fourth year, the Northern Trust Southwest Florida Wine Fest continued to expand the event's scope and reach by involving Northern Trust as the title sponsor, featuring Clarke Swanson, of Napa Valley and Naples, as the signature vintner and highlighting world renowned Chocolatier Chef Norman Love, of Fort Myers.

"The quality of the wine and food from area chefs was among the best I've seen all in one place," said Sandy Robinson, president of Northern Trust Bank. "Northern Trust is delighted to be a part of this outstanding effort to benefit such worthy local charities."

The Southwest Florida Wine Fest 2007 was a weekend of events including 11 Chef/Vintner Dinners hosted in private homes throughout Lee and Collier Counties with the generous support of many of our area's top chefs representing some of the finest restaurants in Southwest Florida. The Wine Fest Gala and Auction held at the Bonita Bay Club, Bonita Springs, attracted more than 300 wine and food lovers who sampled a wide variety of wines paired with specialty cuisine from 14 area chefs.

The next Southwest Wine Fest event will be held in early 2009. For more information, or to stay abreast of Wine Fest activities, visit www.Southwest- FloridaWineFest.com.