JULY, 2010 NEWSLETTER                                   

                                                                F.I.S.H. 10K is launched – Saturday, October 16, 2010

     Sanibel, FL (May 24, 2010) Calling all runners - F.I.S.H. (Friends In Service Here) today announced the date of the 2nd annual 10k Race for FISH which will take place on Sanibel on Saturday, October 16 2010 at 7:30 a.m.
     The race, in conjunction with the Fort Myers Track Club http://www.ftmyerstrackclub.com, is expected to attract more than 500 runners this year.  Many of the service clubs on the island are once again volunteering with stewarding, parking and manning of refreshment stations over the island.

     This year, popular island cartoonist Dave Horton, has designed a fun cartoon logo which will be used for the 2010 Race 4 FISH.  This creative and fun design will be used on race posters, t-shirts and banners. Dave Horton has kindly donated his time and work to FISH for this event. The 10K is the main fundraising event for FISH this year; they hope to raise significant money from the race through local sponsorships, participant fees and donations.

                                          FISH – Community Fund Drive Needs Your Help

     Sanibel, FL (April 12, 2010)….. We are about half way through our annual F.I.S.H. of Sanibel (Friends In Service Here) community fund drive, and while we’ve had a generous response from many this year, we are falling short of our financial goal of $42,000 to keep our full range of F.I.S.H. services going. F.I.S.H. relies heavily on the support of the community to meet its financial needs and unfortunately, with the current economic environment, the needs of some of our island neighbors are greater than ever. Demand for F.I.S.H. services has never been so great as this year. Keeping the Food Pantry stocked and being able to provide emergency financial assistance is the top priority for F.I.S.H. in 2010.

      “There have been some significant success stories of island neighbors who have been given a hand up by F.I.S.H. this year,” said Maggi Feiner, President of F.I.S.H. “Take Sally – a single mother of two children who lives and works on the island. She has had her hours cut back over the past three months, due to the economic climate. Until recently, Sally has been coping with her rent and other domestic expenses. As a result of the reduction in her weekly earnings, however, she has needed assistance with food for herself and her children. F.I.S.H. has been able to help her out by providing food from the food pantry and our Program Director has been able to help her find her some state benefits that she is entitled to and that she was not aware of – these will help her on an ongoing basis.

     Another example of how F.I.S.H. helps out island neighbours is John, an elderly man who has been a long term resident of Sanibel. Because of the recent cold weather, John was unable to pay his electric bill – and was threatened with being cut off. After careful screening, F.I.S.H. stepped in and paid this bill and also assisted John by referring him to other resources which will help him on a more long term basis.

     “The economic impact has been felt by many, but now more than ever F.I.S.H. really needs your help,” John Pryor, F.I.S.H. Director of Resource Development. “If you have not already done so, we are asking you to consider making a donation to F.I.S.H.” He continued, “This can be done either by sending back your F.I.S.H. return envelope or by sending a donation directly to the Walk-in-Center which is located at 1630 Periwinkle Way, Unit B, Sanibel (next to Pfeiffer Realty Group) and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. F.I.S.H. can be contacted at (239) 472-4775."                                                                                                    

                                        BAGS OF ARTS FOR F.I.S.H.

     The Sanibel-Captiva Art League has created a unique concept – getting art out into the community – while benefiting clients of F.I.S.H. (Friends In Service Here). More than 30 local artists created individual works of art – their canvas was a Bailey’s cloth recycle grocery bag!  The artists painted their bags in a range of styles and concepts, and they will now be put to good use to hold F.I.S.H. Easter meals for local families and individuals in need. 

     The winning bags will also be on display at Bailey’s General Store from now until Easter Sunday. The Sanibel Captiva Art League event raised more than $350 from this painting event and this money will also be donated to F.I.S.H. Bailey’s General Store has kindly provided the grocery bags and will be working with F.I.S.H. to put together the Easter dinners.

     F.I.S.H of Sanibel, Inc. is a non-profit volunteer organization assisting Sanibel and Captiva islanders and visitors with a wide range of services. For more than 28 years FISH has been a "neighbor helping neighbors" organization offering free human services such as transportation for medical appointments, meal delivery, health equipment, food pantry, and emergency financial assistance.

    The Walk-in-Center is now located at 1630 Periwinkle Way, Unit B, Sanibel (next to Pfeiffer Realty Group) and is open Monday    through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. F.I.S.H. can be contacted on (239) 472-4775. 

                                          CHRISTINE SWIERSZ APPOINTED                                                                                                                         NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR AT F.I.S.H.

     The F.I.S.H. Board of Directors recently announced the appointment of its first Program Director, Christine Swiersz, who will be responsible for Case  Management at F.I.S.H., evaluating and facilitating solutions for the needs of F.I.S.H. clients.  Christine comes with a wealth of experience, is a licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Florida and holds a Master of Social Work degree from Florida State University.  

     Christine’s position has been funded by a grant awarded to F.I.S.H. by the Good Neighbor Community Foundation.

     ‘We are delighted to welcome Christine to the F.I.S.H. team,” said President Maggi Feiner. “She has the right skills and is very experienced in the areas where we are seeing increasing demands for our help – these range across the full spectrum of children, adults, elderly individuals and families on Sanibel and Captiva who are turning to F.I.S.H. for assistance."                       

     Christine has been working in the State of Florida for more than twenty years as a Clinical Social Worker.  She has experience in a wide variety of disciplines including working within schools, hospitals and at elderly patient care facilities. 

     Maggi Feiner added “The appointment of our part time Program Director has been made possible only by the generous grant given to us by the ‘Good Neighbor Community Foundation’ for whom we are very grateful.”

F.I.S.H. FACTS IN 2009

Did you know…

 - We served over 600 clients on Sanibel and Captiva                                                                                                                
 - 195 FISH volunteers supported our clients

 - Drove 9,475 miles to 304 medical appointments for our clients and almost 32,000 miles overall

 - Delivered 1,906 hot meals on a daily basis

 - Provided 237 pieces of medical equipment to 228 clients

 - Distributed 31,574 lbs of food during 1,563 client visits to our Food Pantry

 - Provided $74,025.00 of emergency financial assistance to 75 families/ individuals

 - Called 699 clients on our Person to Person 'how are you doing today' phone calls

 - Visited 225 client visits for interactive conversation

 - Encouraged 320 participants to come to our monthly 'Friendly Faces Luncheon'

 - Helped 552 walk in clients at the Walk-In-Center

 - Provided 56 holiday meals

 - Helped 17 young people with Youth Scholarships, including lunch

 - Handled 1072 service requests via our telephone line