NAPLES, Fla. — The Scripps Howard Fund, the philanthropic arm of FOX 4’s parent company E.W. Scripps, supports causes important to the companies and communities it serves — like those in Southwest Florida.
Following Hurricane Ian, Scripps organized a relief campaign across its 61 television stations nationwide. Viewers were asked to help the people and communities impacted by the storm with monetary donations, and they responded. Over $250,000 has already been raised for recovery efforts in Southwest Florida, and that number keeps climbing.
Through our essential community partners, every cent given goes directly to areas where it will do the most good. Over the next several days, FOX 4 will be out presenting $25,000 checks to some of the organizations that will play an essential role in Southwest Florida’s recovery in the months and years ahead.
Wednesday, FOX 4 presented a check to Collier Community Foundation.
A community foundation is a grant-making public charity that pools donations to fund the work of local nonprofits and support positive change in the community. The team says their foundation serves as 'Philanthropic First Responders' raising and distributing more than$2 million dollars in grants to 57 different organizations through their Collier Comes Together Hurricane fund, benefiting non-profits like the Humane Society of Naples, First Baptist Church of Naples, Salvation Army and more.
"It's amazing, we can't thank the viewers enough and the station enough for coming together to help people who are in need in this community," said Eileen Connolly-Keesler, President and CEO of Collier Community Foundation.
FOX 4’s Nadeen Yanes spoke with Vincent Keeys, President of the NAACP of Collier County, ahead of the check presentation Wednesday.
"In every case, they always come to our aid," Keeys said with tears in his eyes. "Being the boots on the ground, having the foundation behind us, beside us, in front of us, I thank them from the bottom of my heart."
With the immediate relief provided through the Collier Community Foundation, Keeys said the NAACP was able to find temporary housing and shelter for those in need, including those at the River Park community where many homes have been passed down for generations. Now, many are being restored thanks to grants like the Collier Community Foundation.
"The first few weeks are really about crisis, so we are dealing with emergency food and shelter and pet carriers and cleaning supplies, but now we move to repair, rebuild and mitigation," Connolly-Keesler said. "So, as we raise money, it will actually repair homes now where before it was really about emergency services."
You can still help FOX 4 with this ongoing mission to rebuild Southwest Florida by visiting fox4now.com/givesor texting FOX4 to 50155.
