RiverStyle April 2019

Ft. Myers • Cape Coral

Style

THE LIFESTYLE BY THE RIVER MAGAZINE

April 2019

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MAGAZINE

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April 2019

“

[INSIDE]

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.

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-Helen Keller

5 Witticisms 6 Fitness

Why Woman need to do Strength Training

8 Comedy 9 Quick Reads

Ten Books - No Waiting

10 From the Brewer Guiness & Dry Stouts

12 Real Estate

I Want to Buy a House.

What is the Right Order of Things?

And Does Chronology Really Matter?

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14 Feature

Joe D’Alessandro Remembers early Ft Myers

20 Communities in Action Our Calendar of Events is now online !

Go to:

RiverStyleMag.com or CapeStyleMag.com

For everything going on in Lee County

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Witticisms

By Tony Henkels

Hard work is for people short on talent.

Never tell a Spanish maid you want everything Spic & Span.

A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.

Smiles never go up in price or down in value.

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The difference between ordinary & extraordinary is the extra you put into it.

Courtesy is the shortest distance between two people.

Those who complain about the way the ball bounces are usually the ones who dropped it.

Oversleeping will never make one’s dreams come true.

What’s going on in Ft Myers?

Plan your Week, Plan your Weekend

The smallest good deed is greater than the greatest good intention.

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.

Be the first to hear about exclusive events for our readers!

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FITNESS

Over the past decade there is more and more research on how important it is for women over 40 to do resistant training.

Most women will hit the gym and just do cardio, or, if they don’t go to a fitness center, will just walk or run outside and focus on cardio, not weights.

The benefits of women that do weight training far outweigh the ones that just do cardio. Here is why!

1.

You will loose body fat!

2.

You will be much stronger without being bulky.

3.

You will speed up your metabolism. (Each pound of muscle you gain will help you burn up to 50 calories more a day.)

4.

You will decrease your risk of osteoporosis. (Weight training will help build bone density which will help fight osteoporosis.)

5.

You will increase your strength to help you with other activities such as golf, tennis, skiing, biking.

6.

You will lose inches, which means a smaller dress size! Muscle weighs more than fat, but it is dense. So throw the scale away and go by how your clothes fit.

7.

It will help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Strength training lowers your blood pressure and gives your heart a break.

The best part is you can do it anytime, anywhere! Just pick up a pair of dumbbells and start lifting!

Why Women need to do Strength Training

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COMEDY

By Tony Henkels

Favorite Things’ from the legendary movie ‘Sound Of Music’. (Sing It!) If you sing it, it’s especially hysterical!!!

Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting, Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings, Bundles of magazines tied up in string, These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses, Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses, Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings, These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak, When the knees go bad, I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don’t feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions, No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions, Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring, These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for

What’s going on in Cape Coral?

Plan your Week, Plan your Weekend

sinnin’,Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin’, And we won’t mention our short shrunken frames, When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break, When the eyes grow dim, Then I remember the great life I’ve had,

Be the first to hear about exclusive events for our readers!

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And then I don’t feel so bad....

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QUICK

By Tony Henkels

Through Two Doors at Once - Anil Ananthaswany. This book will rattle your brain about quantum physics, mechanics, erasures, theorems, wave & particle photons. ♥♥

Down Through The Years - Jean Sheppard. Her autobiography. Great stories about country music stars and her personal life. Country music fans will love this book. ♥♥♥♥♥

Media Madness - Howard Kurtz. Former CNN host and journalist gives

a good assessment of both the media & President Trump. Lots of factual statements made by both sides. ♥♥♥♥

The Sun Does Rise - Anthony Ray Hilton/Lara Love Hardin. Anthony

Hinton’s story of being on Alabama’s death row for 30 years while he was innocent. ♥

Work Smarter!

Not Harder! �����

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Happiness Is A Choice - John Leland. Author visited 6 people of the “oldest of the old” (85+) on a regular basis for 1 year. He documents their feelings & attitudes. ♥♥♥

The Splintering of The American Mind - William Egginton. An assessment

of education at all levels. Calls out the effects of income, liberal arts, liberal vs. conservative ideas & teaching, private vs. public. ♥♥♥

Paul Simon-The Life - Robert Hillburn. A good biography of Paul Simon’s life & music career with & without Art Garfunkel. ♥♥♥♥

My Country, My Life - Ehud Barak. His life in Israeli military & politics.

Excellent, well written memoir. I don’t agree with a lot of his political views, but this an excellent history of Israel’s military & political actions. ♥♥♥♥♥

Caregiver’s Survial Guide - Robert Yonover & Ellie Crowe. Author’s wife was diagnosed with MS in her early 30’s. Became a quadriplegic & died

19 years later. Reveals details of his care of her & offers some advice on how to cope with the stress. ♥♥

Where Did You Get This Number - Anthony Salvanto. CBS Director of

Polls & Elections explains how they get information for polls. Boring, put me to sleep every 10 pages. ♥

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9

BEER

Guinness and Dry Stouts

From The Brewer......

When you think of a dry-Irish Stout, chances are pictures of Guinness’ “Perfect Pint” with cascading bubbles turning into rich, decadent beer comes to mind. Guinness was founded in 1759 and has claimed to have perfected this style of beer. However, what was the evolution of this style of beer that we know and love today?

Stout was originally a title for a beer with any significance of alcohol, regardless of the color. There was pale, brown, and later on porter, which was brewed at varying strengths, including stout porter. Eventually, during the late 18th century, Stout began to become known as a style unto itself. At this time, the cities of London and Dublin became the centers of the production of this style of beer.

As you may know, Guinness was the dominant brewery in Dublin, and through good business tactics and high-quality beer, they became one of the biggest and most well known breweries. Although they are well known now for their stout, they started by producing Ale and Porter.

In 1801, Guinness began brewing a “Guinness West Indian Porter” for export to the West Indies.

In 1810, Guinness began pushing this beer locally with the catch phrase “stouter kind of porter.” In 1819, Daniel Wheeler’s invention of black “patent” malt became available and Guinness began to use this new type of malt to make their stouts and porters. The malt itself allowed brewers to use pale base malts and only a little of the black “patent” instead of a mix of pale, amber, and brown malts.

This led to a dark beer that was drier, complex, and roasty. The beginning of dry stouts.

Both Irish and English brewers began brewing porters and stouts with this process, which led to these styles of beer dominating the market in the 19th century. By the mid-19th century, these beers became ubiquitous around the globe, especially those of Guinness, which were being exported to the United State, New Zealand, and other Colonies.

In the early 1900’s stout began to replace porter as the dark beer of choice in England. Also, during this time, the term stout had changed from something meaning “strong beer” to anything that was black and brewed in England or Ireland. During this time, there was also a shift in tastes in England.

The previously preferred dry stouts were replaced with lactose-sweetened milk-stouts in England and the dry, pale malt and black “patent” stouts of London were now being brewed in Ireland.

An innovation in the mid-1900s by Guinness redefined their brand and how their stouts were served.

Guinness began using a “draught” dispense system of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen. This system was designed to duplicate the body and carbonation level of a beer pulled straight from a cask. It is also came to define their image, which is that of tiny bubbles of and a cascading head turning back into a viscous black liquid.

Although Irish stout has become more synonymous with dry, it was London that first developed this style of beer. We’re certainly familiar with Guinness and their dry-stouts, but there are many great examples of dry stouts out there. North Coast Brewing, a thriving brewery from the 1980s, which is famous for their Old Rasputin does an excellent dry stout called Old No. 38. Of course, if you’re tired of Guinness draught, Murphy’s stout is readily accessible at many locations in our area.

Tasting Notes; A dry stout is an intensely black beer with a dry-roasted character thanks to the use of roasted barley. Coffee and a moderate degree of roasted malt should define much of the character of this beer. The maltiness is well balanced by a medium to medium-high hop bitterness. This beer should be smooth and creamy thanks to Guinness’ invention of a Nitrogen draught system that mimics a pull straight from the cask. Typically these beers are lower alcohol, often in the session range of <5.0%abv, and is incredibly drinkable. Great for any time of the year!

By Roger Phelps, Owner/Influencer of Microbial Reproduction Eight-Foot Brewing 4417 SE 16th Pl - Cape Coral, FL

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REAL ESTATE

When you decide to buy a home, whether it’s your first or your one-hundredth, it is vitally important to do things in the right order. Failing to do so can, potentially, lead to disappointment and disaster. But usually it just leads to an unquantifiable, giant waste of time and energy.

UESTION IG Q S B˒˗ ˛ˎˊ˕ ˎ˜˝ˊ˝ˎ

Real Estate Questions with Daniel R. Larson

I Want to Buy a House.

What is the Right Order of Things?

And Does Chronology Really Matter?

What is the Best Time-Conscious Order of Things When Buying a House?

1. Get Pre-Approved with a Lender 2. Get Pre-Qualified with an Agent 3. Go Shopping 4. Write a Good Offer 5. Negotiate 6. Make Sure Your Agents Gets the Docs to the Right Places 7. Remove Contingencies 8. Close What Does it Mean to Get Pre-Approved with a Lender?

You need a letter. The letter will state that you ‘may or may not’ qualify for some dollar amount in mortgage funding. It will be vague language, but it is going to be required by any decent listing agent. It will be delivered to them at the time of writing your offer to buy.

You can get a pre-approval letter from anybody, but it will usually be your bank, or a mortgage company. The letter in no way binds you to that lender. However, if no lender will give you a letter, you’re not ready to buy.

This Cannot Be Overstated: There is absolutely NO REASON to go shopping for housing if no lender will give you a pre-approval letter. The only caveat would be that you have enough cash to buy, and you can prove it to a seller. Again, ‘cash’ is the only caveat. No letter, No cash = No Shopping. And any buyer’s agent worth their salt will not take you shopping without that letter, or proof of cash.

Adherence to this knowledge, alone, could save untold hours spent by agents on the MLS, and buyers on Realtor.com, Zillow, and the like.

Do not violate this first step. It is a complete waste of time to violate this first step.

The odd thing about the real estate industry is that – for some reason – people understand that they cannot buy a $250,000 Lamborghini if they have no credit, no job, and no money.

However, they seem to think they can buy a $250,000 house.

Perhaps we can partially blame Countrywide, and Leman Brothers, for their ‘no doc’ loans, but this shopping-for-homes-we-cannot-afford phenomenon is as old as the industry.

“At any given time, there are about 18,000 – 20,000 licensed Sales Associates in SWFL.”

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What Does it Mean to Get Pre-Approved with an Agent?

Florida is a Transaction Broker state. This means that any agent you speak with, unless you sign a document stating otherwise, represents the transaction, and not the buyer or seller. This means that you could go directly to a listing agent, for example, and they would not be able to use your conversation against you when they talk to their seller.

The reality, though, is that you can work with any agent you’d like. At any given time, there are about 18,000 – 20,000 licensed Sales Associates (commonly referred to as agents, or Realtors) in SWFL, and around 2000 of them are licensed Brokers.

As long as they are both licensed (as a Sales Associate or Broker), and a Realtor (a member of the National, Florida, and some local Association(s) of Realtors) they’ll be able to get you into properties, and help you write an offer.

That agent should ask you: Who? What? Why? Where? When? How? The more precise you are in your answers, the better they’ll be able to assist you.

WE DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME EVERY TIME!

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Think of it like going into Lowe’s and saying, “Do you have paint?” The answer is, “Yes.” Then, they take you to the paint aisle, and then you stare at row-after-row-after-row of paint you will never buy.

Instead, you say, “Do you have a ¼ gallon of matte D11 sky blue?” Obviously, you will get a much more exacting answer.

Check back next month for the next steps you need to take if you are looking to buy property.

RIVERSTYLEMAG.COM

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Feature

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RIVERSTYLEMAG.COM

Rem

embering

Early Fort Myers

with

Joe D’Alessandro Written by Timothy Jacobs, Jacobs Writing Consultants Pictures by TS Gallant Photography

Fort Myers has changed in leaps and bounds over the years. Buildings are going in up at a record pace as the population continues to swell each year, thanks to more people moving here versus vacationing. Every now and then it’s a welcomed conversation to go back in time, back when Fort Myers was still developing, and hear stories of the way life was way back when. One such story is that of Joe D’Alessandro.

Coming to Fort Myers In the 1880s, Joe D’Alessandro’s grandparents emigrated from Italy to New York City. Growing up, Joe was curious as to how his family ended up in Fort Myers because there were no Italian-Catholics living here at the time. His father had always told him that his grandfather meant to take a steam boat to Fort Myers, Virginia, to buy farmland, but because he couldn’t read or write, he accidentally got on the wrong boat.

His grandfather would smile and, with a twinkle in his eye, ask Joe, “Your father wouldn’t lie to you, would he?”

Later, Joe found out the real story. His grandfather’s daughter (Joe’s aunt) was engaged to one of four Pavese bothers who were moving down to Fort Myers to open a barber shop. Due to what was socially acceptable at the time, they couldn’t send their nineteen-year-old daughter to Florida without a guardian.

This dilemma was solved by sending Frank, her twelve-year-old brother, along to act as her chaperone (Frank is the grandfather of Mike Scott, the former Lee County Sheriff).

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Shortly after, Joe’s grandparents followed.

“Italian families are funny that way …if one comes, they all come.”

Joe, a first-generation Floridian, was born in Fort Myers, and lived with his parents and four siblings off McGregor Blvd on Lynwood Ave. When he talks about growing up here, you realize just how small Fort Myers used to be.

It was a place “where everybody knew everybody and people paid visits to each other on Sundays.” Although, it wasn’t until World War II that Fort Myers really started to flourish because of the Page Field air base. In turn, Joe’s father’s bar business started to thrive.

The Broadway Bar had three entrances, according to Joe. The first door was for soldiers in town to have access to the establishment; a middle door to the lounge was used by men and women; while the third door lead to a package store.

It was Joe’s job to deliver liquor on the weekends. At some of the houses, he was instructed to just leave the “package” at the back of the garage and not ring the doorbell. Later, he recalls with a chuckle, he found out these were the homes of ministers.

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Often Joe would go uptown to visit his uncles’ barber shop. “As a teenager, my dad showed me a newspaper article which had a picture of a panther my uncle shot as it walked down First St. The picture showed the panther hanging in front of my uncle’s barber shop from a pole. It also showed that the sidewalks were made of wood, and there was a horse hitching post shown in the picture, also. The caption under the picture briefly told how the panther met it’s demise.” (Joe thinks it must have been in the early 20’s.)

Another spot Joe remembers frequenting was the Pleasure Pier, which was located where the bridge going over to North Fort Myers now stands. The pier had a swimming pool with the dressing rooms on the bottom. Joe recalls being on the men’s side trying to find a peep hole so he could get a peek at the girls. The pier was torn down in 1943.

Continuing Education After graduating high school, Joe attended the University of Florida. For some reason, Joe felt out of place at college. During a visit home, he told his father he didn’t want to go back. His classmates all knew what they wanted to be and he couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

“I don’t care what you want to be,” replied his father. “You can be whatever you want if you get a college degree.”

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“It was a place

where everybody knew everybody and people paid visits to each other on Sundays.”

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Joe credits his college journalism professor, Hugh Cunningham, with helping him finally discover his true path.

The professor sent him to the library to read the John Z Freedom of the Press Supreme Court case. After reading about that case, he couldn’t contain his excitement. “My God, there are people who write like I think,” he thought. “It was like my brain exploded.”

Right then and there, Joe determined he would become a lawyer. And he was going to need that determination because, when he applied for law school, they wouldn’t accept him. His grades were poor and he failed the entrance exam by 78 points.

He received the bad news while he was working as a lumberjack in Canada over the summer. So, he hopped on a bus to Gainesville and begged them to let him in.

He was told “You don’t have what it takes; you will never become a lawyer.”

To which Joe replied, “You don’t know me. I will become a lawyer.”

“Not here you’re won’t,” the dean quipped.

Not one to give up, Joe applied to Stetson University, where he was told he would have one semester to prove himself. “If you do what you have to do, you can stay, if not…goodbye,” is what he was told by the administration.

Joe found law school to be quite interesting and “did what he had to do.” While at school, he made two decisions that deeply affected his life. The first was helping (then) Congressman Bill Young by passing out brochures, which led Joe to his passion for politics. The second was enlisting in the US Army Reserves.

One of the most fascinating cases for Joe was the murder of Gene Berry. Berry was the first prosecutor murdered in the United States in over eighty years.

In 1992, Berry was living near the Peace River in Punta Gorda, with his wife, Trudy. Their doorbell rang, and Trudy heard her husband talking when “boom” six shots were fired. Berry was killed right there in the doorway.

Joe was assigned as the prosecutor for the case. All he had for evidence was Trudy’s word that she was convinced her husband’s killer was a woman because of the tone of his voice. “He speaks to women differently than to guys,” she explained to Joe. For eight months, investigators poured through motel and phone records. They pulled all the flight records from Miami to Tampa for two weeks before and two weeks after the murder. All this work paid off and they found their suspect, a woman named Bonnie Kelly.

Bonnie Kelly was a good-looking woman who came from Kentucky. She was married to Mike Kelly, who was up on trial with drug charges. Bonnie figured if she killed the prosecutor on the case, her husband would go free.

Bonnie was convicted and sent to prison where she is still serving out her sentence. Mike was acquitted on the drug charges, divorced Bonnie and married her sister Betty.

After his death and the trial of Bonnie Kelly, Gene’s wife Trudy obtained her GED from high school, then went on to the University of Fl. She graduated from college, then law school, and then returned to Punta Gorda as a Prosecutor, working in the same office her husband had worked.

On the day he took his bar exam in 1965, Joe D’Alessandro was sworn into the Army while on a train to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. “I had to be on that train whether I passed the bar or not,” he recalled.

Where are the Old Days?

Joe is understandably nostalgic for the old days. He saw Fort Myers go from a quiet town to a bustling city. He says, “We got discovered and there are too many people.”

While in boot camp, “all that trouble with Vietnam started.”

He remembers the sergeant telling them, “I hope you guys learned everything we taught you, because you’re going to Vietnam.” Fortunately, Joe was never called up to Vietnam.

Listening to Joe reminds us all that progress comes with a

Back Home When he returned home from his time in the army, Joe practiced law with the Pavese Law Firm, located on Broadway, for five years. He was a prosecutor during the morning hours and practiced private law in the afternoon.

want me to come out in my car and sit in front of your

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price. Nowadays, when someone writes a bad check they get arrested. Back when Joe was a prosecutor, he remembers

that when someone wrote a bad check, the sheriff would pick up the phone and say, “Hey, I got this check. You don’t house, do you? Why don’t you just come in and pay it off?”

“That’s what they did,” said Joe, “and it worked …it kept the peace.”

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“One of the most

fascinating cases for Joe was the murder of Gene Berry. Berry was the first prosecutor murdered in the United States in over eighty years.”

RIVERSTYLEMAG.COM

19

COMMUNITIES IN ACTION

Finalists for the 3rd Annual Woman of Distinction Awards are announced

The Cape Coral Boat Regatta resumes this year on April 2oth at Seahawk Park in North Cape Coral

Dozens of local women have been nominated by others who have personally experienced how much they do every day to help us grow in positive ways. “Cape Coral and Lee County are filled with so many women who make a difference.” Susan

McNamara, chairman of the Women of Distinction Committee, is referring to the women of Lee County who have been nominated as Women of Distinction. “These women inspire us, they motivate us. It’s about time they are recognized,” notes McNamara.

“While there are a number of recognition events in Lee County, this is the only one

which honors that quiet volunteer, the neighbor, businesswoman, government service worker or educator who purposely strives to do the right thing for her family and her community every single day. These women would most likely say “I am not

doing anything special.” Yes, you are doing remarkable things for others. And it is our privilege to honor you on April 12th and to recognize your efforts. Through this

Since being canceled last year due to water quality issues at Four Freedoms Park, The Rotary Club of Cape Coral Cardboard Boat Regatta will resume this year at Seahawk Park - 1030 NW 28th St., Cape Coral.

This is an event where creativity and ingenuity come together to design, build and actually race in a boat made primarily from corrugated cardboard.

awards program, we hope to motivate women throughout our community of what we are truly capable,” stated McNamara.

“The selection process was very tough because there were so many deserving candidates,” according to Russ Winstead, chairman of the Selection Committee.

Some of the contests were decided by just one point. “These women who were nominated represent the best of Cape Coral and Lee County.” The panel of 7 judges, all community leaders, had a tough time choosing between all the great nominees.

After much consideration, they were able to come up with these 22 finalists.

Those finalists are:

Karla Avery, Nadege Borgat, Noelle Branning, Jazmin Clark, Dina Comer, Therese Everly, Amira Fox, Deborah Ford, Linda Gingerich, Amanda Goodlin, Jonette Kessack,

Heather Mazurkiewicz, Diane Meyers, Megan O’Grady, Carol Polis, Mercedes Price,

Sheena Reagan, Hathor Renza, Ruth Rodrigues, Robin Schwartz, Leigh Strand and Annette Warren.

Six of these women will be named the 2019 Women of Distinction in Lee County

on Friday, April 12th in the Cape Coral Yacht Club Ballroom. From that group of extraordinary women, the Woman of the Year will be revealed.

In addition, we will honor a Young Woman of the Year, and the Humanitarian of the Year.

Please join us in honoring all these Women of Distinction and the Woman of the Year.

To purchase tickets for this annual event, you can visit www.ladiesleadingright.com or contact Missi Lastra at (786) 339-5790 or missimc@me.com; or Susan McNamara at (239) 910-4765 or susan@239style.com.

Help us celebrate these remarkable women of Lee County!

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The Cardboard Boat Regatta is open to participation from businesses, schools, youth groups, groups of friends, and non-profit organizations desiring to build a boat and participate. This is a wonderful team-building experience; giving employees an opportunity to work together toward a common goal and have a fun doing it.

Judging for the boat construction begins at 9 AM and the race starts at 11 AM. You can vote for your favorite boat!

Come on out to Seahawk Park for this free, fun & family friendly event.

WALK FOR INCLUSION PARTY IN THE PARK!

SAVE THE DATE

4.6.19

WALK. SUPPORT. CELEBRATE.

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REGISTER NOW AND JOIN US! BESTBUDDIESFRIENDSHIPWALK.ORG/SOUTHWESTFLORIDA

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BILLY GRAHAM’S DAUGHTER, GRANDDAUGHTER SPEAK TO SOLD-OUT CROWD Even the standing room was gone for the Annual Benefit Dinner for Lifeline Family Center featuring Ruth Graham and Windsor Dienert-Bauder, the daughter and granddaughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham.

As the third child of Billy Graham, Ruth addressed several critical issues of the 21st Century including divorce, her teenage daughter’s pregnancies, another daughter’s struggle with bulimia and her son’s battle with drugs. Windsor detailed her journey through two teenage pregnancies, one ending in adoption, and the other baby remaining with her to be raised to adulthood.

Windsor Dienert-Bauder, Ruth Graham, Lifeline Family Center CEO Kathy Miller

Ruth is the author of many books including the best-selling In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart and the award-winning Step Into the Bible. Ruth is an experienced conference speaker and has appeared on “Good Morning America,” “FOX and Friends” and been interviewed on Moody Radio many times.

Her daughter Windsor spoke openly about her two teenage pregnancies while being related to the most famous Protestant religious leader in the world. She contributed to two books with her mother and Sara Dormon: I’m Pregnant, Now What? And So You Want to Adopt, Now What?

Rob Kendall, Meredith Kendall, CTN10 General Manager Paul Lodato

More than 600 people attended the March 14 dinner at McGregor Baptist Church in Fort Myers.

To date the event raised $156,111 for the work of Lifeline Family Center, which helps women in crisis pregnancies become self-supporting.

“We are very pleased that Ruth Graham and her daughter came to Southwest Florida to share their message of embracing life, whatever the circumstances,” said Lifeline Family Center President and Founder Kathy Miller.

LFC Chair Cheryl Hilldore, Terry Reuling

Lifeline Family Center graduates also gave their testimony through video segments of how the program changed their lives and those of their children.

Lifeline Family Center provides a home for homeless young women in crisis pregnancies to help them become self-supporting through education, job training, parenting classes, professional counseling and spiritual guidance. It is the only residential program in Lee County for homeless young women in crisis pregnancies who are not part of the foster care program.

In the residential program, Lifeline Family Center serves up to 12 young women, ages 16 to 25, and up to 24 babies at a time. In the Outreach Ministry program, more than 6,000 women have received assistance with material needs, adoption counseling and resource referrals. The non-profit also operates a 24/7 Pregnancy Helpline, provides free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds by appointment, and does outreach to all areas of Lee County, including all college campuses.

Lifeline Family Center receives no government funding and is wholly dependent upon donations from generous individuals, churches and corporations as well as United Way funding. For more information about Lifeline Family Center, visit www.

LifelineFamilyCenter.org

Sponsors Steve and Jan Neff

Darlene Betzer, Pastor Dan Betzer, LFC CEO Kathy Miller

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