SWFL Children’s Charities Inc., organizers of the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, presented a $200,000 check to the Florida Gulf Coast University Bower School of Music and the Arts to support its music therapy program. The donation was part of $3.35 million raised during the 2015 Wine & Food Fest.
“We are excited that music therapy is now a major at FGCU, with courses starting this fall,” said SWFL Children’s Charities President Elaine Hawkins, co-chair of the 2014 and 2015 Wine Fests with Dorothy Fitzgerald. “It’s exciting to see this program come to fruition.”
Studies show that music therapy helps babies leave the hospital sooner, stabilizes vital signs, reduces stress and leads to improved weight gain and sleep. In addition, research shows music therapy benefits those with autism and other neurological conditions and is helpful in easing anxiety and depression.
“SWFL Children’s Charities and Florida Gulf Coast University share the vision of helping children heal through the power of music,” said FGCU President Wilson G. Bradshaw. “Our music therapy program will address the growing regional demand for professionals in the field.”
This is the fourth year SWFL Children’s Charities has supported the program. The State University System Board of Governors recently approved FGCU’s Bachelor of Music Therapy degree program, which begins this August.
The 2015 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, held in late February, included nine Friday evening chef-vintner dinners held in private homes from Naples to Captiva Island. One of the top-grossing lots, making its fourth appearance at the Saturday afternoon auction, was the Wine Smackdown at the FGCU School of Resort and Hospitality Management Wine Education Laboratory. Twenty couples will learn how sommeliers pair the perfect wine with each dish during a six-course dinner that includes an initial tasting of 12 wines.
The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest is the signature event of SWFL Children’s Charites Inc. and has raised nearly $15 million in the past seven years, making it the most successful fundraising event in Lee County and one of the top-grossing wine fests in the country. Wine Spectator ranked the event No. 6 on its list of Top 10 U.S. Charity Wine Auctions of 2014.
All expenses for the two-day Wine Fest are underwritten by trustees and sponsors, allowing every auction dollar raised to go to the event beneficiaries, which also include Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and Florida SouthWestern State College’s pediatric nursing program.
The 2016 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest is scheduled for Feb. 26 and 27. For details, go to www.swflwinefest.org.
- Learn more about the Bower School’s music therapy degree and other programs.