Guest Commentary: Hurricane Heroes – Honoring Southwest Florida’s unsung heroes one year after Hurricane Ian
To the Southwest Florida community, the emotions surrounding the quickly approaching one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian and the destruction left on our community are apparent.
Heroes have risen in this time of devastation, and they deserve recognition for their continued impact since the storm.
The Charity Pros understands the need to support our local heroes, and we want to honor the unsung heroes of our community as just that-a community. We will be hosting an incredible event at Hammond Stadium at 6 p.m. on Oct. 7. The Hurricane Heroes All-Star Concert will honor the local heroes that have helped carry Lee County through the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
The event will be headlined by Matchbox Twenty, a rock band that just came off of a 54-stop tour that sold out at major amphitheaters and arenas nationwide. Opening for Matchbox Twenty is Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles. Red Hannah will be the opening band and perform an all-star set, as well as country music star Jay Allen. Matty Jollie and Sheena Brook, a survivor of Hurricane Ian on Fort Myers Beach, will make special appearances throughout their performances in the concert. Several of these artists have a personal tie to Fort Myers Beach, which makes this event even more special.
The Charity Pros will honor several unsung heroes of Lee County at the concert.
The first honoree is Sheriff Carmine Marceno and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Marceno and the LCSO maintained law and order throughout Lee County, coordinated with outside agencies, saved lives through search and rescue missions, and led the county through the immense challenges that Hurricane Ian proposed.
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers will also be honored for his efforts in immediately aiding the Fort Myers Beach community. He was elected just two short months after Ian hit, and he has taken on a challenge like no other in leading the redevelopment and recovery of Fort Myers Beach. After the storm destroyed his golf cart business, Mayor Allers donated the building at 820 Buttonwood Drive to house the most crucial distribution spot of essential survival supplies.
The location has become home to Fort Myers Beach Strong, a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
I first heard about the 820 Buttonwood location from Ed and Kim Ryan of Beach Talk Radio, the voice of Fort Myers Beach. These heroes made it their mission to update listeners about the dire need of beach residents continuously. Their viewership rose from 8,000 listeners to 80,000 during the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, and Beach Talk Radio broadcasted live seven nights a week in the aftermath of the storm. Ed and Kim raised more than $300,000 for residents and businesses of Lee County and hosted several significant events on the beach to benefit the struggling community.
The following heroes who will be honored are Pastors Shawn and Mallie Critser from Beach Baptist Church. From the very next day after the storm hit to now, Beach Baptist has utilized its campus as a resource for hurricane relief. From being a Central Resource Center (CRC) and a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) for FEMA to transforming into a standalone resource center, Beach Baptist has been at the forefront of the recovery process.
Beach Baptist continues to serve the community with groceries, supplies, bus passes, gift cards, and pastoral counseling. They were also a critical part of the execution of toy drives, including The Charity Pros. Please note that community church services are offered each Sunday in the resource tent. Beach Baptist is alive and well.
Last but certainly not least are Doug Miller and Amy Eldridge of FK Your Diet. Their business was founded to help local foster kids, with 5% of their revenue going toward local agencies supporting them. When Hurricane Ian struck, though, they switched their focus to helping not only foster children and families, but also anybody affected by the storm.
In the last 10 months, the couple has provided more than 500,000 meals, countless amounts of furniture, building supplies, clothing, and much more to those affected. To this day, Amy and Doug still provide meals for people who turn up at the restaurant, regardless of whether they can pay. They also deliver thousands of pounds of groceries and supplies to some of the hardest-hit areas each week. FK Your Diet distributed truckloads of hurricane supplies that The Charity Pros were transporting down from Pensacola. They also assisted in the delivery of toys to children that lost everything during The Charity Pros for Kiddos Toy Drive.
The proceeds from the Hurricane Heroes All-Star Concert will go towards Music aLIVE SWFL, the Lewis P. Tabarrini Children’s Music Outreach Foundation, scholarships for the School of Rock, and The Charity Pros “Megan’s Wish” program. The event also welcomes sponsorship packages; if you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact megan@thecharitypros.org. Tickets are going fast, so be sure to purchase yours at TheCharityPros.org.
Megan Maloney is the co-founder and president of The Charity Pros, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates and supports children’s programs focused on health, child protection, poverty, education and equality. The Charity Pros partners with community events and produces fundraisers including concerts, festivals and expos to support community causes. For more information, visit TheCharityPros.org.
To reach MEGAN MALONEY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com