The 39th annual Collier County Snow Fest event on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 4-8 pm at Paradise Coast Sports Complex (PCSC STADIUM). They will have snow slides and snow piles, pictures with Santa, bounce houses, laser tag, remote control cars, food vendors, live music, and more! We will end the event showing Polar Express on the Great Lawn. More information can be found here: Collier County SnowFest! - Paradise Coast Sports Complex (playparadisecoast.com)

 
NAPLES, FL — November 9, 2023 — St. Matthew’s House announces the introduction of the Scott and Dolly McCartan Empowerment Hub. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on November 9 at 10 a.m. at the Empowerment Hub, 4330 Tamiami Trail E., Naples.
 
St. Matthew's House, a non-profit organization, provides programs and services that help Southwest Florida individuals and families experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, poverty and substance abuse to move from crisis to self-sufficiency and long-term stability. The new Empowerment Hub expands St. Matthew’s House existing job training and education initiatives and extends access to at-risk populations in the community at large. 
 
The 3,600-square-foot Empowerment Hub is designed to help at-risk adults and youth improve their circumstances through educational programming and mentorship.  It will provide flexible classroom and meeting space and offer continuing education, classes in life-skills, financial literacy, home ownership and more to open opportunities for employment as well as enhance local workforce development. It also will provide programs to encourage developing entrepreneurism and small business incubation. Alumni activities will provide socialization and continuing reinforcement to program participants as well as networking opportunities.
 
The Empowerment Hub will seek to address root causes of homelessness, addiction and poverty, many of which are often systemic and generational. Participants in the Empowerment Hub will benefit from new knowledge and skills needed to improve chances of home ownership, attain certifications or degrees, advance careers, and even launch realistic, sustainable and profitable small businesses. As a result, they will be empowered to achieve increased employment opportunities and earning potential to enhance economic stability and overall well-being.
 
St. Matthew’s House began initial programming at the Empowerment Hub earlier this fall and will continue to mature operations and offerings in the coming months. It also will utilize entrepreneurial courses provided by Entrenuity, a non-profit specializing in class curriculum for community-based organizations serving adults and youth. The selected curriculum provides a step-by-step guide to creating business plans while developing life skills such as critical thinking, public speaking and teamwork.
 
According to St. Matthew’s House CEO Steve Brooder, “We are deeply grateful to Scott and Dolly McCartan for their generous support that has made the vision for the Empowerment Hub a reality. Thanks to their support, our existing educational programs are enhanced, many new programs have been added, and we can extend the opportunity for continuing education to at-risk populations throughout the greater community.”
 
For information on the Empowerment Hub, visit stmatthewshouse.org or call 239-774-0500.
 
About St. Matthew's House
St. Matthew's House is a faith-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides innovative solutions to help those experiencing homelessness, hunger, substance abuse, and poverty in Southwest Florida. St. Matthew’s House has developed a unique social enterprise model that helps cover administrative expenses so that donations go toward programs and services to help those in need to realize fuller and more productive lives. The organization operates a Food Assistance Program that feeds nearly 15,000 people every month; two homeless shelters; two temporary housing facilities; eight thrift stores; an award-winning commercial catering team, and LuLu's Kitchen, a full-service restaurant that is open to the public. For more information, visit online at www.stmatthewshouse.org, call 239-774-0500 or follow the organization's social media and YouTube pages.

 

Art Lab is pleased to announce the first ever Naples Art District outdoor mural sponsored by Art Lab.
 
Nora Sharpe Beyrent, artist, and owner of Art Lab, developed the concept for the mural after reflecting on the time spent over the past five years as a member artist and executive board member for the 501c3 non profit, Naples Art District Inc. “I wanted to create a mural for the membership as well as the public, symbolic of how the Naples Art District began and what it has become….From a small seed, a mighty trunk may grow.  It was important to me that artist members from the Naples Art District be an integral part of the planning and execution of the mural, so I started with an RFA (request for artists) to the entire Naples Art District Membership."
 
Several artists stepped up to the challenge and joined the Mural Team, including Nora Sharpe Beyrent, Teryl Hubschman Brzeski, Ray Gallo, Juliana Versari, Danell Lytell,  Patrice Schelkun, Tracey Magen Rosen, and Richard Rosen; one of the founders of the Naples Art District.  Ray Gallo, contributing immensely to the design of the piece.
 
As artists, we spend a lot of our time alone in our thoughts, our processes, and production of our art.  The creation of a community mural kicked our team full force out of our comfort zones and into a territory uncharted by many of us..into the thoughts and processes of fellow artists, in the hopes of creating a collaborative piece where elements of each of our artistic style and soul was embodied in the product. Yikes!  What a challenge! … but what a tremendous reward it has been. 
 
"I truly believe that the arts have the ability to communicate and connect people like no other discipline on this planet.  This Mural Project reminded me of that and I am truly grateful for our team of fearless artists that took on a challenge greater then themselves; literally and figuratively."
 
The Mural was completed October 23rd 2023. You can check out our photos and video of how this mural was created on our website’s mural page. https://www.artlabnaples.com/art-lab-mural-project/.  
 
Make sure to check out our mural page from time to time to see what new murals Art Lab has on the horizon.  "The Naples Art District is home to over 100 artists but you wouldn’t know it just driving through it.  My goal is for everyone entering the Naples Art District to know it’s an art district the second they lay eyes on it. It is my goal to accomplish this through public art throughout the Naples Art District."

Left to Right are:
 
John Melleky (Collier County Arts and Culture Manager)
Ray Gallo (artist)
Teryl Hubschman Brzeski (Resident Artist at Art Lab)
Tracey Magen Rosen (Owner and Resident Artist at Naples Art Studios)
Nora Sharpe Beyrent (Owner and Resident Artist at Art Lab)
Aurora Thomas-Beyrent (Resident Artist at Art Lab)
Commissioner Burt Saunders (Collier County District 3 Commissioner)
Danell Lytell (Owner and Artist at Lines Ocean Art)
Richard Rosen (Owner and Resident Artist at Naples Art Studios)

Mural Team Artists not pictured in this photo are…
 
Juliana Versari (Artist at Juliana Versari Art)
Patrice Schelkun (Owner and Resident Artist at Immanence Fine Art Studio)

At our November 14, Board of County Commissioners meeting, we approved an amended Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the State which officially swapped out the previous 12.7-acre parcel at the northwest corner of the Golden Gate Golf Course property with 20 acres of property at the northeast side of the course along Collier Boulevard (SR 951).  This amended MOA is now headed to Tallahassee for processing and for their architects to complete preliminary design of the long-term care campus.
 
Also last week, the Legislature heard a presentation from Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs (FDVA) Deputy Executive Director, Bob Asztalos, that provided good news for their operations around the state and for our upcoming facility:
 

• State Veterans’ Nursing Home (SVNH) facility operations are “back in the black” after last year’s supplemental funding that bolstered services while census climbed back up after COVID.  Their operations are now back to being financially self-sustaining.
• SVNHs are now back at pre-COVID census levels with a bed occupancy rate of 95% across all of their VA-certified nursing home facilities.
• The House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, the venue for Bob’s presentation, also approved authorization for FDVA to spend up to $102 million in local and federal funds to build a Collier County facility at Golden Gate.  Bob was very complimentary of the State’s partnership with Collier County and told the subcommittee that our long-term care campus would be the new standard in long-term care services, offering veterans support beyond skilled nursing services.  These services should include a Memory Care Unit for residents with different forms of dementia, a 30-40 slot Adult Day Health Care program, outpatient therapy services, and space for a Veterans Services Officer (VSO) to assist area veterans with benefit coordination.  The skilled nursing portion of the campus will be between 112-120 beds.