Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off to raise money for Collier County’s at-risk children

Just look at these faces.

They are the ones who benefit from

The annual Naples Winter Wine Festival is currently underway to raise funds for the Naples Children & Education Foundation.

The foundation supports effective, disciplined charitable programs that significantly improve the physical, emotional and educational lives of underprivileged and at-risk children in Collier County, Florida.

In 2019, the Naples Children & Education Foundation invested $15.9 million in the future of Collier County to improve the lives of underprivileged and at-risk children. Funding included grants totaling $12.7 million to 43 local nonprofit organizations

The money helps kids to become future doctors, firefighters, and musicians.

Addison is one of the kids we met who benefited from the program, and she wants to be a veterinarian.

She went to a horse farm and now knows, it’s the job for her, “I got to meet a couple of horses and one of them lost an eye during an infection, so I got to hang out with her a lot. Her name was Patty.”

Maria Jimenez Lara, with NCEF, says it’s all about having the donors see their impact up close.

“It’s an opportunity for the patrons to understand what their investment is and what we do with the investment they give us,” she said. “If we have children that are able to read; Children that are strong, confident. We’re going to have an amazing community.”

Addison also said she’s forever grateful for the opportunity she has received, “It has helped me get over my loss and it’s helped a lot of other kids get over their loss so they’re not sad all the time and they can be happy.”

And that’s what the Winter Wine Festival is all about.

Since its inception in 2001, the winter wine festival has raised nearly $200 million for children in need.