Shady Rest Foundation Donates $50,000 to Support Older Adults

Left to Right: Chip Roach, CFI board chair; John Morse, CFI board secretary; Dr. Jo Stecher; Dolly Farrell, CFI executive director; Bob Murray; and Lisa Riordan, CFI Board vice chair. COURTESY PHOTO

The Shady Rest Foundation has established a $50,000 fund through the Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) to benefit older adults living or working on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. This contribution will support nonprofit organizations serving residents aged 60 and above.

CFI executive director Dolly Farrell noted, “The Shady Rest Foundation Fund is CFI’s first field-of-interest fund, specifically supporting the islands’ older adults.”

Dr. Jo Stecher, vice chair of Shady Rest Foundation, stated, “We are so honored to be able to give a monetary gift to CFI that is going to oversee distribution of funds to older adults who are in need.”

CFI’s Grants Committee, led by Captiva resident Bob Wiesemann, will invite local nonprofits to apply for grants, allowing CFI to manage the vetting process effectively. Wiesemann added that the fund demonstrates CFI’s expertise in grantmaking and fund management beyond previous efforts.

Bob Murray, Chair of Shady Rest Foundation, shared insights from the board’s visit to the islands last December. “We didn’t know there were older adults on the island that needed support,” he said. “Our goal is to support elder care in various ways, with nursing care, health care, as well as to help them get out and socialize – whatever it takes to make their lives a little better.”

Dr. Stecher added that their visit highlighted the importance of dignity and respect for older adults, aiming to help them remain in their own homes with the love and respect they deserve.

For more information, visit charitablefoundationoftheislands.org . ¦

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