Linda McNabb, Development Director
Child Care of Southwest Florida
(239) 425-1017
lindam@ccswfl.org
Susan Bennett, APR, CPRC
Susan Bennett Marketing & Media
(239) 277-5255
sbennett@susanbennett.biz
TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR
FOURTH ANNUAL CELEBRITY WAITER DINNER & AUCTION
BENEFITTING CHILD CARE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Celebrity Waiters Announced
FORT MYERS, FLA., August 13, 2012 – Tickets are now on sale for the Fourth Annual Stars for Kids Celebrity Waiter Dinner and Auction benefitting Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc.
A dozen local celebrities have signed up so far to be celebrity waiters at the event, which has been called the wackiest, most entertaining social event of the season by experienced social scene watchers.
The fun begins with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, September 22, at the Harborside Events Center in downtown Fort Myers. Individual tickets are $100 and may be purchased by calling 278-1002 or visiting the website at www.ccswfl.org.
“We never know what our celebrity waiters are going to do to earn tips from the patrons at their tables. We’ve seen everything from singing and dancing to worming across the floor and telling fortunes,” said Child Care Development Director Linda McNabb. “One thing I can guarantee is that everybody will laugh and have a great time.”
More than $40,000 was raised at last year’s event with funds going to support the mission of the agency and to provide scholarships for low-income children to receive child care in the six centers operated by Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc.
Ted Fitzgeorge, best known as the voice of the Fort Myers Miracle for 10 years, and Auctioneer Jean Baer will share duties as master and mistress of ceremonies.
Celebrity waiters confirmed so far include Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah who is defending his title as the 2011 “Most Appreciated Waiter” for raising the most tips; Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott; Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson; Harborside Events Center Manager Rose Rundle; David Plazas of The News-Press Media Group; Downtown Diva Stephanie Davis; Bob Beville, sales manager of Waterman Broadcasting;
At a celebrity waiter dinner, guests ask the celebrity waiter at their table to serve their meals and perform “extra duties” in exchange for additional tips. The waiter who collects the most tips from his/her table wins the coveted 2012 “Most Appreciated Celebrity Waiter Award.”
The evening also will feature both silent and live auction items including vacation packages, jewelry, tickets to sporting events, and much more.
“And we will have some priceless artwork created by the children in our centers,” said Beth Lobdell, executive director of Child Care of Southwest Florida. “We want everyone to have fun, enjoy a scrumptious meal and be generous in their tips to help support our kids.”
Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc. is a private non-profit organization dedicated to providing high quality child care services throughout Southwest Florida. The agency
provides child care for children from infancy through age eight at its six child care centers in Lee and Hendry counties. In addition, it offers training for early childhood professionals, and administers the federal food program for eligible centers and family child care homes throughout Southwest Florida. The agency must rely on generous donations and volunteer efforts from members of the community, corporations and foundations to build and maintain programs that make a difference to low-income children. Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc., is a United Way agency.
For more information about Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc., or the Stars for Kids Celebrity Waiter Dinner and Auction, please call Linda McNabb at 278-1002 or visit www.ccswfl.org.
About Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc.
Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc. (CCSWFL) is a 44-year-old 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization providing quality child care to disadvantaged families in Southwest Florida and supporting the child care industry as a whole by managing the USDA Child Care Food Program and coordinating state mandated training.
Current research shows:
• By age 5, 90% of a child’s brain structure has developed.
• Close to 70% of young children under the age of 5 are in some form of early care and education settings on a regular basis.
• The quality of current child care programs indicates that only 15% are of high quality.
• By 3rd grade, children from low- income families have vocabularies of around 4,000 words, while their middle income peers have vocabularies of around 12,000 words.
• For every dollar invested in a high quality early learning program there is a benefit of $7 to society—savings on educational programs, crime costs, welfare costs, and revenue from taxes from higher wage earnings.
In light of these statistics, Child Care of Southwest Florida’s long term goals are to:
• Provide high quality early care and education settings to low-income children in our child care centers.
• Keep children in our child care centers whether or not their families have the ability to pay.
• Connect the families of the children we serve to other social service agencies that provide the comprehensive support these families need to create a stable home environment where they and their children can thrive.
• Continue to support the child care industry with the USDA Food Program, mandated training, inexpensive high quality professional development opportunities and a forum to discuss and begin to solve the pressing issues of the industry.
