FineMark National Bank & Trust to Sponsor Lee Strobel Dinner

FORT MYERS, Fla. - March 9, 2015 - PRLog -- Lifeline Family Center has announced that FineMark National Bank & Trust has signed on as the major sponsor of the 18^th Annual Benefit Dinner with New York Times best-selling author Lee Strobel.

The dinner will be Thursday, March 26, at 6:30 p.m. at McGregor Baptist Church on Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.

“We are very happy to welcome FineMark as our gold sponsor.  It’s yet another example of their philanthropy and dedication to making our community an even better place to live,” said Lifeline Family Center President and Founder Kathy Miller.

Other sponsors include Silver Sponsors Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral and Timothy O’Neill; and Bronze Sponsor Myers, Brettholtz & Company, P.A.  In-kind sponsors are Best Western Waterfront, Christ-Centered Lifestore and media sponsors The News-Press Media Group and CTN 10.

Tickets are $70 each or $400 for a table of eight. Sponsorships, which include a VIP reception with Strobel, are available from $1,000 to $10,000.  Tickets may be purchased at www.lifelinefamilycenter.org/benefit-dinner  or by calling 239-242-7238.

Strobel is the former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and the author of 20 books, including his best known work, The Case for Christ and other faith-based books. Formerly an avowed atheist, Strobel began investigating Biblical claims about Christ after his wife’s conversion.  His investigation led him to become a Christian.

Lifeline Family Center provides a home in Cape Coral for homeless young women in crisis pregnancies to help them become self-supporting through education, job training, parenting classes, professional counseling and spiritual guidance. It is the only residential program in Lee County for homeless young women in crisis pregnancies who are not part of the foster care program.

Lifeline Family Center serves up to 12 young women, ages 16 to 22, and up to 24 babies at a time.  The non-profit also operates a 24/7 Pregnancy Phone Helpline, provides free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds by appointment, and does outreach to all areas of Lee County, including all college campuses.

A current resident in the two-year residential program and a recent graduate also will speak about their experience at the benefit dinner and how Lifeline Family Center made a difference in their lives.

Strobel received his Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and master’s degree in law studies from Yale University Law School.  He spent 14 years working for newspapers as a journalist, winning Illinois’ highest honor for public service journalism from United Press International.

He later became a teaching pastor and host of the national network TV program, Faith Under Fire.  Some of his other books include The Case for the Creator, The Case for Faith, God’s Outrageous Claims, and Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage, which he wrote with his wife, Leslie.

Strobel has been interviewed by national television networks ABC, FOX, PBS and CNN and his articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal and Newsweek, among others. In recognition of the extensive research for his books, he has been honored by Southern Evangelical Seminary with a Doctor of Divinity degree.

Strobel and his wife live in Colorado and have two grown children.  Their daughter, Alison, is the author of six novels and co-author of two books for children.  Their son, Kyle, earned a doctorate in theology and is a professor at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz.

About Lifeline Family Center

Founded in 1996, Lifeline Family Center provides young women in crisis pregnancies a safe home in Cape Coral and a learning environment.  They receive education, job training, professional counseling, parenting classes and spiritual guidance.  The two-year residential program prepares young moms and their babies to become self-supporting, contributing members of society.  Lifeline Family Center receives no government funding and is wholly dependent upon donations from generous individuals, churches and corporations as well as United Way funding.  For more information about Lifeline Family Center, visit www.LifelineFamilyCenter.org