Good News! 60 Gulf Coast Humane Society pets will get homes for free thanks to law firm
60 happy pets thanks to Southwest Florida law firm
In recognition of 60 years of serving the community, personal injury law firm Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz is underwriting 60 pet adoptions at the Gulf Coast Humane Society through the end of 2022.
“With the increasing prices of pet food and other expenses, some families who want to adopt a pet may find it difficult to afford,” said Gary Willoughby, executive director of the Gulf Coast Humane Society. “Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz has been incredibly supportive of us through the years. We are excited for this opportunity for more members of the community to be able to experience the many benefits of providing a home for a loving pet.”
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The adoptions are made possible with “golden tickets” that will be distributed at events hosted by the firm and the humane society to people wishing to give cats and dogs at the shelter “furever” homes.
“Many staff members of the firm know the joy of adopting pets,” said Christopher Smith, managing partner. “As part of our 60th anniversary celebration of serving the community, we are delighted to connect the community with loving animals in need of homes.”
Opportunities to get the golden tickets, which provide free or reduced-price adoption fees for cats and dogs of various ages, will be posted on Facebook pages of Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz and Gulf Coast Humane Society. Golden tickets must be redeemed by the end of the year.
Blackjack Pizza & Salads gives back
The local franchise owner of Blackjack Pizza & Salads, Askar Management Group, has been busy this summer donating pizzas throughout Bonita Springs to small businesses, most recently to the Bonita Assistance Office and the YMCA of Southwest Florida.
Bonita Assistance Office is a local food pantry assisting residents of Bonita Springs, with food and financial assistance. On one unpacking night, the Bonita Naples Noon Rotarians were happy to help in the pantry by sorting out the non-perishables that were donated by the community. Blackjack Pizza donated pizzas for the hard-working volunteer group.
In addition to the free pizzas given at the Bonita Assistance Office, Blackjack also donated over 13 pizzas to the “License to Swim” program at the YMCA of Southwest Florida. Children celebrated their accomplishments of learning to swim this summer.
The program was sponsored by local Bonita residents Trish Leonard and Gary Price for any child who could not afford to pay for lessons. Over 50 children graduated with their license to swim, while all 183 have gained and developed lifesaving water safety skills.
“We are grateful that for two years Blackjack Pizza has been our partner in this program and we hope they continue to be,” states Angel Cerritos, President of the YMCA of Southwest Florida.
Blackjack is located at 28245 S. Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs. 239.495.3422.
Planet Fitness welcomes 226K high school students
Planet Fitness, with locations in Fort Myers and Cape Coral, announced that 226,197 high school students across Florida signed up for its High School Summer Pass program, logging 1,089,115 workouts over the course of three-and-a-half months. Across the country, more than 3.5 million teens signed up for the program, logging 17 million workouts. High School Summer Pass took place from May 16 through August 31, during which Planet Fitness opened its doors to students ages 14 – 19 to work out for free at any of its clubs.
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All teens in the United States and Canada who signed up were automatically entered into The Planet Fitness High School Summer Pass Sweepstakes. Planet Fitness will award one $500 scholarship in each state (and the District of Columbia) and one grand prize $5,000 scholarship. These scholarships can be used for academic or athletic activities or programs. Winners will be notified this month.
Ware Bluegrass supports Florida Lions Eye Clinic Vision
The Florida Lions Eye Clinic has received the second $20,000 annual funding of a three-year commitment from the Ware Bluegrass Foundation. With more than 120 eye surgeries performed in-house, the $10,000 portion directly supporting the clinic’s surgery fund will help the mission move forward.
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FLLEC’s in-house state-of-the-art eye care services include minor surgical treatment for eye diseases such as glaucoma and pterygium, which involves the removal of a growth on the surface of the eye resulting from prolonged exposure to wind, sunlight, smoke, dust and pollen. Many of the FLLEC’s patients are referred to outside specialists that require surgery beyond the Clinic’s capability. These surgeries include retina detachments; cataracts and conditions that require eye injections. In either case, there is no charge to the patient — the Clinic’s Surgery Fund covers all costs.
Jack and Alice Ware, who were both blind during their lifetimes, established the Ware Bluegrass Foundation in 1999. The foundation elected to narrow its focus by supporting organizations that maintain ongoing vision-related programs.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: SW FL law firm sponsors 60 pets through Gulf Coast Humane Society
