CECI | Children's Education Center of the Islands

The Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation (SGCF) is The Children’s Education Center of the Islands’ largest donor. In 2022, SGCF awarded the school a grant to fund scholarships for the 2022 school year and to renovate our main school building. Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian had other plans. Following the devastation of Hurricane Ian, the Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation’s support of the school and its families was steadfast. They agreed to continue to fund the awarded scholarships at all other preschools the students were forced to attend when The Children’s Education Center had to close due to significant damage from Hurricane Ian. Throughout the process, the Board of Directors at SGCF worked closely with the Board of Directors at our preschool to ensure they remained available to provide guidance and financial support. 

At the end of 2022, The Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation decided to establish the Sanctuary Golf Club Foundation Scholarship Fund at The Children’s Education Center of the Islands. This fund ensures that all island residents, employees, and community members have access to the benefits of a nature based preschool experience regardless of income. In addition, this scholarship fund strengthens the school’s impact on the community and contributes to the island having a diverse and multi-generational community. Between 2022 and 2024, SGCF will have awarded approximately $90,000 in scholarship funds; with more than $60,000 for the 2023/2024 school year going to support over 40% of our student population, many of which were heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Additionally, in June of 2023 The Sanctuary Golf Foundation awarded The Children’s Education Center a $250,000 grant to make improvements and repairs to our campus which sustained substantial damage due to Hurricane Ian. Included in the use of these funds were not only immediate updates to Thompson Hall and our outdoor play area, but future projects to upgrade and improve both spaces as well; adding a much needed permanent shade structure and additional gross motor features to the outdoor space, as well as replacing current windows with hurricane impact windows and replacing damaged original wood siding with Hardie board on Thompson Hall. These improvements and resiliency measures will help ensure the school can continue to serve the island community and withstand all future challenges. 

We are immensely grateful to The Sanctuary Golf Foundation, their Board of Directors, and their membership for all of the generous and unwavering support of our school.

The Birminghams

Jim and Liz Birmingham generously donated $35,000 to our school in 2022 including $25,000 shortly after the initial impact of Hurricane Ian. These funds help our Board of Directors begin work on the school while insurance was in process. The Birminghams donated an additional $20,000 in 2023 to assist the school in offering teacher travel incentives and bonuses to ensure teacher retention and for improvements to our playground area including the upcoming installation of a bug misting system.

The Birminghams are the owners of Cripple Creek Railroad Museum located in Cripple Creek, Colorado, as well as Sanibel residents. They have a deep love of nature education and were connected to The Children’s Education Center through The Charitable Foundations of the Islands (CFI). The Birminghams are also supporters of the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and helped to establish the 2021-2022 Birmingham Internship Fund that will underwrite one of the three conservation education interns who will be working at the Refuge. Their funds donated to The Children’s Education Center were used to assist in the initial recovery from Hurricane Ian and contributed to the renovation of Thompson Hall which allowed the school to reopen for the 2023/2024 school year. 

Sanibel Captiva Community Bank donated $50,000 to The Children’s Education Center of the Islands to assist with our Future Resiliency Project. These funds came at a critical time in our restoration process as we awaited funds from insurance while we began construction on campus to ensure we could open for the 2023/2024 school year. The kindness of Sanibel Captiva Community Bank extended beyond financial donation with offers to assist in future fundraising and advising our Board of Directors.

Sanibel Captiva Community Bank was established on Sanibel Island in 2003. It began as a small, locally owned and operated community bank primarily serving the residents and businesses of Sanibel and Captiva Island, and has grown since then to having eight locations and serving all of Lee County. Their commitment to the Sanibel and Lee County community has been excessively generous for decades but kicked into high gear after Hurricane Ian with an additional $100,000 pledged to other local non profits including F.I.S.H, PACE Center for Girls Lee, The Heights Foundation, The Pine Island Food Pantry, and many more.

Without organizations like Sanibel Captiva Community Bank stepping up during these times of great loss, our community’s recovery would be that much more challenging.

The Simcox Family

Chas and Maari Simcox have loved Sanibel Island for decades and made it their home in 2020. Maari is best known for her role as the owner of Priscilla’s of Sanibel. The Children’s Education Center of the Islands was even lucky enough to have both of their children attend our school and summer camps. Additionally, Maari served on the school’s Board of Directors, most recently as President. After Hurricane Ian, Maari and Chas made the difficult decision to leave Sanibel and return to Minnesota, but their heart remained with the school as it struggled to come back from the damage caused by the hurricane. Though they were not able to help in person, their generosity in donating $25,000 in the summer of 2023 helped the school during the final push to reopen. We are grateful for the amazing families who continue to support our school even after their kids no longer attend. Without families like the Simcox, the school would not be the vibrant and dynamic place it is today. 

Sanibel and Captiva Islands Kiwanis Club has a long standing relationship with our school. They have supported the school through donations, volunteer efforts, and raising community awareness for many decades. We were grateful this year to receive a grant immediately following Hurricane Ian of $10,000 even though they were dealing with great loss themselves. When it came time for the final push to get the school open in August of 2023, Kiwanis donated an additional $1,500 towards clearing our wishlists and encouraged members to donate or purchase from the wishlists. The most dynamic aspect of Kiwanis is its membership. When the school needed help getting our campus ready to reopen, they showed up in force to hang shelves, assemble furniture, and help set up playground equipment.

Beyond our school, Sanibel Captiva Kiwanis supports children throughout our community with donations to other local non profit organizations including The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum (Children’s Program), Kiwanis Fort Myers Science Fair, CROW, Ding Darling Days, The Sanibel School Fund, and many more.

The Gorton Family

The Gorton Family have been members of our school community since 2021 and have always been generous with both their time and support. In 2022 they donated $10,000 to the school to help support in the reopening efforts. In addition, Scott, utilized his construction business to help signifigantly in the final push to get the school open doing many of the last minute projects that needed to be completed. Families like the Gortons are what The Children’s Education Center are all about, always willing to contribute to our school community in the most positive ways. Thank you to the Gorton Family for being a part of our school.

Bank of the Islands

Bank of the Islands donated $5,000 towards rebuilding our school following Hurricane Ian. The bank has been a long time supporter of the school contributing annually to help ensure the school is able to offer teacher trainings and enrichment opportunities. We are grateful for the continued support

Community Day 2024 Event Sponsor

Thank you to amazing community sponsors who allows us to invite the community to our campus for a fun and free family day!