CAPE CORAL STUDENT SELECTED AS SIGNATURE ARTIST - Child Artist Helps Hospital that Helps Her

(Fort Myers – January 2, 2009) –Cape Coral middle school student Kishelly Brown created the signature poster for the 2009 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest. The annual event to be held this February benefits children’s charities, including The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Kishelly is an ongoing patient of the hospital.

“She has ulcerative colitis,” said Ingrid Trevino, Kishelly’s mother, of the disease which was diagnosed in January 2007. “It’s a disease of the colon that they don’t have a cure for, so it’s something we have to watch. She’s on medication the whole time, but she can get flare-ups whenever the disease starts to act up.”

Those medications, she says, have been as challenging as the disease. “Because of the medicine she’s taking, she gets a lot of headaches and dizziness,” said Trevino. “She was on steroids so long that she got osteoporosis. Then she was changed to a medicine that is like chemotherapy in a pill. And that caused her immune system to get so low that she was sick in the hospital for a whole month.”

The young woman’s frequent hospital visits might have played a role in her developing art interests. “Spending so much time in the hospital, she is always drawing,” said Trevino. “Miss Kelly from HealthPark was always bringing her crafts and art things to do because that’s what she likes to do in her spare time there. She likes painting things for other people, so that’s when Miss Kelly decided that she was the one to do this art for the Wine Fest.”

Kishelly’s original art for the 2009 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest signature poster is a painting of a smiling teddy bear, seated in front of a blue vase filled with white, orange and purple flowers. She was guided by Fort Myers artists and Teacher Ellen Sheppard. “She is an amazing teacher,” Trevino says of Sheppard.

While Kishelly’s illness might be evident on a hospital chart, it is not so obvious in the patient. “She’s very easy-going,” said Trevino. “The nurses love her because she lets them do everything they have to do. No matter how much pain she’s in, she always has a smile on her face.”

Kishelly’s smile and personality have earned her a fan club of sorts. “She gets a lot of visitors,” said Trevino. “All the nurses want to go see her when she’s in; As soon as they find out she’s in, they have to go see her.”

Throughout her treatment and hospital visits, Kishelly has excelled in her school work, which she continues to do at Caloosa Middle School in Cape Coral.

Kishelly’s future art could be even more important than the piece she has designed for the Wine & Food Fest. “She is excited about it,” said Trevino. The only thing Kishelly wanted for Christmas was a paint and art set, because she wants to draw pictures like the one she drew for the Wine Fest to take to the kids in the hospital, her mother said.

The poster featuring Kishelly’s painting promotes the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, which will be held February 27 & 28, 2009 at Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club. The event begins on Friday, February 27 with Chef Vintner dinners on Friday night at select area homes and continues on Saturday afternoon, February 28 with a Grand Tasting and Auction at Miromar Lakes. The event is presented by SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc. and will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Pediatric Nursing program at Edison State College.   

Northern Trust is the main event sponsor and the News Press and Grandeur Magazine are the print sponsors.

For more information about Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest: www.swflwinefest.org or information on sponsorship or ticket sales, call 239-432-9722.

(Fort Myers – November 25, 2009) — The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest and Northern Trust Bank join in announcing Northern Trust’s participation as the main sponsor of the Wine & Food Fest, February 27 and 28, 2009.

Northern Trust joins local chef vintner dinner hosts, local and visiting chefs and vintners from California and the northwestern states, and from around the world in supporting the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest. The event is presented by SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc. and will benefit The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Pediatric Nursing program at Edison State College.

“Northern Trust is pleased to be a continued supporter of children’s charities in Southwest Florida,” said Sandy Robinson, president of Northern Trust Fort Myers. “We are committed to supporting events and organizations that provide important benefits to the community. The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest is a perfect example.”

The 2009 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest begins on Friday, February 27 with Chef Vintner Dinners at select area homes and continues on Saturday afternoon, February 28 with a Grand Tasting and Auction at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club.

“The support of Northern Trust is a big help to us in raising support for the charities,” Steve Machiz, M.D., Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest founding chairman, “It also demonstrates with sponsors such as Northern Trust and the others, that the Wine & Food Fest is a signature event in southwest Florida.”

In addition to Northern Trust Bank and Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club, other supporters of the event include:  Lee Memorial Health System Foundation, Grandeur Magazine, Saks Fifth Avenue, Specialty Risk Management and Private Client Insurance Services, Oswald Trippe, Pure High Net Wealth Insurance, Edison State College, Bank of Florida, Norman Love Confections, Angelina’s Ristorante, Palm Printing and Strategic Solutions.

The Wine & Food Fest Grand Tasting and Auction will be held in the Beach Clubhouse at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club and its outdoor waterfront venue.  Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is a residential waterfront resort community with over 700 acres of contiguous aquamarine freshwater lakes, three miles of private, white sandy beach and “Signature” championship golf. Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is located in Miromar Lakes, just north of Naples.

The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest is a signature event of the SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides funding to local charities serving local children.

For more information about Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest: www.swflwinefest.org or information on sponsorship or ticket sales, call 239-432-9722.

          (Fort Myers – November 4, 2009) — The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest will be held February 27 and 28, 2009 at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club. The event begins on Friday, February 27 with Chef Vintner dinners at select area homes and continues on Saturday afternoon, February 28 with a Grand Tasting and Auction at Miromar Lakes. The event is presented by SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc. and will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Pediatric Nursing program at Edison State College.
          “We are thrilled to be holding the 2009 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest at Miromar Lakes,” said Steve Machiz, M.D., Southwest Florida Wine and Food Fest chairman. “To have our Grand Tasting and Auction on the waterfront at Miromar Lakes makes the event as unique to Southwest Florida as its location is. And the Miromar Lakes Beach Club will showcase the Food and Wine Fest as one of Southwest Florida’s signature events.”
          The Southwest Florida Food and Wine Fest begins February 27 with a series of Chef Vintner dinners, pairing renowned vintners with both premier visiting chefs and local celebrity chefs.  The dinners will be hosted in some of the most exclusive private residences in Southwest Florida.
          The event continues on February 28 with the Grand Tasting and Auction beachside at the Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club. The Grand Tasting exhibiting the local talent of some of our area’s finest chefs who will prepare samplings of their specialties alongside wine tasting stations showcasing wines from some of the world’s greatest wine-growing regions. After that, the Auction features exceptional packages of wine, exclusive trips, amazing dining experiences and artwork from artists including Robert Rauschenberg and more.
          Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is a residential waterfront resort community with over 700 acres of contiguous aquamarine freshwater lakes, three miles of private, white sandy beach and “Signature” Championship Golf.
          Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is located in Miromar Lakes, Florida, just north of Naples.

            The Southwest Florida Wine and Food Fest is a signature event of the SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides funding to local charities serving local children.
          For more information about Southwest Florida Food and Wine Fest, visit www.swflwinefest.org