Prominent wine-based charity event raises more than $7 million

NAPLES — The Naples Children & Education Foundation, founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, one of the most prominent wine-based fundraisers nationwide, recently announced the results of its first-ever virtual festival. The event raised close to $7.2 million, according to a statement, funds for underprivileged and at-risk children of Collier County.

This brings the total amount raised by the Festival to nearly $220 million since its inception in 2001, the release states. The Festival works with more than 45 nonprofits in the local community, providing more than 275,000 local children with the services and resources, the release adds. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, this year’s event was re-engineered to prioritize the health and safety of all NCEF donors, patrons and partners.

“We are so grateful to everyone who participated in this year’s NWWF who, despite the devastating global health pandemic, generously supported the children in Collier County,” NCEF CEO Maria Jimenez-Lara says in the release. “These funds will be rapidly deployed in our community to help make sure that every child who requires help will receive it.”

This year’s invitation-only virtual auction featured seven incredible experiences in travel, wine and cuisine, followed by a virtual paddle raise, “Your Help Grants Hope,” the release states.