Gala goes young for good cause

Young professionals in the Naples area can no longer say there's nothing cool to do around town.

At least not for one night, with the debut of the Great Gatsby Gala — the first fundraising ball held for Southwest Florida's young professionals to raise money for Florida Gulf Coast University students who have overcome adversity and major life obstacles. In addition to raising funds for the students through the FGCU Foundation's Dr. Bart S. and Peggy I.
Cuderman Endowed Scholarship, the event will include the presentation of a Young Professional of the Year Award.

One of the young professionals behind the event is Peter Cuderman, the sponsorship chairman of the 28-member gala hosting committee. Cuderman, 25, has run a public relations firm in Bonita Springs and now runs Pegasus Painting, a Fort Myers-based power washing and painting firm.

“We couldn't find another fundraising event specifically geared toward the growing ranks of young professionals in Southwest Florida, so we decided to start one,” says Cuderman in a release. “Many of the fundraising events in Naples are priced out of reach for young professionals.”

The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 22, from 7 p.m. until midnight at The Knickerbocker of Naples, 2225 23rd St., S.W., Naples. Tickets bought before Oct. 15 are $125 each, and are $150 each until the day of the event. Sponsorship opportunities are available and range from $500 to $5,000. Go to facebook.com/SWFLGATSBYGALA/ for more information.