Naples Senior Center to Host “Virtual” Evening for Better Tomorrows

Naples Senior Center will present a “virtual” Evening for Better Tomorrows, its ninth annual signature fundraising event, on January 9th featuring Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Little Anthony.

Each year, more than 300 supporters typically attend the Naples Senior Center’s annual Evening for Better Tomorrows.

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event has been re-engineered into a virtual presentation in order to protect the health and safety of everyone.

The virtual fundraising event will kick off at 7 p.m. with WINK News Morning Anchor Lindsey Sablan serving as honorary emcee, followed by the entertainment headlined by Little Anthony.

Jerome Anthony “Little Anthony” Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched voice as the lead singer for Little Anthony and the Imperials. The rhythm and blues vocal group enjoyed sustained success on the pop charts throughout the late 1950s and 1960s with such hits as “Tears on My Pillow,” “Goin’ Out of My Head,” “Hurt So Bad,” and “I’m on the Outside (Looking in).”

Other highlights of the Naples Senior Center’s “virtual” Evening for Better Tomorrow will include member success stories, a live call to action with Florida’s favorite fundraising auctioneer Scott Robertson and presentation of the second annual Volunteer of the Year Award.

All proceeds support Naples Senior Center and continued expansion of services.

Established as a Florida nonprofit organization in 2011, the senior center provides critical programs and services addressing the emotional and social needs of seniors across Collier and southern Lee counties.

The senior center opened its doors on January 17, 2014. It is the only human services agency of its kind in our community with the mission of empowering seniors and families by giving them tools to address life’s challenges, like the isolation and loneliness faced by so many local seniors.

“Naples Senior Center plays a crucial role in combatting social isolation and loneliness faced by so many older adults,” said Dr. Jaclynn Faffer, President/CEO of the Naples Senior Center.“

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more important than ever that we find new and creative ways to serve seniors in our community and address their emotional and social needs.”

The Naples Senior Center is “The Central Address for Senior Services.” It enriches the lives of adults 60 years of age and older by providing comprehensive programs and social services that support and strengthen seniors and their families, often at times of vulnerability and crisis.

The Naples Senior Center serves the entire community and is a portal to comprehensive services provided by licensed or certified professionals to meet the critical unmet needs of those diagnosed with ADRD and their caregivers as well as the area’s drastically underserved senior population.

Programs include Structured Dementia Respite Support; Geriatric Management and Senior Outreach Programs; Emotional Support Services; and a Food Pantry. NSC also offers an average of 40 different social, emotional and wellness programs each week aimed at stimulating the mind.

The need is there. Membership in the Naples Senior Center has surged from 80 initial members to more than 1,400 today. The Center is able to provide such a broad spectrum of important support programs and social activities for seniors in our community thanks to its generous contributors and loyal supporters as well as its corps of more than 200 carefully vetted and trained volunteers.

Reservations are now being accepted for the Naples Senior Center’s ninth annual Evening for Better Tomorrows. There is no cost to attend the virtual event. In lieu of a ticket, attendees are encouraged to make a tax-deductible donation to support Naples Senior Center. A wide range of sponsorship opportunities also are currently available for local businesses and individuals.

For more information or reservations, visit www.naplesseniorcenter.orgor call (239)325-4444.