November… A Time To Pause And Count Our Blessings

When it comes to counting my blessings, one of the first things that comes to mind, after my wife, is the many blessings that publishing Estero Life Magazine for the last 15 years has provided. I think of the storylines, the dining opportunities and the community involvement that we have so greatly enjoyed. And I am so appreciative of our subscribers and readers over these many years.

As a region, we can all take great relief and be thankful that God blessed our area by sparing us from any natural disasters. With only a month left in our hurricane season — a quiet one thus far — we are all able to move into our high season and the upcoming holidays without serious disruptions.

We can all be grateful that we are living in the Village of Estero where the blessings of exceptional management and leadership are the norm, rather than the exception. This month’s Village Connection provides the highlights of the recently adopted budget. From our property taxes remaining low to responsible government and being debt free, we are blessed beyond measure!

For the sports fans in our community, we are proud to introduce you to Raina Harmon, the new women’s basketball head coach at FGCU who comes to us from eight seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, bringing a culture of success. Her achievements in coaching include developing several WNBA draft picks, particularly Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 overall pick and 2024 Rookie of the Year. As a new resident of Verdana, we are all very blessed to welcome Coach Harmon to our area. You can read about her and the upcoming season in this month’s cover story, “Ready to Fly.”

We are also blessed with an abundance of exceptional dining options throughout Southwest Florida. As a promotional sponsor of Sizzle Dining again this year, I am proud to announce that the participating 128 restaurants in the September dining event served up a record 87,483 meals, resulting in raising $87,843 for Blessings in a Backpack. If you personally took advantage of any of the Sizzle offerings, we are grateful for your support!

Our featured dining venue this month is just a short drive to North Naples to Old Vines Naples, a casual fine dining, wine and cocktails, lunch-to-late night spot, in the heart of bustling Mercato. We are sure that you will all find something to enjoy from our favorites. Good food is such a blessing!

The blessings continue with our local government, which strives to provide meaningful activities in our community. Here’s a reminder about the Village’s celebration of Veterans Day from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Community Park in Estero. We invite everyone to attend and enjoy our local entertainment!

We all have many, many reasons to be thankful as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. From all of us at Estero Life Magazine, we wish each of you the most grateful and blessed Thanksgiving as we continue to pray for sustained peace in the Middle East and the end to all wars. God Bless the USA!

 

Until next month, remember to…

Enjoy the Good Life: Estero Life!!!

Gary

Gary Israel, President & Publisher

Estero Life Magazine