"Team Punta Gorda is a diverse group of boosters"
March 28, 2008 Charlotte Sun
by
Nancy Prafke, CEO
TEAM
Punta Gorda is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. For
more information, visit our website or call 941-637-TEAM
(8326).
As I
talk to people around our community, it is amazing the
number of times I have heard one of two statements, “Isn’t
Team Punta Gorda an organization within the Punta Gorda
Isles Civic Association?” or “I’d join Team Punta Gorda but
I don’t live in the City.” Let’s dispel these myths and
tell you all about who these Team Punta Gorda volunteers
are, these people who willingly and enthusiastically serve
our community and are working on some very exciting
projects.
With
over 2,000 supporters signed up, we are a very diverse
group. We pride ourselves on being inclusive. We welcome
everyone and we mean everyone. Team Punta Gorda volunteers
are working people, retired people, people from all age
groups (we’re definitely not all seniors), men and women.
Geographically, our volunteers come from every part of Punta
Gorda including Trabue Woods, the historic district, Burnt
Store Meadows, Burnt Store Isles, and Punta Gorda Isles.
Outside of Punta Gorda and within Charlotte County, our
members include citizens residing in Charlotte Park,
Charlotte Harbor, Deep Creek, Burnt Store Lakes, Port
Charlotte, and Englewood. Outside of Charlotte County,
members come from North Port, Burnt Store Marina, Cape
Coral, Ft. Myers, Estero, Naples, Miami and many other
cities around the state of Florida. Some of our supporters
are part-time residents who summer in locales continents
away.
Every
time I meet a supporter from outside of Punta Gorda, I ask
what inspired him or her to join Team Punta Gorda. The
responses include:
· Liking what
the City of Punta Gorda is doing to recover from Hurricane
Charley and the excitement around the City’s rebirth
· Feeling a
vested interest in seeing the revitalization of Punta Gorda
succeed. We know that the successful revitalization of
Punta Gorda will have a ripple effect throughout Charlotte
County and beyond
· We wish we had
a group like Team in our community
With
the exciting projects Team has underway in 2008 we have
attracted many participants who want to be a part of
bringing dreams to reality. Our Rails-to-Trails project has
attracted many bike enthusiasts, City and County staff, and
people from the health care community. The local arts
community is involved in our Artisan’s Village initiative.
Our Higher Education committees believe Punta Gorda’s future
will be significantly enhanced by the presence of additional
higher education facilities. The Maritime team includes new
members who support optimizing the contribution of our
harbor and river to Punta Gorda’s and Charlotte County’s
quality of life and its economy.
We’ll
share more about these projects in future communications.
In the meantime, why not join us (membership is free—though
donations are encouraged) or become a Team Punta Gorda
volunteer. To learn more, go to our website at
www.teampuntagorda.org or call us at 637-8326.
