The Generous Many

When a crane operator died while working on the Sanibel Causeway, the Sanibel Captiva Trust Co. stepped in to collect donations for his widow. Elsewhere, the company offers help to CROW, Hope Hospice, Southwest Florida Symphony and the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida, and it is known for its directors' philanthropic activities.

Chairman and founder Al Hanser serves as director of the Community Foundation of Sanibel-Captiva and chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, among others. Board member Stephen Brown is a Sanibel councilman, chairman of the Lee Memorial Pediatric Advisory Committee and a board member of the Lee Memorial Hospital Foundation and Doctors for Kids. Ginny Fleming's vast record of service has included work with the Schoolhouse Theater, Community Foundation of Sanibel-Captiva, Gulfshore Ballet, Lee Memorial Hospital Foundation, Southwest Florida Community Foundation and the Edison & Ford Winter Estates Foundation.

The company also provides financial support to about 30 nonprofit organizations, from the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Chairman and CEO: S. Albert D. Hanser. Location: 2407 Periwinkle Way, Suite 7, Sanibel. On Sanibel since: 2001. Web site: www.sancaptrustco.com. Employees: 10. Nature of business: Investment management.

BUILDING GOODWILL

In Southwest Florida, where growth is the dominant industry, it makes sense that some of the biggest givers are in the construction and banking arenas. Singling out any company is risky, because there are so many examples of generosity in these industries. But a few bear mentioning, starting with The Bonita Bay Group. Its executives are involved in a broad spectrum of community service, and the company is noted not just for its financial and leadership contributions but also for a culture that encourages employees to actively contribute-and it matches their donations.

One of the biggest contributors to the annual United Way campaign in Lee County (topped only by Publix Supermarkets), Bonita Bay is also one of the biggest participants in the United Way's executive loan program. It gives about 5 percent of its pretax profits each year to charitable causes-organizations like United Way and Habitat for Humanity, as well as local projects. It gave $55,000 toward a nature center at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, $30,000 to the Edison College Foundation to help hire a professor for the future Hendry/Glades campus and $350,000 to the City of Fort Myers to expand Clemente Park in Dunbar.

With about 1,500 employees throughout Southwest Florida, WCI Communities contributes to organizations that touch its employees' communities, particularly those involving education and children, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCA. WCI helped Quality Life Center in Dunbar start a school for young children and gave money and volunteer time to extensively renovate the facility. The Lee County Board of County Commissioners recognized WCI earlier this year "for its outstanding service to the youth and citizens of Lee County and for its dedication to making our community a better place."

Other noteworthy examples:

The Lutgert Cos.: A $5-million contribution from Raymond and Beverly Lutgert (company founder and namesake of the Raymond L. Lutgert Cancer Center in Naples, and his wife) toward an engineering school at Florida Gulf Coast University. The Lutgert Cos. support no fewer than 26 nonprofits in Southwest Florida alone.

Owen-Ames-Kimball Co.: Presi-dent Steve Shimp, named by the Florida Economic Development Council as a 2005 Volunteer of the Year, headed up the Horizon Foundation and has been active in the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Edison Community College Foundation and a state commission addressing education quality. The company gives financially, and Shimp is known to challenge vendors and colleagues to participate as well.

Northern Trust Bank: Northern Trust branches are significant supporters of local causes, from Florida Repertory Theatre to Habitat for Humanity to the Lee County Reading Festival. And its executives volunteer at an array of organizations, including the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation, Uncommon Friends Foundation, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, United Way, Naples Comm­unity Hospital Foundation, American Heart Association, Lee Memorial Health System Foundation and more.

First Home Builders: As the title sponsor for two years of the Cattle Barons' Ball (in partnership with Chico's), it helped raise $430,000 in 2005 for the American Cancer Society-more than any Cattle Barons' Ball in Florida. It also contributed and matched donations to raise money for holiday gifts for children, and has helped foot the bill in recent years for Fort Myers' Fourth of July fireworks show.