Each year during the Naples Winter Wine Festival’s Saturday live auction, patrons make direct gifts during a spirited paddle raise that highlights urgent needs supported by the Naples Children Foundation.
For the 2026 festival, set for Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, the Fund a Need initiative will focus on children’s health care, NCF officials said. The effort will address critical gaps in mental health, oral health, vision and primary health care services.
This year’s Fund a Need theme, The Picture of Health, mirrors the 2026 festival’s overall theme, Picture This.
The 2026 Naples Winter Wine Festival’s Fund a Need logo highlights this year’s theme, The Picture of Health, which focuses on expanding children’s access to essential health care services.
In a news release, NCF said every dollar raised during the live call to action Jan. 31 will support its comprehensive approach to improving early access to essential care and ensuring local children receive the resources necessary to grow and thrive.
Local data illustrates the urgency. In the mental health arena, suicide deaths among Collier County children ages 10-19 increased 100% from 2017 to 2022.
Dental screenings through the NCF Pediatric Oral Health Initiative show that 80% of children have tooth decay due to lack of treatment.
NCF officials said 80% of children screened in their oral health initiative had tooth decay due to lack of treatment.
NCF reports that up to 85% of Title I and at-risk students have undiagnosed or untreated vision problems, affecting their ability to learn. In primary care, 65% of Collier County Public Schools students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, underscoring how many children come from low-income families facing barriers, such as limited awareness, transportation and access to health services.
Maria Jimenez-Lara, CEO of NCF, said that without assistance, these children can endure unnecessary pain, fall behind in school and often end up in emergency rooms for conditions that could have been prevented.
“Healthy children miss fewer days of school, engage more confidently in classrooms and build resilience and curiosity that fuels lifelong learning and motivation,” Jimenez-Lara said. “It’s an investment in a child’s ability to thrive not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well.
Up to 85% of at-risk and Title I students have undiagnosed or untreated vision problems, affecting their ability to learn.
“We can’t control what their future is going to be like or what challenges they’re going to face, but if we can make sure that they are healthy and have the physical, social, emotional and intellectual tools they need, then at least we’re preparing these young people to handle the challenges of the future.”
At the 2025 festival, the Fund a Need segment generated more than $5.8 million in on-the-spot contributions to support NCF’s strategic initiatives.
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