2008 SCCF Marine Lab Challenge Grant

To jumpstart the growth of the SCCF Marine Laboratory, our longtime supporter Gretchen Valade is announcing an extremely generous challenge grant.

Gretchen is pledging to meet up to $100,000 in new gifts to the Marine Lab until June 30, 2008.  To encourage her fellow SCCF Members to participate, she is offering very unique incentives to those meeting her challenge:

• For any gift of $5,000 or more, Gretchen will give a gift certificate for dinner for two, including a bottle of wine, to her Sanibel restaurant. Sweet Melissa's, formerly known as Redfish Blufish, was renamed in recognition of its extraordinary chef, Melissa Talmadge.
• The donors of all gifts of $5,000 or more will also have their names placed in a drawing for an all-expense-paid weekend for two at the 2008 Detroit Jazz Festival. As presenting sponsor of the Jazz Festival, Gretchen will provide airfare, hotel accommodations, and access to VIP festival events as her guests.

Your response to Gretchen’s generosity could mean as much as $200,000 to the next phase of the Marine Lab’s stewardship of the waters surrounding Sanibel and Captiva. We hope you can help!

I would like to make an on-line donation for the Marine Lab Challenge Grant.

For more details, please call Cheryl Giattini at 395-2768 or Marti Bryant at 472-2329.