The team who made the project possible, Grisel Martin, Devon Parker, Merry Coffman and Juan Santiago. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

The non-profits involved include Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Lee Health Foundation’s Barbara’s Friends, Goodwill Industries of SWFL, AHT Education & Advocacy Fund, ArtFest Fort Myers. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

In Fort Myers, basketball and art come together to combine the love of sports and creativity, showcasing the artists and nonprofits that are changing lives locally.

The Fort Myers Tip-Off and ArtFest Fort Myers are combining athletics and art to create a set of basketballs decorated with various designs related to the non-profits involved in the project.

These basketballs are being put on display at the Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament from Nov. 24-27.

Fort Myers Tip-Off’s Executive Director of Community Impact, Merry Coffman, has assembled her team to make this project possible. She saw the local artists and their talent and wanted to incorporate this with the organizations in the area.

Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center’s decorated basketball created by artist Cesar Aguilera. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

“Lee County has a robust art community in every space.  We are home to dynamic visual artists, film, theatre, vocal, orchestral, you name it, we have it here,” Coffman said. “What we need now are different people who have a platform to give our local artists space because art is everywhere.  With my new position with Intersport, I have been reaching out to many different businesses and people to see how we can best showcase Lee County on the national stage that the Fort Myers Tip-Off provides.”

With Coffman’s mission to combine the sports and the art world as well as give a spotlight to the non-profits in the area, an idea sparked to design the basketballs.

“Grisel Martin was one who said ‘we are doing this’ when I told her some different ideas of how we can incorporate art into Fort Myers Tip-Off.  We, of course, had lots of ideas flowing. She and I have known each other for a long time, and that was a very fun brainstorming session. I think that is another amazing thing about our community, we are collaborators and want to help each other however we can.”

ArtFest Fort Myers’ Grisel Martin worked hand in hand with Coffman to get the ball rolling on the project. With Coffman’s help, the plan was set, and the basketballs were under construction.

“We both had the same idea that we wanted to incorporate the arts within the community,” Martin said. “We were both thinking and conceptualizing the same project without really even knowing it. So that was kind of the birth of the idea. And throughout a couple more brainstorming sessions, I think we decided that we really wanted to highlight some important nonprofits in the community and show the tie between the arts and their mission.”

These nonprofits were each given a basketball to have designed, expressing what their organization means to the community and showcasing their ideas.

Foundation for Lee County Public Schools’ decorated basketball created by artist Linda McQuinn. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

AHT Education & Advocacy Fund’s basketball that will be on display at the Fort Myers Tip-Off created by artist David Acevedo. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

“It’s creative. I really love the creativity and the logistical planning that went behind every single one of them,” Martin said. “I think giving artists that creative liberty to do whatever they want is the result that we’re seeing.”

From the intricate designs of the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center, with various sculptures seen on the basketball, to the detailed designs from birds to books, these basketballs tell a story.

A story of community that showcases the characteristics that align with each non-profit.

“Doing something like this, a project like this, I think, helps showcase that something like sports and athletics and art are not two separate things,” Martin said. “They don’t have to be separate.”

Martin worked with ArtFest Executive Director, Juan Santiago, and the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center’s President and CEO, Devon Parker, to join forces in bringing the community together. The process took planning, from getting each non-profit on board to finding where the basketballs could be displayed and who would create them.

“Our artist who did the ArtFest is a local artist who exhibits at our show almost every year, and so we love her work,” Martin said. “We love that she wants to support what we’re doing in our community, too.”

Santiago was impressed by all the work that was put into the project and the interesting ideas that each artist came up with to really make their basketballs stand out.

“I think the best word that I can use to describe the process would be creative,” Santiago said. “Creative collaboration, the process was just very unique, and because it’s something that we’ve never done before, coming up with that was just fun and exciting to know that we were able to bring this new idea into fruition.”

Coffman was grateful for each member’s involvement, from the push to get the idea out there to Parker’s help with the materials.

Art Fest Fort Myers’ basketball that is being put on display at the Fort Myers Tip-Off created by artist Linda McQuinn. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

“Both sports and the arts bring people together, inspire passion and create memorable shared experiences. When they intersect, you engage new audiences and open doors for creativity in places where people might not expect it,” Parker said. “Whether it’s through design, fan engagement, live performances, or community collaborations like this one, integrating the arts enriches the culture of the sport and strengthens local identity.”

Parker was thankful for the eyes that the Fort Myers Tip-Off brings in. The project was a way for the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center to create for a good cause and inspire others in the community to do the same.

“The Tip-Off energizes Lee County at a crucial time of year. It brings visitors, hotel stays, restaurant traffic, and media visibility that ripple outward into the local economy, just like the arts do year-round,” Parker said. “Events like this reinforce Fort Myers as a destination for sports tourism, and they complement our cultural offerings beautifully. When people come for the basketball and discover our thriving arts scene, everyone benefits—businesses, artists and the broader community.”

Meet the non-profits

Non-profits involved with the project included:

Foundation for Lee County Public Schools
Lee Health Foundation’s Barbara’s Friends
Goodwill Industries of SWFL
AHT Education & Advocacy Fund
ArtFest Fort Myers
Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center

Each non-profit provides a different way they choose to impact the community, from donating clothes to educating children through the arts.

Lee Health Foundation’s Sr. Director of Development, Justin Brand, has been involved with Lee Health’s collaboration on the project and was excited about the showcase being displayed at the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

“Golisano Children’s Hospital is involved as a nonprofit organization for the Fort Myers Tip-Off. We have been working with the Fort Myers Tip-Off for the last few years in various ways,” Brand said. “We’ve had volunteer opportunities to help them, and they’ve always been gracious enough to donate back to the Children’s Hospital.”

Lee Health wanted to thank the Fort Myers Tip-Off for the partnership on the project and the message they are giving to the community.

“Having this opportunity to showcase a piece of artwork that fits both the personality of Golisano Children’s Hospital, the way that we’re designing it, but also have the aspect of basketball, really blends the two organizations together quite nicely,” Brand said.

Lee Health Foundation’s Barbara’s Friends’ decorated basketball created by artist Linda Lucas. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

With this project highlighting non-profits, Brand wanted to remind locals that they can get involved through Lee Health to help families and individuals in need.

“They can donate their time, or they can donate a talent that they have,” Brand said. “So, for instance, we have professional musicians who play some sort of musical instrument every day, throughout the day, and in all of the lobbies of our hospitals. It helps our providers. It helps our patients and their families who are experiencing some sort of chaos or trauma while they are in the hospital.”

Coffman and her team are grateful to all the nonprofits involved and to the community for continuing to support one another through the arts and athletics, making projects like this possible.

For more information on Fort Myers Tip-Off, you can visit fortmyerstipoff.com/.