Tickets are available for a fundraiser to support a new initiative to rebuild Sanibel\u2019s green spaces.<\/p>\n
Organized by Roots in Resilience, the first-ever Green Gala 2025 will be held on Dec. 20 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at BIG ARTS on Sanibel. The event will entail hors d\u2019oeuvres, cocktails and a film screening.<\/p>\n
Kate Sergeant, who is involved with the group, explained that Roots in Resilience started out as a citizen collaboration with the city and its Natural Resources Department. The initiative aims to restore the lush, tropical landscapes that define Sanibel by revitalizing its key corridors and public spaces.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an initiative to raise money to regreen Sanibel,\u201d she said, noting that the need was generated from the hurricanes in recent years. \u201cSo it\u2019s replanting large trees and vegetation along roadways, our bike trails and, eventually, our beach accesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
The collaborative partnership has expanded to also include the Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) and Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). Sergeant explained that CFI will manage the funding raised for the projects, and SCCF will help select the trees and vegetation for replanting.<\/p>\n
In addition, Coastal Vista Design\u2019s Leigh Gevelinger is donating her landscape architect services.<\/p>\n
She continued that as a living tribute to the city\u2019s 50th anniversary, the now long-term initiative aims to regreen public spaces by planting 50-plus native trees and vegetation each year for the next 50 years.<\/p>\n
The Green Gala 2025 will serve as the kickoff fundraiser for Roots in Resilience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will go toward our first project,\u201d Sergeant said of the proceeds.<\/p>\n
It will focus on the Causeway Boulevard corridor, the entryway to Sanibel. New native plantings will help restore the welcoming, subtropical landscape from the causeway end to the four-way stop sign.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to plant 50 large trees, plus vegetation,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The evening will open with passed hors d\u2019oeuvres served up by Jamie\u2019s Cuisine and an open bar.<\/p>\n
\u201cKind of a cocktail happy hour prior to the screening of the film,\u201d Sergeant said.<\/p>\n
The film to be shown will be \u201cOn Sanibel: The Hurricane Diaries,\u201d directed and produced by islander, Starfish Lane Production founder and City Councilmember Laura DeBruce. Named the Audience Favorite at the 2025 Fort Myers Film Festival, it chronicles Sanibel before and after Hurricane Ian \u2014 highlighting the strength, resiliency and spirit of the island community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really honored to show Laura DeBruce\u2019s film,\u201d she said. \u201cIt just seemed like a nice tie in, and there\u2019s so many people who wanted to see the film and haven\u2019t been able to yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attire is green tie optional.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are encouraging people to wear something green,\u201d Sergeant said.<\/p>\n
General admission tickets are $175 per person; sales will end on Dec. 17 at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n
The community is invited to attend.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the most magical things about Sanibel is its natural environment. A lot of that has to do with our dense tropical vegetation. When a lot of that was lost, I think that was very disheartening for people,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we\u2019re good stewards of the island, and part of that is replanting what we lost.\u201d<\/p>\n