The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company is proud to announce it will again be the Presenting Sponsor of the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum’s annual benefit gala, featuring comedian and actor Kevin Nealon for the second year in a row. Proceeds from this year’s event will support the recovery and rebuilding of the Shell Museum following the impacts of Hurricane Ian.
The fundraising gala event, titled Still Standing, will take place at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers on Monday, April 24th, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Guests will enjoy dinner, drinks, an exciting live auction, and an unforgettable performance by Nealon.
“It’s an honor for our firm to partner with the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum for almost two decades,” said Al Hanser, Founder and Chairman of the Sanibel Captiva Trust Company. “It’s a special place, and we are honored to help the museum restore its facility after Hurricane Ian so it may once again provide a unique educational experience to its visitors.”
The Museum was severely impacted by the storm. The ground floor which houses the Living Gallery of aquariums and marine life flooded with over five feet of water causing extensive damage throughout. The storm also tore a hole in the Museum’s brand-new roof, exposing the second and third floors – which include The Great Hall of Shells and storage for the shell collection – to water damage and the elements. The Museum’s priorities for rebuilding are to reconstruct the exhibits and aquariums as quickly as possible and to safeguard its irreplaceable scientific collection of over 550,000 specimens amassed over the last 40 years.
“Sanibel and all of our coastal communities are working hard to rebuild, and the Shell Museum will do the same,” said Jeff Muddell, Sanibel Captiva Trust Company’s Sanibel Market President. “We can’t wait to see thousands of visitors return to see its exhibits and aquariums once the Museum has been restored, and we are grateful that Kevin Nealon is offering his talents to help that effort.”
As one of the longest running cast members on NBC’s Saturday Night Live (1986-1995), Nealon created some of the show’s most memorable characters; his recurring role as an anchor on ‘Weekend Update’ helped make the sketch a show staple. In 1988, he earned an Emmy nomination as part of the SNL writing team.
“The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company continues to be an incredibly important supporter of the Museum,” said Sam Ankerson, National Shell Museum Executive Director. “Their invaluable support and the proceeds of Still Standing will also enable the Museum to continue its educational outreach throughout Southwest Florida while the facility is restored.”
Visit ShellMuseum.org/gala to learn more and purchase tickets for the Still Standing gala.
The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company is an independent trust company with more than $3.5 billion in assets under management that provides family office and wealth management services, including investment management, trust administration and financial counsel to high-net-worth individuals, families, businesses, foundations and endowments. Founded in 2001 as a state-chartered independent trust company, the firm is focused on wealth management services that are absolute-return oriented and performance driven. Each portfolio is separately managed and customized specifically to the client’s yield and cash-flow requirements. The Naples Trust Company and The Tampa Bay Trust Company are divisions of The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company. Offices in Sanibel-Captiva, Naples, Marco Island, Tampa, Belleair Bluffs-Clearwater and Tarpon Springs. www.sancaptrustco.com
About the Museum: The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is a natural history museum, and the only museum in the United States devoted primarily to shells and mollusks. Its mission is to use exceptional collections, aquariums, programs, experiences, and science to be the nation’s leading museum in the conservation, preservation, interpretation, and celebration of shells, the mollusks that create them, and their ecosystems. Permanent exhibitions on view include the Great Hall of Shells which displays highlights of the Museum’s collection of some 550,000 shells, as well as the Beyond Shells living gallery of aquariums and over 60 species of marine life. In 2023 the Museum is under reconstruction following the impacts or Hurricane Ian. For more information, please visit ShellMuseum.org or call (239) 395-2233.
