Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille in Sanibel is a sponsor of the 2025 Blue Ribbon Golf Classic and Gala benefiting the Sanibel School Fund, a fundraising arm of the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools. As a grand blue ribbon partner, the restaurant donated $4,000 to the May 10 event which features an afternoon shotgun-start tournament, a helicopter ball drop and a dinner gala.
The golf classic is the fund’s annual fundraiser for The Sanibel School’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics program. The STEAM curriculum lays the educational foundation for a broad array of careers, including solar power, computer engineering, flight, biomedical sciences, space exploration, agriculture, marine biology and more.
“The Sanibel School offers great programs for area students, and we are thrilled to show our support through this donation,” said Joe Harrity, a partner with HM Restaurant Group, the parent company of Doc Ford’s. “We are proud of our founding on the island and are always looking for meaningful ways to make an impact on education, community and environmental issues.”
The Blue Ribbon Golf Classic and Gala, the primary fundraiser for the Sanibel School Fund, is from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at The Sanctuary Golf Club. The fund was established in 2002 to provide enrichment programs for Sanibel School students and shifted its main focus to developing a world-class STEAM program in 2019.
HM Restaurant Group has supported homegrown nonprofit organizations since founding Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille on Sanibel in 2003. The company’s recent partnerships include title sponsorship of the Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club’s Doc Ford’s Invitational King of the Rock golf tournament raising money for scholarships, BIG ARTS Sanibel Island’s annual benefit, the Children’s Education Center of the Islands’ Community Day celebration and Wines in the Wild, a fundraiser for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.
Community, education, conservation and environmental initiatives are at the core of HM Restaurant Group’s philanthropic philosophy. The company supports nonprofit organizations throughout Southwest Florida, including donating $1 from specialty cocktail sales to the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and Captains For Clean Water’s commitment to improving the health of the Florida Everglades and Florida Bay.
Doc Ford’s is also the title sponsor of the annual “Ding” Darling & Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament, a fundraiser for Sanibel’s J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Now in its 13th year, the tourney has raised nearly $1.3 million. The 2025 event is May 9.
Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille is renowned for delivering a legendary guest experience.
Inspired by the title character of Southwest Florida author Randy Wayne White’s novels, Doc Ford’s is beloved for mouth-watering sauces, spices and fresh seafood featuring Caribbean Rim flavors, including its signature Yucatan shrimp. A local favorite for residents and visitors alike, Doc Ford’s offers four locations: Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach, Jungle Terrace in St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg Pier. A perennial Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice winner, the pier restaurant was named the No. 1 restaurant in the country on the global travel site’s Best of the Best Restaurants for Everyday Eats for 2023.
