Marco Island Rotary Noontime Visits Avow

Members of the Marco Island Noontime Rotary held their Thursday luncheon last week at Avow in Naples, where Rotarians learned about the wide range of hospice, palliative care, grief support and family services Avow provides in Southwest Florida.

The featured speaker was Annalise Smith, Chief Philanthropy Officer for Avow, who provided Rotarians with a comprehensive overview of the organization's services and its more than 40 years of caring for individuals and families in the community.

For more than four decades, Avow has served as a source of comfort and support for people facing serious illness, loss and grief. Its programs are designed not only to care for patients but also to provide support, guidance and peace of mind for their families.

Among the services Smith discussed were hospice care, non-hospice palliative care, grief and bereavement support, integrated therapies and Avow Kids, which provides specialized support for children and families. Rotarians also learned about Avow's Center for Grief Support, which offers assistance free of charge to anyone in the community experiencing a significant loss.

Smith thanked the Rotarians for their philanthropic gift and emphasized the important role philanthropy plays in Avow's mission. Generous donor support helps Avow provide care to people regardless of their ability to pay and supports programs that depend heavily—or entirely—on contributions from the community.

Rotary is a global network of over 1.4 million business, professional, and community leaders united by the ideal of "Service Above Self.” Through weekly meetings and a network of over 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries, members work together to provide humanitarian service and support to their communities and the world, encourage high ethical standards, and promote goodwill and peace worldwide.