I have already blogged about the up coming Naples Winter Wine Festival scheduled about a week from now. On a related note, here is some other news about this event.

First, if you are not special enough to be invited to this festival, no worries. As long as you have the dough, you're in, baby! Check out Naples Wine Festival offers public opportunities to participate in events for details about how you can crash this party.

On a less snobby note, it is nice to know that even though there are only special people normally allowed at this event, the money earned goes for something pretty decent. From Naples Winter Wine Festival Gift Makes Possible an $11.3 Million Project Benefiting Collier County's Neediest Children:

The Naples Children & Education Foundation, founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, announced a gift of $5.65 million to build a 20,000-square-foot pediatric dental facility and a 10,000-square-foot early learning center on the Collier County campus of Edison College. The dental program will be part of the University of Florida College of Dentistry's Statewide Network for Community Oral Health. The cost for construction and equipment for both buildings will total $11.3 million. The University of Florida and Edison College will apply for matching state grants for the remaining $5.65 million of the projects' costs. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2007.

According to NCEF Chairman Scott Lutgert, these two building projects are an unprecedented collaborative effort of local and statewide leaders in health care and education. The resulting programs are designed to aid the estimated 17,000 Collier County children who lack access to dental care and the nearly 45 percent of the county's children who enter kindergarten at risk of failing.

"We are extremely pleased that through collaboration with the University of Florida and Edison College we are able to double funding for the benefit of the community and put more than $11 million toward helping children in areas of their greatest need. It is a wonderful example of the sum being greater than its parts, and just one of the ways we hope to bring together diverse groups for the good of children in need," Lutgert said.