Island Country Club Charitable Foundation Hosts Fun Afternoon

Christmas came a little early for a number of families whose children attend Tommie Barfield Elementary, Marco Island Charter Middle School and Marco Island Academy this year due to the generosity of the Island Country Club Charitable Foundation (ICCCF).

Those families would be invited to the Island Country Club for an afternoon of fun, food, games and a little up close and special time with first responders from Marco’s bravest and finest during this special holiday season.

This collaborative effort between the community’s emergency services personnel and the Island Country Club’s Charitable Foundation began a few years ago in an effort to build a stronger bond between some of the families within the greater Marco community.

The Community Policing Program, as well as the School Resource Officer Programs, both benefit from creating stronger bonds between the children and family units within the community. Opening an improved dialogue within the community through an active Community Policing Program has also shown itself to be a major factor in improving the relationships between all aspects of how a community views its First Responders and how they interact with each other.

“The membership within the Island Country Club understands the importance of being actively involved within our community instead of just being an address on one of the streets. It’s important that we be actively involved in ensuring the quality of life for our citizens by being good community partners. We do that through the Island Club’s Charitable Foundation in supporting important efforts such as today’s program and other outreach programs,” said Aldo Palumbo who chairs the ICCCF.

Officers and firefighters could be seen interacting with the youngsters and their parents as they viewed many of the pieces of equipment on display. They then took time to play a competitive game of “cornhole” before enjoying some time together on the new second floor open deck dining area for a typical hot dog/hamburger luncheon.

No Christmas event could be complete without a visit from Santa Claus, and this one was no exception as ICCCF Board Member Gary Landis shuttled Santa into the event via a sporty golf cart to meet with the families and especially the youngsters.