2024 events/photos
September 21, 2024 General Membership Meeting
Many members and guests came to our meeting on Sept. 21st to hear WINK Meteorologist Greg Rule’s presentation. His fascinating talk and slide presentation were a big hit at last year’s September meeting, so we invited him back to give us an updated look at our weather in Southwest Florida and discuss hurricane preparedness. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the topic shown through again as he shared valuable timely information and answered lots of questions afterwards.
July 27, 2024 General Meeting
We had twenty members in attendance and welcomed three guests. The program for the FOCCL General Meeting in July has traditionally been a popular round table talk about Books We've Read. And this year's program did not disappoint! We all thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the 29 different books that were recommended. (Click here for a PDF with the list of books.) 
May 15, 2024 Children's Art Contest Awards Ceremony
Over 80 people attended the ceremony to honor the winners of our 18th Annual Children's Environmental Art Contest "Coloring the Earth" held in the Meeting Room of the Cape Coral Library. The audience was fascinated by an interactive presentation on this year's theme, the critically endangered Smalltooth Sawfish, by Adam Brame. Dr. Brame is the sawfish recovery coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, an office of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The young winners received their prizes, and everyone enjoyed the delicious refreshments. Thank you to Art Contest Chairperson Alessia Leathers for organizing the contest every year and for putting together such a memorable awards ceremony. (See the Art Gallery tab on this website for photos of all 21 winning contest art entries, which are also framed and on display at the library art gallery through June 27.)
May 7 FOCCL Volunteer Appreciation Event
The Friends of the Cape Coral Library Board of Directors held a luncheon to say thank you to all the members who have volunteered for our organization throughout the year. It was held in Cape Coral's Gulf Coast Village auditorium/dining room. GCV served a delicious buffet, and everyone had a great time.
Spring 2024 Book Sale Fundraiser
Thank you to all who made it a success.
March 23,2024 Annual Meeting
We enjoyed another meeting with excellent turnout. (42 members in addition to 5 guests, who signed up as new members at the meeting, were in attendance.) Guest Speaker Brittnay Laster, Education & Outreach Coordinator for CROW, gave an enthusiastic presentation including slides with photos of local wildlife and answered our many questions.
Our Booths at the Festivals This Year Were Busier Than Ever!
FOCCL had booths again at each of the annual events. Our wonderful members plus student volunteers from FGCU had paper and art supplies ready for kids to create their entries to the 18th Annual Children’s Environmental Art Contest. Printed materials about the endangered Smalltooth Sawfish were on hand for the young artists to browse through for inspiration. (The many parents who visited our tables not only learned about this precious species but also about our organization.)
March 2, 2024 - SWFL Reading Festival on Fort Myers Regional Library Campus. We're a proud sponsor each year.
February 24, 2024 - Annual Burrowing Owl Festival at beautiful Rotary Park in Cape Coral.
Jan. 20, 2024 General Meeting
We had an excellent turnout of members and guests (over 45 people) who came to get the latest news about FOCCL activities and to hear guest speakers from Captains for Clean Water. In their presentation, Dianna Ryan and Bob Beville shared information about the organization, their history, importance of clean water to the state in general and southwest Florida in particular, and how they are addressing water issues with an eye on the future. Just a few of their many slides are shown here.
