Tom Golisano announces his second series of major gifts totaling $85 million to 41 nonprofit organizations across Southwest Florida. The Nov. 19 announcement, made at Artis-Naples, brings Golisano's philanthropy this year to half a billion dollars and his life-long philanthropy to $860 million. PROVIDED

Three Cape Coral organizations were among the 41 nonprofits across Southwest Florida to receive gifts from philanthropist Tom Golisano as part of his second series of major giving totaling $85 million.

Organizations receiving funds include Guardian Angels for Special Populations, Cape Coral Animal Shelter, and Family Initiative.

“It was a phenomenal day. The emotion in the room was incredible. All of us were so shocked,” Cape Coral Animal Shelter Executive Director Liz McCauley said. “I am getting chills thinking about it today. Just incredible. That donation is transformative to an organization. It changes so much for us and gets us down that path so much faster.”

The shelter will receive $1.5 million over the next few years.

“The awards, which range from $150,000 to $10 million each, are being made to a diverse range of causes, all of which are meaningful to Golisano. They span healthcare, education, intellectual and developmental disabilities, other critical community needs and animal welfare. The gifts will be paid over four to five years, are unrestricted and may be used at each organization’s discretion,’ a release announcing the donations states.

“One of my favorite sayings is ‘the only wealth you keep is that which you give away,’ and this year I’ve decided to act on that saying,” said Golisano, the founder of Paychex, in a statement. “Thanks to the success of Paychex, and its employees I can make it my reality. I’m glad to provide support to nonprofits across Southwest Florida, where I now call home.”

“There are so many organizations in this region doing great work and I know that it’s not easy successfully running a nonprofit. I am impressed with the dedication and perseverance of the organizations that I’ve invited here today. I hope this unexpected funding helps them broaden their impact and strengthen their organizations so they can expand their services and those they serve.”

McCauley said they had no idea they were going to receive gift of $1.5 million; adding they received a mysterious email asking for her and the board president to attend a meeting in Naples last Tuesday with no further explanation provided.

When called to confirm, she asked what was going on, which received the reply that they could not say, but it would be worthwhile to attend.

The money will go towards the Cape Coral Animal Shelter’s capital campaign for its expansion, which will help more people, as part of the expansion is for the clinic.

“We have to raise about $5 million. The new expansion costs about $8 million. We have $3 million saved,” McCauley said, adding that with the gift, they have $3.5 million to raise. “This was a nice step towards that.”

The shelter has received donations from The Golisano Foundation component — Bailey and Friends, which started a few years ago. McCauley said they have applied for grants and have received around $20,000 over the years.

She actually worked for Golisano and Paychex in the ’90s.

“He took great care of his employees. I got to shake his hand yesterday and thank him for supporting us in this capacity,” she said. “If everyone had the kindness in their heart like he does, the world would be a better place.”

McCauley said she is grateful for the support of the community throughout it all, as they rely on the community tremendously.

Guardian Angels for Special Populations will receive $1 million in gifts.

“We are going to make some board decisions on how to best utilize the money to the benefit of our participants in our organization,” Guardian Angels for Special Populations President Mike Sheldrake said. “We don’t take our financial responsibility lightly.”

Guardian Angels is the fundraising arm for the Freida B. Smith Special Populations Center.

“From our side of the house, our mission statement is three-fold — help to gain volunteers, to raise community awareness for the programs offered and help develop some of the programs,” Sheldrake said. “A lot of it is helping them to self-advocate. The center does a lot of training, so we help to sponsor those programs.”

Guardian Angels is in the process of putting together a package that will have ADA equipment at the park across the street — Kiwanis Gardens at Lake Kennedy Park.

They are matching funds, which includes a very sizeable donation from Golisano last year.

Another Cape Coral organization, Family Initiative, received a $5 million gift.

“I think all day yesterday I couldn’t articulate anything, I was in such shock. It blew our mind, both Dave and I, ‘Is this real,'” co-founder and Vice President Anjali Van Drie said that day after the gift was announced.

Family Initiative has worked with the Golisano Foundation in the past and has been fortunate recipients of grants.

“Knowing the way they operate –their mission, passion, and support. No matter what they would have said, we would have been there,” Van Drie said of receiving the email requesting their attendance.

The grand gift is going to be life changing for them, she said.

“We started our organization 9-1/2 years ago now. We started it because we saw a need. We saw a lot of families in our community that needed help,” Van Drie said. “Back when we started there was not much in our community that supported family; supported the entire family.”

“When anyone in the family is having a tough time and needing support it affects the entire family. Family Initiative empowers families and helps them with whatever they need.”

When the organization began, one in 101 individuals was diagnosed with autism. Now it is greater than one in 36 who are on the spectrum.

“We have been super fortunate to get wonderful support across the region, state, and donors. The need continues to increase, numbers continue to raise,” Van Drie said.

There are currently more than 100 families on the wait list for clinical services.

“The need is vast in our community,” she said. “This kind of support, it’s like rocket fuel for us. We have the ideas, the plans — to be able to execute on a much faster timeline to help our families is everything to us. I get chills even thinking about what this will allow us as an organization to help our families. It still feels like a dream. It is amazing, awesome, and unbelievable.”

Van Brie said being at the event was an amazing experience as there was so much joy in the room.

“The way it is going to change the nature of the work so many nonprofits are able to do — a chance in a lifetime to get the support like this,” she said. “I was on cloud nine — I still am.”

Last Tuesday’s announcement, made at Artis-Naples, brings Golisano’s philanthropy this year to half a billion dollars and his life-long philanthropy to $860 million. It follows his Sept. 17 announcement of 82 major gifts totaling $360 million to organizations in Upstate New York, including $52 million to the Golisano Foundation, increasing its assets to $120 million. This infusion of funding increases the Golisano Foundation’s giving from approximately $3 to more than $5 million annually, allowing even more opportunities for nonprofits to access grant funding.

“We encourage non-profit organizations to visit our website to learn more about Tom’s philanthropy and the Foundation’s mission,” said Erica Dayton, executive director of the Golisano Foundation, which Golisano founded in 1985. It has awarded more than $41 million in grants, primarily to organizations devoted to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It also helps animal welfare organizations through Bailey and Friends, an initiative of the Golisano Foundation founded in honor of Golisano’s two dogs, both of whom were named Bailey.

“We look forward to the new influx of agencies we’ll be introduced to through the widespread news of Tom’s most recent giving. Understanding the needs of the communities we support and the organizations that devote their expertise to serving them is a constantly evolving process. We are always looking to learn more and determine how we can be supportive with the resources available,” Dayton added.