Manatee Madness 2021

You can be the proud owner of an original and unique piece of art and take home your very own "Manatee Madness" sculpture and help support Community Housing and Resources (CHR) with your generosity!

The inspiration for "Manatee Madness" began as an idea that CHR’s Executive Director, Melissa Rice had been contemplating for years based on the famous painted “Cow Parades” in cities all over the world. We realized early in 2020 that the festivities and games connected with our usual Mardi Gras fundraiser would not be appropriate, as nothing in our world this past year has been "as we knew it," so we decided the time was right to bring on the cows. Sea Cows, that is.

The first step was to find artists who would dedicate their time and talent to support CHR, and then to find enough sponsors to make the fundraising effort worthwhile. To our collective delight, almost every artist we approached immediately agreed to participate with unbridled enthusiasm and creativity. The sponsors quickly followed, not only the stalwarts who support CHR year after year, but also a new group of businesses who were willing to join in the madness for the cause! We are humbled by and grateful for the outpouring support from the City of Sanibel and the community at large.

We want to extend a special thank you to CHR Manatee Madness Co-Chairs, Laura DeBruce and Arlene Dillon for their timeless dedication to this project, and their committee members, Lisa Ann Miller, Lena Brown, Josh Ballard, and Luke Blackman for their help delivering, picking up and organizing the Manatees.

We can only do what we do with your help. CHR depends on fundraising, donations, and community support for over 40% of the annual operating budget needed to continue to provide affordable housing, here in our island community.

The Manatee sculptures have been a joy for all to view and admire over the last few months. They remain in place at their respective locations, and a site map can be found by visiting https://sanibelchr.org/mm2021/map/.

And now, let the Manatee Madness Auction begin! Please remember to "Bid high and bid often!"

***We strongly encourage all winning bidders to contact us directly to arrange payment via the form of a check or money transfer. This will help CHR keep its costs down and not have to worry about the added transaction and credit card fees. Thank you for your understanding.***

Community Housing and Resources, Inc. (CHR) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to provide affordable housing for families and individuals who work and who serve the community of Sanibel.

To be eligible for CHR housing, all household members must either:

• work full time on Sanibel or
• are retired or disabled longtime residents of Sanibel

People sustain our community. CHR works to ensure that Sanibel remains a vibrant island community where caring, experienced people are committed to your health, safety, and welfare.

When we responsibly invest in our future by providing secure and stable housing for our dedicated community members, we all win. Home is the heart of everything— with a home, people succeed, families thrive, and our community remains strong.