New name, same heartfelt mission
I want to extend my congratulations to the Naples Children Foundation on the exciting launch of your new name, brand and website. Naples Children Foundation might be shorter, but the impact behind it remains more powerful than ever.
For 25 years, this foundation has helped change the trajectory of life for over 385,000 children and families right here in Collier County. That kind of long-term commitment to health care, education, and providing pathways for the future is something we deeply admire and are proud to be part of.
At Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH), we’ve not only been honored to receive support from the foundation, but we’ve also had the privilege of working alongside them and so many other partners. Together, we’ve been able to strengthen our health care system and make it more accessible for the families who need it most. Health care is about people, and it works best when we work together.
As the only birthplace and pediatric inpatient provider in Collier County, NCH is incredibly grateful for the foundation’s ongoing leadership and support. Their vision has helped us grow stronger as a community, and their dedication reminds us of what’s possible when we lead with heart.
We’re excited to keep building on this partnership and continuing the mission we all share giving every child the chance to grow up healthy, with access to education and a future full of promise.
Paul Hiltz, FACHE president & CEO, NCH
Sirianni family’s dedication
Congratulations on your wonderful story about Sammy and the Sirianni history at FMHS. But even more amazing, if you dig deeper, is the total years of dedication to the school by multiple family members. That number is probably over 300 if you combine years served by them all. Not just football, but teaching, work as a librarian, in the cafeteria, other coaching roles, Margaret as dean, and Stephanie, who keeps coming back from retirement because she misses the kids. Think about the positive impact this has made on the thousands upon thousands of students they have helped guide and mentor over decades of service. There can be no greater gift to leave behind than to help a child become a solid citizen, and ultimately a good parent. There are decades of former Greenie team members out there who have benefitted from Sam and Sammy’s guidance − on and off the field − as well as non-athletes who were touched by Sirianni family members who dedicated themselves to our children. For many of these kids, a Sirianni teacher or coach served in a much-needed role as a missing parent. We proudly salute their dedication to their craft. We are the true beneficiaries of their unswerving dedication to our kids.
Marge Lennon, Fort Myers
Conscientious analysis needed
The article about Florida’s DOGE stated that it is requesting all sorts of information about courses including lectures, discussions, lab courses as well as syllabi. DOGE says that among other things it is “seeking additional information regarding the rigor and performance of programs.” How does one evaluate rigor? To do it rigorously I would think that an evaluator would need to read all the materials, listen to the lectures, do the labs, write the required papers, and take the tests. Ideally, the evaluator would some expertise in the subject matter. In a reasonable detail, I’d like to see what DOGE has in mind about how they will determine rigor. My guess is that what the federal DOGE did will be replicated. In other words, an algorithm will go through all the material looking for certain keywords such as climate change and then try to kick such courses out of the curriculum for what would actually be spurious and dishonest reasons. If they did a conscientious analysis, they’d have to hire countless people to study and evaluate each course, all the lectures, the syllabi, and the reading material, but I’m not going to hold my breath, though maybe the math courses will get a free pass.
Don Barry, Naples
Nothing constrains Trump
President Trump claims that illicit drug smugglers are terrorists, and thus it is lawful to kill them without due process. No evidence has been provided to support this claim nor justification for the death penalty. The president’s MAGA base seems to be in full support.
Consider, however, that since there would be no drug smugglers without American buyers and users of these illicit drugs, are these Americans not terrorists as well? And if so, are they not in danger of being treated in a manner alike the alleged smugglers? Preposterous you say! But Trump has shown that he is a law unto himself, and the adage − justice denied to one, is justice denied to all − is applicable here. The fox is in the henhouse, and nothing constrains him. And we are all potential hens!
Ed OKeefe, Bonita Springs
Support a clean-energy future
Just as Donald Trump swung a wrecking ball through the East Wing, destroying fragments of American history, he is now swinging another at our climate protections. His latest actions weaken standards designed to protect us from a warming planet and threaten public health here and around the world. Trump’s recent executive order will drastically roll back fuel-economy requirements for new vehicles. He claims this will make cars cheaper, but Consumer Reports finds that improved fuel efficiency typically saves drivers about $7,000 in lifetime fuel costs per vehicle. The World Health Organization estimates that acting now to reduce climate impacts could prevent 250,000 deaths every year between 2030 and 2050. Today, 99% of people breathe unhealthy levels of polluted air, largely from burning fossil fuels. This pollution causes respiratory disease, strokes, and heart attacks. By 2030, the health impacts alone are expected to add $2–$4 billion to health care costs every year.Investing in clean energy means lower utility bills, cleaner air and water, lower health care expenses, and a stronger economy. We should support clean-energy incentives and tax credits. A thriving clean-energy economy requires individuals, businesses, and policymakers working together on long-term solutions for the climate, for ourselves, and for future generations.
Call or email your elected officials. Urge them to move forward, not backward, and support a clean-energy future.
Eileen Briening, Naples
This is totally crazy
What is going on! And why does America not do something about this pardoning of drug kingpins like the ex-president of Honduras. He was convicted by a court in the USA for smuggling in tons of cocaine. Why did Trump pardon him? Because he sent Trump an obsequious letter praising him and blaming Biden. The Americans who support criminal Trump are fools. Now he wants to lead us into a war with Venezuela to combat “narcoterrorism.” Remember that drugs come into this country to feed our demand, they supply something a segment of our population wants. Do we really want our troops in a real war over drugs when we know this will not solve the problem. This whole mess is totally crazy.
Benjamin Glick, Naples
Religion and power
When one reads “Today in History” in the Naples Daily News, a notable pattern emerges. For hundreds of years, the most significant impacts on social and cultural change have been based on an emperor, king, or dictator using religion as the driving force for domination. With religion, they even decide what is divine and is law, hence, the King James version of the Bible. Historically, leaders like to pick and choose which of the ancient writings best support their quest for power. In America, the latest religious weapon comes from the likes of Christian Nationalism, Moms for Liberty, and evangelical pastors exhorting political self-righteousness from the pulpit. We are now witnessing the latest iteration of religion and power. How different are these groups and forces from the impositions of organizations like the Taliban?
Paul Westberry, Naples
AI-based data threat
Palantir Technologies, a Silicon Valley tech company, is putting your most basic freedoms at risk. Palantir was created by far-right billionaire Peter Thiel and its current CEO Alex Karp. It sells AI-based data platforms that let their clients, including governments, militaries and law enforcement, quickly process and analyze massive amounts of your personal data. Whether it is social media, bank accounts, tax history, medical history, or driving records, the tools that Palantir sells are used to help clients identify and monitor individuals — like you.
Why should this matter to you? Billions of your tax dollars are going to Palantir, and will be used against you by Trump and his loyal Republicans. Palantir’s Karp said: “Palantir is here to disrupt and make the institutions we partner with the very best in the world and, when it’s necessary, to scare enemies and on occasion kill them.”
Trump signed an executive order requiring government agencies to consolidate all their information about you into one giant database which has never been done before. To help process this massive amount of information, Trump hired Palantir. Trump has targeted people or organizations he considers enemies. Imagine if he could punish or deny services to individual Americans based on their political affiliation, whether they attended a protest, or even posted an unflattering picture of him online. Republicans who support Trump at the local, state, and federal level look to Palantir to help them create a police state and eliminate your basic freedoms.
Ray Allen, Fort Myers
Level the playing field
Trump had the right slogan; he just backed it wrongly with oligarchs and the wealthy. To be successful, MAGA has to back its way forward with the right people: the domestic working class. Trump was mistaken by backing the rich.
We need to de-globalize the economy, to bring manufacturing home and reindustrialize the rustbelt, to rein in and repatriate the hyper-global banking sector, to rebuild American infrastructure from coast to coast, to strengthen the power of labor by leveling the legal playing field between workers and employers.
By doing that, we bring the disenfranchised back into power — the power of “we the people.” Our Constitution begins with “We the People” and we the people are not the rich but we the people are the American working class − that is most of us and that’s how a democracy works.
A government which services its working class, and not its oligarchs, is a government making America great again.
Joe Haack, Naples
Living in a MAGA bubble
Regarding a letter to The News-Press on 12/3/25: I believe that the writer remains discontented with all things that are not MAGA. I have read his past letters and know that he is living in a MAGA bubble and apparently is unaware of the actual reality of the past decade.
Just as a brief reminder to him, President Biden did NOT “create the worst inflation” in his term! No one president does. However, what he inherited was an inflationary mess, that was created by many presidents. Inflation does not work that way. One person does NOT create inflation! Biden did what he could, with what he inherited and improved some of the inflationary problems. Further, President Obama inherited the same in the past, only worse. He made tremendous progress with the economy and job growth and thus, with inflation. Then, along came the “Great Destroyer…”
I want to remind the uninformed writer that it “takes a village” to bring the economy up and remain so. The present occupant of the White House is someone who causes discontent and fear wherever he goes. This country needs a good dose of strong leadership, one with a broad understanding of its history and its law and one with empathy for its people, not a crybaby with an agenda of retribution.
Donald Trump possesses none of those qualities, but he has created more discontent by ignoring the voters who voted for him, than any standing president before him!
In closing, please read as widely as possible to get the actual facts. If you do that, and hop out of your comfy MAGA bubble, you will be wiser and maybe less mean and uninformed.
Sarah Wilmarth, Fort Myers
Incompetence and bad intentions
Ms. Bondi is a seasoned lawyer. Yet she, like so many other Trump ideologically blinded legal and political moths, voluntarily decided to fly around Mr. Trump’s brightly burning flames of illegal conduct, advocacy of law as a weapon, vengeance driven prosecutions and across the board abuse of power. Ms. Bondi has now been reduced to a sad, tweet directed mouthpiece taking a steady stream of idiotic, legally fraught directions from the MAGA king who is himself a hardened, lifelong veteran of the courtroom as a criminal and civil defendant and as the plaintiff on the losing end of numerous frivolous lawsuits. Ms. Bondi presides over a Department of Injustice that is bleeding lawyers of integrity who want to keep their law licenses and she no doubt has lost the respect of those with integrity who remain there. DOJ lawyers are refusing to sign on to cases that are politically motivated, forcing Ms. Bondi to recruit from the peanut gallery. Federal grand juries are routinely failing to advance politically motivated charges against defendants brought by Ms. Bondi’s department (almost unheard of at the federal level). At the Felon-in-Chief’s direction, Ms. Bondi has been forced to illegally appoint lawyers to key U.S. Attorney positions who are then being forced out by judges. Ms. Bondi was recently reduced to stammering through an explanation as to why an investigation she previously deemed “closed” is now being reopened after a tweet from her vengeance seeking boss directing her to investigate Democrats. No, this is not normal folks, but Mr. Trump, MAGA and rightwing media work overtime to convince us that it is, that is all the fault of those “lefties.” When will MAGA come to understand that it is their incompetence and bad intentions, a debilitating combination, that are the real causes of it all?
Thomas Minor, Bonita Springs
Lower power bills
I opened my most recent power bill and I was shocked…. at how low it was. It was the lowest I have seen in four years. I have since spoken to many people, even old friends in Illinois and they are similarly seeing lower power bills. Thanks, Trump!
Allison Spataro, Naples
Sleight-of-hand, lipstick on a pig
Hats off to some of the GOP. Give credit where credit is due: In my opinion, everywhere you look, a case study in sleight-of-hand and putting lipstick on a pig. Meanwhile, the truth builds, the facts accumulate to overpower the lies and deceptions. You can deceive and lie and gerrymander the voters out of the districts, but you can’t gerrymander the vote out of the voters. Those footsteps you hear are Americans coming for you.
Clayton Jones, Naples
American values
I’ve been privileged to live in America a long time. Our nation was created/established on several strong principles 250 years ago. Foundationally, Almighty God was chief principal and his biblical guidance provided our national leaders with significant guidance managing our nation. To our national “Pledge of Alligance,” we added, “One Nation Under God”! Also, in the same decade, the motto “In God We Trust” was incorporated on all our coins.
When I look at our country today, we have wandered significantly from our foundational “God” standards. Our entertainment world is filled with all kinds of profanity, including “God’s name in vain.” People who are guilty of all types of crime are not punished. Many states have approved abortion, same sex marriage, minor theft, sexual change, etc. When I became a Christian (believer), I was amazed at how many God caring standards were incorporated in scripture. For example, forgiveness, food left for poor people on farms, sacrifices made available to the needy, counselling, etc.
Our current leadership needs to be reminded of God’s standards, methods and His great love. An excellent current example is Charlie Kirk, who inspired millions by his wise Godly standards and mature leadership.
Thomas F. Hanrahan, Estero
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Naples Children Foundation: New name, same mission | Opinion letters
Reporting by Letter writers / Fort Myers News-Press
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