Upcoming Events Sat, July 13- MangoMania! starting at 9 am. Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church 12175 Stringfellow Rd in Bokeelia. Volunteers needed. See details below. Tues, July 16- Hooker Mixer Event starting at 6 pm. Marker 3 Coastal Cantina 3421 Stringfellow Rd in Saint James City. See details below. Wed, July 17- Social Media Planning Meeting starting at 6 pm. Salty Girls Island Cafe 10700 Stringfellow Rd in Bokeelia, close to center. Sat, July 27- Stuff the SUV Stay tuned, details coming soon! Sat, July 27- Meat Raffle 2- 4 pm. Burnt Store Tavern 3015 SW Pine Island Rd in Cape Coral. See details below. Mon, July 29- School Supply Sorting 10 am- 12 pm. Pine Island Elementary School 5360 Ridgewood Dr in Bokeelia, close to the center. Volunteers needed. See details below. Tues, July 30- School Supply Sorting 10:30- 12:30. Pine Island Elementary School 5360 Ridgewood Dr in Bokeelia, close to the center. Volunteers needed. See details below. Fri, August 2- Fort Myers River District Art Walk 5- 9 pm. Downtown Fort Myers. See details below. Mon, August 5- August Board Meeting starting at 6 pm. Salty Girls Island Cafe 10700 Stringfellow Rd in Bokeelia, close to center. Thurs, August 8- Pine Island Elementary Open House 4- 5:30 pm. Pine Island Elementary School 5360 Ridgewood Dr in Bokeelia, close to the center. Volunteers needed. See details below. Mon, August 12- August General Membership Meeting starting at 5:30 pm. Saint James City Civic Center, 3300 Fourth Ave in Saint James City. See details below. Members are encouraged to visit the website for up to date news, meeting minutes, financials, merchandise and committee event forms. |
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PLEASE make sure you're loading this entire edition of The Herald! Depending on your device, The Herald may be getting "clipped" and not fully loading. The very last things you should see are the P.O. Box address and "Visit the Website" link at the bottom. If you're not seeing this, there are two things you can try. At the very top of the Herald, click on the option to View in a Browser. If that doesn't work, look for "View Entire Message" where it looks to be the end/bottom of The Herald. You should be able to click and load the rest of The Herald. Hopefully this helps some of our members, who haven't been able to hear about all of the awesome things that the Matlacha Hookers have going on! |
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Congratulations to the Matlacha Hookers for receiving the Best of Pine Island 2024 Service Organization Award! |
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MATLACHA HOOKERS MANGOMANIA VOLUNTEER SIGN UP Saturday, July 13th at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church (OLMMC) in Bokeelia PARKING ATTENDANTS Involves six volunteers for each shift at various stations for parking. (10 X 10 tent for shade so you don’t cook in the heat.) Arrive 15 minutes before shift. Shifts: 8:30 - 10:30am, 10:30am - 12:30pm, 12:30 - 2:30pm, 2:30 - 4:00pm (possibly only until 3:30pm) Questions? Contact Donna Trusik 314-560-5074 |
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MERCHANDISE Involves two volunteers for each shift. Sell products, assist with set up and tear down, collect money, record sales, restock tables, assist with getting sizes, recruit new members. Arrive 15 minutes before shift. Shifts: 8-10am, 10am-12pm, 12-2pm, 2-4pm A member of our merch team will send out a price list ahead of time so you can be familiar with our items. Questions? Contact Linda Bohacek 715-579-5009 |
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Matlacha Hookers Mixer Event ~ July 16 |
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Who’s ready to get crafty? Come make a driftwood seahorse or fish, while having drinks, snacks and laughs on Tuesday, July 16th at Marker 3 Coastal Cantina. Happy Hour specials 3- 6 pm and class will start at 6:00. Pre-register and pay the $35 supply fee now by contacting Juli Gilson 440-478-7720. Spots are limited so sign up now! |
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August General Membership Meeting ~ Please Note 5:30 Time ~ |
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We are excited to announce that our next membership meeting will take place on Monday, August 12 at the Saint James City Civic Center, located at 3300 Fourth Avenue in Saint James City. A special dinner will be provided by the SJCCA board as a thank you for all of our support and fundraising efforts. Dinner Details Time: 5:30 PM Menu: Taco Bar Beverages: Beer and wine will be served. You are also welcome to bring your own beverage (BYOB). We look forward to seeing you there and enjoying a fun evening together. **If you ordered a name badge this year, please don't forget to pick it up at the registration table when you arrive** As always, please don't forget to bring food pantry donations! |
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CPR and First Aid Classes |
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In conjunction with Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Department, we are making a list of Matlacha Hookers, families, and friends who want to learn about CPR and maybe further First Aid training, depending on interest. Contact Donna Trusik at 314-560-5074 or dcray25@gmail with desired time (am or pm). |
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Our annual School Supply Drive is in full swing! Bins have been be placed at island businesses to collect school supplies, and QR codes are posted for those who would prefer to donate via credit card. ~Stay tuned for more detail about the Stuff the SUV event on July 27!~ Our sorting dates are scheduled for July 29, 10 am-12 pm, and July 30, 10:30 am- 12:30 pm. Pine Island Elementary will need help with distributing the supplies at their Open House on August 8, 4- 5:30 pm. Questions? Interested in helping? Contact us! Christy Rau 513-703-7433 and Joyce Boyer 314-401-9354 |
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Fourth of July Parade ~ We Won Third Place! |
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The Pine Island 4th of July Parade was a huge success. It was so wonderful seeing all the islanders! The Matlacha Hookers won 3rd place with the patriotic decorations. We share this win with Kuztum Designs Golf Carts, who provided their tritoon for the parade. We threw out thousands of popsicles and all had a wonderful time! Big shout out to Bear's Den Apothecary who provided the majority of the popsicles! |
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Fort Myers River District Art Walk ~ The Full Report! |
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As always, our Hooker members are prevailing, despite less than ideal conditions, for our newest scholarship fundraiser - the Fort Myers River District Art Walk. The June 5 event was cancelled due to the bridge closure and resulting traffic mess. The River District Alliance came close to cancelling the July 5 event due to rain, but hung on and the event took place. Half of the vendors did not show up, for fear of ruining their merchandise from rain exposure. However - THE MATLACHA HOOKERS ARE NOT TO BE STOPPED! Please thank the beverage sales team - Donna Trusik, Joyce and Tom Boyer, DJ Ruscik, Anna Van Kirk and last minute replacement Sherri Davis, as well as Madam LindaBo and merchandise queen Jill Filgut for their participation. Beverages and Matlacha Hookers merchandise were set up and ready to go on time, with smiles and plenty of energy. Unfortunately, sales were off with fewer vendors and attendees, as were my estimates on how much was needed for ice and water. We had more than needed, so the surplus water will be used for the August 2 event. After expenses for beer, ice, and water - we netted $295.93. We're very optimistic we'll do better next month, understanding more about what we need.
Discussions with those participating provided helpful thoughts going forward:
To increase the curiosity seekers who are unfamiliar with the Matlacha Hookers - give them a reason to stop by and check us out even if they aren't purchasing beverages. Our members do a fantastic job of talking up the Matlacha Hooker mission and sharing local info. A water dish and dog treats for the event attendees who bring their pups or service dogs. Bring Miss Mattie - she always warrants attention.
Hooker merchandise had a decent night with $215 in sales. We sold lots of koozies with beer purchases, and merchandise now has a better idea of what will sell at this event. Also, we may not need as many volunteers staffing the tent, although the July 5 experience may not be representative of future Art Walks. Car pooling worked well and we'll continue to encourage and match up folks who are working the same shifts. We're recruiting for the August 2 event. Shifts are 4:30-7 pm and 6:30-9:00 pm. There is free parking on the street after 4 pm and parking garages are open, as is valet parking ($10) at the Luminary Hotel one block away. Click the link below for more info about the event, directions, and parking. It's a fun event - live music, safe environment, lots of restaurants open with indoor and outdoor dining. Think about grabbing your significant other and/or some friends and come down for an evening off the Island or the Cape. It's free. We welcome visits from some familiar faces and a change of scenery can be fun. Thanks again everyone! Lorie Tidwell 202.294.4901 |
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FOR SALE: Matlacha Hookers' Cargo Trailer |
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We're selling the trailer! 8 x 24 Diamond Cargo V Nose trailer. New tires, brakes, and hitch. $4800 or best offer. Contact Linda Bohacek 715-579-5009. |
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Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce |
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The Matlacha Hookers is a member organization of the Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce. To check out their events and activities that might interest you, click on the button below: |
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Pine Island Food Pantry News |
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The Pine Island Food Pantry is in need of the following items: feminine hygiene products, dry cereal, canned soup (NO cream soup), diced tomatoes, instant mashed potatoes, penne or ziti pasta, egg noodles, canned black beans, crackers, and individually wrapped kids' snacks. Please bring donations to the next General Meeting or drop off at one of the following locations: Winn-Dixie, V.F.W., American Legion, Moose, Centennial Bank, the Matlacha Post Office or at the pantry when it is open on Monday and Thursdays, 9 am - 11 am. Visit pineislandfoodpantry.org to learn more. Thank you! |
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The password for our website has been updated! Members Only Area Password: HookM24 |
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Join our Members-Only Facebook Group! |
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Join us in the exclusive Matlacha Hooker Facebook Group! This private page is your ultimate destination for all things Matlacha Hookers. Stay tuned for event announcements, community news, and stories of how we're making an impact together. Plus, enjoy a glimpse into the fun and camaraderie that define our group. |
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Check out and Share our Public Facebook Page! |
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Herald and website content submissions, along with questions or concerns, should be sent to Christy Rau at MHwebmistress@gmail.com. Please do not email Christy by replying to, or forwarding a Herald publication. Since we use the free version of WIX for both our website and emails, the Herald emails actually go out under a different email address, which she does not have access to. |
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