2005 TO PRESENT
THE HISTORY OF FT. MYERS OFFSHORE, INC.
Ft. Myers Offshore (FMO) had its early beginnings in the spring of 2005. Back then it consisted of a dozen friends from Marco Island to Cape Coral, FL getting together for a little rendezvous for lunch at area waterfront restaurants. As the months went by, more and more offshore boaters would hear about and were drawn to our little group. The club was on its way.
In early January 2007 there was an event that really pulled our group together. An offshore boat that was not part of our group was involved in a tragic accident in the Gulf of Mexico off Marco Island, FL. 16 year old Jennifer Molter was the sole survivor, losing 4 family members. FMO held a couple of fund raisers to help Jennifer achieve her goal to one day go to college raising over $34,000.00. We established a trust fund for Jennifer and are pleased to announce that she has now completed her formal education, making all of us at Ft. Myers Offshore very proud.
In the summer of 2008, a decision was made to bring this loose knit group of offshore boating enthusiasts into a more formal club structure. Ft. Myers Offshore Inc. was incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) charity under Florida State law with a 7 member board of directors. They currently are: Tim and Cyndee Hill, Eric Belisle, Bill Forenski, Troy Schirk, Nick Amelio, and Amanda Gardner. All positions are voluntary and without compensation.
Today, FMO has grown to over 200 boating members with offshore enthusiasts from across SW Florida, as well as the eastern United States and Canada. Having raised and distributed more than $300,000.00 for the clubs student scholarship program, we continue with our goals of promoting safe and responsible offshore boating as well as meeting the objectives of our mission statement. Ft. Myers Offshore, Inc. hosts 7 or 8 boating events each season between October and April. Our fun runs have a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and all are welcome.
Club forum on OffshoreOnly.com
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/ft-myers-offshore-186/
Contact person
Tim Hill
Phone: 630-363-1986
Email: [email protected]