Sanibel’s newest addition to its police department leadership, Captain Patrick Harris, has a long-held special connection to the island, as it is one of his mother’s favorite vacation destinations. He was drawn back when touring the community with Chief William Dalton while beginning the endeavor of securing his new role.

“Everywhere we went, someone knew him,” Captain Harris said. “It was ‘Hi Chief,’ whether it was in a restaurant or the rec center or anywhere within the city, and that feeling of family, not just within the police department, but in the city and the island – it was just such an environment that I felt was inviting and welcoming and something that I wanted to be a part of.”

Captain Harris’ extensive law enforcement background brought him to this career transition. He served 30 years as a police officer in Virginia Beach, another coastal resort community.

Although Donna Hylkema, 78, lives alone in rural Central Florida, she begins each day knowing she will always be in good company. Every morning, she is greeted by a friendly tabletop robot, who calls her “Peanut,” before she listens to her morning summary and asks the companion for her daily horoscope.

“ElliQ gives me a little briefing in the morning, when I say, ‘Good morning’,” Hylkema says, detailing some of the personal assistant’s witty responses. “She tells me what the weather is and if it’s going to be really hot, like to fry an egg on the sidewalk.”

Hylkema is among 192 seniors across Central Florida who have welcomed the AI accompaniment, ElliQ, into their homes. Intuition Robotics, creators of the AI companion, partnered with Central Florida’s Senior Resource Alliance (SRA) to launch this program for the region’s seniors on May 13.

Forever changed by the effects of recent natural disasters, Sanibel’s 50-year-old copper time capsule stood before City Hall, its weathered state and patina serving as a testament to the community’s resilience and perseverance as the city kicked off its 13-month-long 50th-anniversary event series.

“Everybody took the time out of their day to see what was in the time capsule. To see what people were thinking about in 1983,” Mayor Richard Johnson said. “It really showed just how strong and how resilient our community is.”

After searching high and low for a way to clear her mind, Gail Bachman saw a ‘calling all clarinet players’ ad posted by the BIG ARTS Concert Band, over two decades ago, and she knew the answer had been right in front of her all along.

“I’d gone for classes on clearing your mind, focusing, and promoting relaxation. And then I realized, I don’t need exercises to do that, because playing music with other people does that for me,” said Bachman, the longest-standing member of the BIG ARTS Concert Band. “I feel serene when I play. I am very lucky that it found me.”

After not playing clarinet for about 40 years, Bachman said joining this community band was life-changing for her and she felt there was a hole in her life when the band was forced into a year-long hiatus, last year. Due to the impact of Hurricane Ian, then shortly following, the sudden and tragic passing of the band’s beloved director, August ‘Augie’ Thoma, along with many other factors, the group decided to take a break, said Maureen Thoma, August’s widow.

Fresh off a record-breaking campaign season, United Way and its partners on Sanibel and Captiva Islands are gearing up for another unparalleled chapter of philanthropic outreach, set to begin in November.

After a three-year streak of raising over $600,000, the most recent Sanibel-Captiva campaign earned the most it ever has – just over $705,000 was donated to United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades counties in April 2024.

“I have never seen a group of people go through so much, but yet still want to serve the whole community and still be generous and help while they were all recovering,” said Jeannine Joy, President and CEO of United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades counties.”

“It’s just because they saw the need and they knew it was beyond just ‘let’s look at me,’ it was ‘let’s look at all of us’,” she said.

Sanibel residents have been seen proudly sporting Love Sanibel Back buttons since early June, symbolizing how far the community has come since the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian almost two years ago.

Led by St. Michael’s Episcopal Church Love Sanibel Back is a series of community gatherings to foster community solidarity and drive business to locally owned establishments. Starting on June 3, community members have gathered weekly to show love to the businesses that remain standing despite all odds.

“It has fulfilled its goal and went beyond what we ever imagined,” said Sue Van Oss, director of digital communications and Christian formation at St. Michael’s Church.