Pelican Landing and The Colony, Bonita Bay, and Shadow Wood Charitable Foundation at Habitat for Humanity build days.
A Milestone Fundraising Year for our Gated Communities
When neighbors come together with a shared purpose, incredible things happen.
That’s what we witnessed this year as Pelican Landing and the Colony, Bonita Bay and the Shadow Wood Charitable Foundation rallied around Habitat’s mission through peer-to-peer fundraising. While these communities have supported Habitat for years, this year truly stood apart. These communities set and exceeded their ambitious goals, in turn making a lasting impact on local families in need of affordable housing.
We are fortunate to have passionate and generous communities who step up, rally their neighbors, and make a tangible difference by supporting our mission.
Pelican Landing and The Colony
Pelican Landing and The Colony are community-minded residents who have supported Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties for 24 years.
Their efforts are led by a resident-run fundraising committee made up of passionate individuals who believe in Habitat’s mission. Each year, they rally their neighbors to contribute funds and volunteer time to build homes, communities, and hope.
“The key is the vision, mission and history of Habitat for Humanity of Lee & Hendry Counties in Southwest Florida, as they provide safe neighborhoods, filled with volunteer-built, strong, beautiful homes close to the homeowners’ work, great schools, churches, friends and relatives,” said Reid Patterson, the Pelican Landing and The Colony Committee Chair.
This year, Pelican Landing and The Colony marked an impressive milestone, surpassing their $525,000 goal, raising a total of $600,000 and counting toward affordable homeownership! This success was made possible by engaging their community captains more and focusing on increasing their major donors, surpassing their 2025 campaign total of $521,000.
Bonita Bay
Bonita Bay is a vibrant community whose residents have long supported Habitat’s mission. Over the years, Bonita Bay has gathered more than 63 neighborhood captains who have led peer-to-peer fundraising efforts, supported by a dedicated volunteer group known as the Nail Pounders, which participates in wall raisings and build days.
In 2025, they celebrated an exciting milestone of raising the walls on their 70th and 71st Habitat home since 2002. Now, the community has another achievement to celebrate. 2026 was Bonita Bay’s first time setting a fundraising goal for Habitat— and they didn’t just meet it, they exceeded it!
“I believe the success of this year’s campaign started with the development of a goal and strategies to achieve the goal. We wanted a significant increase in funds raised and asked our past donors to help us achieve our goal,” said Ron Sperling, Bonita Bay Committee Chair.
Bonita Bay set a goal of $715,000 but instead are approaching just north of $790,000! “We asked our neighbors for more and the Bonita Bay community responded beyond our expectations,” Ron said. “Bonita Bay is a giving community—we just had to ask.”
Shadow Wood Charitable Foundation
Shadow Wood Charitable Foundation is a generous advocate for local efforts to address the affordable housing crisis.
Their partnership with Habitat began in 2004, when a dedicated group of Shadow Wood residents contributed to our mission and helped build homes. Recognizing their ability to make an even greater impact, they established their charitable foundation in 2012.
This year, Shadow Wood Charitable Foundation contributed a $390,000 grant to Habitat! In previous years, the funds from Shadow Wood have helped Habitat purchase land to secure future development, provide infrastructure to new neighborhoods and fund the building of affordable homes in our community.
“Our partnership with Habitat has remained strong and continues to flourish,” said Norman Wells, President of the Shadow Wood Charitable Foundation.
“Through the dedication of our Shadow Wood volunteers, we have helped build two to three homes each year across several communities—an effort that reflects our shared commitment to making a difference. We are truly grateful for this enduring partnership and proud of all that we have accomplished together.”
These communities don’t just give; they follow their dollars from the wall raising of a home to the moment a family receives their symbolic keys at their dedication.
Together, our gated community partners have raised nearly $1.8 million—helping fund 8 of the 54 homes Habitat is building this year. Through their collective generosity and partnership, these communities are making a lasting impact for local families.
