Bankers Partner in 2023 Coastal Cleanup on Sanibel

The Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands team volunteered to help the SCCF Coastal Watch program complete a very successful Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 16. The banker volunteers focused their attention on a stretch of beach severely impacted by Hurricane Ian – the beloved Lighthouse Beach on Sanibel’s East End.

The bank’s team of 21 employees, family members and friends joined a Cleanup force of more than 1,000 volunteers across Lee County, contributing their time and “sweat equity” to pick up trash and collect data. The Cleanup organizers at SCCF’s Coastal Watch and Keep Lee County Beautiful forward the collected date to Ocean Conservancy, where it will be analyzed and may have an impact on future environmental public policy.

“We are so grateful to the Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands team,” said SCCF Coastal Watch Director Kealy McNeal. “I know how seriously these particular bankers care about the environmental stewardship that defines Southwest Florida. This year they upped the ante by underwriting a post-Cleanup lunch for all our hardworking volunteers. We couldn’t be more grateful for their involvement once again this year.”

The local Coastal Cleanup efforts are coordinated in partnership by SCCF and Keep Lee County Beautiful as part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, the largest volunteer effort of its kind. According to the Ocean Conservancy’s worldwide data, 17 million volunteers have cleaned 350,000 miles of shoreline collecting more than 348 million pounds of trash in the more than 35 years of this international effort.

Celebrating the 26th anniversary of its founding, Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands is the oldest locally owned and managed community bank in Lee County. With offices in Fort Myers, Sanibel, and Captiva, the bank is strongly rooted in the community and actively supports civic and charitable causes through both donations and volunteerism. As the oldest locally owned and managed community bank on Sanibel and Captiva, Bank of the Islands is proud to be the winner of more than 50 “Best of the Islands” awards over two decades.