Bobthebuilder

The History of Ft. Myers Offshore, Inc. – 2005 to 2015, our 10th anniversary ! Updated - Jan. 24 / 15

Ft. Myers Offshore (FMO) had it's 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 it's way. As we enter 2015 we will need to find a way to celebrate our 10th anniversary!

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 please to announce that she has now complete 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: Bob Barnhart, Chairman; Eric Belisle, President; Hans Haedelt, Treasurer; Meghan Brousseau, director; Stan Quinn, director; Bill Lemanske, director; and Scott Verdonck, director. Also past board member John Wilkinson continues with his duties as chairman of the educational scholarship committee. All positions are voluntary and without compensation.

Today, FMO has grown to almost 100 boating members with offshore enthusiasts from across SW Florida, as well as the eastern United States and Canada. Having raised and distributed over $ 125,000.00 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.

For more information about Ft. Myers Offshore events, please visit our website at: www.ftmyersoffshore.com

Also of interest may be our club forum on OffshoreOnly.com:

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/f...-offshore-186/

Contact person: Bob Barnhart cell 239-776-0481 or e mail [email protected]

Our mission statement: " Ft. Myers Offshore Inc. is a not - for profit corporation consisting of a group of offshore boating enthusiasts in SW Florida, dedicated to raising funds and awarding a number of academic scholarships each year to help worthy individuals graduating from high school continue their education at institutions of higher learning including college and university as approved by the Board of Directors.”