Twenty-one remarkable women will be honored by WGCU on February 25 at a special event: MAKERS: Women Who Make Southwest Florida. The event will be at the Arcade Theater in Ft. Myers. Seating is limited. To find out more about this event click here. Thanks to everyone who nominated dynamic, trailblazing women who are 'making' Southwest Florida through their contributions to the arts, business, education, politics and through their work in environmental or social justice issues. More than 200 women were nominated from Aug.-Oct. 1.Please click here to see who our selection committee decided we will feature in our online video and audio portraits. We'll also be producing radio stories about these exceptional women who have impacted Southwest Florida’s past, present and future by:
Serving as the “first” in their field
Affecting lasting change
Building community
Defying social norms
Leaving a legacy
Find out more about the national PBS/AOL initiative that inspired our local effort here -- MAKERS.
A quiet revolution is fomenting, with its epicenter here in Southwest Florida, where a handful of entrepreneurial pioneers are on a quest to develop renewable biofuels as alternatives to fossil fuels. It is a revolution that could create tens of thousands of jobs, have a profound impact on the national economy, change the way Americans fuel their cars and move the nation further down the path toward the elusive goal of energy independence.
Writer/Producer/Narrator: Rod Clarke
In 1885, a single, sensational catch at Sanibel Island’s Tarpon Bay made international news -- and revolutionized sport fishing. For the first time on record, a mighty, silver-sided tarpon was taken on a rod and reel, a feat that created a frenzy for the fierce-fighting fish -- and made southwest Florida the epicenter of a brand-new sport. The newly crowned Silver King of fish lured celebrities and presidents, and transformed Southwest Florida into the birthplace of big game fishing.
Writer/Producer: Lynne Howard Frazer
Narrator: Peter Thomas