When it comes to holding up their auction paddles to raise money for nonprofits, Naples gala patrons are on a record-setting roll. It’s not just the Naples Winter Wine Festival, which set a new record in 2025 with $34 million raised for Naples Children and Education Foundation in support of nearly 50 area organizations. For perspective, the Met Gala — the hyper-glam fundraiser each May that supports the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City with the help of global celebrities and Vogue editor Anna Wintour — raised $26 million in 2024, which was a record to that time for the event. During what The Naples Press has dubbed “paddle season” in Naples — its own season-within-a-season filled with galas galore — many nonprofits set records this year, as well, with more than $45 million raised, listed here, that were held between November 2024 and March 2025. While this list is not exhaustive and focuses primarily on galas featuring auctions or fund-a-need paddle raises, with a few exceptions, it shows just how successful this season was for nonprofits supporting areas including the arts; children and education; health and community; seniors; social services; the environment; and nature and animals. Galas help bring nonprofit missions to life What is behind the money-raising magic that might make Wintour wonder just what is going on down here in Naples? How do local nonprofits bring their missions to life in ways that keep their donors dressing up, showing up and putting up those paddles again and again? For the American Heart Association, the need for more education and training around CPR and how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator) was a big focus this year, according to Southwest Florida executive director Jessica Rodriguez. “What we are trying to do is build the chain of survival in Southwest Florida when it comes to cardiac arrest, because currently nine out of 10 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital, and in 90% of those cases, the victim dies because CPR is not being performed adequately or in a timely manner,” Rodriguez said. “Quite simply, not enough people know what to do or how to do CPR, so we’re trying to remove that barrier and really bring this education to the forefront in our community.” The focus on the importance of CPR was illustrated for the 550 guests at the organization’s Heart Ball, which raised a record $850,000, through the story of 7-year-old Oscar Stuebe. Oscar was hit in the chest by a baseball while playing; thanks to the quick actions of his mom, Sarah — who called 911 and performed CPR — his life was saved. There was not a dry eye in the house as Oscar and his family took the stage to thank supporters who make lifesaving efforts, training and technology possible for cardiac emergencies. “The most recent statistics for the state of Florida show that we lost a student athlete to cardiac arrest every three days, and in most of those cases it’s because somebody was not performing CPR o...