A while ago, I came across a website where I read two great quotes. The first is from Albert Einstein, who said, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” The second quote is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, and I’m sure you will recognize it: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

At TOTI Media, we believe that contribution to the greater good is giving back to the community, and it underlies our mission to capture what makes Southwest Florida an exceptional place to live, work, play and vacation.

We have always dedicated a good amount of our editorial content to exceptional people and organizations that are making Southwest Florida a better place to live for us all. By doing so, we not only thank them, but we also encourage readers to follow their examples.

We also support such local nonprofit organizations directly. Whether through cash donations, media sponsorships or silent auction contributions, we recognize that these groups depend on the financial support of businesses and individuals to enable them to do what they do best. By supporting their work, we are giving back to our community.

Have you ever thought about giving back to the community by serving a nonprofit group? I know there are many, many organizations throughout Southwest Florida that would benefit from your own skills and leadership.

TOTI Media also gives back by being an ambassador for Southwest Florida. As we unfortunately know, disasters happen. When people need to know about the state of our islands—when the world needs to know that Southwest Florida is still a wonderful vacation destination after our communities heal and get strong—TOTI Media publications act as voices for all Southwest Floridians. We say, “Yes, we survived. We are still beautiful and it’s time for you to visit us again.”

Former U.S. congressman and CIA director Porter Goss, who was Sanibel’s first mayor, was interviewed in TOTI Media’s 25th anniversary issue in Nov/Dec 2020. He said, “The magazines generally focus on what I would call uplifting good news, and that’s important at a time when it seems like there is plenty of bad news out there.”

We are doing that right now after a difficult 2020 and a continuing epidemic. The challenges for us are still there, too. But we are pushing ahead—we call it “LOCAL. MOBILE. GLOBAL.”—with our support of this community. We all need time to heal and to rebuild our businesses. While that is happening, you can be assured that we are getting the word out to the world that Southwest Florida still is a wonderful vacation destination and that we are ready to serve visitors again.

We all are capable of changing our thinking and becoming part of positive change. Our community needs us, and it is through working as a community that we will make good changes for us all. I am confident we can do it. The key is in coming together and finding a balance. By working together instead of against each other, I know that we can achieve that positive change.

I’d like to express my gratitude to our readers, to our advertisers, to our great TOTI team and to the delightful community as a whole that we feel so honored to serve. With you, we truly feel that we can all make the impossible … possible.