Fall 2006 ngoodhearted woman Mimi Torbush
Twelve years ago, Mimi Torbush, along with her daughter Vicki, recognized a special need in the community for children with life-threatening illnesses. It became their mission to grant the life-long wishes of these children. With a little help from a group of volunteers, a foundation was born—The Wishing Well Foundation, Inc., a foundation that now goes above and beyond granting wishes through support groups, counseling and creative outlets such as the “Scrapbooking Project,” which allows mothers to document and celebrate special moments in their child’s life. 

As co-founder of the foundation, Mimi has participated in every fundraiser since the beginning. When she’s not securing sponsors and selling raffle tickets, she’s spending time with the kids and working hard to arrange the unique details that help make wishes come true, an effort that requires countless hours on the phone. Because each wish is unique and the need for medical attention and support varies from family to family, Mimi is constantly challenged to come up with creative and thoughtful solutions in order to grant wishes and help families—a task at which she never seems to fail.  

She also works tirelessly to recruit volunteers from the community and seek out businesses to help grant the wishes of the children. In addition, she successfully encourages her fellow realtors at Prudential Florida Realty as well as her clients to volunteer.

Mimi is an inspiration to the children, families and volunteers and a passionate advocate for getting the community to understand that a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness does not mean a death sentence, but an opportunity to grow, learn and make an impact in people lives. For her significant influence on the healthcare of children and their families in the community, Mimi Torbush is n good health magazine’s fall 2006 n good hearted woman.

Fall 2006 ngoodhearted man Dr. Gerardo Santiago
Upon relocating to Naples in 1995, Dr. Gerardo Santiago, pediatric dentist, contacted the Collier County Dental Association to find out where he could donate his time providing dental services to underserved children.

He began by volunteering with the Collier County Health Department Dental Clinic. In 1996, he joined Christina’s Smile Dental Clinic, a non profit mobile dental care facility that provides free dental care to children in need. Several years later, he volunteered his specialty services to Children’s Medical Services Plastic Surgery Clinic of the Florida Department of Health.

Today, Dr. Santiago continues to volunteer two Fridays of every month at Golden Gate Dental Practice and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile—both operated by Collier Health Services, Inc. Since the opening of Golden Gate Dental Clinic and the arrival of the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, Dr. Santiago has provided specialty dental treatment to approximately 3,000 underserved and disadvantaged children of Collier County.

In addition to providing services to these organizations, Dr. Santiago has used his offshore racing boat, Zero Cavity, to promote oral health through Florida Big Brothers, Big Sisters, providing charity rides for many children in Collier County and around the state.

Dr. Santiago’s dedication and expertise have been the cornerstone to these children’s charities in Collier County. His commitment to the underserved population has been, and continues to be, a special gift to our community and one that is recognized by awarding Dr. Santiago as n good health magazine’s fall 2006 n good hearted man.

Do you know a n good hearted man or woman?
Help select exceptional volunteers in our community.

n good health magazine is looking for an outstanding man and woman who
have distinguished themselves through community healthcare activism.
The honorees will be featured in the Fall 2006 issue of n good health.

Candidates should be people who have demonstrated their dedication to the
health and well being of local residents, through volunteer and charity works.

When placing your nomination, please consider what organizations your
nominee is involved in, years of dedication and major contributions to the
healthcare network within our community.

Click here for a nomination form.