On January 22, the Charlotte Community Foundation will unveil a new mural by Englewood artist Robert Casler of Renovare Art. The piece honors Virginia B. Andes, a name that means a lot in Charlotte County for good reason. Her generosity shaped the way people here think about giving back.
She’s probably best known for making the Virginia B. Andes Volunteer Community Clinic possible. That clinic stands as a lifeline for people without insurance, offering free and affordable healthcare to those who need it most. To Andes, access to care wasn’t supposed to be a privilege. It was a right.
But there’s more to her story. Quietly and without fanfare, Andes made a series of anonymous donations to the Charlotte Community Foundation. Those gifts helped launch the foundation’s very first office. She never sought recognition. Her focus stayed on strengthening the foundation’s roots, making sure it would keep serving the community long after she was gone.
Andes brought the same determination to her career. She started at IBM in 1944, right in the thick of World War II, and spent 31 years there as a systems engineer. After retiring, she moved to Naples, where she gave her time to the University of Florida’s Extension Homemakers program.
In 1991, she landed in Fort Myers and volunteered at Southwest Regional Hospital. Four years later, she settled in Port Charlotte and never stopped giving back. Volunteering, supporting causes, she made it her life’s work.
This mural is more than a painting on a wall. It’s a tribute, a way to keep Andes’ legacy alive and spark conversations about what she stood for. It’s a reminder of how one person’s commitment can shape a community for decades. Her story belongs to Charlotte County, Collier County, and the Charlotte Community Foundation.
The mural unveiling is scheduled for Thursday, January 22, 2026, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM at 227 Sullivan Street, Punta Gorda, FL 33950 or charlottecf.org.
