Cypress Cove Welcomes Community Advancement Officer

FORT MYERS, Fla. (September 13, 2022) Cypress Cove has welcomed Melody Desilets as their new Community Advancement Officer.

Desilets will work closely with leaders and team members across the Cypress family of companies and community at large to strategically plan and execute a growing, comprehensive planned giving and fundraising program. She will be responsible for upholding development best practices and manage all strategies related to the cultivation, solicitation, stewardship and acknowledgement of program contributions.

One of Desilets’ key responsibilities is to manage the Cypress Cove Employee & Dependent Scholarship Program in conjunction with the resident-led scholarship committee.

Desilets has an outstanding background in fundraising in Southwest Florida. She most recently served as Senior Director of Development at Lee Health Foundation, where she directed major, principal and legacy giving; contributed to special events and programming; and oversaw donor relations specific to Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and Lee Health. Prior to that, she worked in several roles at Shell Point Retirement Community, including their Legacy Foundation and Resident Life Department.

On the education side, Desilets holds a bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Recreation Management from Niagara University in New York, with a concentration in marketing and communication. She currently serves as Vice President of Programming for the Planned Giving Council of Lee County, Inc. and is participating in the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Leadership program.

About Cypress Cove
Cypress Cove, a not-for-profit organization opened in 1999, is a well-established, highly respected, life plan community (formerly known as a continuing care retirement community) recognized nationally for innovation in senior living. Located on a beautiful 60-acre campus at HealthPark Florida in South Fort Myers, Cypress Cove is home to more than 650 residents and offers a full complement of quality living options—independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care assisted living, rehabilitative care, and home health.