Have you seen the meme online? A photo of an axe and a razor side-by-side along with some clever language about how both cut, but their strengths produce very different results.

That’s like all of us. We each have unique ways to match our own personalities, worldviews, and experiences with those around us to make our community a better place for everyone. This sentiment reminds me that the Community Foundation of Sarasota County was built one donor, one fund, and one story at a time, and reflects the cornerstones of our foundation and the building blocks of our 40-year history.

This simple yet powerful photo relates to the 2020 Legacy Society Luncheon hosted this past week as part of our 40^th Anniversary celebrations. This annual event honors individuals, families, and businesses who have chosen to entrust their hopes for a brighter future for our community with our Community Foundation. Even better, our Luncheon provided the opportunity to recognize the unique ways philanthropy has impacted our community, and I’d like to share just three of those with you.

First, for 20 continuous years, our community has expressed its caring and willing spirit to change someone’s tomorrow today through Season of Sharing, a community-wide campaign to help fellow neighbors on the verge of homelessness. This week marked the final week of the two-and-a-half-month campaign, and once again, our community rose to the occasion, offering more than $2.4 million (and counting!) that will be shared all year long to bring stability back into the lives of vulnerable families and individuals across Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. This year’s campaign also celebrated a new standard in generosity, as community contributions triggered four $100,000 contributions from The Patterson Foundation to strengthen local giving. Since Season of Sharing first began in 2000, now nearly $25 million has been gifted to care for our community. While these amounts are remarkable, the heart of Season of Sharing is truly reflected through the tens of thousands who have been able to stay in their homes.

Second, we celebrated hundreds of students of all ages who were awarded nearly $2 million this last year through scholarships provided through our Community Foundation. For students across our region, scholarship opportunities are often the key to achieving their academic goals and opening the door to a lifetime of possibility. Now through February 18^th, we are inviting students from our four area counties to apply for our Traditional Scholarship, which considers applicants for more than 70 scholarship opportunities that range from $500 to $25,000. To apply, visit our website at www.cfsarasota.org/students.

Finally, the power of partnerships, which is part of our foundation’s DNA, came alive thanks to a moving performance led by Key Chorale, a chamber music group that has intentionally developed partnerships with many other cultural organizations across our area, in collaboration with The Circus Arts Conservatory. Their performance reminded me how collaboration brings together diverse people and organizations, and we can all create connections to overcome any challenge. As I always say, “all of us are smarter than one of us,” and collaboration lies at the heart of this message and especially our 40^th Anniversary.

When we embarked on our yearlong celebration of reaching 40 years, I wanted to be sure this anniversary wasn’t just about our foundation, rather it is a celebration of every person and organization we are connected with. Every donor we have matched with a cause, every nonprofit we have partnered with, every student empowered by a scholarship: these are the experiences, the memories, the people that are the puzzle pieces of our 40-year narrative, who each and every day complete the picture of our community.

While this picture will always be evolving, one aspect will certainly remain true: when each one of us feels like we can belong and thrive, there is nothing that can hold us back from building the community we all want to live in. Each of us holds a piece of the puzzle.

Roxie Jerde is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.