The Sarasota Film Festival may still be months away, but for those Sarasota cinephiles still grieving the untimely loss of Video Renaissance this past September, here’s a little white light at the end of the projection tube—Cinematheque, a new yearlong program screening classic and foreign films. Produced by the Sarasota Film Festival as part of its (re)expanding community presence, the pilot program begins this weekend with a screening of Casablanca on December 1 at 6pm at 500 Tallevast Road, Sarasota. Tickets at $5 for SFF members and $10 for non-members.

Taken from the French tradition for small, typically single-screen, theaters specializing in historic or avant-garde or art-house films, Cinematheque aims to indulge the local film community with film of a different flavor—the kind they likely won’t find at venues like Regal or Cinebistro. “There’s a good community here of cinephiles and people who would like to see classic movies,” says Paul Ratner, SFF director of education and driving force behind Cinematheque. “What we’re hoping to establish in Sarasota is something that kind of links to similar programs you can find in Paris and New York.”

The series begins on Saturday with a screening of Casablanca off Tallevast, in a warehouse environment repurposed by SFF for special screenings and summer film camps. Each Cinematheque screening will also be hosted and introduced by a resident film expert, who will provide historical context for the film’s importance, background on the artists involved and facilitate discussion after the screening. “We’re hoping to help viewers with more challenging films as well,” says Ratner. Local cinephile and host of At the Movies with Gus Mollasis, Gus Mollasis, will lead the Casablanca screening.

“We’re hoping to fulfill a need,” continues Ratner, noting that the festival wants to be seen as “not just an event that happens for a couple of weeks in April, but as a program that’s here all year long.”

Currently a biweekly program, Cinematheque continues December 14 with a screening of Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, and two to-be-determined screenings in January. But, if demand proves strong, Ratner would like to see the series expand into maybe even a weekly event that stretches throughout the year. “So every weekend, people can expect to see some great film in Sarasota,” he says. “Something they can’t see anywhere else.”

Cinematheque begins this Saturday, December 1, with a showing of Casablanca at 6pm at 500 Tallevast Road, Sarasota. 

Pictured: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman star in Michael Curtiz' 1942 classic.

Yesterday's "Giving Tuesday" brought together 17 area middle-school students at a special event hosted by The Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The young, ambitious students learned there of their exciting opportunity to earn themselves a fully funded college tuition through CFSC’s partnership with Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County (TSIC), a unique program developed with donor support to give qualified, selected 6th graders an opportunity to become TSIC Scholars and earn full-ride scholarships. In addition to $100,000 in funding from generous donors of the Community Foundation, Take Stock in Children and the State of Florida will contribute an additional amount of approximately $200,000 to make sure these students have access to tuitions at Florida college or state universities for a two- or four-year degree program.

Contingent on their participation and commitment to the program, students must meet with a mentor at school weekly, maintain 2.5 GPA, attend school regularly, remain drug and crime free, exhibit positive behavior in and out of school and attend all TSIC events and workshops to receive the benefits of being a TSIC Scholar. “This is an honor to be included in this project,” said Lisa Bechtold, Executive Director of TSIC of Sarasota County. “And is life-changing for these students and their families.” 

The project was inspired by Ron and Carole Beckman, who have a passion to permanently redirect the life trajectory of challenged, disadvantaged youth and create opportunities for them to yield lifelong successes. “Today’s children are the future of our community. By providing the right kinds of ‘helping hands’ to at-risk youth, we can boost the efforts of many and positively alter the trajectory of their lives,” said Ron Beckman.

The 17 students this year were specially identified because of their completion of four consecutive years at Title 1 school Alta Vista Elementary’s Eagle Academy. The Eagle Academy is a six to eight-week summer learning program that combines academics, enrichment activities and parent programming for its students. Data showed that this free summer learning experience led to learning gains and an absence of summer learning loss, ultimately helping to close the achievement gap for these area youths.

“The passion Ron and Carole Beckman have for helping children is so admirable,” said Roxie Jerde, President and CEO of the CFSC. “They truly demonstrate how every single one of us has the power to positively impact the lives of those around us for the betterment of our entire community. I applaud them for their vision to not only help these students, but also to encourage personal philanthropy and collaborations.”

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is proud to partner with SRQ Media Group to highlight stories about community impact powered by philanthropy in our region, thanks to the support of donors and our local nonprofit partners. The Community Foundation is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. 

Photo provided by The Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

JFCS of the Suncoast launches their 14th annual campaign to bring holiday joy to local families struggling to make ends meet from the impact of Red Tide and employment challenges. JFCS’s Adopt-a-Family seasonal program, which started in 2004, aims to attract donors to provide presents and/or gift card donations to help parents purchase gifts and other items for their children over the holidays. More than 635 children from nearly 260 families have had their holidays made merrier through the Adopt-a-Family program and the generosity of other local families, individuals and businesses. Current JFCS clients can enroll their little ones today and be able to provide their holiday wish lists this December. Donors are then matched with clients to provide gift cards, cash donation or other new presents to fulfill one or more child’s arms.

The 2018 Adopt-a-Family campaign runs through December 6. Interested families, individuals or businesses can contact Karen Wain, JFCS Director of Volunteer Services and Community Outreach, at 941-366-2224, ext. 143 or at kwain@jfcs-cares.org. 

Photo provided by JFCS of the Suncoast

After serving nearly a year as an interim director, Ava Ehde has been confirmed as the Director of Neighborhood Services for Manatee County. As director, Ehde manages a $22 million budget and oversees 135 staff across Probation, Human, Veterans, Healthcare and Neighborhood Services divisions, as well as the Public Library System. She also serves as a liaison with the Health Care and Children's Services advisory boards, Public Safety Coordinating Council and Library Board of Trustees. Ehde previously served as Manatee County's Library Services Manager since 2011. Under her leadership, the library system focused on expanding educational programs, technological resources and special events. This earned the Florida Library Association’s 2013 Library Innovation Award and the 2016 Library of the Year and several awards for the Library's Recycled Dreams Teen Fashion Show and Mana Con special events. Ehde was also named Librarian of the Year by the Florida Library Association last year. 

Manatee County Neighborhood Services

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, will hold a public information meeting regarding proposed improvements to and between the intersections of US 41 at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Myrtle Street in the City of Sarasota. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 11, at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex building at 1845 34th Street, Sarasota,. The meeting format will be an open house from 5pm to 7pm, with a video presentation that is showing continuously throughout. There will not be a formal presentation. The meeting is being conducted to give interested persons an opportunity to express their views concerning the location, conceptual design, and social, economic, and environmental effects of the proposed improvements. The stated purpose of this project is to enhance safety, non-motorized connectivity and access, as well as vehicular traffic flow and operations, between residences and schools of the northern Downtown Sarasota area and the Bayfront area. 

At its November 20, 2018 Regular Board Meeting, the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority unanimously elected Commissioner Peter A. Wish as chairman for 2019. Wish served previously as vice chairman in 2014 and 2018, and as chairman in 2015. He was appointed to the board in February of 2013 and reappointed in 2017 by Governor Rick Scott. Chairman Wish volunteers his time for philanthropy and politics and is past-chair of the board of directors of Easter Seals of SW Florida and past-chair of Habitat for Humanity Sarasota Board of Directors. He presently sits on the Sarasota County Sheriff’s advisory board and serves on various foundations and charitable organizations in Sarasota County. Completing the officers for the Airport Authority board will be Kristin Incrocci as vice chairman and Carlos Beruff as secretary. 

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Local heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) companies are partnering with CareerEdge and Manatee Technical College (MTC) to develop a funded fast-track HVAC Installer program at the college, which will launch in January. The employers are looking for a way to recruit and rapidly train people for a very specific skill set, namely the installation process, and then develop these employees further over time through mentorships and apprenticeship programs. The tuition-free class will begin January 22, 2019 and run through March with classes held in the evening Monday-Thursday at MTC’s main campus. The program will include CareerEdge’s Bridges to Careers soft skills training.  HVAC company representatives will volunteer to teach some modules of the class in order to enhance the hands-on, real-world nature of the program.

Applicants eligibility includes having a clean background and drug check, a valid driver’s license, ability to lift 75 lbs., physically capable to be in attics, high temperature environment. Graduates are guaranteed jobs with the participating employers, at an average starting wage of $15 per hour. No technical experience is required for this 225-hour HVAC Installer training. 

CareerEdge Funders Collaborative