As Florida lawmakers prepare for the upcoming legislative session, Manatee Chamber of Commerce leaders prepare to raise their own concerns with state government. Leaders of the business organization next month will visit the State Capitol to discuss preserving affordable housing funds, protecting regional waterways and boosting regional infrastructure.

“Workforce issues are top of mind for us,” said Michael Gallen, Manatee Chamber vice president of public policy and small business. “Over the years we have heard businesses discuss the need for manufacturing and a skilled workforce.” 

So business leaders want to see further state level investment in occupation-focused programs at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota and at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee. 

The organization also will fight to preserve Visit Florida, a state tourism agency set to expire this year. Chamber officials also will urge lawmakers to leave in tact the Sadowski trust, revenue from doc stamps that’s supposed to be set aside for affordable housing but which routinely gets raided for a variety of other emergency causes. The Manatee Chamber will urge that the funds be reserved solely for housing programs, a particular need in coastal regions where the price of homes continues to price out many consumers.

Gallen also said water quality can no longer be treated strictly as an environmental cause and that the entire region has learned its economy depends on a clean ecosystem. “With the last couple years, the impacts to small business through red tide blooms has just devastates our community as far as visitors,” Gallen said. “It really hurt those businesses near the water and our coastal areas. We hope we can continue to focus on red tide research.”

As far as specific infrastructure, the Manatee Chamber supports expediting replacement of the DeSoto Bridge and will encourage the Department of Transportation to consider any alternatives to facilitate improvements for north-south capacity on the U.S. 41 corridor. The Chamber also wants to construct a bus-on-shoulder lane for the Anna Maria and Cortez Bridge projects.

Gallen said the Chamber will also press for better access to early learning and resources for students to reach grade level reading in schools. The organization also supports allowing Public Education Capital Outlay fund to build the State College of Florida Parrish Center and an Academic STEM Facility at USFSM.

And to fulfill a constant desire of Chambers, Gallen said Florida lawmakers should repeal the commercial lease tax. Florida remains the only state in the upon to charge a business rent tax, and while it has gone down in recent years, Gallen said lawmakers should find a way to nix it completely. 

Photo courtesy Florida Capitol: Historic Capitol Building.

Today Step Up Suncoast is showing why “Every 1 Counts” at its 2nd Annual Step Up to the Plate Luncheon at the Grove. In addition to celebrating another year of success providing opportunity for economic security in the five counties it serves, the organization is launching a new campaign to ensure that its mission to empower people towards self-sufficiency will continue. The “Every 1 Counts” campaign is a focus on the individual. Every individual smiling face. Every individual day with a promise of love, safety and encouragement from a caring heart. Every individual bright future ahead. And every individual gesture of generosity that helps to make it happen. See Step Up Suncoast “Every 1 Counts” campaign video here, featuring its early childhood education program which focuses on closing the achievement gap for children throughout our community.    

Click to view the video

Engagement in the arts is essential to every student, teacher and member of the community. With this belief at its core, the Van Wezel Foundation today announced that it closed its fiscal year providing grant support of more than $600,000 to underwrite arts education programs for children and educators throughout the Suncoast, which provides 30,000 children and families with access to the performing arts.

Foundation grants helped fund multiple initiatives, including Van Wezel Schooltime Performances, a program that presents high quality, nationally and internationally renowned artists and performances for area students. Each Schooltime Performance connects to Florida Standards through engaging, awe-inspiring performing arts. To help prepare students for Schooltime Performances, teachers are trained and provided with learning materials for each performance.

Fifteen Family Literacy Nights were funded last season, offering parents and children the opportunity to enjoy an evening together that included dinner, a skill-building workshop, theater activities, reading and a book to take home. Over the summer, the Foundation supported the Summer Learning Academy at 23 different summer sites in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

The Van Wezel Foundation also helps support the Total Access program, providing veterans, seniors and low-income families with access to performances at the Hall. Over 400 tickets were granted in partnership with local organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Suncoast Charities for Children, Christ United Methodist Church, Hearing Loss Association of America, Friendship Centers, Step House, Loveland Center, The Warehouse of Venice, St. Jude Hispanic Center, Community Haven, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation and First Step of Sarasota. 

About the Van Wezel Foundation

Five outstanding, college-bound teens from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County were recognized on Tuesday, October 15, by ESPN Television sports analyst, author and philanthropist Dick Vitale for their commitment to their academic excellence and career goals. Vitale and his wife Lorraine awarded each recipient a $1,000 scholarship to help support their postsecondary education. The Vitales have been presenting college scholarships to deserving Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County members since 1997, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 110 and amount of scholarship support to $110,000.  

The 2019 Dick Vitale Scholarship recipients are: 

• Katherine Hernandez, a Sarasota Military Academy graduate who attended the Gene Matthews Boys & Girls Club for 12 years and is pursuing a degree in Nursing at Keiser University Flagship Campus in hopes of becoming a registered nurse;

• Alex Lam, a 2-year Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club member who recently graduated from Pine View School and is studying Biology & History at University of South Florida;

• Ian McLean,  a 4-year Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club member and graduate of Sarasota High School who is seeking a degree in Social Sciences from University of South Florida to ultimately work in the nonprofit sector;

• Jeremy Morales, a Business major at State College of Florida who graduated from North Port High School, attended the Gene Matthews Boys & Girls Club for 12 years and aspires to be an entrepreneur; 

• Jatavian Peterson, a Booker High School graduate who attended the Roy McBean Boys & Girls Club for 12 years and is pursuing a degree in Musical Theatre at Pace University in New York City in hopes of becoming a Broadway Performer.  

bgcsarasota.com

Low vision happens to many of us eventually. Peepers is a store with many solutions, run by nonprofit Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center. Magnifiers of many types will keep you reading books, magazines, menus, prescription labels, newspapers and your mail.

In one place, find small handheld magnifiers, high resolution electronic magnifiers, all the way to desktop video screens that can show an entire page in different colors and contrasts.

Each person’s vision is different, try them all hands-on with expert assistance on site to find the best solution for your individual needs.

The shop is filled with items that make life easier for those with low vision or blindness: Talking watches and clocks, kitchen aids, writing aids and tactile marker bumps.

The Peepers Store is located at: Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center. Store hours are: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

7318 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243 | (941) 359-1404

Lighthouse Education Center Website

Children First has been recognized as one of the top 30 employers in Sarasota-Manatee in the “Best Places to Work” competition. Hosted by independent firm Best Companies Group and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the competition identifies and recognizes the area’s top employers who demonstrate workplace excellence and are known for retaining and recruiting the best and brightest employees. Companies representing thousands of local employees all vied to make the list. With the second highest number of employees of the companies who were named, and one of only five nonprofits, Children First—with nearly 190 staff members participating—was selected for its mission-driven approach to employment. “From our newest employees to those with over 30 years of experience, our staff is what truly makes us great. Every employee has the opportunity to be extraordinarily successful and feel a tremendous sense of gratification as a part of the Children First family," says CEO Philip Tavill. For more information, call 941-953-3877 or go to childrenfirst.net 

For the second year in a row the Children’s Dream Fund is hosting a sporting clays tournament to help make dreams come true for children with life-threatening illnesses. Children’s dreams come in many shapes and sizes - from puppies to playgrounds, cruises and computers, meetings with celebrities and family vacations. The Children’s Dream Fund’s goal is to create memories that will last a lifetime for sick children and their families. The event will begin with a BBQ lunch followed by a 1pm shotgun start. An award ceremony and auction will follow the tournament. For more information, contact Communications & Marketing Coordinator, Stephanie Mitchell, smitchell@childrensdreamfund.org, or phone 727-896-6390. 

The 2nd Annual Clays for Kids sporting clays tournament will take place at the Sarasota Trap Skeet and Clay, 3445 Rustic Rd., Nokomis, on Friday, October 18. 

To register a team or an individual for the event, visit here.

Two physicians from the rebranded 360 ORTHOPEDICS  (formerly Sarasota Orthopedic Associates), have been chosen to participate in the REAL MEN WEAR PINK campaign, presented by the American Cancer Society. Events to raise awareness and donations for this important cause run until the end of October. Dr Paul Lento and Dr Justin Raye, along with 25 other men have accepted this challenge to eradicate breast cancer in our lifetime. Dr Paul Lento, a triple board certified physician said, “My mother passed away at the age of 42 and my 5 sisters tested positive for the BRCA gene. I now have a daughter who may face similar issues as she gets older, so miserable disease hits close to me”. To support these physicians in their quest to win this battle, go to either http://bit.ly/LentoRMWP or http://bit.ly/RayeRMWP 

Real Men Wear Pink campaign

An exhibition by Sarasota Visual Artists Studios (SVAS) group will open at Art Ovation Hotel, Sarasota, October 16, 2019 through April 2020. The show, entitled 'The Independent Eye,' is curated by Francine Birbragher and features photographs by Chuck Reich, Barbara Banks and architect Michael Halflants, as well as sculptures by Duncan Chamberlain and the paintings of Bill Buchman, Larry Forgard, Grace Howl and Andrea Dasha Reich. The public is invited to the exhibition opening tonight, October 16,, 6 pm– 8pm. Musicians Rick Aaron and Lee Dougherty Ross will provide live music and refreshments will be served. 

More about the Sarasota Visual Arts Studios.

Sarasota County Schools is serving up a special opportunity in observation of National School Lunch Week. From October 15 – 18, VIP guest servers, comprised of school district staff, law enforcement, first responders, elected officials and community partners, will once again be making special appearances in schools throughout the District to serve lunch to students. This year’s national campaign theme is “What’s on your Playlist?”, made possible by the nonprofit organization, School Nutrition Association. Parents and students can follow the fun using hashtags #NSLW19, #SchoolLunch and #LunchPlaylist.

Sarasota County Schools not only offers free or reduced lunch to students, it is also offering free breakfast and snacks to meet the needs of students at select schools throughout the District and features healthy choice options available to students to enjoy every day at school.