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. 

Did I catch your attention?

In these busy days, many people find it convenient to rely on favorite pundits who digest the news overload and provide their interpretations in highlight versions. They boil it down for us and often present complex, nuanced content in talking points and catchy headlines flavored with a strong dose of biased opinion.

Learning to find and validate objective, fact-based information on which to form our own conclusions is increasingly difficult while growing more important every day. It saves time, but dare we trust others’ experiences, perspectives and sources when something is important?

We can foresee problems that can arise when we accept others’ takes as valid and unbiased without engaging in research and critical thinking of our own.

It is through critical thinking that we go to the primary source, conduct our own research, form an independent decision, and then draw upon the divergent thinking of others to solve problems. In a world that has become wired for 24/7 activity, what more could we learn if we took the time to drill down into the research and formulate our own thoughts and opinions?

We are taking our own advice at the Education Foundation of Sarasota County.

The EFSC board of directors has established a bold, ambitious strategic plan to advance our mission: To enhance the potential of students, promote excellence in teaching, and inspire innovation in education, guided by strategic philanthropy.

Translating our strategic plan into actionable objectives is necessary to address the issues that matter most to families, students, teachers and a community of education supporters.

To that end, we are engaged in deep-dive research exercises utilizing 21^st century design thinking and creative problem-solving processes—the same used by corporations to catalyze innovative changes and achieve long-range goals.

Our approach includes going to the source for first-person answers to our questions. For example, in the area of student support, our strategic task force asked, “How can we better support students as they transition to their adult lives?”

Having decided that it’s essential to find answers and create solutions tailored to our local community’s needs, as opposed to charting a plan based on another community’s experience, we are doing original research.

We are hearing directly from a cross-section of our community—volunteers, mentors, Local College Access Network partners, to name a few—and conducting one-on-one interviews with kids ages 16 to 24 to learn what was most or least helpful before they transitioned from high school. We also are seeking ways in which they can help us co-create solutions.

The EFSC believes a vibrant and prosperous community is dependent upon the value its community members place on high quality education, and to that end, it requires empowering stakeholders with unbiased, issues-oriented educational information to consider in forming their decisions.

We agree with a quote often attributed to Aristotle: “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Our world indeed is changing, and we need more people who are willing to look beyond the headlines and pundits and employ critical analysis to today’s issues. Isn’t that the point of research?

Jennifer Vigne is president of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. 

Offshore aquaculture, the process of cultivating fish, shellfish and seaweed in an artificial environment, is an environmentally sound opportunity for the U.S. to increase production of healthy seafood through sustainable, science-based methods here in Florida and across the country. Claims that pollution, red tide and disruptions to the marine ecosystem will result from offshore aquaculture operations in the Gulf are unfounded (Fish Farming in the Gulf?, Jan. 25). 

A University of Miami study conducted in 2019 demonstrated that there are minimal environmental impacts to surrounding waters from properly sited offshore fish-farming operations. The results of the study are supported by similar research projects that have been conducted in other countries, including in the eastern Mediterranean.

When done responsibly with careful management techniques, offshore aquaculture in our open oceans is an environmentally responsible way to increase seafood production, strengthen the seafood industry and support coastal economies; all while supplying our community with healthy local-raised fish in our restaurants, stores and markets. The U.S. imports 90% of the seafood we consume.

American aquaculture meets only 5-7% of our current demand for seafood. With global demand expected to increase by 70% over the next 30 years, offshore aquaculture will complement wild fish harvesting to meet rising demand for healthy protein sources. Offshore aquaculture is an environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient way to produce more seafood, providing Floridan families with greater fish options, protecting our precious natural resources and boosting our economy.

Dr. Aaron Welch is an aquaculture industry professional and an Adjunct Professor at University of Miami.  

Read more about the 2019 study conducted by the University of Miami

Hop on board our air-conditioned trolley to visit three art galleries. Each gallery provides wine and appetizers while you browse the collections and meet the owners. Between stops, enjoy a mini public art tour with artist and guide Jerome Chesley. Art Crawl Trolley starts February 23 at 6 pm featuring Chasen’s, Grace Howl Gallery and Helmuth Stone Gallery. Subsequent tours run monthly on Thursday nights with additional galleries.  

Discover Sarasota Tours

The City of Sarasota has launched a new bike sharing pilot program to help residents and visitors enjoy the St. Armands area using sustainable, alternative transportation. About 10 cruiser bicycles are available for hourly or daily rental by visitors at the St. Armands Garage. The bikes can be rented via mobile phone from a self-service rental station located near the first-level entrance of the garage. The City is partnering with local company, Bike Sarasota, which operates the bike share and handles the transactions. For questions about bike rentals, contact Bike Sarasota at 941-376-3368 or visit www.ibikesarasota.com.

I Bike Sarasota

Thanks to the support of local philanthropists Rosemary and Lou Oberndorf, 28 students from the areas high schools were invited to attend a lecture with General John F. Kelly, as the first of six lectures planned for The Ringling College Library Association (RCLA) Town Hall Lecture Series 2020. Participating students were also given the opportunity to participate in an exclusive question and answer session with the guest speaker before the lecture held at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. 

Sarasota County Schools

Firmo Construction, a local sustainable construction management firm based in Sarasota, announces the addition of new Superintendent, Andor Keresztes, as well as the promotion of Stefan Baron, former Business Development Director, to Vice President of Operations. With an increase in regional projects and beyond, these shifts to the team indicate Firmo’s dedication to its continued growth and success. Andor Keresztes has completed a variety of projects across multiple industries. Stefan Baron has been an integral part of the Firmo team for 15 years and with his contribution, Firmo has experienced rapid success with its design-build construction management model in both the hospitality and commercial sectors. 

Firmo Construction

Once again, last year was the worst year on record for manatee mortality from watercraft strikes, as has been the case each year since 2016. The sharp increase in watercraft mortality has coincided with the U.S. Department of Interior’s decision to downlist the manatee from endangered to threatened status, raising the question of whether there is an erroneous perception that the species is now recovered. For information on reporting injured or sick manatees as well as manatee protection tips, go to: savethemanatee.org/tips. And if you see an injured, dead, tagged, or orphaned manatee, or if you see a manatee being harassed, call 1-888-404-3922, email or text Tip@myfwc.com, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio.

Save The Manatee

Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation announces the election of Sheriff Tom Knight to serve as a special advisor to its Board of Directors. “Few are as in tune with the emerging humanitarian needs of our community than Sheriff Knight,” says Teri A Hansen, President and CEO of Barancik Foundation. “His counsel and insight will help our efforts to respond to systemic issues in our region.” Sheriff Tom Knight is the 10th Sheriff of Sarasota County, serving since January 6, 2009. 

Barancik Foundation