A common refrain heard nowadays is, “you had to be there.” Spoken often when sharing photos from a vacation or a live event, the phrase implies that the scale of an image on a screen often fails to capture the grandeur of the experience as it was lived in person. But, with the closure of many area arts institutions, performance art houses in particular have had to think long and hard about how it continues to reach an audience that cannot “be there.” For the Circus Arts Conservatory, the short-term cancellation of their season during the coronavirus outbreak means they have had to pivot to digital content, and what this content might lack in the high-flying thrill of a live event, it will make up for with something surprisingly human.

“The circus has historically brought people together in times of crisis,” says COO Jennifer Mitchell, “whether it was the great depression or wars.” For Mitchell and the Circus Arts Conservatory, the transition to digital content represents an opportunity to fulfill the community engagement aims of the circus in new ways. “We were already looking for new ways to engage the next generation,” she says, “the kids that have grown up with an iPad or an iPhone in their hands.” And though the use of technology in performance arts might be a new frontier, Mitchell believes it will be vital for the survival of arts institutions everywhere. “I don’t think for anyone who is going to survive in the long run, it can just be a temporary thing,” she says.  

With both the present and future of their outreach in mind, the CAC launched its online content platform, CAC Connects. The platform primarily comprises a slate of videos that include exercise routines for both general fitness and circus-specific fitness, as well as content that seeks to use circus arts as a teaching tool for science. The fitness videos are hosted by some of the coaches within the conservatory, many of them still in tip-top shape for their own shows, and includes classes like Aerial Conditioning or Back Bending Basics. One recent video featured a core-specific workout conducted by Olga Coronas, a world-renowned aerialist that teaches at the conservatory. The educational programming, called Circus Science, explores topics such as Newton’s Laws of Motion and is geared more for children with its clown instructors, and the CAC hopes it can excite students who find themselves bored at home with their web-based schoolwork. 

Of course, recorded performances also have a place in the bank of videos the Conservatory will release, though Mitchell acknowledges that when it comes to the circus, you still do have to be there. “I don’t think everybody is going to watch the next great show with popcorn on the sofa,” says Mitchell, “but it all contributes to showing the resilience of this art form.” And here is where the CAC Connects content fulfills the humanistic mission of the circus. “There is a lot of panic and fear right now,” continues Mitchell, “and we hope that maybe we can help people at home feel resilient too.”

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The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and Van Wezel Foundation have partnered together to launch a new arts education service called Artworks Anywhere, a free online service for parents, educators, caregivers and children to meet the growing needs and changing roles of families due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative will include both live streaming and on-demand recordings of learning activities that can be done anywhere, including visual arts projects modeled by Van Wezel teaching artists, story time and dramatic play, story explorations and other performing arts endeavors.

“For years local school districts and early learning centers have looked to the expertise of the Van Wezel Arts Education and Community Engagement department to inspire students to learn using the power of the performing arts,” noted Mary Bensel, executive director at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. “Access to the arts is essential, and we are thrilled to provide these resources to our community and beyond.”

“At a time of incredible change in our world, supporting the Artworks Anywhere initiative with the Van Wezel Hall is a meaningful extension of our arts education mission,” commented Cheryl Mendelson, CEO of the Van Wezel Foundation. “Throughout this pandemic, it is inspiring to bring our resources together to support children, educators and families in our community, through the dedication of our board and donors.”

The Artworks Anywhere service will feature videos from Van Wezel teaching artists with new content being offered each week featuring a See Art, Create Art, Share Art model. Families, school districts and early learning centers will be encouraged to utilize the service as part of their remote learning strategies. Each video module will be broadcast on a custom YouTube channel and include a call-to-action project, encouraging children and families to create art together, including drawings, stories, poems, dance moves, songs and other works to be shared online at the Schooltime at the Van Wezel Facebook page using the #ArtworksAnywhere hashtag. A landing page on the Van Wezel Foundation website will also be established for the entire community to engage online.

“The teaching artists at the Van Wezel have previously worked with school districts, teachers and early childcare professionals to deliver high-quality performing arts education and integration methods to effectively teach children about core subjects such as math, science and reading,” said Kelli Maldonado, director of Education & Community Engagement, at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. “Through innovative content, including collaborations with local arts and education organizations, we believe Artworks Anywhere will be an inspirational way to not only teach important skills, but use the arts to help children as they navigate this ever-changing landscape now and for years to come.”

See art. Create art. Share art. #VanWezel #ArtworksAnywhere. 

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Anneliese Ostrowe has joined RE/MAX Alliance Group as a Realtor in the Englewood, Florida, office. A lifelong resident of Florida, she has extensive knowledge of residential properties, new construction, vacant land and investment properties in Sarasota and Charlotte counties.  With a strong background as a mortgage loan specialist and executive real estate assistant, Ostrowe provides a high level of professionalism and service to clients and colleagues. She began as a Licensed Administrative Assistant for a top-producing real estate team, and quickly moved to Management, Transaction & Listing Coordinator as well as Lead Buyer Specialist. She gathered an incredible amount of knowledge and skill and eventually became her own Single Agent.  

The move to RE/MAX Alliance Group “has elevated me into a higher level of business with increased support, allowing me to provide a more custom and catered level of service to my clients,” Ostrowe said.   Born in Germany to a military family and raised in the Southwest Gulf Coast of Florida, Ostrowe is married and the mother of three wonderful boys. She is active in charity organizations serving her community, children and veterans, and has a passion for real estate, cooking, social media, marketing and technology.  The Englewood office is located at 2230 South McCall Road. Ostrowe can be reached at (863) 244-3724 or aostrowerealtor@gmail.com.  

Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy, Inc. (SMART) is pleased to announce that Rebecca Blitz is joining SMART as its new Executive Director. Rebecca brings extensive experience in not-for-profit management to SMART.  She previously served as the Regional Director for Make-A-Wish(r) Southern Florida where she directed all fundraising activities for the organization resulting in an 87 percent net increase to the organization during her six year tenure.  Before that she served as the Director of Development and Marketing for the Diocese of Venice and earlier in her career served as the Director of Family and Children Programs at the Flanzer Jewish Community Center. At SMART, Rebecca will be responsible for resource development and executive leadership of the mostly volunteer organization.  Nick Drizos, President of the SMART Board of Directors, said "We are thrilled to have Rebecca join our SMART family as our new Executive Director.  With her expertise and leadership, we are more hopeful than ever that SMART will be able to successfully navigate these challenging times." 

The Manatee Matches Giving Circle is a group of caring individuals that meets annually to make joint decisions about their giving to selected nonprofit organizations that serve Manatee County residents. This year, the group has chosen to dedicate their combined charitable contributions to provide 1:1 matching dollars—up to $100,000—to support the newly created Manatee County COVID-19 Community Response Fund. The Manatee County COVID-19 Community Response Fund, established by an anonymous donor at Manatee Community Foundation, will provide grants to public charities working in the space of health and human services that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The Manatee Matches Giving Circle was established in 2014 and has awarded more than $585,750. Together with the required matching from individual donors, the overall giving catalyzed by the Fund has exceeded more than $1.17 million. To make your tax-deductible gift to the Manatee County COVID-19 Community Response Fund, eligible for matching, visit Manatee Community Foundation online at ManateeCF.org, call 941.747.7765, or mail a check made out to Manatee Community Foundation (COVID-19 Fund in memo line) to 2820 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton FL 34205. Manatee Community Foundation was established in 1998 and has awarded more than $30 million in grants and scholarships based on the wishes of its generous donors. 

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Everyone at My Cooking Magazine loves to bring friends and family together over good food, a tasty beverage or two, and lively conversation. Many are working from home right now and some are joined by children who are taking classes online. Beginning this Friday, the team is hosting weekly Virtual Potluck Dinners at MyCookingMagazine.com and everyone is invited! Chef Judi and several of the My Cooking Magazine team will prepare a variety of dishes that would be fun to cook for your friends and family. Our expert culinary team will include helpful tips – including ideas for ingredient substitutions— and the recipes will be posted on MyCookingMagazine.com. Fridays nights in April 2020, 6-7pm. 

For details.

Using School Buses as roaming Wi-Fi hotspots, the School District of Manatee County is expanding the reach of free Wi-Fi access with the help of local churches, community centers and other community partners. The partnerships are designed to provide internet access to students who need it now that all courses are offered online due to campus closures related to COVID-19.  The Manatee District ultimately plans to have as many as 50 school buses wired and ready to provide roaming access to the internet in areas located throughout Manatee County. 

JR’s Packinghouse Café is offering Carside Carryout, Takeout and Delivery via Bitesquad with a new family-style menu and select alcohol options. Guests who crave JR’s comfort cuisine can order from the restaurant’s full menu and new family-style and wing selections and have it delivered to their car or home. The wing specials feature 40 wings for $40, 60 wings for $60 and 80 wings for $80, all served with one of JR’s famous sauces. The family-style meal includes a choice of protein (Picadillo - ground beef, Ropa - shredded beef, Mojo- shredded pork, Vegetarian- Black Beans) with black beans, rice, garlic bread, tostones and rice pudding. Also available is a fried Basa Fish option with coleslaw, french fries and rice pudding. 4-6 people($40), 6-8 people ($60), 8-10 people ($80). 941-371-9358. J.R.’s Old Packinghouse Cafe is located at 987 S. Packinghouse Road (next to Detwiler’s) in Sarasota. Hours: Monday–Saturday: 11 am –8 pm. Hours subject to change. For updates and more information, follow JR’s on Facebook (@JRSOPC) and Instagram (@PackingHouseSRQ) or call 941-371-9358.

Commissioners will decide whether to adopt local curfew, group restrictions on private property.  Manatee County Commissioners will meet today at 2 pm to consider a supplemental local emergency resolution that would create a temporary local curfew and that would give law enforcement agencies the ability to enforce group gathering restrictions on private property, in conjunction with Governor DeSantis’ Executive Orders 20-91 & 20-92. The meeting will be streamed live at www.mymanatee.org/mga  Manatee Government Access (MGA) can be seen locally on Spectrum channel 644, Verizon channel 30 and Comcast channel 20. The County will enforce social distancing guidelines inside the Patricia M. Glass Chambers for the meeting. Members of the public are strongly encouraged to watch the meeting remotely. County, law enforcement and municipal leaders from each of the County’s municipalities discussed the curfew and private property restrictions during a virtual Emergency Policy Group meeting this morning. The group agreed that the additional measures will send a clear message to Manatee County residents that social distancing orders must be taken seriously and are not to be ignored. The proposed curfew would prohibit non-essential travel (travel that is not for food, medicine, essential supplies, employment) from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., seven days a week. An effective date will be decided during tomorrow’s meeting. 

The coronavirus outbreak has called into question the nation’s preparedness to respond to and mitigate health crises. As the number of presumptive and confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to increase, hospitals across the country face shortages of equipment, personnel, and beds. While the pandemic is highlighting shortcomings of the U.S. healthcare system overall, it is also evident that some parts of the country are better staffed with healthcare workers than others.

Despite current shortages, healthcare employment growth has actually outpaced the average across all workers for the past three decades. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), healthcare workers have experienced a cumulative 106 percent increase from 1990 to 2020, compared to a 40 percent increase for all workers over the same time period. Even without taking into account the recent outbreak, BLS projections indicate that employment in healthcare occupations will continue to grow much faster than the average for all occupations, mainly due to increased demand from an aging population.

Nationwide, there are 3.9 healthcare workers for every 100 residents. In Massachusetts, the density of healthcare workers is 5.06 per 100 residents, the highest in the country. But in Nevada, that number is just 2.94, the lowest in the country. Compared to the Northeast and Midwest, there is a shortage of healthcare workers in the South and West. Interestingly, these are regions where many older adults who require healthcare services choose to retire.

To identify which states have the most healthcare workers per capita, researchers at Self Financial analyzed statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. States were ordered by the total number of healthcare workers employed per 100 residents. The total number of healthcare workers includes both practitioners (for example, physicians, surgeons, and registered nurses) and healthcare support occupations (for example, home health aides, nursing assistants, and medical equipment preparers).

Most healthcare workers per capita tend to be located in the Midwest or the Northeast. The West and the South have a far lower density of healthcare workers.

This analysis by Self Financial found that Florida has 785,060 total healthcare workers, which amounts to 3.69 for every 100 residents. Florida's number of healthcare workers per capita is below the national average of 3.90. Here is a summary of the data for Florida:

• Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.69
• Total number of healthcare workers: 785,060
• Number of healthcare practitioners: 532,310
• Number of healthcare support workers: 252,750
• Population: 21,299,325

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

• Healthcare workers per 100 residents: 3.90
• Total number of healthcare workers: 12,764,180
• Number of healthcare practitioners: 8,646,730
• Number of healthcare support workers: 4,117,450
• Population: 327,167,439

Click for the detailed methodology.

Food pantries on the Suncoast are struggling to assist others as the demand more than doubles. New Hope Community Church Food Pantry on Mondays and Fridays has seen double the traffic of residence in need and is partnering with HOPE for North Port to help better serve the City of North Port’s residents and surrounding communities. The food pantry serves residents of the city and surrounding communities. Their All Faiths distribution partnership provides for residents of Sarasota, DeSoto, and Manatee Counties with vast variety of nutritional items. Recently, they have seen people traveling from Lee County and Manatee County in addition to serving residents of Charlotte County whom are seeking assistance. Last year, an average month saw them serve over 7500 household members. The current demand has them tracking to serve over 11,000 household members a month. The pantry wants to be able to provide for the increased demand that our current situation within our communities has.  They want to reach more people and show the radical love of Jesus through selfless giving. There is a growing need of healthy volunteers to assist Mondays and Fridays from 9 am to 6 pm and Thursdays from 10 am to 2 pm. In addition to volunteers they are in need of boxes as well as canned meats with pop tops like tuna fish and chicken.

The increase in attendance at the pantry has caused a financial strain on the pantries budget. They have partnered with HOPE for North Port Community Development Corporation to raise a goal of $10,000 so they may continue to serve the population in need during, through, and after the current health crisis. They anticipate a higher demand for sometime into the future and seek to bring healing and hope to the residence as they look to find stability through these trying times. This year their budget has double yet is still not enough to keep up with the growing demand for the pantry for local residents. HOPE for North Port is collecting financial donation in an effort to bring stability to the pantry as they navigate through this time of increased demand.  

Donate through their Facebook Fundraiser.

On March 15, Cat Depot  began limited operations and adoptions by appointment only and over 90 cats still found their way into loving homes in that one month alone thanks to your help and support. The Cat Depot community food bank took place last weekend as scheduled with some modified logistics — the individuals who rely on this service during “normal” times, really need it now.  With respect to the new Stay-At-Home Order issued by Governor DeSantis yesterday, Cat Depot will be hitting the pause button on in-person activities starting this evening. They will be placing the remaining shelter kitties into foster homes in order to be respectful of the new guidelines which are in place to help ensure everyone’s health and safety.  

To keep both customers and employees safe, Bookstore1Sarasota has temporarily closed our physical store due to the Coronavirus as of this past Tuesday. However, its online store is always open.Customers can order from them online here, https://bookshop.org/shop/book1, and have books shipped straight to their home. The direct-to-home site requires a new username and password, but also provides a 10% discount on purchases.