SRQ DAILY Mar 17, 2021
Wednesday Philanthropy Edition
"When people ask what I do for a living, I say I’m a storyteller. Everybody has a story and I'm passionate about finding and sharing it."
A new series called Dogs of Destiny recently launched for viewing – showcasing the journeys of students’ challenges, including the turning point when they made the decision to apply for a guide or service dog. Each episode shows the first meeting between a student and their allied Southeastern Guide Dog. Viewers witness their budding relationships as the dog helps the individual find a lifeline at the end of the leash, independence and confidence.
The local woman behind finding these cherishable and inspiring stories of Southeastern graduates, puppy raisers, trainers and more? 15-time Emmy Award-winning video producer and writer Jen Noble. “On frequent drives from St. Pete to Sarasota, I’d pass a billboard that says ‘Heroes Train Here,’” shares Jen. “Each time I drove by, I’d say to myself, ‘I want to work with Southeastern Guide Dogs someday; I want to tell their stories.’ My wish came true in July 2020 when I started working at one of the most magical places in the world!” Jen joined the team at Southeastern Guide Dogs as the Executive Producer for Dogs of Destiny, just as Covid changed the face of philanthropy; local nonprofits were forced to explore innovative ways to virtually share their missions and their work. After several brainstorming sessions, ‘Dogs of Destiny’ was born.
“I was fortunate to collaborate on this project with my brother, Mike Noble, a professional musician and songwriter in Nashville,” shares Jen. “Mike wrote the Dogs of Destiny theme song. The lyrics are poignantly written through the eyes of a service dog and capture the true essence of what Southeastern Guide Dogs is all about.”
Filmed on Southeastern's expansive campus in Palmetto, the first episode, 'Count on Me,' focused on the Southeastern Veterans Programs, and premiered last month. The second episode, 'Dear Superhero,' is set to air in April and will feature all-new stories from guide dog classes – certain to tug on the heartstrings. “When people ask what I do for a living, I say I’m a storyteller,” says Noble. “Everybody has a story and I’m passionate about finding and sharing it.”
To view Dogs of Destiny in all its cinematic glory, watch it on your smart TV via Apple TV, Roku, or Amazon Firestick by opening the YouTube app and searching for ‘Southeastern Guide Dogs.’
Learn more about Dogs of Destiny and Southeaster Guide Dogs here.
The last day of school before spring break began for Sarasota students, Sarasota County Schools' Food & Nutrition Services (FNS) provided all children with free meals; all area children were eligible for the service. Children and families received the meals from FNS as well as boxes of groceries and backpacks full of kid-friendly food from All Faiths Food Bank, the only food bank and largest hunger relief organization in Sarasota and DeSoto counties. Approximately half of all students enrolled at Sarasota County Schools are on free or reduced lunches - when school is out during spring break and over the summer, these meals are not available, creating a hunger gap for families who depend on meals and pantries in schools.
Pictured: Volunteers from All Faiths Food Bank helped to distribute meals in advance of spring break. Courtesy photo of All Faiths Food Bank.
Children First, the exclusive provider of Head Start and Early Head Start services for Sarasota County, is pleased to announce its 60th Anniversary Co-Chairs and Committee members in recognition of the agency’s historic milestone of six decades of service to the community. CEO Philip Tavill said “It is an honor to celebrate such a momentous occasion alongside our Co-Chairs, Committee members, and the greater community as we work together to help make new dreams possible every day. For the past six decades, we have been providing high-quality education and family strengthening services for our community’s most vulnerable children and families. We know the growth of the entire family creates a beautiful garden that will continue to blossom with hope, opportunity, and success for generations to come.”
After a recent rebrand, Sunways Senior Living Concierge, serving Florida’s suncoast, is eager to fill the desperate need for a truly comprehensive concierge resource and placement service, currently uncharted in the senior living space. There are hundreds of senior living communities along the Suncoast. Mark and Elli Baldwin, Co-Founders of Sunways Senior Living Concierge, have personally visited a majority of them. Focused on meeting the client, which is often a caregiver or a loved one, where they are within the senior planning process, the Baldwins are determined to reshape the environment surrounding the discovery of senior services, including facility placement. "We created Sunways based on our own experience as a family,” said Mark Baldwin, Co-Founder and CEO. “We created the service I wish my Mom had when she was a caregiver for my Grandmother."
The New College Foundation’s Pei for the Future campaign just received a major boost. Philanthropist Jack Schlegel, a Foundation board member, and his wife, Priscilla Schlegel, recently gave the Foundation $50,000 to be used toward the initiative, gifts of $1,000 of more will be matched up to $50,000. Spearheaded by Monica Van Buskirk, a Foundation board member, the $15 million campaign will refurbish the college’s residence halls designed by the renowned architect I.M. Pei.
This event, which will be presented virtually on March 27, is recommended for all aspiring artists, singer-songwriters and band members as well as high school and college students considering a career in the music industry. Music Compound owner Jenny Townsend and Luciani – who are cousins – will preview the workshop during Music Compound’s regular Lunch and Learn Series offering on March 24. “At Music Compound, our goal is to support artist development at whatever level the student might be,” said Townsend. “For those considering becoming a professional, or those already working in the business but seeking to get to the ‘next level,’ Gina will offer invaluable insight as to some of the critical steps one must take and efforts on must make to be successful.” Takes place on Saturday, March 27, 1-3pm and cost is $35 per household.
Pictured: professional flutist Gina Luciani will be the featured presenter during Music Compound's Modern Musician Workshop.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to offer Observational Painting/Drawing in the Ringling Courtyard. The program, part of the Museum Intensive series, will run five weeks from April 1 to April 29. This course is designed for adults with intermediate to advanced skills and will follow the Western academic approach of classical methods of direct observation. Students will meet weekly in the Museum of Art Courtyard for two-hour sessions on Thursdays from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The fee for the series is $225 to $175 for members and is nonrefundable. Please note: the class registration fee does not include the cost of art supplies. Registration is capped at 10 students.
Decades-old live oak trees have begun the journey to their new homes at Wellen Park. The master-planned community’s Heritage Tree Program will relocate 26 healthy live oak trees from various locations within the community to Downtown Wellen Park. The nearly $1-million effort to relocate mature trees began more than a year ago, when the biggest and healthiest candidates were identified for relocation. “This was the right thing to do both from a conservation point of view as well as creating a sense of place,” said Christine Masney, vice president of marketing for Wellen Park. “These trees are beautiful and worth saving, plus they will allow us to create a truly special environment at the entrance to Downtown Wellen and throughout the community."
Next-Mark, a full-service marketing and communications agency serving clients in Florida and nationwide, announced on March 15, 202 it was awarded four ADDY Awards at the Advertising Federation’s annual award ceremony hosted by AdFed, the Florida Suncoast’s regional AAF club. The awards span multiple categories that directly impacted Next-Mark client’s business success and include: Judges’ Choice; Professional, Gold Addy; Sales & Marketing: Brochure, Silver Addy; Cross Platform: Integrated Branded Content Campaign and Silver Addy; Cross Platform: Integrated Branded Content Campaign.
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System welcomed the ear, nose and throat specialists of the Silverstein Institute into its First Physician Group (FPG) network today, bringing the institute and all 4 of its locations under the FPG umbrella and within the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.
Sarasota County Government has earned two Green Globes from the Green Building Initiative (GBI) for the Sheriff Tom Knight Support Services Facility. The facility, which was a joint effort between Sarasota County's Capital Projects team and the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office (SCSO), was lauded by GBI for its commitment to sustainability practices and reducing environmental impacts. The building opened last year.
A class act in an orange box, Jackie curates outfits delivered right to your door.
Click here to read the full article in SRQ's March 2021 edition.
The 2021 Sarasota County Fair will take place from Friday, March 19 until Sunday, March 28. Tickets are on sale now. Admission: Buy Online, Save Time and Save Money. Adults ages 13 and up are $10 at gate and $8 Online. Children ages 6- 12 are $6 at gate and $4 online. Seniors ages 55 and up are $5.00. Military are $5.00. Children 5 and under are Free. Online tickets will be on sale soon. The Sarasota County Fair is implementing safety guidelines for attendance. COVID-19 exposure is an inherent risk in public locations where people are present. The Fair has engaged Bactronix Suncoast to spray all public touch points (such as doors, bathroom fixture, toilets, chairs, bleachers). Their process will kill any virus on contact and keep it from being transmitted. Check out their video below. The Sarasota County Fair will post health warnings, social distance reminders, signs encouraging masks- especially indoors, and have additional sanitizers. Guests should only attend after evaluating their own health risks. The Sarasota County Fair cannot guarantee you will not be exposed during your visit. Purchase of a ticket, pass, or ride armband and entry onto the Sarasota Fairgrounds constitutes your understanding of these risks and your willingness to undertake the risk of exposure. No refunds will be given following your entry onto the fairgrounds.
Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative Presents The Arts & Racial Justice Panel Series: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Literary Arts, Film and Media. “Our Journey Towards a More Perfect Union: Challenges and Rewards” With Moderator Charlayne Hunter-Gault on April 19 from 5pm to 6:30pm. The Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative, a nonprofit organization that promotes using the unifying power of the arts to nurture inclusion and diversity across the regional arts and cultural landscape, presents "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Literary, Film and Media Arts,” as part of its free, four-part Arts & Racial Justice Panel series, Monday, April 19, 5-6:30 p.m., via the Zoom webinar platform. The moderator for the discussion is Charlayne Hunter-Gault. With a focus on literary arts and film, Hunter-Gault will discuss with the panelists their journey towards a more perfect union with its challenges and rewards. Hunter-Gault is a leading civil rights activist, journalist and former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, CNN, and the Public Broadcasting Service. Panel members include Dorian Emerson Munroe, a filmmaker and director; W. Paul Coates, a publisher, author, and former member of the Black Panther Party; Calvin Alexander Ramsey Sr., a playwright, author, and photographer; and novelist Sarah Ladipo Manyika. The series is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and is a collaboration with Florida Studio Theatre’s Forum Series. The event is free, but registration is required at www.suncoastblackartscollaborative.org by April 16.
The Sarasota Film Festival announced today that the 23rd annual edition of the festival will take place from April 30 until May 9, 2021. The festival is now accepting submissions for next year. Held annually in Sarasota, Florida, the Sarasota Film Festival emphasizes the best in cinema alongside exciting programs and events, with more than 200 films screened each year including features, documentaries, shorts, and kid-friendly picks. Entering its 23rd year, the festival brings the best new and established independent filmmakers to the Festival with local and kid-friendly programs that showcase its idyllic Gulf Coast community. The festival is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization and also offers a year-round educational program, which reaches thousands of local students through classic film showcases, film contests, summer camps and instructional workshops.
Key Chorale launched their Come Together Choir Online Choral Rehearsals, Volume 1 March 2020 and Volume 2 September 2020. Since then, over 400 singers from all over the country have registered and participated. The first two volumes have had more than 6,000 views to date. The Come Together Choir is a partnership with Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s, JFCS of the Suncoast, and Key Chorale. All episodes are available on Key Chorale’s YouTube Channel. This outreach allows participants to experience the therapeutic benefits of singing – all from the safety of their own home. Beginning Thursday, April 8th at 2pm, Key Chorale will launch their 3rd installment of Come Together Choir – Online Choral Rehearsals, Volume 3. This outreach isn’t just for local singers, but can be experienced by anyone, anywhere in the country via Key Chorale’s YouTube channel. Volume 3, Too Darn Hot! The Music of Cole Porter includes music from the Great American Songbook. Participants will learn well-known songs like Anything Goes, Night and Day, Another Op-‘nin’, Another Show, You’re the Top, and more. His songs are sophisticated, witty and sometimes even a bit risqué. They range from sultry and romantic, to ridiculous and hilarious. New episodes will premiere each Thursday at 2pm, and then will be available afterwards on the Key Chorale YouTube channel to watch over and over again. You will learn 11 songs from unison to four-parts, as well as warm-ups and vocal exercises that will improve your breath control and singing ability. These episodes are shot from the perspective of the choir, focused on Artistic Director Joseph Caulkins as he guides 10 singers and YOU through each fun rehearsal. Every episode builds on the previous one, giving you a sense of accomplishment and of being right there. Although this is not an interactive experience, the project is conceived to give the feel of being right there as a singer in the choir. So turn up the volume and sing your heart out with the Come Together Choir. Singing is essential. We need it in our lives – now more than ever.
On Wednesday, March 17 at 7pm Journalist and biologist Brad Balukjian joins us just in time for spring training to chat about his book The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball’s Afterlife. Balukjian will be in conversation with Bookstore1’s Event Manager and baseball fan, Elsie Souza. The Wax Pack was supposed to be a book about baseball, the story of an 11,341-mile road trip to track down all the players in a pack of 1986 baseball cards to find out what happens when the spotlight goes out. It turned into something much bigger, as the players opened up about their lives off the field, from estranged fathers to addiction to divorce. The Wax Pack ends up being about vulnerability, about growing up, and about learning to navigate our relationship with fear. You'll realize you have a lot more in common with Major League ballplayers than you ever thought possible.
Tune in to our free, virtual Coffee with a Scientist featuring Dr. Andrea Tarnecki, Mote Staff Scientist in Marine Immunology, presenting "Mining Marine Microbes" on March 17 from 10am to 11:30am. For assistance with registration please call Susan May at (941)388-4441 ext. 392 or email: smay@mote.org.
The music of Dutch composer Louis Andriessen is visceral, intense, challenging, and kinetic. This concert, at 8pm on March 18, 2021, features two of Andriessen’s most important and influential works, performed by New College of Florida students and professional musicians from the Sarasota Community. These pieces, composed one year apart, are raucous breakthroughs that remain startling over four decades later. Worker’s Union, from 1975, calls for “any loud-sounding group of instruments” to perform a continuous and propulsive single line of music. In 1990, Andriessen wrote, “Worker’s Union was originally written for the orchestra De Volharding (Perseverance), in which I myself figured as a pianist at that time. This piece is a combination of individual freedom and severe discipline: its rhythm is exactly fixed; the pitch, on the other hand, is indicated only approximately, on a single-lined stave. It is difficult to play in an ensemble and to remain in step, sort of thing like organising and carrying on political action.”
The ability to speak, organize, and create was revolutionized by the internet, but technology has also been an engine for both public and privacy surveillance, opening up opportunities for civil liberties abuses and discrimination. To mitigate those abuses, individuals have been demanding improved cybersecurity measures, and so the political playing field has shifted to a battle over encryption. In this talk on March 18, 2021, Granick will explore the current debate and legislative proposals and offer tips on how people can protect themselves and get involved.
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