SPARCC, Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center, recently announced its partnership with The Manasota chapter of the Florida Nursery, Grower's & Landscape Association, commonly known as FNGLA. Since 2020, the Manasota chapter has selected one nonprofit organization each year to support through an outreach project that aims to help improve an outdoor space in order to make it more purposeful and enjoyable. "We have chosen to support the Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center so the employees and victims they serve have a comfortable and a relaxing place to decompress or get some fresh air," says Manasota Chapter FNGLA President John Taylor. "Our goal is to make the outdoor space low maintenance, tranquil and aesthetically pleasing."

SPARCC's outdoor courtyard already encompasses a wooden pergola, but after the landscaping is finished, it will become a much more lush, green and pleasant space for advocates to meet with clients, as well as for visitors, survivors and staff who support them to retreat to. The outdoor transformation project is scheduled to take place at their outreach service location (2139 Main St., Sarasota) this Saturday, September 18 and will be completed in one day. The FNGLA shared they plan to use an assortment of granite and Mexican Beach Pebble to create a zen garden. Incorporated into the serene scene will also be a stone bench and fountain installed to create a Florida-friendly landscape, while plants like blue daze, jasmine, crotons and liriope will be planted to give the space color and provide more dimension. 

“We are thrilled to be chosen as this year’s Florida Nursery, Grower's & Landscape Association recipient," says SPARCC President & CEO, Jessica Hays. "We believe that this project will not only be appreciated and utilized by our staff but, it will also provide a much-needed, peaceful outdoor space for all those we serve at our Main Street location.” 

Pictured: the outdoor courtyard space at SPARCC halfway done, courtesy of the organization

Published in the July magazine, In Conversation with Non Profit Leaders features a roundtable discussion among representatives from local non profit organizations. Below is an excerpt from the conversation in which Veronica Thames of Gulf Coast Community Foundation shares insight on fundraising during the pandemic.

HOW FUNDING AND FUNDRAISING EVOLVED OVER THE PAST YEAR? 

As a non-profit community, we didn’t stop working on our initiatives, we added to them. Our non-profits needed their staff and then some to execute on the transition to virtual and on the new programmatic needs of the community especially around mental health, resilience, and now readiness to handle the re-entry into the workplace and what’s going to happen to our families when the moratorium is lifted and their living quarters are in jeopardy. We built a strategy around donor affinity groups: identifying donors’ main priorities and drive and helping them hone in and focus on those missions that spoke the most to them. A stronger focus on legacy planning and planned giving which is the key to longterm sustainability of the organizations in a region. We are so blessed and so lucky to be in this incredible region, with over 5,000 non-profits conducting incredible missions that meet the community need. Those needs emerge and grow, so all hands on deck, more help, more dollars needed, and the honing in of our donors’ philanthropic journey for greater footprint and greater impact has been incredible to watch and something that we expect will continue and make us an even greater region. 

This is an excerpt from the In Conversation with Non Profit Leaders published in the July 2021 edition of SRQ Magazine. Click here to see the full article. 

Read More From In Conversation Here

Two professional leaders at All Faiths Food Bank were recently recognized with, and will benefit from, their selection for two prestigious area leadership training programs. Rachel Bradley, Director of Philanthropy, was chosen to participate in the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Leadership Sarasota cohort. Allison Craigie, Executive Assistant to the CEO/Liaison to the Board of Directors for All Faiths Food Bank, has been selected to participate in Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Leadership Institute, in the Fall 2021 cohort.

“We are thrilled for our team members to have been recognized for their talents, commitment to community, and desire for professional growth,” said All Faiths Food Bank CEO Sandra Frank. “How fortunate we are to have high-quality leadership training available through Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. I know our organization – and the wider community – will benefit from Rachel and Allison’s participation in their respective programs.” 

Pictured: All Faiths Food Bank's Rachel Bradley (left), Director of Philanthropy; and Allison Craigie, Executive Assistant to the CEO/Board Liaison, courtesy of the organization

The Edward E. and Lillian H. Bishop Foundation along with the Mary E. Parker Foundation (now known together as the Bishop - Parker Foundation) announce a total of $3,432,500 in grants has been awarded for the first half of the 2021 grant funding year. The Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations by providing funding to support investment in a wide variety of services, primarily for Manatee County residents.

Six categories of interest were funded: Environment - Mote Marine Lab & Aquarium; Arts & Culture - Art Center Manatee and The Center at Anna Maria Island; Animal Welfare – Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch, Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue, and the SPCA at the Bishop Animal Shelter; Health Services – Manatee County Family YMCA, Neuro Challenge Fund for Parkinson’s, Prospect Riding Center, University of Florida Research, and the Suncoast Nursing Action Coalition; Human Services - Bradenton Woman’s Club, Children’s Guardian Fund, Healthy Teens Coalition of Manatee County, Manatee County Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee, and the Women’s Resource Center; Education – Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County, Bradenton Christian School, Just for Girls, New College Foundation, PACE Center for Girls, Project Light of Manatee, Ringling College of Art and Design, Take Stock in Children, Truly Valued, and UnidosNow. The Foundation also awarded a grant to the Field Of Interest Fund at Manatee Community Foundation.

A fall-winter grant cycle of the Bishop Parker Foundation will be available to nonprofits starting September 15. Applications and more information are available online at bishopparkerfoundation.org. Foundation interest areas will continue to include: Environment, Health, Human Services, Education, the Arts, and Animal Welfare.  

Michéle Des Verney Redwine, the founder of the Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative (SBAC), announced that the nonprofit was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation for its 'Visions in Black' initiative. According to Redwine, the program was created to help regional college students of color, who are also emerging artists, discover opportunities to promote and exhibit their art. Artists Jesse Clark and Krystle Lemonias were selected to coordinate the program at area-based colleges and higher education institutions. These include New College of Florida, Ringling College of Art and Design, State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, and USF Sarasota-Manatee and Tampa. This initiative will culminate with a juried “Visions in Black” exhibition of works by some of the program’s participating artists at Art Center Sarasota in January.

“The overarching goal is to ignite greater interest in art by artists of African descent and engage our school systems on proactive paths to work with students from underrepresented communities," said Redwine, "‘Visions in Black’ was created to spread this level of interest, advocacy, and education to the next generation in the college and university communities.”

Jesse Clark and Krystle Lemonias were winners of the 2021 “Black Muse” exhibition and program, a joint collaborative between SBAC, Art Center Sarasota, and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The three groups collaborated to present the 2021 exhibit, which solicited work from artists of African descent throughout the state of Florida. 

For more information about the Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative, visit suncoastblackartscollaborative.org. 

Pictured: Krystle Lemonias, courtesy of the organization

Lumos Diagnostics (ASX:LDX), a leader in rapid point-of-care (POC) diagnostic technologies, announced that Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, will serve as a Strategic Healthcare Adviser to Lumos and will be appointed to the Company’s Medical Advisory Board. From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Adams served as the 20th Surgeon General of the United States. 

As the immediate former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Adams brings a real-world public health perspective to the ongoing impact of global issues such as antimicrobial resistance and COVID-19. Utilizing his robust knowledge of public health, public policy and health equity, Dr. Adams will advise Lumos on the effective deployment of its POC diagnostic technologies, beginning with the launch of the FebriDx® test in approved markets. FebriDx is a novel fingerstick blood test that can differentiate if a person has a bacterial or viral infection, which often have overlapping signs and symptoms, within 10 minutes. The patented, dual biomarker FebriDx test is approved for sale in Europe, the UK, Canada and Australia and is currently under review for sale in the U.S.

“The pressing health challenges of the last 18 months have highlighted the importance of diagnostic testing as one of the key tools to fight both the current pandemic as well as the looming pandemic of antimicrobial resistance,” said Jerome Adams, MD, MPH. “We need to get ahead of these problems with a truly accessible outpatient solution. By measuring a patient’s immune system response in addition to assessing symptoms, clinicians can quickly determine if the patient has a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics, a viral infection that may benefit from additional confirmatory testing, or no infection that allows a safe return to school or work – all while reducing unnecessary antibiotics.”

For more information on Lumos Diagnostics, visit lumosdiagnostics.com, and for more information on FebriDx, visit febridx.com 

Photo courtesy of the company

Friday, September 18 is National Tradesmen Day, a day to recognize the many skilled people working in these challenging fields. Celebrated by Aqua Plumbing & Air, this day honors the men and women who work every day with their hands to keep America running strong,” said Chuck Jacobson, co-owner of Aqua Plumbing & Air. Jacobson shared further that the skilled trades are in dire need of workers right now, with a particularly high demand for apprentice-level and skilled labor positions. These are steady, well-paying jobs that hold a bright future, even in an unpredictable economic climate. "For the millions of Americans who are struggling in their job hunt right now, our message is simple—consider a career in the skilled trades,” he said.

Their skills and jobs are so valuable that training is available in nearly every skilled trade job market sector—from electricians, plumbers, masons, mechanics, carpenters, and everyone in between. “Even though the industry changes, the need for it does not. In fact, as the country grows and qualified workers retire, the demand for skilled workers grows,” said Jacobson. “Skilled trades are one of the fastest-growing sectors in the job market today. So, not only does their know-how keep the country going, but their salaries do, too. They’re a major influence on the economy.”

To learn about Aqua Plumbing & Air’s employment opportunities, visit aquaplumbingsarasota.com 

Pictured: Chuck Jacobson, Co-Owner and Maykel Rodriguez, Electrical Supervisor of Aqua Plumbing & Air.

The Sarasota-based Florida Swimming Pool Association has announced its new Executive Director. Elizabeth McMurray will join the state office in Sarasota this week. A search committee formed by the state Board of Directors coordinated an extensive search and interview process leading to the decision to hire McMurray. “This organization is involved in so many amazing initiatives for its members and the industry as a whole, and I’m honored to be a part of this team and the organization’s potential future accomplishments. I am particularly excited about our 50th Anniversary Everything Under the Sun Expo, in 2022. I know it’s going to be a great tradeshow and I can’t wait to get to know and serve our members there,” said McMurray.