Join Sarasota-based nonprofit Resilient Retreat at their upcoming outdoor 'Farm to Table Feast' dining experience on Sunday, November 14, 2021, from 5pm - 9pm. The inaugural event's proceeds will benefit Resilient Retreat’s mission to empower survivors of trauma and abuse to thrive through self-care and community. The goal this year is to raise $60,000+ at the event, to which funds raised will help continue to serve survivors of trauma, first responders and helping professionals. 

Besides helping a great cause, attendees can look forward to immersing themselves among the majestic live oaks and star-filled night sky at Resilient Retreat’s 84 acres of conservation land where the organization also hosts its free, evidence-based PROGRAMS to heal the mind, body and spirit. 

In true farm-to-table fashion, a select group of renowned chefs and restauranteurs will craft a festive tasting menu featuring the very best local seasonal foods to create an alfresco dining experience. Of the culinary lineup, guests can look forward to highly innovative, reimagined dishes from Christopher Covelli of Sage Restaurant and Bijou Cafe; Darwin Santa Maria of  Almazónica Cervecería & Peruvian Eatery; Greg Campbell of GROVE and Pier 22; and Jim Angus of ATRIA Cafe. In addition, Honorary Chair and Chef Tommy Klauber, who's opened local restaurants Pattigeorge’s and Polo Grill & Fête Catering, has been integral in establishing some of the region’s top culinary events and will help to coordinate the menu with the top local chefs.

“Creating a Farm to Table fundraiser was a natural fit for Resilient Retreat as we are currently building a retreat center on 84 acres of conservation land in Sarasota and one of the features of the property is a beautiful vegetable and flower garden,” says Lisa Intagliata, executive director of Resilient Retreat. “Our garden will provide produce that will be used for dining during theretreats and will also be used for participant programs like nutrition and cooking classes. Nutrition plays an important role in dealing with psychological trauma. Eating a healthy dietcan reduce the negative effects of stress on your body. A healthy diet builds a solid, more enduring foundation for your body by reducing oxidation and inflammation.” 

Sponsor, buy tickets ($325) or donate here 

Photo courtesy of Resilient Retreat

The Lakewood Ranch Community Fund is accepting nominations for the annual C. John A. Clarke Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Fund will honor an individual who has made outstanding, sustained and unselfish contributions to community enrichment and whose commitment and dedication exemplify the ideal of service to the community. Nomination forms are available on lwrfund.org and nominations must be received by 5:00 PM on Friday, October 29, 2021. 

The Lakewood Ranch Community Fund established this prestigious award in recognition of John Clarke’s lifelong dedication to humanitarian ideals that have perpetuated the high ethical, moral and professional standards that epitomize his life. For additional information, contact Bryan Boudreaux at BBoudreaux@bankoftampa.com. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Drowning Data, Florida ranks fourth in the nation for unintentional drowning deaths including swimming and boating-related incidents. A joint partnership kicked off this month with a formal signing ceremony on Friday, October 8 with swimming and pool industry leaders from the Pool & Hot Tub Foundation (PHTF), the Florida Swimming Pool Association (FSPA) and the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) announced a joint partnership to help combat drowning in the state. The one-year agreement between the three organizations marks a pivotal collaboration to further promote swimming education and share available resources providing free or reduced-cost swimming lessons in Florida communities.  

“We are proud to partner with the Pool & Hot Tub Foundation and International Swimming Hall of Fame to provide learn-to-swim programming to hundreds of thousands of children across the country,” said Maurice Bushroe, 2021 FSPA President. “The members of our 16 chapters across Florida will be providing support for critical water safety awareness that will continue to make a difference in the lives of children and their families.” 

As part of the collaboration, the organizations will work together to advance water safety and support each organization’s respective swim education initiatives—Step Into SwimTM (PHTF), Florida Swims  Foundation (FSPA) and Every Child A Swimmer (ISHOF), which all strive to empower people around the water and decrease drowning, particularly with young children who are at an increased risk. 

“The partnership couldn’t come at a better time as the International Swimming Hall of Fame is building upon the momentum from Florida’s Every Child A Swimmer bill, which requires schools to inform parents on the importance of teaching their children how to swim,” said Bill Kent, Chairman of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. “The more we all advocate for safe water practices, the bigger impact we’ll continue to have.”  

Olympian and three-time gold medalist, Rowdy Gaines, is leading the Step Into Swim initiative on behalf of PHTF. “Drowning is largely preventable and it pains me to see drowning rates increase in the U.S. and for my home state of Florida to be high on that list. This trifecta of support from leading organizations will give Floridian families and communities access to critical water safety skills,” said Gaines, Vice  President of Partnerships and Development for PHTF. “By teaching our youth the lifesaving gift of  learning to swim, we can make a real, lasting impact and instill confidence in people as they take to the  water.”   

The LWRMC Breast Health Center, along with Sirius Spa is hosting a Spa and Bra event for the third consecutive year for women in the community. The event will take place on Thursday October 14, from 4:30pm-7:30pm at LWRMC Breast Health Center
Medical Office Building 1, Suite 160 8340 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Attendees will be able to get a mammography screening*, enjoy free massages and mini manicures from Sirius Day Spa Salon & Med Spas and sample some lite bites. Register for this event by visiting lwrmc.com/spaandbra.

*A physician order is required for services. If you have an order from your physician, please bring it with you to the event. If you do not have an order, please contact your physician’s office and have them fax an order to our Breast Health Center at 941-782-2584. If you or your physician’s office have any questions or concerns, please call us at 941-782-2662. 

Sheila Miller, VP of Philanthropy at the Child Protection Center (CPC), has been named the ‘Empowering Woman of the Year’ by the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce at the Women Empowering Women event. Sheila was nominated by several staff members of the Child Protection Center, citing her vast impact on the nonprofit. Miller has a long history of advocating for children, which can be seen in her years of work as a teacher, later as a principal, and for the past 11 years at CPC. Just over two years ago, Sheila finished her last round of chemo in a tiring battle with breast cancer. She often used the support she received from her diagnosis to shed light on the children fighting child abuse. “Why is it okay to talk about cancer but taboo to talk about child abuse? Every victim needs that same level of support," she said. 

Following the Women Empowering Women event, Sheila said, “I am honored and humbled by this award. The words, ‘Women Empowering Women’ are very meaningful to me. As individuals, we don’t realize how we sometimes inspire or empower others by showing up and admitting your struggle. I have learned through surviving cancer and listening to victims of child abuse that sometimes sharing your difficulty, (which you may see as your weakness), is really the message that empowers others to share their struggle or to get help. Sometimes ‘acting brave’ makes others brave.”

For more information on CPC, visit cpcsarasota.org or call 941-365-1277. 

Photo courtesy of CPC

As Sarasota Memorial Health Care System prepares to open its new oncology tower next month – the second phase of the expanding Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute – the health system has appointed a leading GI oncologist to serve as its Chief of Surgical Oncology. Kenneth Meredith, MD, a world leader in robotic surgery and the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, was promoted to the Jellison Cancer Institute executive team Oct. 1. In this new, critical role, Dr. Meredith will lead Sarasota Memorial’s team of oncology surgeons and help provide strategic direction as the health system moves forward with future phases of the Jellison Cancer Institute.

Board certified in surgery and fellowship trained in surgical oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Dr. Meredith was recruited by SMH to expand its robotic surgery capabilities and develop a specialty program for people with gastrointestinal malignancies including: pancreatic, esophageal, colorectal, gastric, liver and other hepatobiliary cancers and conditions. “Dr. Meredith is a superb surgeon and researcher who has helped us build a nationally recognized GI surgical oncology program,” said Richard Brown, MD, medical director of the Jellison Cancer Institute. “As chief of surgical oncology, he will work closely with all of our surgical subspecialists to bring the latest treatments and technologies to our community and ensure the best patient outcomes through collaborative, multi-disciplinary cancer care.” 

In his expanded role, Dr. Meredith will oversee the Cancer Institute’s surgical oncology team, which includes subspecialty care for breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, thoracic, ENT, endocrine, gynecologic and neurologic cancers. While maintaining his surgical oncology practice with Sarasota Memorial’s First Physicians Group, Dr. Meredith also continues to serve as medical director of Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology at Sarasota Memorial and professor of clinical medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine. 

Sarasota-based Omeza, LLC announced that James “Jim” McSweeney is joining the company in the role of Director of Sales – East Region effective October 11, 2021. Mr. McSweeney has worked for 3M/KCI since 2018 and currently holds the position of Director Corporate Accounts. In his new role, Mr. McSweeney will be central to Omeza’s strategy of wound healing delivered simply and completely to restore patient quality of life. Omeza recently received 510(k) approval of its lead drug-device combination product, Omeza® Collagen Matrix, and FDA clearance to go to market. Company Founder and CEO Tom Gardner, commented, “Jim brings significant expertise into this new, critical role for our organization. His extensive experience in chronic wound care, ability to drive sales organizations, and depth of knowledge about customer requirements will be valuable in the commercial launch of our lead Rx only Omeza® Collagen Matrix as well as our 2 OTC drugs, Omeza® Lidocaine Lavage and Omeza® Skin Protectant.”

Inquiries from medical and health professionals should be directed to info@omezapro.com. 

The Sarasota City Commission has adjusted its regular meeting times to 9 a.m. on the first and third Monday of each month. The changes commence with the commission’s next meeting, scheduled for October 18 at City Hall, 1565 First St. The agenda can be viewed on the City’s website.

Individuals who wish to participate in the meeting in person may do so by coming to City Hall. Those who prefer to participate remotely can receive instructions on how to join the meeting via Zoom by emailing Clerk@SarasotaFL.gov by 5 p.m. the Friday prior to a meeting. Written comments can be provided for agenda items up until 72 hours prior to the start of the meeting by clicking on the eComments link next to the published agenda. Comments can also be sent to City Commissioners on any topic at any time by emailing CityCommissioners@SarasotaFL.gov.

To view agendas and details for upcoming meetings of the City Commission or other City boards or committees, visit www.SarasotaFL.gov and click “Meetings/Agendas/Video.” City Commission meetings can be viewed there via live stream or on Access Sarasota television (Comcast channel 19, Frontier channel 32). Meetings will also be broadcast live on the City’s Facebook page (search for “City of Sarasota, Government”). 

For more information, contact the City Auditor and Clerk’s office at 941-263-6222 or Clerk@SarasotaFL.gov. 

2022 Best of SRQ Nominations are officially open. The people and places garnering the MOST nominations during the first phase of the competition will make it to the voting playoffs in January - so, nominate early and nominate often!