SRQ MEDIA recognizes nonprofits who have the ability to lean into change in the face of either challenge or opportunity. The Change Agents in Philanthropy Awards focus on the capacity of the independent sector to be innovative in the face of change in fundraising, donor cultivation and development, mission, programming, branding and visibility and operations. We invite the community to nominate local nonprofits, local nonprofit programs and individuals who have embraced change and leveraged innovative thinking, strategies and practices in engaging their organization to more powerfully realize its mission.

The Change Agent Catalyst organizations who will be represented in the panel discussion at the SB2 | Transformation in Philanthropy Luncheon on Thursday, March 10, 2022 are: All Faiths Food Bank; Children First; Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s; Resilient Retreat; Education Foundation of Sarasota County. Every week leading up to the event, we will highlight one of our incredible panelists and his/her organization.

Today, we are pleased to highlight Sandra Frank, BA, JD, CFRM, Chief Executive Officer, All Faiths Food Bank. Sandra brings an extensive background in healthcare, law, public health and more than 25 years’ experience in nonprofit management and fund development. She joined All Faiths Food Bank in 2012 after holding senior executive positions with national health and human service organizations. By building a strong leadership infrastructure, she spearheaded the expansion of the Food Bank to double the warehouse, refrigeration and community space. The goal of addressing rural hunger became a reality with the opening of the DeSoto County Food and Resource Center in 2019. During her tenure, the mission of All Faiths Food Bank has pivoted to address hunger as a health issue. 

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Building on more than two decades of community generosity, the annual “Season of Sharing” campaign surpassed $4.4 million in donations – the highest annual amount raised since its establishment in 2000 by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune to provide a safety net for neighbors in crisis. During the last three months, more than 3,600 gifts were given by donors of all means to offer stability for those on the economic edge in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. Now in its 22nd year, the campaign has restored security and peace of mind for nearly 50,000 individuals and families from Punta Gorda to Parrish by providing more than $34 million to assist with housing, utilities, child care, and transportation.

“This outpouring of generosity reflects the deep trust our community puts in Season of Sharing to be a dependable lifeline for people during their most challenging moments,” says Roxie Jerde, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “The complex, everyday challenges that our neighbors are facing call on us to meet them – however we are able – with hope and support so they have the staying power to keep them on their feet long after a crisis has passed. Thanks to everyone who counted themselves as a supporter, this historic response will enable us to fulfill that promise of community care in the months and year ahead.”

While fundraising for the campaign officially runs from November through January, support provided by Season of Sharing is counted on all year long and quickly distributed through a network of more than 50 human services agencies to assist those in need. Donations to the Season of Sharing fund are accepted all year and may be made online at www.cfsarasota.org/community-impact/community-care/season-of-sharing or by sending a check (payable to Community Foundation of Sarasota County) to Attn: Season of Sharing, 2635 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34237. There are no administrative fees and 100 percent of your gift goes to helping go directly to those who need it most, with none of the proverbial “red tape.” All donations are tax-deductible, 

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Each year, SRQ Media invites the community to nominate individuals with hearts of giving who have made a significant impact with local nonprofit organizations — from volunteers and board members to individual staff members and donors. This year, attendees were thrilled to be together as we recognized our annual Good Hero Philanthropic Award recipients at the SB2: Philanthropic Agenda Luncheon and Good Hero Philanthropic Awards Luncheon on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. In the coming weeks, we are happy to feature each of the twelve honorees in our Wednesday Philanthropic edition of SRQ Daily.

Today we are honoring Nicole Murby, Director of Therapy and Partnerships at EasterSeals Southwest Florida. Nicole has committed her entire professional life to public service starting as a teacher’s aide and Speech-Language Pathology Assistant in an ASD unit in the northeast, to working as a Speech-Language Pathologist with the School District of Manatee County and finally at EasterSeals. In the last 6 years she has created an award-winning inclusionary preschool serving both typically developing children and children with special needs. Nicole was also instrumental in creating parent support groups for families caring for children with special needs, an elementary school serving children with disabilities, a diagnostic clinic to increase the ease with which children receive their diagnoses so they can receive services more quickly, and a behavior therapy clinic serving children with autism. Nicole is a parent herself to two children with unique special needs. She is always composed and soft spoken, yet remains relentless and fierce in her advocacy for all families. Nicole, thank you for opening the doors to new opportunities for our children. 

Pictured: Nicole Murby (center) with Wes Roberts, SRQ Media Vice President and Executive Publisher (left) and Arthur Lerman of JFCS. Photo taken by Wyatt Kostygan.

ROSA, the robotic surgical assistant who has been helping orthopedic surgeons perform knee replacements at Sarasota Memorial since her debut in 2019, is now primed to do hips. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Zimmer Biomet’s ROSA Hip, the latest addition to the orthopedic robot’s surgical system. The added capabilities allow orthopedic surgeons using an anterior approach to partner with ROSA on total hip replacements. Edward Stolarski, MD, medical director of Sarasota Memorial’s Orthopedic Surgery division, and orthopedic surgeon Sean Dingle, MD, were among the first physicians in Florida to complete training and begin pioneering use of ROSA on knee replacements in 2019. The precision the technology adds to total and partial knee replacement prompted SMH to expand ROSA’s role in the operating room. Using patient-specific data collected by ROSA, surgeons can create and execute highly personalized surgical plans for each patient who needs a hip replacement, partial knee replacement or total knee replacement. Among other tasks, ROSA helps measure bone and tissue tension in a patient’s hips and knees and continuously monitors them with real-time imaging throughout the orthopedic procedures. Although ROSA Hip is designed for surgeons who use a direct anterior approach, work is under way to equip the robot with additional data and tools to assist surgeons who prefer a posterior approach. Dr. Stolarski, who helps educate surgeons from across the nation in robotic hip and knee technology and performs most of his hip transplants using an anterior approach, is slated to perform the first robotic-assisted case this month. 

Pictured: Orthopedic surgeons Edward Stolarski, MD (left) and Sean Dingle, MD (right). Photo courtesy of SMH.

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Sarasota Opera opened its 2022 Winter Opera Festival to a sold-out audience with Puccini’s Tosca on Saturday, February 12. The performance signified Maestro Victor DeRenzi’s 57th time at the podium conducting the beloved work. “Opening night always comes with a sense of excitement for everyone—the performers as well as the audience. The opening of Tosca on Saturday night was especially meaningful, because we had the largest company involved in putting on a performance and the largest audience in our theater since the pandemic began in 2020. It speaks to the commitment by everyone and the care they took to keep themselves and each other safe. We all have a lot to be proud of,” said Maestro DeRenzi. Meticulous planning and procedures have enabled the company—with more than 250 artists currently in residence—to keep the COVID-19 virus at bay. Last year, Sarasota Opera was the first company in the United States to hold a season of fully staged opera indoors since the performing arts were forced to shut down in March 2020. General Director Richard Russell has vigilantly overseen operations that center around lengthy protocols designed for the health and safety of the artists, crew, staff, and audience. “It’s thrilling to bring full scale opera—complete with orchestra and chorus—back to the historic Sarasota Opera House. However, our work has just begun. Our festival runs through March 22, so we are not letting our guard down.”

Sarasota Opera’s 2022 Winter Opera Festival continues with Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment opening February 19, Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers opening March 5, and Verdi’s Attila, opening March 12. For more information, visit SarasotaOpera.org, or call the Box Office at 941-328-1300. Sarasota Opera is located at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236. 

We are thrilled to announce that Bayside Pet Resort is our 2022 sponsor for the Pets We Love Competition! 

Bayside Pet Resort is Sarasota's award-winning luxury pet resort that is founded on exceeding your expectations. They offer canine and feline lodging, doggie daycare, day lodging for dogs and cats, professional pet grooming, and dog agility and obedience training. Voted "Best Pet Boarding Sarasota", "Best Pet Groomer Sarasota", and "Best Place to Pamper Your Pooch" for the last 5 years!"

Deadline to submit your pet is Friday, February 25, 2022.