SRQ DAILY May 4, 2022
Wednesday Philanthropy Edition
"At these events we are able to have real conversations with people and understand how we can better support them. We are excited about this opportunity and will be at every Friday night home game."
On March 10th SRQ Media recognized five local nonprofits who have leaned into change, particularly after an extremely challenging year, at the SB2 Transformation in Philanthropy luncheon and panel discussion. The event took place at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota where all parties were thrilled to be gathered together in person. 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 are pleased to highlight each of the nonprofit groups recognized at the luncheon as part of our Wednesday Philanthropy edition.
There is an issue that has long impacted schools across the country - and Sarasota County Schools are not immune to it. Even in pre-pandemic years, almost half of the high school seniors in the district graduated without a clear path for life after graduation. The COVID-19 pandemic, with the transition to online schooling, the wave of teachers leaving on paid and unpaid leave, and mounting anxiety in everybody, only exacerbated that issue. This issue, however, is not limited to high school seniors - it’s a result that has stemmed from a lack of educational resources in grades K-12. In 2020-2021, when students were given the option to learn remotely or in person and teachers had to teach concurrently to both groups, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County knew that it was time for action.
In 2021, the nonprofit opened LaunchPad4U - a community resource center in downtown Sarasota that ensured students and families could have access to their resources even as schools were closed to outside visitors. LaunchPad4U served as the base for PLANit Sarasota, the Foundation's mentoring program, their Teacher Leadership Center and their fourth Student Success Center. These centers propelled students - many with non-English speaking families - to apply for FAFSA forms and pursued education after college. The Foundation also found ways to adapt by shifting much of their resources online - the same resources offered by advisers at Student Success Centers could also be accessed through zoom meetings. That same methodology came to mind when discussing the mounting mental health needs of students during these uncertain times - by partnering with Dr. Stacie Herrera, through Telement, and with the Forty Carrots Family Center, to provide students with 90-minute virtual wellness visits.
CEO Jennifer Vigne believes that “incremental change is sustainable change” and that “resolve, perseverance and discipline are what lead to incremental change.” 
Pictured: Jennifer Vigne Chief Executive Officer Education Foundation of Sarasota County.
The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation Spring 2022 Grants Cycle opens on June 1 and will close at 3:59 p.m. on August 1. The Grant Portal will be open during that period for area not-for-profit organizations to create an account and access existing accounts as they begin the application process. The Selby Foundation board meets in November to review grant applications and award grants. The Foundation specializes in supporting local area not-for-profits with capital grants which support construction, acquisition and/or renovation of facilities as well as the purchase of equipment or software. Grants requests may also include the costs of related technical services like legal, architectural and engineering. Not-for-profit organizations are required to be primarily located in Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee or Sarasota Counties. The Selby Foundation is a private foundation founded by William G. and Marie Selby in 1955. The Foundation supports Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties through capital grants and scholarships. Since its establishment, the Selby Foundation has provided more than $120 million to the community. For more information on the Foundation’s grant and scholarship application process, including its Small and Mighty Grants program, visit www.selbyfdn.org.
Arts Advocates is pleased to announce that 10 Sarasota and Manatee county students have been awarded scholarships totaling $20,000 for the 2022-2023 school year. Since 1969, the scholarship program has awarded over $1.1 million to students whose studies include visual and related arts, dance, writing, music, theater and architecture. All scholarship monies are generated through Arts Advocates activities and donations. The students will be celebrated during the Arts Advocates general meeting luncheon on May 19, 11:00 a.m., at Bird Key Yacht Club, 301 Bird Key Drive in Sarasota. Several of the awardees will give presentations or perform: Pablo Gonzalez will discuss his recent commission for the Natural History
Museum of Los Angeles; John Quigley will engage in a moderated Q & A about his path from U.S. Army to artist; and Luca Stine will play the trumpet. Cost is $35 for members, $38 for non-members, and registration is required at ArtsAdvocates.org.
Pictured: John Quigley. Photo courtesy of Arts Advocates.
Please check your calendars and join Mariner Wealth Advisors’ panel discussion highlighting the challenges business owners face and solutions to negotiate, determine, build, and monetize the value of your company.
Business Owners’ Questions Answered: How Much is Your Company Worth?
Wednesday, May 18th | 12 pm EDT
At Mariner Wealth Advisors, our goal is simple. We want to support you so you're better able to serve your clients. And, we offer a suite of resources to do just that. Our business succession planning webinar will cover the following topics:
•Learn how your company can be positioned to sell or transition to the next generation in a tax-efficient manner
•The various options for how to transfer ownership of a business – and the importance of picking the right one
•What the ideal timeline looks like for a transition, including pre-sale planning
•Considerations from a business owner’s personal wealth plan as it relates to a business sale
•Valuation considerations and differences
Please RSVP now for this online program with Managing Director & Senior Wealth Advisor Paul Cantor, CFA, CFP®, AIF® and Vice President, Estate Planning Consultant Scott Luhnau.
Fogartyville will present the final event in their “Poets Unplugged” Spoken Word series on Saturday, May 14. Doors will open at 7pm as DJ Rozay sets the mood with his musical mix. At 8pm there will be a curated Open Mic featuring some of the best poets from the previous spoken word events. The featured poet this month will be local spoken word artist and series host Melanie Lavender. Tickets are $5 and are available online at www.Fogartyville.org. Food will be available for purchase from C&D’s Sandwich Shop.
During the Open Mic audiences will enjoy spoken word performances from Forever Florida, Tash Shabazz, Becca Hadwen and Christa South. There will also be a special segment highlighting students from Booker Middle School that participate in Joanna Fox's Dragonfly Cafe. Melanie Lavender is a Spoken Word artist and a proud Sarasota native. Educated in the Sarasota County school system and Newtown community, Melanie is a wife, mother, and a Podcast/Radio host of Soul of Tha Matter. Melanie has recited at Selby Botanical Gardens, Manatee Performing Art Center, nightclubs, art galleries, and more. Writing “Psalms of The Elusive Black Housewife,” Melanie found a way to transform anxiety and depression into poetry and community activism. She chose not to give up but to use the skills taught to her by her elders to keep moving and transform that energy into creativity. The Spoken Word series has been made possible with funding support provided by the Venice Endowment Fund of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
On Wednesday at 11:00 am at the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota. the Postal Service is doing a national unveiling of a Eugenie Clark postage stamp. Eugenie was affectionally known as “the shark lady” and one of the founding members of the Mote Laboratory and Aquarium. This is big news in the Sarasota region and in the world of marine science. The USPS printed 18 million of these stamps to be sold around the country!
Photo courtesy of U.S. Postal Service.
Achieva Credit Union has signed on as a sponsor of the Bradenton Marauders minor league baseball team, offering on-site access to Achieva team members, Friday night ticket promotions for Achieva members and ticket giveaways to educators, among other activities. This is the third minor league baseball sponsorship for Achieva Credit Union, which has had an active presence in the Manatee County area since 2010 with a branch located off Lockwood Ridge Road and State Road 70 in Bradenton. The partnership with the Marauders gives Achieva Credit Union the opportunity to connect with baseball fans not only from Manatee County but from the surrounding counties as well. In addition to sponsoring every stolen base during regular home games, Achieva will have a community corner at LECOM Park stadium at every Friday night home game. Team members will be at each of those games to provide information to interested fans and providing giveaways.
“These sports marketing relationships are important for us,” said Susan Lacey, Regional Market President at Achieva. “At these events we’re able to have real conversations with people and understand how we can better support them. We are excited about this opportunity and will be at every Friday night home game.”
Achieva members can take advantage of a “buy one get one” (BOGO) ticket offer on Friday night home games. Achieva will also sponsor a Back-to-School night on July 30 and will give out 100 free tickets to its school partners. For each Friday night home game, Achieva will also distribute 50 free tickets to community partners. The community-focused baseball sponsorship, which aligns with Achieva’s focus on “Banking for Good,'' has been successful in other markets. Achieva has been a sponsor of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels since 2019, the Class A minor league team in Lee County, and previously sponsored the former Charlotte County minor league team.
BLOOM IN THE PARK,” will take place Friday, May 6, 2022 from 7-10 pm at Selby Five Points Park. This is an outdoor, pedestrian-only, spring-themed, inclusive event featuring free signature party favors for the first 500 guests, free polaroid portraits for the first 100 guests, live entertainment and album release event from Cassie Jean and the Fireflies, live entertainment from Dean Johanesen, food and beverages available for purchase from downtown vendors. Join a jovial crowd of over 2000, elected officials, bright signage, pet and family friendly, outdoor dining and revelry, food and beverage stations, professional staging for music acts, free daisies and LED pins. The event is presented by Downtown Improvement and the City of Sarasota and the Downtown Improvement District in collaboration with Next-Mark. Media sponsor: Herald-Tribune⎮LOCALiQ. Other sponsors/partners include: Runningboards Marketing, Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors. Parking is available at the Palm Avenue Parking Garage, 2nd and 3rd floors of Whole Foods parking garage, on-street at Main Street, First Street, Second Street, Palm Avenue and Pineapple Avenue.
Your favorite weeknight hangout has arrived at its new home, Waterside Place, the newest town center in Lakewood Ranch. Ranch Nite Wednesdays will take place from 6-9pm, every Wednesday, starting November 10, 2021 and through May, 2022. It will feature New food trucks + dessert truck each week, Weekly live music from local artists, Night market every 2nd Wednesday hosted by Main Street Market LWR, Outdoor bar hosted by Waterside Place tenant Good Liquid Brewing & Scratch Kitchen, and The 2nd largest recreational cornhole league in the nation hosted by MVP Sports & Social.
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) proudly presents The Grandma That Eats Everything & Other Winning Plays, a collection of plays inspired by the imaginations of children in sixth grade and below. This production is presented as part of FST’s WRITE A PLAY program, an award-winning arts-in-education initiative that provides students with the example, the inspiration, and the skills to write their own original plays. Students’ creations are then submitted to FST’s annual youth playwriting competition, and about a dozen winning plays are selected out of thousands of submissions from around the world to be brought to life in a full-scale production performed by professional actors. This season’s anthology of winning plays, The Grandma That Eats Everything, marks the 31st year that FST has inspired young students through the WRITE A PLAY program. The Grandma That Eats Everything & Other Winning Plays will play on weekdays to school groups in FST’s Keating Theatre as part of FST’s WRITE A PLAY program. The play is also available to tour to your school. From March 6 to May 8, The Grandma That Eats Everything & Other Winning Plays is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday mornings as part of FST’s Children’s Theatre Series. Single tickets are $10.
Ringling College Undergraduate and Surrealist artist, Jude Zawaideh will have an exhibition on display April 1-May 6. Celebrtae the opening at the public reception on Friday, April 1st from 6-8pm . Viewings are free and open to the public.
Downtown gallery PS340, 340 Central Ave, Sarasota
FST Improv Presents Comedy Freestyle Beginning on April 2 and through May 28, 2022 at 7:30pm. What happens when you take some of your favorite improv games…and remove all the rules? Anything goes at Comedy Freestyle, an off-the-wall improvisation potpourri. Featuring a mashup of both short-form and long-form styles, audiences get the best of the art form when styles and techniques collide! We’ll set our performers free from all of the traditional dos and don’ts of improv, and you get to watch them figure out what comes next, completely on the spot. Tickets are $15 per person and the performance will take place in FST's Bowne's Lab.
CreArte Latino Cultural Center is a major participant in the 2022 Suncoast Remake Learning Days Festival, presented by Remake Learning, which hosts festivals in 14 regions across the nation. This festival will be held in four Florida counties, including the Sarasota area, for the first time, April 29 through May 8. CreArte Latino invites children and families to three free special events promoting arts and literacy, created in cooperation with other community organizations and sponsored by The Patterson Foundation and The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.
The newest artists at Art Uptown Gallery will be featured in the May exhibit, "Different Strokes," showcasing their paintings. Diane Boone, intuitive abstract painter, and Gillian St. George, hard-edge abstract painter, are both local, full-time residents of national recognition. Meet the artists on May 6 from 6pm to 9pm at the First Friday public reception at the gallery and Saturday, May 7 from 11am to 5pm, The exhibit opens on Saturday, April 30 and runs through Friday, May 27. Art Uptown Gallery welcomes patrons and friends at 1367 Main Street where the diverse art works of local, award-winning artists are exhibited. Telephone 941-955-5409 or visit www.artuptown.com for hours and further information.
M A R A Art Studio + Gallery presents “black+white,” featuring monochromatic works by nine artists: Grace Howl, Jack Shapiro, Jana Millstone, Ralph Berger, Lisa DiFranza, Craig Palmer, Dan Wilkerson, Sam Wuerfel, and MARA Torres, May 1-31. The opening reception is Friday, May 6, 5:30-7 p.m. The gallery is at 1421 5th Street, Rosemary District, Sarasota. For more information, call (941) 914-8110 or visit MaraStudioGallery.com
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will close its 2021-2022 season with two world-premiere one-act plays, under the auspices of its New Playwrights Series. These plays, "From Birmingham To Broadway” and “Float Like A Butterfly," will be presented together May 4-29. "From Birmingham to Broadway," an ode to Nell Carter, was written by and stars popular WBTT artist Tarra Conner jones. "Float Like a Butterfly," which examines the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali, was written by WBTT founder/artistic director Nate Jacobs' brother, Michael Jacobs, and stars Darius Autry. Call the Box Office at 941-366-1505 or visit westcoastblacktheatre.org
This season, WBTT is also thrilled to present two world premiere one-act plays under the auspices of its New Playwrights Series. Tarra Conner jones has written and stars in an ode to Nell Carter, titled “From Birmingham to Broadway.” Nate Jacobs and his brother, Michael, have written a play about Muhammad Ali, titled “Float Like a Butterfly”; staring Darius Autry. These plays will be presented together from May 4 to 29, 2022. Ticket sales are scheduled to begin in the late summer. Call the Box Office at 941-366-1505 or visit westcoastblacktheatre.org.
Fresh Fridays is a first-Friday outdoor event series made possible by the City of Sarasota and the Downtown Improvement District in collaboration with Next-Mark, LLC. These pedestrian-only events serve to showcase all the dining options, merchants, and recreational assets located within the city to further establish downtown Sarasota as a vibrant cultural hub. These events are inclusive and always free, providing an opportunity for all members of our community to connect, socialize, and enjoy their city in new and dynamic ways. "Bloom in the Park," an outdoor, pedestrian-only, Spring-themed, inclusive event featuring free signature party favors for the first 500 guests, free polaroid portraits for the first 100 guests, live entertainment and album release event from Cassie Jean and the Fireflies, live entertainment from Dean Johanesen, food and beverages available for purchase from downtown vendors.
Selby Five Points Park
Choral Splendor in 40 Parts will take place on Friday, May 6 at 7:30pm at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, and Saturday, May 7 at 4pm at First Presbyterian Church. A concert 450 years in the making, featuring 40 voices of the Chamber Singers and special guest Les Canards Chantants, a solo-voice ensemble specializing in music of the Renaissance. Experience a rare opportunity to hear Thomas Tallis’ Spem in alium (Hope in any other) considered one of the greatest compositions of all time and Alessandro Striggio’s Mass in 40 parts, a masterpiece lost for more than 400 years. These rarely performed works are scored for 40 independent vocal parts, and as many as 60 parts for Striggio’s final Agnus Dei − a feat unequaled to this day. Experience an unforgettable program of polychoral extravagance and unparalleled splendor.
Sarasota Orchestra collaborates with Nashville-based duo Swearingen & Kelli, who recreate the magic of '70s singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Carole King, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell and more. Christopher Confessore, a frequent guest with the Orchestra, conducts. This longstanding partnership between Sarasota Orchestra and the Orioles gives music-lovers a chance to take in a live performance while enjoying ballpark fare and a relaxed, fun ambiance under the stars. A spectacular fireworks display closes out an evening of musical hits and home runs. Tickets from $15, availible at www.orioles.com/arts or (941)-893-6312
Orioles' Ed Smith Stadium
The Sarasota Tiger Bay Club, a not-for-profit Florida Corporation with a 501(c)(3) status, will welcome David Brooks, Author, The Second Mountain, The Road to Character and The Social Animal, New York Times Columnist and major political and social analyst to the May 5 luncheon to be held at Michael’s On East. Doors will open at 11:30am and the program will go from noon to 1pm with a book signing until 1:30pm. David Brooks has a gift for bringing audiences face to face with the spirit of our times with humor, insight and quiet passion. He is a keen observer of the American way of life and a savvy analyst of present-day politics and foreign affairs. He holds several prestigious positions as a commentator: Bi-weekly Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times, Regular analyst on PBS NewsHour and NPR’s All Things Considered. The annual keynote luncheon is the only fundraising event for the organization whose mission is to promote community understanding of current political and social issues, through public discourse and the free exchange of ideas. The Sarasota Tiger Bay Club is a non-partisan political organization that was formed to foster understanding of public issues. Tiger Bay’s philosophy is that in-person, face-to-face exchanges and confrontations with key policy makers is the ideal to understand today’s complex issues. Tiger Bay is political but non-partisan. Its Charter and By-Laws prevent candidate endorsements or taking sides in political campaigns.
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota presents pianist Ying Li in recital as part of State College of Florida’sPianopalooza Festival, Thursday, May 5 at 4:00 pm, at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. Li will be joined by principal string musicians of the Sarasota Orchestra in a program to include music by Mozart and Dvorak. Tickets are $40, and can be purchased online at ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or by calling 941-306-1202, M-F 10 am-4 pm.
This In-Studio Performance Series featuring Marsi Burns will take place on Friday May 6th and Saturday May 7th 2022 at 7pm and its Virtual Stream will take place on Saturday May 7th at 7pm.
One of Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s most anticipated events, The Golf Tournament is a day of fun, food, and fast greens. The Tournament will take place on Friday, May 6, 2022 at 8:30am at Laurel Oak Golf & Country Club, 2700 Gary Player Blvd. Join Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation for their 20th annual Golf Tournament benefiting Physician’s Endowment at SMH, which provides continuing education for our health system staff and gives them the opportunity to earn new certifications and update existing credentials. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sally Schule, Director of Community and Donor Engagement, at 941.374.9700 or sally-schule@smh.com.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will take place May 6-7, 2022 at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N Pineapple Ave.
Botany and beverages meet in the first installment of a new series called “Noshing in Nature” at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. On Friday, May 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., the Gardens will host “Tequila Tasting and Succulent Science,” a program that delves into the tequila-making process and the resulting complex flavors, at its Downtown Sarasota campus. Senior director of gardens horticulture Christopher Elenstar will lead a dialogue on agave, cacti, and other succulents with tequila experts from award-winning distillery Hiatus Tequila. After learning about the key succulents that play a role in the distilling process, attendees can put their new knowledge into practice through a guided tasting of Hiatus Tequila varieties. Botany has never tasted so delicious! Cost is $65 for Selby Gardens members, and $70 for non-members. Advance registration is required, as capacity will be limited. Learn more and register online at selby.org/events/noshing-in-nature/.
We hope you'll join us at the SPRING Plant Sale! Come to our sale of the season to enjoy unbelievable bargains on plants starting at $1! Our gate opens Friday 5/6 at 9AM. Houseplants & Landscape Plants For Your Home & Lanai Great buys on Orchids, Bromeliads, Palms, Containers & More Explore Our Greenhouses & Get Expert Advice $1, $2 & $5 Bargain Prices, Beautiful Selection Family-Friendly Event
SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email |
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