After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Art in the Dark” fundraiser for Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center returns on September 24, 2022, at Michael’s On East starting at 6pm. This signature event from Lighthouse illuminates the experience of art using senses beyond sight and will also feature a gourmet menu, dancing, and a silent and exciting live auction of fabulous items. Bob Harrigan, Chief Meteorologist for ABC 7, will emcee the evening. Funds raised from the event will support the organization’s mission of providing hope and empowerment to people experiencing vision loss. With the guidance of The Ringling's Education Department, guests will experience art as those with vision loss do: by using their other senses. The event’s signature piece of artwork is Drawing of the Lottery in the Piazza delle Erbe in Turin, Giovanni Michele Graneri, c. 1756. Bequest of John Ringling, 1936. During this Sponsors for the event include Tom and Sherry Koski; Bell Engineering & Consulting, LLC; MedOne; Kitchner Benefits; Publix Super Market Charities; Retina Associates of Sarasota; Mr. and Mrs. David Cruikshank; Martin Rometsch and Wilhelmine Wiese-Rometsch, MD, FACP; Worthington-Keating Family Foundation; Coastal Properties & Management - Gail Welch, Realtor; and Jeff and Cindy Kaiser. Underwriters for the event include Cavanaugh & Co, LLP; Newsom Eye; E-Bikes and Cycles; Quigley Eye; Jon F. Swift Construction; Tervis; Gulf Coast Community Foundation; and The Ringling Museum. Tickets are available now at ArtInTheDark.org 

The Child Protection Center, Inc. (CPC) has been selected by Sisterhood for Good to receive funding for the nonprofit’s Therapy programs. The grant will assist the nonprofit in providing the necessary equipment for mental health services for children and families suffering the traumas of child abuse in the community. This funding will specifically supply a variety of specialized resource tools for children who are undergoing therapy to use to express their thoughts/fears and to release potentially harmful energy in a positive and safe way. These items may include art supplies, puppets, punching bags, books, or “Packs of Healing” supplies such as stress balls, journals, sketchbooks, markers, aromatherapy oils, and fidget spinners. The various items provide children and families the resources and supplies to enhance their ability to use the coping and relaxation skills they are learning in therapy, and to
encourage bonding, play, normalcy, and self-care. The Child Protection Center’s mission is the Prevention, Intervention, & Treatment of Child Abuse, as the organization envisions a community where children are safe from abuse and free to thrive. For over 40 years, CPC has been serving Sarasota and DeSoto Counties in the State of Florida, and is accredited by the National Children’s Alliance. For more information on CPC, visit www.cpcsarasota.org or call 941-365-1277. 

Pictured: CPC’s Executive Director Doug Staley accepts funds from Sisterhood for Good. Photo courtesy of CPC.

The Van Wezel Foundation is teaming up with the Newtown Farmers Market to present Mr. Stevey & Friends’ “Exploring Outer Space,” the first in a series of free, family-friendly events, held on Saturday, September 24 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 2523 Cocoanut Ave. in Sarasota. Mr. Stevey and Friends will help children and families learn how to increase resilience and stress management through mindfulness using the arts while exploring the solar system. Mr. Stevey will be joined by guest artist Freda Williams, who will teach families how to make space rocks. Subsequent events, each featuring a different theme, will take place on the last Saturday of each month. The Education and Lifelong Learning program at the Van Wezel Foundation provides arts integration and education experiences to increase understanding in the classroom, the community and beyond. This event is another example of how the Foundation is living up to its mission to advance education and enrich communities by inspiring minds through the power of the arts, while creating and sustaining a vibrant performing arts center. Mr. Stevey (Jones) is a Sarasota-based teaching artist who meditates daily and is certified in mindfulness. A former award-winning journalist and local substitute teacher, Stevey hosts “Mr. Stevey Meditates,” an educational channel on YouTube that explores mindfulness techniques. Stevey incorporates mindfulness, writing and social media into his teaching artistry to create educational experiences focused on helping students feel better so they can learn better. Stevey also enjoys developing and launching innovative arts education programs for nonprofits, school districts and community organizations with a focus on engaging students from traditionally underserved communities. Freda Williams is a teaching artist with the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall specializing in arts integration for the past five years. She is a Ringling College alumna in the area of Fine Arts and Interior Space Planning. Freda utilizes her training to practice, design lessons and lead workshops for gifted elementary-aged students throughout the local school districts. This includes leading a well-known after-school Elementary Drama gifted program. Freda also teaches arts integrated activities to Summer Learning Academy students in Sarasota and helps lead Family Literacy Nights at Title 1 schools focused on drama and visual arts. She has previously won the Florida Reading Association Teacher of the Year for the State of Florida. 

To learn more click here.

As Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe prepares for its 2022-2023 programmatic and performance season, it is thrilled to have received a Strategic Partnership Grant of $35,000 from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The funds are to be allocated as follows: $15,000 for Stage of Discovery; $10,000 for the fall gala, “Groovin’ on the Soul Train”; $5,000 for WBTT’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and $5,000 for WBTT’s spring fundraiser, the April Fools Fête. Stage of Discovery, which was first offered during the summer of 2016, is a musical theatre program offered at no cost to the participants. The camp provides weeks of intensive training in singing, acting, dancing and improvisation, and culminates in a full-scale musical production. The Community Foundation-supported events take place on the following dates this year: Groovin’ on the Soul Train, November 11, 2022; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Celebrating His Legacy, January 16, 2023; April Fools Fête, April 3, 2023. Founded in 1999, the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is the only professional black theater company on Florida’s West Coast. Its mission is to produce professional theatre that promotes and celebrates African American history and experience, engages a broad base of patrons and audiences, supports the development of a dynamic group of aspiring artists, and builds self-esteem in youth of color. The grant support was made possible thanks to the Thomas and Lola Seligman Fund, the Frances Wormser Founders Fund, the Leslie and Margaret Weller Fund, and the Allen Wirtz Nobbe and Jo Bowen Nobbe Fund of the Community Foundation. For more about WBTT, call 941-366-1505 or visit westcoastblacktheatre.org. 

Pictured: Funding from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County will support WBTTs Stage of Discovery summer youth training program Photo by Sorcha Augustine.

Hi! I’m Charlie!

I want to introduce some of my friends at Boys & Girls Club. We’re working hard here after school doing all kinds of stuff.

My friend Quavian, he’s positive last year’s A in Reading will improve to A+. He’s hitting the books while others hit the beach. You’ll be writing your own story in no time, Quavian!

Kamiyah, she’s showing everyone why she’s going to be the next great chef. While others are sizzling in the sun, she’s sizzling a vegetable medley in our Culinary Arts program. You’re heating up, Kamiyah!

For my friend Akiel, he’s serving on a local Board of Directors after completing STAR Leadership Training. While others are bored home, he’s training to be on a Board. Character. Leadership. Go, Akiel!

And friend Dani, she’s at the Club doing stuff for college like ACT/SAT prep, financial aid guidance, and accessing $60 + million in scholarships. I don’t know what it all means but it sure sounds impressive!

Thanks to the Club, my friends and I will be ready for any challenge this school year brings! But the Club is there for us because you’re there for us. 

You make all these things possible.

See yourself helping Club members like me. Your support will help thousands of us do whatever we put our minds to. See yourself supporting great futures at the Club. And, if you really want to see yourself at the Club, I’d love to show you around! Visit bgcsdc.org or call 941-366-3911 for a private tour.
-Charlie 

Click here to learn more

There are many different scenarios for students who do not have a stable home: families who are staying with others, living in shelters, motels, campgrounds, or cars due to a loss of housing, or older teens who are not in the custody of a parent or guardian and are fending for themselves on the streets. For homeless families or displaced teens who are on their own, Safe Children Coalition’s Schoolhouse Link program serves as protector, support system and advocate. To bolster Safe Children Coalition’s efforts on behalf of these youths, the McCune Family Foundation recently awarded a grant of $15,000 for the Schoolhouse Link program. In 2021, funding from the McCune Family Foundation directly supported program costs including staff salaries, transportation, and supplies for 66 youth including clothing, household supplies, books, and school-related expenses. Every child has a right to a public education but, when their home is in turmoil, it can be overwhelming to navigate school and social services systems. Schoolhouse Link serves as an advocate, helping students in transition attend and succeed in school. Schoolhouse Link helps to provide stability while students pursue their education, including funding for uncovered medical care, emergency medication, supportive counseling, housing subsidies, and rental and utility assistance, when appropriate. Additionally, the program assists homeless students with scholarships for ancillary expenses such as application fees, books, uniforms, computers, and other costs as they transition from high school to college or technical training opportunities. McKinney-Vento Services (McKinney-Vento Act of 1987, last amended by Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015) are provided to students in residential transition to help them enroll, attend and/or succeed in school. In Sarasota County, Schoolhouse Link works with the Sarasota County School Board and serves as the district's official "homeless liaison." In addition, the program provides support to the entire family by linking them with essential service providers and community resources. 

“The importance of providing support for children whose families are experiencing homelessness or teens who are without an adult guardian cannot be overstated,” said Schoolhouse Link program director Ellen McLaughlin. “Children who are dealing with homelessness are already at a significant disadvantage when it comes to being prepared for life and career success. We are most grateful to the McCune Family Foundation for its generous contribution as we work to ensure displaced youths enroll, stay in and graduate from school.”

Pictured: Thanks to generous donors and volunteers, hundreds of backpacks with school supplies have been donated, stuffed, and given to children who are homeless or in the foster care system.

To learn more click here.

If you love to share the joy of reading with young people, Embracing Our Differences hopes you will volunteer for its “Bucket Fillers” reading initiative, which will take place at 80 elementary schools and early learning centers throughout Manatee and Sarasota counties on Tuesday, November 15. What is a Bucket Filler? Since her first book, “Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids,” was published in 2006, Carol McCloud, a nationally acclaimed author and Venice resident, has inspired millions of people of all ages to become daily “bucket fillers” through her books, seminars, and other publications. Her nine children’s books have sold three million copies worldwide and are used in schools around the world as their primary character development program. For the past five years, EOD has coordinated an annual Bucket Filler reading initiative—through a partnership with Sarasota County Schools, the School District of Manatee County, and the Early Learning Coalitions of Sarasota County and Manatee County. Ben Jewell-Plocher, EOD’s learning and engagement director, explains it this way. “The ‘Bucket Filler’ books use the concept of an invisible bucket to encourage positive behavior and warm hearts. Each book shows children how rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation, and love to others.”

On November 15, EOD will coordinate hundreds of volunteers to read from “Bucket Filler” books to more than 8,200 students in pre-kindergarten through third grade classes in Sarasota County. If you’d like to volunteer to read on November 15, visit https://www.embracingourdifferences.org/bucket-fillers by October 1. For more information about Embracing Our Differences, call 941-404-5710, or visit www.embracingourdifferences.org. 

Pictured: Barancik Foundations John Annis reads to 2nd grade students at Fruitville Elementary during EODs Bucket Fillers Reading Day event. Photo courtesy of EOD.

THE BAY FOR ALL | Portions of The Bay, the ambitious public space planned at the Sarasota Bayfront, have started to become accessible to the public.

Hear more from Bill Waddill, the chief operating officer for The Bay Park Conservancy, through this link, on our social media, or in the September edition of SRQ Magazine.

Stay tuned for more TRENDSPORT spotlights in the coming days! 

Join us as we say goodbye to a beloved community hotel in FAREWELL HYATT through this link, on our social media, or in the September edition of SRQ Magazine.

Check back tomorrow for more TRENDSPORT content!