Rise & Nye’s, the local coffee and ice cream shop run by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, hosted its second ice cream eating championship on November 12th in front of the shop at 1534 State St. in downtown Sarasota.

"The Fall 2022 Edition of Rise & Nye’s Great Ice Cream Eating Championship was a giant success and a big scoop of fun, too," according to Beaver Shriver, co-founder of Rise & Nye’s. Thirty adults and five youth “athletes” competed in a 3-minute ice cream eating sprint. The crowd was cheering, the ref was refereeing, the fog machine was fogging, all while the competitors were devouring double scoop cups of delicious house-made Rise & Nye’s ice cream.

Leila, the youth winner, polished off two-plus cups (there was an official weigh-off to break a tie), and Aaron the adult champ wolfed down seven double-scoop cups. “It was all very exciting and kind of frightening at the same time,” recalls Shriver.

Troy and Heidi from Crown Trophy of Sarasota donated a UFC-type champions' belt and a Mr. T-style bling chain for the trophies. And the winners received an array of fabulous prizes including Rise & Nye’s swag, and a dinner cruise for two on the Marina Jack II. And for the cherry on top, the youth winner gets to develop her own ice cream flavor with Chef Christian Nye, make the ice cream to sell at Rise & Nye’s and be a “Celebrity Scooper” for the ice cream’s debut.

This event serves as a fundraiser and awareness builder for Inclusion Revolution (TheInclusionRevolution.org), the supporting nonprofit for Rise & Nye’s. The next Great Ice Cream Eating Championship will be held at Rise & Nye’s on May 20, 2023 — better start training now! 

Pictured: Thirty adults, the maximum number allowed, participated in Saturday's contest. Photo courtesy of Rise and Nyes.

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Sarasota Yacht Club is pleased to announce the result of its most recent SYC Cares initiative, raising funds for those affected by Hurricane Ian. To help address ongoing challenges, SYC Cares, the philanthropic arm of Sarasota Yacht Club, is donating $151,800 to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s “Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund.” The donation includes a one-to-one match from The Patterson Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Sarasota, partnering with the Community Foundation in this initiative. The SYC Cares fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The Community Foundation is partnering with its network of community foundations in Florida and the Southeastern United States to distribute funds to the areas of greatest need, prioritizing on the response and recovery efforts in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, and Charlotte counties. Distributions will take place through work with local nonprofits. 

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Resilient Retreat, a new Sarasota non-profit providing free and confidential support for survivors of abuse, first responders and helping professionals, recently celebrated the pinnacle of its grand opening events: a sold-out luncheon with keynote speaker, actress and humanitarian Ashley Judd. Held on Thursday, November 3, this highly anticipated community event included a ceremonial ribbon cutting, a VIP sponsor reception and a booking signing by Ms. Judd. More than 500 attendees joined together for a magnificent, tented luncheon on the retreat’s 84 acres of conservation land. The event included remarks by Resilient Retreat Founder and Board Chair Dr. Sidney Turner and Executive Director Lisa Intagliata, a live auction and a special keynote address by Ms. Judd, who spoke of her own personal story of healing and resiliency. The luncheon came on the heels of the non-profit’s recent Campus Building Dedication and Open House, which took place on Tuesday, October 18. Free and open to the public, the event drew a wide audience from the Greater Sarasota community. Event highlights included guided tours of the center’s new facilities, a sage ceremony and the placement of a time capsule. Attendees also experienced samplings from the center’s interdisciplinary programming, including neurofeedback, yoga, equine and animal therapies, art and music therapies and much more. In addition to its individual participant programs, Resilient Retreat provides community trainings on trauma for corporations, businesses, non-profits and non-governmental agencies. Immediately following Hurricane Ian, the team quickly ramped up its efforts with increased trainings to provide much-needed mental health support for community partners. These efforts included sessions for the community sponsored by The Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation and the Sarasota County School District, among others. 

Pictured: Keynote speaker, actress and humanitarian, Ashley Judd. Photo courtesy of Resilient Retreat.

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In an effort to provide exceptional service and support for those with vision loss, Judi Boylan, Vocational Rehabilitation Career Specialist with Lighthouse Vision Loss Education Center, has earned a new credential from the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE). Ms. Boylan earned a certification in Professional Employment Services through the University of Georgia’s WorkWorks program, part of the university’s Institute on Human Development and Disability. WorkWorks web-based certificate program is designed for employment specialists and job coaches who assist persons with significant disabilities to direct their own support systems and to become successfully employed in careers of choice. Only 317 people nationwide carry this certification. In her role as the Vocational Rehabilitation Career Specialist, Ms. Boylan works with students with visual impairments and other, secondary disabilities, to use assistive technology to enhance their skills. She teaches job preparedness for entering the workforce, including but not limited to writing a resume and completing job applications, interview skills, digital footprint, and using social media professionally. Ms. Boylan, who has worked at Lighthouse since 2010, assists with employment placement as well as job coaching after clients are employed.  

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Lost Pet Services, Inc. (LPS) was honored to receive a $15,000 grant from The Human-Animal Alliance, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, supporting, and further exploring the meaningful bond between humans and animals. The Human-Animal Alliance believes in the value of the human-animal bond, and the importance of keeping people and pets together. Lost Pet Services, Inc. (LPS) helps families in need to help prevent pet surrender during times of crisis. Lost Pet Services’ commitment to keeping pets and people together makes for stronger communities and eases the burden on local animal shelters. Besides reuniting thousands of lost pets through their huge Facebook following, LPS provides thousands of dollars in financial support to keep pets healthy, happy, and home where they belong. The LPS organization works hard to keep pets and their families together during times of crisis and natural disaster. The Human-Animal Alliance recognized this work and LPS was one of the first nonprofit organizations to receive one of their generous grants. The Human-Animal Alliance grant provides funding for Lost Pet Services’ pet reunification efforts. LPS has helped reunite over 150 pets following Hurricane Ian and provided medical funding for pets injured during the storm. The grant will also help support LPS’ routine medical care program; spay/neuter, vaccinations, routine medical cases, emergency temporary boarding, and pet supplies including pet food, litter, collars, leashes, beds and crates, ID tags, and microchips. To date, Lost Pet Services has provided over $160,000 in medical funding and helped reunite over 20,000 pets with their families in Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties. 

Pictured: Some of the families who have been helped by Lost Pet Services. Photo courtesy of LPS.

American Express, in partnership with Main Street America, recently named Discover Sarasota Tours Founder and CEO Tammy Hauser a recipient of its 2022 “Inclusive Backing” grant. Grants of $5,000 were awarded to 120 small business owners who identify as Native, Indigenous, Hispanic, Latinx, LGBTQ+, immigrants, or as refugees. These small businesses were selected with the help of community partners including: HIAS, the Hispanic Federation, Oweesta, and The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “I started Discover Sarasota Tours in 2018 as a love story to Sarasota to connect both tourists and locals to the area’s many communities and neighborhoods – a place rich in history, art and culture," said Tammy Hauser, founder & CEO of the trolly tour business. "Growing up with parents from Mexico and Germany, my multi-cultural identity really showed me how important it is to be able to bring communities together – and when moving to Sarasota that’s exactly what I wanted to do." Last year, American Express and Main Street America, created “Inclusive Backing”, a grant program to help underrepresented U.S. small business owners recover from the pandemic and grow their businesses. The program has provided educational resources and $1.65 million in grants to 330 U.S. small business owners from underrepresented communities. 

Pictured: Discover Sarasota Tours Founder and CEO Tammy Hauser.

Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman is pleased to announce the sheriff’s office is hosting its 6th annual holiday toy drive benefitting the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida’s Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program, and two new partner organizations. The initiative was launched in 2017 when the agency moved into its new headquarters facility on Cattleridge Boulevard in Sarasota. To date, with help from agency members, residents, local businesses, and organizations, the sheriff’s office has donated more than 10,000 gifts and $31,000 in gift cards to children enrolled in the GAL program over the last five years. Because of the event’s growing success, Sheriff Hoffman this year invited Teen Court of Sarasota and All Star Children’s Foundation to also take part in the initiative. There are currently more than 1,000 children throughout Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties who were removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect and, as such, are part of the GAL program. Teens enrolled in Teen Court are supported by the organization’s mission to create a second chance for at-risk youth, helping them make healthy choices through meaningful consequences, peer mentorship, and civic engagement. Finally, All Star Children’s Foundation exists to provide children in foster care with a secure environment where they feel valued, safe, and empowered. Because children and teens from all three organizations range in age from newborn to 18 with varying personal needs, the sheriff’s office focuses the initiative solely on toys and gift cards. Citizens are asked not to donate clothing or stuffed animals and ensure all donations are new and unwrapped. The collection period begins Thursday, December 1, and continues through Wednesday, December 14. Citizens can deliver gifts to the agency’s headquarters at 6010 Cattleridge Boulevard, Sarasota, every day between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. This year’s holiday toy drive also coincides with the agency’s annual open house on Saturday, December 10 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. The first 500 attendees to deliver a new and unwrapped toy or gift card will receive a free sheriff’s office t-shirt, limited to one per person per gift. The sheriff’s office thanks the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Public Safety Department for again generously donating a holiday tree that will serve as the collection site for the toy drive. For more information, contact the agency’s Community Affairs Office at 941.861.4005. 

Gulf Coast Community Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2023 Winter Gulf Coast Board Institute (GCBI). The online application and overview for the program are available at https://www.gulfcoastcf.org/gulf-coast-board-institute. This high-demand program is delivered through Gulf Coast’s Invest in Incredible consultants to active nonprofit board members in the Gulf Coast region. The deadline to apply for this governance training series is Sunday, December 11. The group will participate in training experiences on the following Fridays: February 17, February 24, and March 3, March 10, 2023 at Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s new Sarasota Philanthropy Center, 1549 State Street, Sarasota. Topics will include fundamentals of nonprofit board governance, financial and legal oversight responsibilities, and how to create a diverse, highly functioning, and engaged board. The training is led by certified consultants who are part of Gulf Coast’s Invest in Incredible nonprofit capacity-building initiative. Participants will be selected through a competitive process with the intent of creating a group of individuals with a variety of experiences. Gulf Coast provides all training and resources at no cost to participants in exchange for their commitment to serve as advocates for good board governance in current and future nonprofit board roles. Applicants are encouraged to be current, active board members at a nonprofit in the region, although prospective board members will also be considered. Because of strong demand for this high-quality training opportunity, applicants also must sign a commitment that they will attend all four days of training if selected. 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat raised more than $265,000 at the 2022 Hermitage Artful Lobster luncheon on Saturday, November 12. Now in its fourteenth year and this year marking the 20th Anniversary Season of the organization, this annual event raises valuable funds for the Hermitage’s renowned artist residency program and expanded community programming initiatives. Proceeds from this year’s benefit will also be used to support campus repairs following the impact of Hurricane Ian. Over 200 guests attended the sold-out event, which took place outdoors beneath a large tent on the Hermitage’s historic beachfront campus and was co-chaired by Maryann Casey and Elizabeth Moore, with Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg as master of ceremonies. Michael’s On East served a plentiful barbeque and much-heralded lobster feast. 

Pictured: 2022 Hermitage Artful Lobster Co-Chairs Elizabeth Moore and Maryann Casey with Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. Photo by Whitney Patton Photography/Hermitage Artist Retreat

Key Chorale is pleased to announce a grant from the Cordelia Lee Beattie Foundation. “With the support we receive from the Cordelia Lee Beattie Foundation, we become all that much closer to our goals. We thank them for helping to be a driving force. We are most grateful for this generosity,” says Artistic Director Joseph Caulkins. This grant, managed through Wells Fargo Wealth Management, in the amount of $10,000, is instrumental in allowing Key Chorale to continue to deliver outstanding educational outreach programs. Key Chorale provides musical opportunities and experiences that will nurture and enhance the educational growth of students of all ages in a lifelong passion and pursuit of music. Director of Community Engagement, Johnette Cappadona says, “We thank The Cordelia Lee Beattie Foundation for this support, and for their continued and constant support.”  

Project Pride SRQ has welcomed Sarasota Pride under its umbrella in a merger that celebrates more than three decades of LGBTQ+ activism, support, and community building. Building on mutual commitments to belonging and inclusivity, the unification of the two nonprofit organizations will enhance connections and capacity-building efforts for local LGBTQ+ community and allied partners throughout Sarasota County. As part of the merger, Project Pride will also host the annual Sarasota Pride event beginning in 2023. The merger was announced by longtime Sarasota Pride President, Cindy Barnes, at the 31st annual Sarasota Pride held on October 22 at J.D. Hamel Park. A local LGBTQ+ visionary, Barnes served as president for 12 years, though her involvement with Sarasota Pride stretches back more than 16 years. Under her leadership, the organization’s namesake event grew into a gathering that, most recently, brought together more than 50 local and regional businesses and hundreds of participants. At the 2022 celebration, Barnes was recognized for her dedication and service with an award presented by Project Pride President, Jordan Letschert, and Development Chair, Tony Boothby. Since 2019, Project Pride has celebrated and united Sarasota’s diverse community by providing social connection and support for LGBTQ+ people, businesses, and organizations. Throughout the year, Project Pride organizes safe, quality events that are open to everyone and produces educational, cultural, and entertainment events and activities to create a celebratory experience for the entire community. To learn more, visit www.ppsrq.org. 

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HOME TOWN ARTS GUY | Jim Shirley looks back on his time as Executive Director of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota.

Take a sneak peek into the impact of Sarasota’s own Jim Shirley through this link, on our social media, or in the November edition of SRQ Magazine! 

Read Here!