Last month, we lost an amazing hero in Sarasota County. Ron Foxworthy passed away after a lifetime of amazingly good deeds and solid leadership that altered the course of Sarasota County for the better. We are lucky to have had him here; he touched thousands of lives. He was a founder of The Argus Foundation and served as an ex officio board member until his death.

Ronnie moved to Sarasota at the age of 6 months old and was a graduate of Sarasota High School and Sarasota Plumbing School. He worked here until he enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served in the Korean War and was awarded 3 Battle Stars and the U.S. Presidential Unit Citation Award, the top unit award issued in the Navy. It recognizes “the heroic or meritorious service or specific achievements of that unit,” according to the U.S. Department of Navy.

He started Rusty Plumbing, which is still in operation, and was responsible for so many important projects in our area, from the water and sewer treatment plants for Boca Grande to the Whitfield Industrial Center to Gator Creek and Laurel Oak Country Clubs. 

For 40 years, he served as a director for FCCI, which had less than $100,000 worth of insurance premium business when he started as a director. He helped build FCCI into a billion-dollar company when he retired from that Board. He founded and chaired Suncoast Bank and served on the board for several other banks. 

Ronnie was not a stranger to politics and had a hand in many elections locally, state-wide and nationally. He was invited to visit the White House on numerous occasions and was with President George W. Bush at Emma E. Booker Elementary School on September 11, 2001.

Some of the most important and pivotal work Ronnie did for our community was for children and disabled adults. Ronnie, along with Gene Whipp, Hollis Tucker, Cal Erb and John Stafford, founded the Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children in 1984. The mission of that organization, still in existence and serving our community today, is to ensure Sarasota County-based non-profit organizations can continue to serve special needs people in our community with facilities. 

Ronnie raised millions of dollars to construct and maintain 80,000 square feet of buildings with a market value of $20 million. He helped to create the Offshore Boat Races in Sarasota to help fund the building and maintenance of these buildings.

Today, Children First, The Haven, The Florida Center for Early Childhood, Venice Challenger Baseball League, The Sertoma Speech Clinic, Loveland Center and Boys and Girls Club are tenants in these facilities, serving between 6,000 and 7,000 children and disabled adults annually from Sarasota to North Port.

A recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Argus Foundation and also the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange, Sarasota County renamed Bypass Park in Venice to the Ronald Foxworthy Campus, a nod to the many facilities he helped build there.

On a personal level, Ron touched my life in many ways, most importantly with my son, who at a young age received services inside one of the buildings Foxworthy helped to construct. At that time, it was the only facilities south of Clark Road to offer the therapy he needed. That son is now in college. I think about the thousands of children his legacy continues to touch every single year.

We are extremely lucky Ron chose to spend his time making our community better. He left an amazing legacy and changed so many lives. The Argus Foundation will miss Ronnie and we are grateful for him and thankful to his family for allowing him to make our community better. 

Christine Robinson is executive director of The Argus Foundation. 

Photo courtesy The Argus Foundation.

I was talking last week to the owner of a local moving company. I asked him, “So John, what states are making the most moves to Florida?” Without hesitation, he said, “New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It’s a big change. It used to be mostly Ohio, Illinois and other Midwestern states.”

There is no doubt that our region is feeling the surge of another Florida boom. This migration brings great opportunities and challenges as we try to accommodate thousands of new neighbors on our roads, in our waters and throughout our neighborhoods. 

At Gulf Coast Community Foundation, we focus on how we can sustain our region’s beauty, prosperity and culture in the face of this population surge. We do this by working with hundreds of donors and nonprofit partners in our community to transform our region through bold and proactive philanthropy.

In January, we were thrilled to announce that Gulf Coast Community Foundation surpassed $500 million in grants awarded, marking a significant moment in our foundation’s 27-year history.

Our grants have led to or supported transformational amenities like the Legacy Trail, our beautiful new bay front park The Bay, mentoring for our youth, scholarships for our students and support for low-income families such as food, job training and child care.

These grants were made by thousands of generous residents and visitors just like you who believe in making our region a better place than when they found it. Their charitable donations fund our nonprofit partners who keep food on the tables, provide scholarships to our students, keep our waters clean and beautiful, and enrich our lives through the arts.

We welcome and challenge our new neighbors to leave our region better than where they found it. Join our donors and nonprofit partners and make an impact by giving back. We are seeing an uptick in new-to-the-area donors. You can learn more at GulfCoastCF.org.

Our Gulf Coast team is excited to work with you so that we can help you make a difference. 

Mark Pritchett is president and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. 

Image via Pixabay.