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 Tuesday, March 7th at Michael’s on East in Sarasota. In the coming weeks, we are happy to feature each of the ten honorees in our Wednesday Philanthropic edition of SRQ Daily.

The first Good Hero we are recognizing is Lisa Moore, CEO and President of Blaze of Hope, a nonprofit organization aimed at providing financial relief to families of hospitalized children with life-threatening medical conditions. Lisa founded Blaze of Hope when her son, Blaze, was diagnosed with liver cancer at 7 months old. To those who know her, Lisa is someone who always goes above and beyond for her organization and community. She puts in countless hours to help families while their child is sick. She organizes and plans toy and food drives to not only benefit the organization but many others as well. A true representation of selflessness, her goal is to spread hope like fire. Congratulations Lisa on your well-deserved recognition. 

Pictured: Lisa Moore (center) with Dr. Helene Lotman, CEO & President of JFCS of the Suncoast (left) and SRQ Magazine Managing Editor, Barbie Heit (right). Photo Taken by Wyatt Kostygan.

Digital Launchpad tablets are now available at all ten Sarasota County Public Libraries thanks to generous grants to the Library Foundation for Sarasota County from the Bladel Charitable Trust and the Koski Family Foundation. Pre-loaded with educational and entertainment content for children, teens, and adults, Launchpads are mobile learning devices that circulate like books. Requiring no internet access, their curated collection of apps, videos, and games helps to reduce the digital divide, bringing technology to the nearly 50,000 Sarasota County households without high-speed internet. Launchpads are safe, ad-free, and portable. With 100 Launchpads in circulation, as many as 1,700 children and families are expected to benefit each year from this new technology. Since its founding in 2011, the nonprofit Library Foundation for Sarasota County has raised more than $8 millionin private funds for the benefit of Sarasota County public libraries. To learn more about the Library Foundation for Sarasota County and how you can support its mission, please visit SarasotaLibraryFoundation.org or call 941-404-3139. 

Pictured: A teen enjoying a Launchpad at Selby Library. Photo courtesy of Library Foundation for Sarasota County.

On March 20th, co-owners Mike Gowan and Mike Quillen from Gecko’s Hospitality Group presented a check for over $14,600 to Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President & CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. The donation is part of a years-long partnership where Gecko’s provides proceeds from the sale of their ‘Shark Lady’ philanthropic cocktail to support Mote’s globally impactful red tide and marine science research. Gecko’s donation from sales of ‘ Shark Lady’ cocktail have now provided Mote with approximately $50,000 to support its mission since the specialty drink was launched in 2018.Both aesthetically and palate pleasing, the aqua-blue cocktail is named after Mote’s Founding Director, Dr. Eugenie “Genie” Clark, who is popularly and affectionately known as ‘The Shark Lady’ because of her extensive research on sharks. Developed by Anne Rollings and Mike Ferarra, Gecko’s Director of Operations, the libation is a mix of rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice and sour mix. The partnership between Gecko’s and Mote goes back to 2018 when the region experienced an unusually persistent red tide bloom. Wanting to support the science-based red tide mitigation work being conducted at Mote, Anne Rollings, an executive with Gecko’s, came up with the concept as a way to create an ongoing source of education about the work being done at Mote to Gecko’s guests as well as contribute with financial support. The Shark Lady philanthropic cocktail was awarded Sarasota Magazine’s ‘Best Cocktail for a Cause” in 2019. The Florida Public Relations Association recognized The Shark Lady Philanthropic cocktail among outstanding public relations programs in Florida by awarding it the prestigious Golden Image Judges Award and the Award of Distinction. 

Pictured L-R: Mike Ferrara, GHG Dir. of Operations; Mike Quillen, co-owner, GHG; Dr. Michael Crosby, Mote; Mike Gowan, co-owner, GHG. Credit: Mote Marine.

Recovery from Hurricane Ian is going strong in the Gulf Coast of Florida. Gulf Coast Community Foundation provided a $20,000 Hurricane Ian Recovery Initiative grant to Praying Pelican Missions to assist Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte, and Lee County neighbors requiring assistance with home repair needs and basic humanitarian aid post-storm. Praying Pelican Missions, an international organization, is on the frontlines of response and relief efforts after disaster strikes. Gulf Coast’s Director of Community Leadership, Dr. Kameron Hodgens, recently visited with Praying Pelican Missions on-site to learn more about their work. “Gulf Coast is honored to support Praying Pelican Missions as our region continues the arduous work of recovering from Hurricane Ian. The volunteers visiting our area weekly as a part of this organization selflessly assist homeowners with the overwhelming tasks of yard and home cleanup. The work they are doing is life changing and truly commendable,” said Dr. Hodgens. Volunteers fly into Sarasota every week to donate a week of hurricane cleanup service and will do so through the summer. They plan to work in the area fulltime. 

Pictured: Praying Pelican Missions helps clean up Hurricane Ian debris in Sarasota County.

The Bay Park Conservancy (BPC), the non-profit organization responsible for designing and developing 53 acres of City-owned land on Sarasota Bay into a signature park, and then operating, maintaining and programming the park as it opens to the public, has announced Stephanie Crockatt will become BPC’s first full-time President and Chief Executive Officer. Crockatt will assume overall responsibility for building out the 53-acre park known as “The Bay.” Crockatt will also focus on securing funding to support ongoing BPC operations, maintenance, programming and endowment, and build on the strong partnership with the City, and relationships with the County, foundations and philanthropists, business partners and friends of The Bay, and the broader community. As CEO, Crockatt will report to BPC Board Chair Jennifer Compton and work closely with the BPC Executive Committee, Board of Directors and staff. “I am looking forward to working with Stephanie as we continue to deliver on BPC’s mission for our community,” says Jennifer Compton, BPC Board Chair. “Together, Stephanie and I, the board and the park conservancy staff, will endeavor to complete the design and development of a signature park for Sarasota and build a strong dedicated park conservancy team that delivers a delightful park guest experience every day at The Bay.” Crockatt is an accomplished park conservancy leader with significant development and fundraising experience as Executive Director of Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy (BOPC) the first nonprofit organization in the US to manage and operate an entire urban park system consisting of six Olmsted-designed parks and 850 acres. In nine years as BOPC Executive Director, Stephanie secured substantial park maintenance funding from the city through an unprecedented public-private partnership, built reliable annual fundraising from private sources, secured a major foundation gift to ensure sustainable conservancy operations, secured millions in capital support, fulfilled over 50 capital restoration projects from an award-winning master plan, and built an inclusive team of professionals to manage and operate the park and engage constructively and productively with partners and stakeholders. Stephanie will be succeeding AG Lafley who served as volunteer chair of the Sarasota Bayfront Planning Organization master planning committee (SBPO), and then as volunteer BPC Founding CEO since 2019. Lafley plans to stay fully engaged and involved to ensure a smooth transition and to maintain the momentum and progress already underway. For more information about The Bay and The Bay Park Conservancy, visit www.thebaysarasota.org or contact Julia Groom at julia@dreamlarge.org or 941-786-8732. 

On March 24, 2023, over 400 guests attended Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s 10th annual Women & Medicine Educational Luncheon held at Michael’s on East. The program featured a panel discussion from leading behavioral health experts. Over $210,000 was raised. Proceeds will help support patient care services at the Cornell Family Behavioral Health Pavilion scheduled to open late this year on the SMH-Sarasota campus. The program opened with a welcome from returning event co-chairs and Healthcare Foundation board members, Gwen MacKenzie and Sandi Stuart. Lorrie Liang, President, Sarasota Memorial Hospital–Sarasota Campus presented key mental health statistics and shared Sarasota Memorial’s approach to behavioral health care. The educational program, moderated by Stephanie Roberts, executive producer and co-host of Suncoast View on ABC7, included a panel of behavioral health experts: Robinder Bhangoo, M.D., Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, First Physicians Group; Terry Cassidy, Executive Director, Behavioral Health Services, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System; and Dana Gau, Psychiatric Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The discussion primarily focused on the stressors affecting women as the primary caregivers of their families, the adverse impact of the pandemic on mental health, and how and when to seek help. An audience Q&A session followed. “The Women & Medicine Educational Luncheon is a one-of-a-kind experience where the women in Sarasota come together to learn about healthcare issues affecting them and their families,” said Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation president Stacey Corley. “We are so grateful for their support, which is critical to making help available for anyone who is struggling—without having to leave home.” 

Pictured: Women & Medicine 2023 Co-Chairs and Healthcare Foundation board members Gwen MacKenzie, left, and Sandi Stuart, right, with Healthcare Foundation President Stacey Corley. Photo courtesy of SMH Foundation.

GET OUT AND RIDE | Hit the road this spring with advice from three Lakewood Ranch bicycle stores, March 2023. 

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