The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan, non-profit organization promoting informed voter participation and enhanced citizen engagement, has been active for many years conducting voter registration drives and providing voter education opportunities. Their Education Action Team of Sarasota (LWVSRQ) in partnership with Sarasota County Public Schools, is sponsoring “YVOTE”, an essay, poster, and video contest for high school students to share their thoughts on the importance of voting. All students in Sarasota County’s public charter and district public high schools are eligible to enter, regardless of whether they are yet able to register to vote. Students will work independently on their entries and the contest is not part of classroom activities or assignments.

Dr. Jill Lewis-Spector, Ed. D. is the 2nd Vice President for the League of Women Voters of Florida and the ChaIr of LWVFL & LWVSRQ Education Action Teams. In her experience, the students who enter the contest tend to be quite serious when they talk about why voting is important. “We want to make sure that the students really understand that every vote is important, that it counts,” she shares. “A lot of the students who competed last year, talked about speaking to the relatives who are older because as high school students, they are not old enough to vote themselves. I was impressed that they had gone beyond just talking to friends and people their own age. So here we are with young people really thinking about what they will be doing as adult voters. And we surely hope that they get to the polls and exercise their right.”

The writer(s) of the winning essay, artist(s) of the winning poster, and the producer(s) of the winning video will each receive a prize of $500; second place winners in each category will receive $300 and 3rd place winners in each category will receive $200. If a single entry has been created by more than one person, the prize will be shared by the number of students who submitted that winning entry. The deadline for submissions is October 17, 2023, and winners will be announced on November 8, 2023 on social media and elsewhere. Essay submissions should be no longer than 500 words, video entries cannot exceed 3 minutes, posters can be in any one of the three standard sizes: 24x36 (large) 16x24 (medium) and 11x17 (small). The judges–who are part of the local education action team or members of the community who have special talents involving video knowledge, writing or art–are looking for creative, effective, and inspirational entries that capture issues and personal experiences. Entries should be a call to action, describing the importance of using our votes to influence the direction of our democracy. They may not include endorsements or criticisms of individual candidates or of political parties. The LWVSRQ YVOTE Contest is fully funded by Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

An application to enter the contest should be sent with the subject heading: YVOTE CONTEST APPLICATION to education@lwvsrq.org. Additional contest details will also be provided. 

Pictured: (l-r) Cecile M. Scoon, Esq., Co-President, LWVFL, Emily Morris, a Suncoast Technical College student who won 1st place last year for her poster, People Power, and Jill Lewis-Spector, Ed.D.

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The Education Foundation of Sarasota County has announced the addition of three new members to its board of directors. Joining the board will be Ron
Mason, Gabriel Cordero, and Luka Perry. Mason is the president and founder of Ron Mason & Associates, a full-service human resources consulting firm. He has extensive experience in human resources in Sarasota and in the Northeast, where he worked for organizations in education, insurance, and other sectors. Cordero will serve as a student representative on the board. He is a rising senior at Suncoast Polytechnical High School. An avid soccer player involved in the National Honor Society, he plans to pursue a degree in engineering. Perry will serve as the second student representative. She is a rising junior at Riverview High School. The co-President of Riverview High School’s Model United Nations Club, she is also involved in theater at her school as well as many honor societies. Additional Education Foundation board members are Nelle Miller, Brock Leach, Kent Hayes, Kara Saunders, Anne Rollings, Lucie Lapovsky, Jennifer Infanti, Heather Kasten, Steve Krause, Dona Scott, Becky van der Bogert, Es Swihart, Beth Donofrio, and Kari Johnson. 

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HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital collected school supplies for students in the nursing program at Suncoast Technical College (STC). Nursing leaders from the hospital presented the supplies to students on the first day of school, Thursday. Supplies for 110 students in the nursing program at STC’s schools in Sarasota and North Port were donated by the hospital. The Chief Nursing Officer, Assistant Chief Nursing Officer and other nursing leaders from HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital presented the nursing and school supplies to students in the practical nursing and nursing assistant program at Suncoast Technical Collage. Through the month of July caregivers at the hospital collected school supplies as part of the We Show Up for our Communities School Drive. More than $8,000 worth of supplies were collected and donated to the school. Supplies include stethoscopes, surgical sheers, pen lights, gait belts, highlighters, pens, binders and bags. There are more than 1,400 different items. These supplies were put in individual bags and presented to the students on their first day of school. Hospital leaders spoke to students about nursing careers, offered advice, answered questions and wished the students a successful school year. 

Bank of America announced today, as part of its ongoing partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium (Mote), a $300,000 grant to Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) at Nathan Benderson Park. Anticipated for completion in December of 2024, Mote SEA will be a regional hub bridging the gap between complex marine research, accessible science and technology education for all, and environmental awareness to promote science-based change for a healthier ocean. Funds from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation will support hands-on marine science experiences, informal science educational opportunities, and enhanced levels of ocean literacy to a large and diverse population from around the world, all starting at Mote SEA. In celebration of this partnership, the Bank of America name and logo will be displayed in the entrance lobby of Mote SEA. Bank of America and Mote have been partners for nearly two decades. In 2018, Bank of America committed $15,000 to support Mote’s efforts to understand, forecast, and mitigate the impacts of red tide on Florida’s west coast. This support helped Mote to leverage additional support for this work, including a five-year, $1 million grant to establish a Red Tide Institute at Mote. The Mote SEA experience will be like no other. Visitors will encounter three floors of animal habitats, and educational labs, onsite diving programs, scientific demonstrations, and interactive technology will enrich the visitor experience. Guests will learn about the world class research being conducted by Mote on a global scale to address the grand challenges the oceans face. The rebirth of Mote Aquarium as Mote SEA will double the number of visitors to approximately 700,000 people per year and provide informal science education to a larger, more diverse audience, including free access to Mote SEA’s STEM teaching labs for approximately 70,000 students from Sarasota and Manatee County schools. Mote SEA will feature amazing marine animals and scientific displays from oceans around the world with 1 million gallons total of animal habitats. Learn more about Mote SEA at moteoceansforall.org. 

The Education Foundation of Sarasota County is launching a new podcast, Education Conversations. The first episode will be released on August 15. Host Jennifer Vigne, president and CEO of the Education Foundation interviews teachers, students, mental health professionals, thought leaders, school administrators, and community stakeholders to explore issues surrounding education today and how best to equip students to thrive in a changing world. “Kids in school today are the next generation—and they’re dealing with a lot. Solving problems in education and creating an ecosystem where each and every student can thrive will require a collective effort. It will require finding common ground. This podcast aims to do just that, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to talk with so many thoughtful, inspiring individuals. “The vision of the Education Foundation is to unite the community to prepare each and every student for life,” said Vigne. “I can think of no better way of doing that than bringing people from across the spectrum together to share ideas about education and to explore a fast-changing landscape.” Each episode of Education Conversations will run approximately 15-20 minutes, and the Education Foundation will release two episodes a month. Episodes can be found on the Education Foundation website at edfoundationsrq.org/education-conversations and on Spotify at bit.ly/Education-Conversations-Spotify. 

Manatee Community Foundation awarded Forty Carrots Family Center a grant of $10,000 to pilot its Welcome to Our World® parenting education group in Manatee County at Little Discovery Center. This grant, supporting caregivers with infants, is made possible through the Bishop-Parker Foundations Fund of the Manatee Community Foundation. “We are pleased to support the pilot project of Welcome to Our World® parenting education group. This grant reflects our commitment to improving the outcomes of caregivers and infants in our community and invests in the critical early months of life” said Jennifer Abbott, Manatee Community Foundation’s Interim Executive Director. With this generous support, Forty Carrots is able to expand its longstanding WOW program into Manatee County. WOW increases parents’ knowledge of infant development teaches skills/strategies for common concerns and reduces feelings of isolation, a known risk for abuse and neglect. In turn, parent/baby relationships strengthen, ensuring baby’s safety and optimal development. “In Manatee County, 18% of children removed from their homes are under the age of one, indicating a desperate need for support for caregivers with infants. WOW focuses on engaging parents and infants together, providing vital time for parents to bond with their babies and increase their knowledge of infant development and build a community of support among participants—thus, reducing the risk of abuse and neglect,” said Michelle Kapreilian, Forty Carrots’ CEO. 

Photo courtesy of Forty Carrots Family Center.