Family Promise of South Sarasota County (FPSSC) is pleased to announce details for the 7th Annual Dream Walk, a Peer-to-Peer Fundraiser that provides an opportunity for the community to help support the FPSSC mission and advocate for those in need of services. The event will feature a choice of a short or long walking path, engaging activities at each stop along the way, and a pancake breakfast. Walkers and teams register to participate and are provided with an online page to help them garner support from their friends and family by making donations to them to walk.

Funds raised from Dream Walk support FPSSC’s four major comprehensive programs for families with minor children: The Bridge Housing Program is a 60–90-day shelter program that helps stabilize families who find themselves in a housing crisis; The Open Doors Program is a homeless prevention and diversion program that provides rent assistance and move-in assistance for qualified families; The Pathways Home Program is a one-year transitional shelter program that families from the Bridge Housing Program can qualify for if they cannot find housing they can afford at the end of the shelter program; The Home Goods Pantry provides toiletries, cleaning supplies and other household items to families in the other programs to help them cut down the cost of going to the store. All items in the Home Goods Pantry are donated from individuals and groups in the community. FPSSC also has a Sustainable Housing Project underway. In 2022, the FPSSC Board of Trustees saw that with the rising cost of housing, the families in their programs had no hope of finding affordable housing or achieving the stability they were working so hard for. The Board then created a three-year Strategic Plan to start purchasing and building housing that the workforce and the families they serve can afford. The housing units in the plan will be long-term rentals that have income qualifications and annual re verification of income eligibility.

The Dream Walk is FPSSC’s largest annual fundraiser, raising between $30,000 to $75,000 annually, depending on the year. “With housing and interest rates in Sarasota County at an all-time high and very little change in salaries, many families can no longer make ends meet. Every child deserves a home. Dream Walk brings the community together to be part of the solution. It is also a very fun event that we look forward to every year,” shares Jennifer Fagenbaum, FPSSC Executive Director.

“There are so many pieces involved in launching this event, but it is all worth it to see everyone out walking, smiling, and showing their love for the work we do,” adds Stacy Graison, FPSSC Development Associate. “We simply cannot help families without the support from our community. Adding a superhero theme and a pancake breakfast after the walk makes this year’s event even more fun and hopefully draws more families out.”

October 14, 2023, from 8 am to 10 am, Venice Presbyterian Church, 825 The Rialto, Venice. 

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The Sarasota County Commission awarded Art Center Sarasota a $72,855 Tourist Development Cultural/Arts grant to help fund its 2023-2024 exhibition season, which runs through September 2024.  The season, comprised of seven exhibition cycles, most encompassing up to four exhibits, showcases the works of professional and emerging artists from Florida and around the country. 

Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation has hired Greg Luberecki as its Chief Communications and Learning Officer. Luberecki will serve as the organization’s chief storyteller, responsible for managing its brand and all external communications. His role will include documenting lessons and reporting results of Barancik Foundation’s initiatives and grants, so that the Foundation and other organizations can learn from and build upon past efforts. He also will provide strategic communications support to the Foundation’s nonprofit and other community partners to promote the impact of their work. Luberecki brings over 18 years of professional communications experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector of the Sarasota region. He joins Barancik Foundation from Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, where he served as vice president for strategic communications. Prior to that, he held communications and marketing roles of increasing responsibility over 16 years at Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Luberecki began his career in the Washington, DC, area, where he spent nearly a decade working in business, university, and association publications.  

FCS of the Suncoast will host their 12th annual Stand Down event at the Sarasota Fairgrounds at 3000 Ringling Blvd., 8 a.m. – noon on Saturday, September 23rd. Dozens of community partners, including small and large businesses, and local and state agencies will be on hand to assist homeless veterans in receiving medical care and to provide eligibility for housing and employment. JFCS’s Director of Veteran Services, George Maggio says, “we value all the help we get with our community partners and volunteers. It takes a small village to help a homeless veteran gather the strength they need to become self-sufficient once again.” Stand Down takes place every year, and this free event provides a day of relief, support, and assistance to those who have served in the armed forces and who now need a helping hand. This year JFCS expects over 100 homeless veterans to attend. The day will start with an opening ceremony honoring those who’ve served. Each veteran will have access to multiple health services and free screenings and will also be given a large rucksack filled with toiletries, clothing, boots, undergarments, personal items, and non-perishable foods. Throughout the event, there will be a drawing for gift cards that provide additional needs. Among the many services available, local judges will attend whereby veterans can learn if they may have charges dropped at Veterans Amnesty Court in order to more readily apply for rental properties. This event gives primarily homeless veterans the opportunity to care for their physical and mental health and to receive the supportive services they need to become connected. At Stand Down each veteran visits at least ten social service agencies and engages in wellness activities like dental care, legal assistance, and substance use treatment options. There are many positive outcomes for homeless veterans that happen at Stand Down including a particularly young homeless veteran JFCS helped at last year’s event to become and remain both employed and housed - his life and future now filled with hope and promise. The main objective in JFCS hosting this Stand Down event is to empower individuals to become self-sufficient. Maggio shares a fitting quote from an unknown author on what he’s seen with some of those he’s assisted, “Sometimes you have to get knocked down lower than you have been, to stand up taller than you ever were.” For more information on the JFCS Stand Down event contact 941-366-2224 x164.

The Columbia Restaurant Group will once again be supporting Suncoast Charities for Children, and several other local non-profit agencies, during their 26th Annual Community Harvest program during the entire month of September. The Tampa-based restaurant group is donating 5% of all diner’s checks to local charitable organizations in communities near their various restaurant locations. Here in Sarasota any customers dining inside or ordering takeout, at either the Columbia Restaurant or Cha Cha Coconuts, are able to choose a charity from a ballot that is included with their check or write in the charity of their choice. Both restaurants are located on beautiful St. Armands Circle. Once the program ends, the Columbia Restaurant then provides each charity with gift certificates that can be used for up to 12 months. Over the past 25 years, the Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest has donated $3 Million to non-profit organizations throughout Florida. 

Pictured: Lisa Baer, Special Events Director, and Lucy Nicandri, Executive Director, Suncoast Charities for Children, Casey Gonzmart Jr. and Casey Gonzmart Sr., Columbia Restaurant Group.

The KFC Foundation has granted Sarasota-based non-profit Resilient Retreat, who empowers survivors of trauma, first responders and helping professionals to be resilient and thrive by providing them accessible, confidential, evidence-based programs and education, granting them $10,000 to make a project on their wish list come true. Kentucky Fried Wishes is the community giving program of the KFC Foundation that invites non-profit organizations to apply for a grant to fund a project on their wish list. This year the KFC Foundation is funding a million dollars in Kentucky Fried Wishes to 100 non-profit organizations across the country. There is a significant need for financially accessible trauma informed services in our community, region, and the nation. In addition, our first responders and helping professionals are struggling with the symptoms of compassion fatigue (also known as vicarious trauma) and have a need for training and wellness activities to support their mental health as well as the mental wellness of their fellow staff members. Resilient Retreat is here to help meet these needs and this grant will assist in providing a beautiful natural space for participants to utilize while on their healing journey. Kentucky Fried Wishes is just one way the KFC Foundation supports, empowers and serves joy to KFC restaurant employees and communities. The KFC Foundation also provides programs focused on education accessibility and financial assistance for KFC restaurant employees. Operating independently from KFC Corporation and led by a board including KFC franchisees, the KFC Foundation receives its financial support from Round Up fundraising and its annual donation program, a voluntary program where KFC franchisees contribute a portion of their restaurant sales of Secret Recipe Fries to engage in and support the Foundation’s initiatives. 

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The Child Protection Center, Inc (CPC) has been awarded a grant by Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation to expand our Capacity of Hope. The Child Protection Center has continued to grow over the last 43+ years to meet the demands of our community, and as the region continues to enlarge, we are steadfast in comprehensively serving victims of child abuse and neglect. One of CPC’s partners over the years that has made our impact possible is the Barancik Foundation, and their recent investment of $450,000 in CPC’s mission will create the ability to recruit and retain expert talent to service our community’s most vulnerable children. Expert team members at CPC deliver trauma informed and individualized care to children and their families, establishing hope and healing after children have endured unimaginable abuse or neglect. No child should have to suffer, and CPC’s ability to serve those in need without a waiting list is vital to our community’s success. This grant supports our growth by creating the ability to hire new expert therapists, in addition to supporting current staff to keep CPC’s retention rate high. In addition to supporting CPC’s team capacity, a portion of the Barancik Foundation funds will be used for communications and partnerships, to ensure the community is aware of resources and programs available at the Child Protection Center through a new strategic marketing and communications plan launching this year. The Child Protection Center’s mission is the prevention, intervention, and 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 or to inquire about ways to get involved, please visit us at www.cpcsarasota.org or call 941-365-1277. The Charles and Margery Barancik family has long believed in the power of philanthropy to shape our world and enrich the lives of all people. It was the expression of this belief that led them in 2014 to establish Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation—a private, family foundation located in Sarasota, Florida. Barancik Foundation creates initiatives and awards grants in Sarasota and beyond in the areas of education, humanitarian causes, arts and culture, the environment, and medical research. For more information, visit www.barancikfoundation.org. 

The Patterson Foundation is strengthening Sarasota Opera’s effort to boost earned income matching up to $50,000 in growth capital investments toward its Sarasota Opera Costume Studio. Sarasota Opera is one of the regional nonprofit organizations currently participating in Margin & Mission Ignition, an opportunity presented by The Patterson Foundation that helps nonprofits develop and implement an earned-income plan to strengthen their impact in our community. Nonprofits are selected to participate in Margin & Mission Ignition’s 30-month planning and implementation process after a months-long application period. No Margin, No Mission, a social enterprise and national consulting firm engaged by The Patterson Foundation, consults with the participating nonprofits on strategies and best practices to generate revenue throughout that process. In 2019 Sarasota Opera greatly expanded its costume rental inventory with a historic collection of nearly 50,000 costumes from a leading opera costume rental house. This earned income opportunity was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide shutdown of opera and theater institutions, but as they reopen, the company is revisiting its business plan to greatly expand its costume rental activities, to generate revenue to invest in its mission of presenting world-class opera. Sarasota Opera recently shared its earned-income plan with potential donor investors during a fast-pitch-style event presented by The Patterson Foundation. Donations for Sarasota Opera’s Costume Studio will be matched dollar for dollar by The Patterson Foundation – up to $50,000 maximum. Pledges, in-kind contributions and debt funding are not eligible to be matched. Margin & Mission Ignition is part of The Patterson Foundation’s Nonprofit Thrivability initiative. This initiative connects nonprofits with expertise and resources to learn concepts like strategic decision-making while adopting and implementing entrepreneurial principles to generate enough revenue to support and eventually grow their operations. For more information about Margin & Mission Ignition, please visit thepattersonfoundation.org or join the conversation using #TPFMarginMission on social media. To learn more about Sarasota Opera’s mission or contribute to its effort, please visit SarasotaOpera.org, or contact Director of Development Scott Guinn at sguinn@sarasotaopera.org or (941) 366-8450, ext. 416. 

The 3rd Annual SRQ Magazine 35 Under 35 Competition recognizes and honors young professionals, innovators, scientists, creatives, entrepreneurs and philanthropists who have distinguished themselves with their leadership in the field. From pitching the next big idea to developing their bandwidth, young professionals are thriving in our region and leading the way for the next generation. Could you or someone you know be one of our 2023 Class of 35 Under 35 Honorees? 

Nominate Here!

EDC FUTURE IS SMOOTH AS SILK | Erin Silk seeks a future for the EDC built on collaboration, September 2023. 

Read Here!