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. Tuesday, December 5th, attendees happily joined together to recognize our annual Good Hero Philanthropic Award recipients at the SB2: Philanthropic Agenda and Good Hero Awards Luncheon at Michael’s on East in Sarasota. We are delighted to feature each of the twelve honorees in our Wednesday Philanthropic edition of SRQ Daily.

The first Good Hero we are recognizing is Brock Leach, Board Chair of Children First, who says, “The best gift one can give to another is the gift of opportunity.” After 24 years working as an executive for PepsiCo, serving as CEO of its Frito-Lay North America and Tropicana Products divisions and then as the corporation’s Chief Innovation Officer, he became an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister invested in the worlds of social justice and nonprofit work. Mr. Leach provides his innovation, financial, and governance experience to further the missions of nonprofit organizations locally and globally. As a member of and current Board Chair for Children First, what truly matters to Mr. Leach is that we recognize our interdependence with one another and work to realize our full human potential together. Congratulations Brock on your well-deserved recognition. 

Pictured: Brock Leach (left) with Bart Lowther of Mariash Lowther Wealth Management. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

Goodwill’s Change Round-Up program, launched in 2013, is a charitable effort that enables all Goodwill shoppers to be philanthropists. Store associates invite patrons to round up their purchases to the next whole dollar; the resulting funds support Goodwill’s mission of providing job training and career services for individuals with barriers to employment, including veterans, people with disabilities, those who have been justice-involved, older workers, and those with economic, language and/or educational challenges. While Goodwill self-funds the majority of its mission services, charitable donations enable the nonprofit to enhance existing programs, seed new initiatives, and expand its mission through strategic partnerships and collaboration with other nonprofits and agencies. In 2022, Goodwill Manasota’s Change Round-Up program contributed to the funding of community programs that served 3,969 individuals in the community, supported 196 job placements, served 427 veterans, and collaborated with scores of other agencies and organizations to maximize positive impact. The Flanzer Contribution Matching Program was launched in hopes of inspiring people in Sarasota and across the Suncoast area to make a difference in their communities. The goal is to assist agencies in developing new sources of fundraising so that a broader segment of the community supports activities that improve everyone’s quality of life. All donations between $5 and $500 are matched 1:1 for select nonprofit agencies in the social service, social welfare, K-12 education, and healthcare sectors. For more about Goodwill, visit experiencegoodwill.org or call 941-355-2721. 

While most understand the basic concept of “food in, food out” with regard to food banks and their critical work to feed people facing hunger, the actual process of ordering, storing, sorting, transporting and distributing food is incredibly complex. To oversee its operations, All Faiths Food Bank (AFFB) has hired a new Chief Logistics & Supply Chain Officer (CLO), Bill Haley, who began his post in late November. As the CLO, Haley is responsible for providing strategic leadership, vision and guidance for the operations department – developing, evaluating and improving the organization’s current activities and projected growth. Day-to-day activities include inventory/supply chain, logistics, facilities, fleet safety, quality control, data analytics and project management. Haley will also be a critical participant in AFFB’s risk management and disaster response activities. The CLO position is a new one for AFFB, created as part of the implementation of the organization’s new strategic plan. One critical aspect of the strategic plan envisions “a reimagined supply chain that holistically integrates the preferences and nutritional needs of our neighbors.” Haley will be charged with overseeing the implementation of that vision. In 2022, AFFB distributed nearly 21 million pounds of food, held or contributed the food for 756 food distributions each month, and worked with hundreds of community partners to ensure food was reaching people in need. This requires extensive planning and coordination, from ordering and storing food in the organization’s warehouse, to sorting and packing, to scheduling deliveries using AFFB’s fleet of more than 25 vehicles, which travel nearly 200,000 miles a year. Haley brings nearly 25 years’ experience in logistics, supply chain and operations at Cummins, where he most recently served as Executive Director of Global Planning and Logistics. As a senior leader, he has led worldwide organizations and been successful across multiple functions, including operations, supply chain, distribution, program management, safety, marketing and sales. Haley has an MBA in Management and Operations from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and a BS in Industrial Engineering. To learn more about All Faiths Food Bank, visit allfaithsfoodbank.org or call 941.379.6333. 

Family Promise of South Sarasota County (FPSSC) is excited to have received a  generous $2,500 grant from Publix Super Markets Charities in support of FPSSC’s Bridge Housing and  Open Doors Programs which include rent assistance, emergency shelter, emergency funds, and  diversion assistance. Publix Super Markets Charities serves the communities surrounding Publix's  stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia in four  main areas of focus: youth, education, reducing hunger, and alleviating homelessness.  Jennifer Fagenbaum, Executive Director of Family Promise of South Sarasota County stated, “FPSSC’s  Bridge Housing and Open Doors programs meet an urgent need in South Sarasota County (Osprey,  Laurel, Nokomis, Venice, North Port, and Englewood). There are about 450 children enrolled in South  Sarasota County schools who have been identified as homeless (Schoolhouse Link). This number does  not take into account these students' younger, non-school age siblings, and the families who hide their  homeless circumstances for fear of being separated. All of the families served by FPSSC earned 200%  or less of the Federal Poverty Level. A single challenging life event like a job loss or chronic illness can  destroy a family’s fragile foundation, resulting in homelessness. When that happens, families lose  more than a home, they lose the security and stability every family needs and every child deserves. With the help of this grant from Publix Charities, Family Promise of South Sarasota County will be able  assist additional families in South Sarasota County through our Bridge Housing and Open Doors  Programs which assists families in remaining stably housed. Families have seen an unexpected rise in  costs over the last year and are often spending more than 50% of their income on housing costs per  month which is a drastic hardship on these families. We are truly thankful for Publix Charities for their  partnership with us to assist working families in this time of need.”   

On November 18, The Ringling will open a solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist Michele Oka Doner. Best known for her work inspired by her wonderment of flora and fauna, as well as for her poetic explorations of the human figure, Oka Doner uses a diversity of natural materials in her artistic practice. With boundless imagination and an intuitive eye, she transforms stones, fossils, shells, and salvaged detritus of botanical and animal specimens into expressive forms.

Michele Oka Doner: The True Story of Eve brings together over sixty artworks spanning more than five decades from the artist’s oeuvre. The exhibition explores intersections of nature and humanity, while
posing poignant questions about our collective responsibility for this planet and one another. The featured objects pay homage to the environment and remind us of our increasingly precarious ecosystem.

On view through June 2, 2024 in the Keith D. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art. 

Photo Credit: Michele Oka Doner in her studio by Marc Hedren

Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center (SPARCC) recently hosted its joyous holiday celebration, "A SPARCCling Holiday Luncheon." The annual event, held at Michael’s on East on December 6, 2023, marked a heartwarming occasion where the community came together to support SPARCC's smallest survivors. Attendees enjoyed a delightful day filled with a scrumptious lunch, entertainment by the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, and more. Guests were encouraged to embrace the spirit of the season by contributing unwrapped toys, gifts, and gift cards for kids, teens, and mothers supported by SPARCC. The event featured lively activities, including a live auction showcasing delectable treats from Sarasota’s renowned bakers, a silent auction presenting gift baskets crafted by Auxiliary members, chances to win spectacular items, and the opportunity to purchase unique holiday decorations. Event Co-Chairs, SPARCC Auxiliary Members Melissa Silva, Allyson Galuska, and Carolyn Castro, played pivotal roles in making the celebration a success. All proceeds from the event contribute to supporting SPARCC’s essential free and confidential programs and services. During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, SPARCC provided confidential and free advocacy services, crisis counseling services, and shelter to numerous individuals, including adults, children, and pets. The Helpline Crisis received 6,328 calls, and legal services for injunctions for protection were provided to 234 individuals. SPARCC also reached over 2,500 individuals through professional training and community education presentations, with an additional 283 young people attending prevention education sessions. For more information about SPARCC and its upcoming events, please visit sparcc.net/events or call 941-365-0208 ext. 110. 

A $25 million gift from the Gerald A. and Karen A. Kolschowsky Foundation is the latest in a series of family donations spurring transformative research and drawing top-tier physicians to Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (SMH) and the southwest Florida region. Jerry and Karen Kolschowsky and their family foundation have been quietly helping the community-owned health system expand its education and research programs for nearly 20 years. The Kolschowskys, who live most of the year in Sarasota, Fla., have partnered with Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation and Sarasota Memorial Health Care System to support its vision to create an innovative research and education environment that appeals to physician researchers and brings leading-edge treatments and specialists to the region. The Kolschowskys’ support has already led to transformative changes that have elevated the quality of care in the Suncoast community for generations to come, said Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder. In today’s announcement, Verinder noted the Kolschowsky’s latest $25 million donation was the catalyst that allowed SMH to break ground on a new, $75 million Research and Education Institute this past June. By lending their name to the building, the Kolschowskys hope to inspire other philanthropists to fund community hospital research initiatives and clinical advances. When it opens in 2025, the Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute will be a state-of-the-art training and research center that expands research and training opportunities for physicians and clinicians caring for patients throughout the region. In addition to supporting clinical trials and research studies, the Institute will offer a range of education programs and state-of-the-art simulation center that expands hands-on training opportunities for physicians, nurses and students mastering new treatments and technologies. Advanced cancer care provided by Sarasota Memorial Chief Medical Officer James Fiorica, MD influenced the Kolschowskys’ decision to support the cancer research program he leads. Karen Kolschowsky still gets teary-eyed when she talks about the life-saving care and surgical advances Dr. Fiorica and the cancer team used to treat her cancer 15 years ago. Sarasota Memorial’s research and graduate medical education programs have tripled in size in recent years, with more than 50 active studies under way and thousands of physicians competing for residency and fellowship opportunities at SMH each year. To date, nearly half of the resident physicians who completed training at Sarasota Memorial have stayed and established practices here, and nearly 70% have remained in Florida. During the pandemic, the Kolschowsky’s funding provided critical resources that ensured Sarasota Memorial was equipped and ready to participate in pivotal clinical trials and studies. SMH’s research team and frontline physicians were among select testing sites that were able to give local patients access to potentially life-saving monoclonal antibodies and emerging treatments for COVID-19, before treatments became more widely available.   

Pictured: Jerry and Karen Kolschowsky and Dr. Fiorica. Photo courtesy of SMH.

To learn more, visit

Join us for the inspiring stories of philanthropic work by our Sarasota and Bradenton Area's nonprofit organizations as we celebrate the season of giving. Explore ways you can make an impact through the programs of 13 of this year's SRQ Giving Champions.

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THE BISHOP MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND NATURE IS PROFOUNDLY COMMITTED to creating a spectrum of experiences that inspires the joy of discovery and wonder for all ages! The Bishop contributes to a world where people are connected to science and nature and inspired to learn by incorporating fun, interactive, and memorable experiences that lead to an appreciation of natural history, science, and exploration. The Museum is designed for kids and grown-ups of all ages who are interested in exploring and learning. The Bishop’s special learning programs are a driving influence of the local learning ecosystem, leveraging The Bishop’s thought-provoking exhibits and interactive environments like The Mosaic Backyard Universe—Southwest Florida’s coolest backyard— where students have hands-on opportunities to learn about science, engineering, and experimentation. 

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