It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Sadly, that statement is not always true for everyone. Barbara Byrne, a licensed psychotherapist and director of Bradenton’s newest mental health clinic, Ellie Mental Health, has 25+-years of experience working with adolescents, families and adult individuals and she reports that there is often an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety this time of year.

“I think there's this image of the holidays with people gathering around with a Hallmark-like idea of love and happiness and that can really trigger a lot of people,” she says. “Many families are not able to gather during the holidays and by seeing all of the images of happiness portrayed on television or in social media can cause feelings of emptiness and loneliness.”

While the holiday blues can affect people of all ages, Byrne notes that loneliness is a huge factor among our seniors. “So many folks have come to Florida to retire and so they’ve left a lot of their support system, perhaps even pieces of their family and they've got to reestablish themselves and form new connections after they've moved here. Maybe they're trying to get their children to come visit but there are things pulling them to different places so they can't get together.”

Byrne offers coping strategies to those facing feelings of loneliness during the holidays. “First and foremost is self-care, and I know that's an overused word, but basically, what makes someone feel better is very individualized. For some people it's about being with a lot of other people, for others it's doing the things that they enjoy–perhaps it's kayaking or reading or walking in the woods. Try going to the county recreation center or the library so that you're really immersing yourself in your environment.” She adds that volunteering during the holidays can also help you connect with others, which can be very helpful when you’re feeling isolated.

For those who are fortunate to have the company of friends and family during the holidays, Byrne urges everyone to increase their awareness of others who may benefit from invitations to join their activities or may simply appreciate the gesture of asking how they are doing and their plans for the holidays. “Our natural inclination is to not say anything when we may be worried for fear of overstepping, but what we need to do is the opposite,” says Byrne. “I think people appreciate it when people do acknowledge them and recognize that they need something or they're not doing so well.”

Ellie Mental Health is located at 5801 21st Avenue West in Bradenton, 941-909-2716. 

To learn more, visit.

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. On 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.

Today we are honoring Meghan Serrano, Board of Directors Chair at Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. A partner with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, Meghan’s dedication to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties goes far beyond the boardroom through mentorship, legal counseling, financial support, and visionary leadership. She helped design and implement the roll-out of COVID-19 procedures and created a “Times of Crisis” operation manual. She acts as a mentor for teen Club members and was in a direct mentoring role to the Perlman-Price Young Entrepreneurs Program. She also secured funding to support grade-level reading programs across the six Clubs. Meghan is always there, ready to offer expertise, lend an ear, provide exceptional insight, and is relentless in her efforts to help every child who walks through the Cub's doors. Her steadfast and effective leadership never wavered and, despite external obstacles, the organization has emerged stronger than ever. Congratulations on a well-deserved honor, Meghan. 

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

Resurrection House, Inc. has received a grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County for $9,788. The grant will fund the implementation and first-year support of an upgraded client management software solution called MissionTracker. The downtown Sarasota day resource center serves the city’s homeless and at-risk individuals, and it runs on a small paid staff and over 70 volunteers. The new MissionTracker software, designed specifically for homeless shelters, will provide a comprehensive, cloud-based solution to better manage Resurrection House’s homeless client and volunteer interactions. Resurrection House does not accept funding from the city, county, state or federal government. Donations from individuals, businesses, foundations and religious groups form the core of the operating budget. 

From December 1 through December 13, employees, local businesses, and citizens brought or shipped toys and gift cards to the agency’s headquarters to benefit children enrolled in the 12th Judicial Circuit’s Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) program and our two additional community partners, Teen Court, and All-Star Children’s Foundation. Gifts were collected for children ranging from newborn to 18 years old who reside in Sarasota, Manatee, or Desoto counties. The agency collected almost 2,500 gifts this year, including $2,585 in gift cards. 

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties will host its Annual North County Holiday Party, presented by Dick and Lorraine Vitale, bringing together youth from the Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club, Newtown Estates Park Boys & Girls Club, and Roy McBean Boys & Girls Club. Over 350 Club members will participate. Each Club member will be served a traditional holiday meal and will have the opportunity to participate in festive games and activities, visit with Santa, Rudolf, and Frosty, decorate cookies, and choose two special presents from the Gift Room.

Thursday, December 21, 6:00 pm, Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club, 3100 Fruitville Road, Sarasota. 

Crunch Fitness Bee Ridge is once again lighting up the holiday season with its heartwarming tradition. Following the Thanksgiving festivities, the gym has decorated its center with a Christmas tree adorned with tags bearing requests for toys and clothes for children in need.  For years, Crunch Bee Ridge has fostered a sense of community and giving during the holiday season with this annual gift drive. Members enthusiastically participate by selecting a tag from the tree, fulfilling the requested item, wrapping it and placing it under the tree with the child's name. This act of kindness not only brings joy to those receiving the gifts but also encourages a spirit of compassion and generosity among the local Sarasota community.  With every request fulfilled by the generous members of Crunch, the collected donations will be sent to two deserving organizations: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and the Hippy Program (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters). These organizations play a crucial part in aiding grandparents as they navigate their challenging responsibilities and supporting parents to enhance the early development of their children, respectively. CR Fitness Holdings LLC. is led by veteran industry leaders Vince Julien, Geoff Dyer,Tony Scrimale, and Jeff Dotson, who combined have more than 150 years ofexperience in the fitness industry. Crunch Bee Ridge opened its doors eleven years agoin Sarasota Florida. Presently, the CR Fitness Holdings team operates 58 locations inFlorida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas with a goal of reaching 100 clubs by 2026. 

The Applied Data Science program at New College has finalized a grant agreement totaling $97,680 from the United State Department of Agriculture that will support internships for five of its students. 2023 marks the second time the USDA has sponsored internships for New College data science students.The funding will allow second-year graduate students to take part in semester-long paid internships next spring, working alongside USDA scientists on topics such as food safety, soil, water or crop management, climate adaptation, animal welfare or genetics. First-year data science students will complete paid internships in summer 2024. The Master’s in Applied Data Science program at New College has a 100% job placement rate within three months of graduation with a median post-graduate salary of $95,000. Fortune Magazine has ranked it among the “Best Data Science Master’s Programs” in 2022 and 2023. 

New College of Florida will host tours of the Ellen and Ralph Caples Estate, 351 Caples Drive, Sarasota, from February 5 — March 2, 2024, to kick off a Historic Preservation Campaign. The primary purpose of the campaign, which will be coordinated by Joyce and Jeff Hart in conjunction with the New College Foundation, is preservation, awareness and enhancement of all historic sites and building on the New College campus. The Mediterranean Revival style mansion was constructed in the 1920s and is part of the Caples-Ringling Estates Historic District in Sarasota. It still features many original construction and design elements, which were preserved during recent interior renovations. Ellen Caples gifted the mansion to New College in 1971. Ralph Caples was a friend and business associate of the Ringling Bros. and played a leading role in Sarasota’s development, including bringing the railroad to the area. The Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation named the Caples Mansion on its Six to Save Program list of historic buildings in 2021 and continues to advocate for its preservation. Other historically significant structures on the campus include the Charles Ringling Mansion, Cook Hall, the Pei Dorms, Four Winds Café, and Robertson Hall. Jeff and Joyce Hart own J. Hart Interior Design. Joyce currently sits on the City of Sarasota’s Historic Preservation Board and is a past board member of the Alliance for Historic Preservation. A Ribbon Cutting will take place on Sunday, February 4 from 3-5 p.m. Daily tours are available February 5th to March 2nd 10 a.m.-4 p.m., closed on Sundays. The admission fee is $25 with all proceeds of the tours benefitting the New College Historic Preservation Fund. Event sponsorships are also available. For more information, visit ncf.edu/alumni/caplestour, call 941-487-4800 or email foundation@ncf.edu. 

 The Suncoast Credit Union Foundation is partnering with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County to offer two $2,000 scholarship awards to high school graduates in the Class of 2024. This year’s high school graduates in Suncoast Credit Union’s 25-county service territory can apply for financial support to continue their education, thanks to a $164,000 investment in scholarships by the Tampa-based credit union’s Foundation.  Applications are now open and will be accepted through March 1, 2024. For more information and to apply, visit: EdFoundationSRQ.org/SCUScholarship. This year’s Suncoast Credit Union Scholars program represents the continued mission of the foundation to support education initiatives and the well-being and potential of children. Since its inception in 1990, the Foundation has contributed more than $40 million including more than $2.9 million in scholarships.    

All Faiths Food Bank (AFFB) raised more than $150,000 at its recent annual Bowls of Hope fundraiser: the organization’s largest and most popular – and one of the area’s best-attended events. This family-friendly affair, attended by more than 1,100 people, supports AFFB’s work to help people experiencing hunger in our community. Each year during Bowls of Hope, guests enjoy delicious offerings from 40 of the community’s finest restaurants and caterers as they serve delicious soups, select main courses, desserts and more. Guests select beautiful, handcrafted bowls – all donated by local potters, artists and students – while enjoying a modest meal as a reminder of the empty bowls they help to fill. This year's event was chaired by Ron and Jo Jadin. The festivities began with a “Bubbles & Beignets” sponsor reception before the event opened to all attendees. Local musician Sheri Nadelman entertained guests at the stadium entrance, artists from Sarasota Woodturners and Carla’s Clay demonstrated their respective skills, and the Baltimore Orioles’ team mascot, The Bird, wove its way through the venue, charming the younger attendees and posing for plentiful photos. “We are thrilled that – year after year – community members continue to come out in force to support this event,” said All Faiths Food Bank CEO Sandra Frank. “Times have been particularly tough in recent years, and the funds we raise through efforts such as Bowls of Hope are critical in supporting our work to help our neighbors in need. We are grateful to our venue host, the Baltimore Orioles, our sponsors, volunteer and professional bowl-makers, participating restaurants, our incredible volunteer corps, and all who attended the event.” To learn more about All Faiths Food Bank, visit allfaithsfoodbank.org. 

Pictured: Guests at Bowls of Hope look for the perfect bowl among the 1,000+ donated by amateur and professional craftspeople. Photo courtesy of All Faiths Food Bank.

The Franklin G. Berlin Foundation, a component fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, has advised on $188,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations serving Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, and Charlotte Counties. The grants will support: $30,000 to Mote Marine Laboratory, which strives to advance marine and environmental scientific research, education and public outreach, with a goal of revitalization and sustainability of oceanic resources. Grant funding will go toward MOTE SEA (Science Education Aquarium), a new Mote Marine site at Nathan Benderson Park offering education for diverse learners, through immersive lessons and innovative programs. This is the final grant of cumulative giving from the Franklin G. Berlin Foundation to Mote Marine totaling $100,000; $48,000 to The Bay Park Conservancy, which operates a 53-acre public park with recreational and educational programs available to all, free of charge; $25,000 to Harvest House, which provides supportive and affordable housing, addiction recovery programs, and food security, all in the name of championing hope and transforming lives; $75,000 was directed to the Community Foundation’s Season of Sharing donation campaign, which for almost 24 years has provided a vital community safety net that has helped families avoid homelessness through receiving one-time payments that cover rent, mortgage, auto repairs, childcare, or utility bills when circumstances make those payments otherwise unachievable. Overall, funding will support families living at the economic edge in the region, whether in direct human services or in nonprofit organizations with a strong philosophy of reducing or eliminating boundaries, so that people of limited means can enjoy an enhanced quality of life. The Franklin G. Berlin component fund was established at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County in November 2021 after previously operating as a private foundation. In the last two years the fund has provided $553,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations serving Sarasota County. The fund is named for Frank G. Berlin, Sr., a community leader committed to entrepreneurialism, the growth and enhancement of the Sarasota community, and organizations that reinforced a vibrant community. 

CREATING OPPORTUNITY | Phillip Lanham wants Gulf Coast Community Foundation lifting all voices, and won't tolerate intolerance, December 2023. 

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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 mission of Impact100 SRQ is to empower women to collectively fund transformational grants to nonprofits in Sarasota and Manatee Counties.The model is simple. At least 100 women come together, each makes an annual $1,000 tax-deductible donation, and collectively their donations become part of a grant of at least $100,000 awarded to a local nonprofit.  

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