The Florida Women’s Sailing Association, a nonprofit organization promoting and encouraging the growth of women's sailing groups in the state, is celebrating their 50th anniversary with the Rainbow Regatta. Taking place April 10-11 at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron (SSS), a community sailing club located on City Island near Ken Thompson Park, the event will feature approximately 100 female racers, ages 25-80+ years old from 11 clubs statewide competing for prizes and showcasing their sailing skills. A totally self-supported club, the Rainbow Regatta is one source of fundraising for The Florida Women’s Sailing Association.

Competitors will single-handedly rig and race Sunfish, Pram’s and International Opti dinghy boats on the beautiful waters of Sarasota Bay. Members of the SSS’s Luffing Lassies and the Venice Bitter Ends will host the FWSA Rainbow Regatta with up to six races over two days. 

Linda Tiffan, who has been with the Luffing Lassies for 16 years, is co-chairing the organizing committee for the Rainbow Regatta along with fellow Lassie, Penny Durham. Nearly every Thursday morning, for 51 years, Luffing Lassie members continue the group’s mission of learning to sail, competing and honoring the late Lily Kaighin’s philosophy of motivation, organization, involvement and good sportsmanship.

“This is the 50th anniversary of the FWSA and it's a major celebration of women sailing,” says Tiffan. “It’s also a chance for great camaraderie, socializing and competition amongst the 11 clubs across the state.”

A fun and competitive event, the Rainbow Regatta is open to all sailors of the Florida Women’s Sailing Association with newest members encouraged to come out and sail along with those who are more experienced. “We offer a two-week learn to sail class and learn to race class every fall and so this is the culmination for those who just graduated from the class in the fall to participate on a big time level–you can really see how far they've come in just a few months in terms of their skills,” shares Tiffin. “There are different categories of prizes so our newest sailors are not necessarily competing against our more experienced sailors–they're competing against one another and we give several awards based on experience, based on age and based on the type of boat.”

The event on April 10 starts in the afternoon with the first gun of the first race at 12:55pm and the last gun no later than 3:30pm. On April 11, there will be morning races with the first gun likely at 10am and last gun at 1pm. Racing is always weather dependent with the race committee making the final weather call. Registration for the event ends April 5. 

Pictured: Florida Women's Sailing Association (FWSA) members showcase their skills, adventure and decades-long friendships as they celebrate their 50th anniversary with the Rainbow Regatta. Photo by Jennifer Joy Walker.

To register click here.

The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation (LWRCF) is pleased to welcome Neal Communities and Neal Signature Homes to its Builders Give Back program. Through this program, which launched in May 2023, builders make a $100 donation per closing to the LWRCF in the name of the new homeowner. Neal Communities and Neal Signature Homes join the other builders currently participating in the program: Anchor Builders, AR Homes, Homes By Towne, John Cannon Homes, Lee Wetherington Homes, Pulte Homes, and Stock Luxury Homes. The program is further supported by Lakewood Ranch Communities, which donates a matching $100 per closing to the LWRCF. The Builders Give Back program benefits the LWRCF by both developing engagement with homeowners in their community and introducing them to local philanthropy, which in turn will help create support for the LWRCF into the future. The mission of the LWRCF, which is financed fully by residents and businesses, is to enhance the quality of life in and near the Lakewood Ranch community by responding to local needs, granting funds, and building lasting relationships. As Lakewood Ranch continues to grow, the needs of the community – including human services, education, animal services, and arts and culture – will also grow. For more information, visit lwrcf.org or call (941) 208-6799. 

Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation today announced that Susan Milman is donating $16 million to support the new state-of-the-art outpatient cancer pavilion on Sarasota Memorial’s Sarasota campus. The facility, which will offer comprehensive outpatient cancer services, is currently under construction and slated to open in late 2025. Ms. Milman’s donation will be used specifically to support planning, construction and operations of the new pavilion which will house an expanded breast health center with the latest mammography, ultrasound, stereotactic and nuclear medicine technology. Additional services will include outpatient surgery, advanced HDR brachytherapy, radiation oncology, infusion, and diagnostic imaging, plus oncology physician practices and integrative care clinics. Ms. Milman’s interest in cancer services comes from observing first-hand the emotional and physical toll that leaving home for treatment had on her friends, and how difficult it is to coordinate care when physicians and services are dispersed, or not available locally. Together with her previous donation, Ms. Milman has committed over $21 million in total support of the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute.  In recognition of this latest gift and to honor her family, Alan K. Milman, Natalie Kover Milman and Morris Milman, and Arthur and Fay Kover, the new facility will be named the Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion. Community support will continue to make a difference at the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute. To learn more, visit smhf.org. 

Arts Advocates is pleased to announce its schedule of May programs and events, including member artist Michael Cohen’s photography exhibit; the art talk, “Reimagining Famous Works of Art”; the annual scholarship awards luncheon; and a tour of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Unless otherwise indicated, registration is required at ArtsAdvocates.org. 

 On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 420 guests attended Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s 11th annual Women & Medicine Educational Luncheon held at Michael’s on East. The program featured a panel discussion from leading lung cancer experts. Over $255,000 was raised. Proceeds will help SMH bring world-class healthcare to our community. The program opened with a welcome from returning event co-chairs and Healthcare Foundation board members, Gwen MacKenzie and Sandi Stuart. Kelly Batista, Executive Director, Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute at SMH, presented an update on the Jellison Cancer Institute. The educational program, moderated by Stephanie Roberts, executive producer of Suncoast View on ABC7, included a panel of lung cancer experts: Amy Budke, M.D., Pathologist, SaraPath Diagnostics; M. Blair Marshall, M.D., Thoracic Surgical Oncologist, First Physicians Group; and Amie J. Miller, Program Coordinator, Lung Cancer Screening and Incidental Nodule Program, Jellison Cancer Institute. The discussion primarily focused on screening options and advancing treatments that are changing the way we view and treat lung cancer in women. Guests participated in a Q&A session to conclude the program. 

The public is invited to a 2024 Giving Challenge Open House & Celebration from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 9 at NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties’ You Are Not Alone (YANA) wellness drop-in location off Tuttle Avenue in Sarasota. Several organizations participating in the Giving Challenge will be providing information tables and activities for all ages. The Open House & Celebration will feature engaging, hands-on activities, including stations for arts and crafts, painting, gardening, yoga and meditation sessions, a juggling lesson, and more. Local musicians are invited to bring their instruments and participate in an open jam session. In addition to NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties, the event also will feature information and activities from the Boys and Girls Club of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, Community Assisted Supported Living (CASL), Centerstone, Girl Scouts of the Gulfcoast, Meals on Wheels Sarasota, and the Women’s Resource Center. A food truck by the British Open Pub will be serving from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The 2024 Giving Challenge is from noon to noon on April 9-10, 2024 and is presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation. The online fundraising event is designed to pair philanthropists with nonprofit organizations making a difference in the region. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Today, NAMI consists of more than 600 local affiliates, including NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties, that work in communities to raise awareness and provide support and education to those in need. NAMI opened its You Are Not Alone (YANA) wellness drop-in center off Tuttle Avenue over two years ago to offer a safe space for its programs and a daily drop-in center for people on their journey to mental wellness. For more information about the Open House and Celebration or about NAMI Sarasota and Manatee Counties and its programs, contact Katie Booth, YANA Operations Manager, at katie@namisarasotamanatee.org. For more information about the 2024 Giving Challenge, visit www.GivingChallenge.org. 

2024 WOMEN WHO ROAR NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN | We invite our readers to nominate an individual who best exemplifies the attributes of professional acumen, philanthropic passion, personal integrity and community leadership. Nominations close Friday, April 26, 2024. 

Nominate Here!