With a mission to revive the dignity of the homeless and mental health community through housing, support, and love, Second Heart Homes, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2019, provides housing and critical services to homeless adults who are committed to focusing on their mental health in the Sarasota and Bradenton areas.

Executive Director and Founder of Second Heart Homes, Megan Howell, who as a child, was homeless along with her mother and brother, started the organization unintentionally when she was a waitress working toward her master's degree in psychology. From her own personal experiences, Howell has always had an appreciation for people who are vulnerable.

“There was a homeless man living outside the restaurant who had been on the streets for 25 years and suffering from schizophrenia,” she shares. “He was making these really interesting drawings so I sat down on the sidewalk with him to learn more about what he was doing and we became friends over the course of eight years. I made sure I went into work early to be able to talk to him. He really needed someone who wasn't going to dismiss his version of reality and somebody who was a safe harbor and quite honestly, I needed him too–he was the most interesting person I could ever talk to.”

One day, the man was missing from his usual spot. After searching, Howell eventually found him in a hospital after he’d been picked up for a medical emergency that almost took his life. “He told me he was ready to get off the streets so I unintentionally became his advocate,” she recalls. “I knew I was in that room for a reason and that you need help when you've been homeless for 25 years and you have a 25 year gap in rental history, no employment and you look a little rough around the edges.” This was back in 2015. Four years later, in 2019, Howell received the help necessary to start a nonprofit organization and Second Heart Homes was born.

Today, the organization has ten homes and 62 beds across Sarasota and Manatee Counties with ten full-time employees and about 35 volunteers providing housing with supportive services. ”We don't live on the properties, but we visit daily and we maintain them to make sure they're beautiful,” shares Howell. “Art Avenue donates all the art for our homes because art is not a luxury and we work with Lowes, Benjamin Moore and Ringling students to help with decorating.”

By creating a living environment based on love, respect and personal responsibility, Howell and her team are making management of mental health and recovery from homelessness more than just a possibility--for many, it's a reality.

Second Heart Homes relies on individual contributions and private sector funding to run their program. 

Pictured: Second Heart Homes provides long-term solutions to the homeless population. Photo courtesy of Megan Howell.

 As the planning continues for Project Pride SRQ’s Pride Month events in June, event organizers are thrilled to announce the headliners for the Grand Carnival In Bloom on June 1. Traveling from Nashville to Sarasota for the gala event will be Lou Ridley and Brady Riley.  “By hosting these tremendous musical artists, we hope not only to surprise our guests by just how ‘out of the box’ country music can be but also encourage wider attendance through our chosen musical genre this year,” said Project Pride president Jason Champion. “We don’t limit our events to guests who are LGBTQ and/or allies – we want the whole community to consider attending. We know they’ll have a great time!”  In addition to the live musical performances, the Grand Carnival In Bloom will feature a DJ spinning today's hits, craft specialty cocktails, lite bites and desserts, and delightful surprises. The Grand Carnival takes place on Saturday, June 1, 8-11 p.m. at the Sailor Circus Arena (2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota). Tickets – which include open bar, food and entertainment – are $125/VIP (enables early entry at 7 p.m.), $85/general admission; door price is $150, subject to availability. Major sponsors include CAN Community Health, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, McCarver & Moser, SRQ Beats and the Herald-Tribune/LocaliQ. Proceeds from the event will support Project Pride’s programs and events. For more about Project Pride and its Pride Month events, visit www.ppsrq.org. 

 Florida Studio Theatre, in partnership with The Terrence McNally Foundation, is proud to announce the launch of the Terrence McNally Recovery Commission, an initiative aimed at destigmatizing recovery through the power of storytelling. As part of Florida Studio Theatre’s Recovery Project, the Terrence McNally Recovery Commission awards a $10,000 commission to one emerging playwright who identifies as being in recovery from a substance use condition. Established playwright Craig Lucas will serve as a resource to the recipient throughout the commission as an artistic mentor and fellow artist in recovery. For more information about the commission and application details, visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org/work-with-us/submit-a-play. 

Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast) is pleased to announce that three of its team members (Strategic Engagement Manager Kelly Borgia, Community Leadership Associate Hollie Mowry, and Interim Vice President of Philanthropy Sasha Pyatte) have joined the Council on Foundation’s Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort which envisions philanthropy playing an essential part in cultivating a diverse, inclusive democracy where everyone belongs. Sixty-five participants across 46 organizations representing a diversity of viewpoints, experiences, geographies, and backgrounds were chosen for the cohort. The Council on Foundations, with a 75-year history, is a nonprofit membership association that serves as a guide for philanthropies as they advance the greater good. The cohort will meet virtually on a monthly basis from April to November 2024, in partnership with the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. The discussions will center on science-backed skills covered in the Greater Good Science Center’s Bridging Differences online course, which offers research-based strategies for bridging differences with colleagues, peers, and grantees.The learning objectives of the program include developing a deeper understanding of the science-based practices to bridge differences; connecting with leading researchers, fellow philanthropy practitioners, and other nonprofit sector leaders who are doing this work, ideally identifying new collaborators and confidants on the journey, and developing new skills and knowledge to inform Gulf Coast’s philanthropic work. “The Council’s Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort is an incredible program that we are honored to be a part of as we develop skills and strategies to bridge differences – big and small – in our community. I am confident that Kelly, Hollie, and Sasha will bring back important tools for our Foundation, such as growing their skills on learning and practicing how to be an active listener and compassionate speaker, while becoming better relationship builders and connectors,” said Gulf Coast’s President | CEO Phillip Lanham. “This is a sound investment in our team that will impact Gulf Coast’s transformational work with our philanthropists and the community.” Members of the cohort will connect and learn from colleagues around the world, as there are participants from all areas of the U.S. as well as some from The LEGO Foundation in Denmark and Templeton World Charity Foundation in the Bahamas. The cohort is a good fit for individuals and teams who are already working to foster more constructive dialogue, relationships, and understanding across lines of difference and those who want to get started. To learn more, please visit cof.org/page/bridging-differences-leadership-cohort. 

Pictured: Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Kelly Borgia, Hollie Mowry, and Sasha Pyatte have joined the Council on Foundation’s Bridging Differences Leadership Cohort.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is excited to announce the generous challenge gift from Ed and Susan Maier of $4,000,000 toward the Arts Plaza. Mr. and Mrs. Maier have proposed that their challenge gift be used as a “one-to-one matching fund” to create a “circle of friends” to name the Arts Plaza in honor of Dennis and Graci McGillicuddy. All pledges towards the “McGillicuddy Circle of Friends” received after April 1, 2024, will be matched. The challenge gift serves to help complete Phase 1 of the Arts Plaza project which includes construction of the 8-story building, opening the parking garage, and opening three stories of Artist Housing. The Ed and Susan Maier generous match challenge fund will position FST to break ground on schedule in December 2024. For more information or to make a contribution in support of the Maier Match Challenge for the “McGillicuddy Circle of Friends” contact Melody Mora-Shihadeh, Director of Individual Giving, at (941) 366-9017 at extension 326, or by email at Melody@floridastudiotheatre.org. 

On Sunday, March 31, 2024, Pine Shores Presbyterian Church held its annual Easter sunrise service on Siesta Key drawing over 3,000 attendees. This tradition began in 1957 and rapidly
became a moving and meaningful time of worship not only for the Pine Shores congregation, but also as for the community at large. Each year, the Pine Shores Missions Committee picks a different organization as the recipient of the annual offering. This year’s funds, a record breaking $14,203.52, are designated to support mental health services to youth, particularly those in foster care and families providing their care. Samaritan Counseling Services will utilize these funds to provide licensed counseling to the foster care community and partner with local nonprofits in this effort. Missions Committee Chair George Lavigne shared that this year’s offering was the largest received ever. “I believe those attending the services emotionally connected to the focus on at-risk youth in Sarasota, and that’s why they gave so generously.” Samaritan Counseling Services will continue to instill hope and transform lives in our community thanks to this generous investment and community collaboration. 

Recently, Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast) awarded Mothers Helping Mothers (MHM) with $10,000 in grant funding to sponsor their annual fundraising event, “Power of Purple,” and in addition to support the Mothers Helping Mothers’ C.A.R.E.S. program. The grant was awarded from the Gould Family Trust Foundation. The division of funds was $6,000 for the Power of Purple (POP) event and $4,000 for the support of the C.A.R.E.S. program. For over 30 years, MHM has been supporting local families in need by fostering resiliency, self-sufficiency, and family stability. Mothers Helping Mothers is a volunteer only staff providing programs and services to over 2,500 families and 5,000 children annually. Funds raised from the POP event supports the growth and services of MHM. The C.A.R.E.S. program’s pillars are C- Community, A – Aid,  R - Resources/Referrals, E – Education, S - Support (both emotional and tangible). This is a program that focuses on providing a fully holistic approach to helping our families move from crisis to stability by building a more comprehensive suite of services. “Gulf Coast Community Foundation has always been a major supporter of Mothers Helping Mothers.  We are so grateful to be partnering with them in the growth of our organization,” states Cheri DeVries, Executive Director at Mothers Helping Mothers. She adds, “The need for our services here on the Suncoast has skyrocketed. This grant is received with deep appreciation.” 

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2024 WOMEN WHO ROAR APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN | SRQ Magazine invited our readers to nominate women in our community who best exemplify the attributes of professional acumen, philanthropic passion, personal integrity, and community leadership and who have deeply contributed to our community. Applications close Friday, May 24, 2024.