REAL HELP - Southwest Florida Community Foundation

From the President/Ceo
Often times when an organization selects a new leader the first question
everyone asks is “What changes are you going to make?” People get excited
about something new, innovative and different. The new person has a
thousand ideas to launch and is ready to hit the ground running.
It was no different for me when the announcement was made in November 2011
that I would be taking the role of president and CEO of the Southwest Florida
Community Foundation. The moment the word was out, I was asked what I had
planned for the future of the Foundation.
My answer was simple. I have one agenda item for my new role and I expect it to
make all the difference in the world. I plan to listen.
One of my favorite quotes is by Henry J. Kaiser, “I make progress by having people
around me who are smarter than I am and listening to them. And I assume that
everyone is smarter about something than I am.”
This year the Southwest Florida Community Foundation celebrated 35 years in this community and as I begin my new
role as President and CEO I am surrounded by people who are smarter than I am about what it means to be a part of
the Foundation and this community.
I have had the opportunity to listen to many of the founders of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation who
were willing to take a risk 35 years ago with their time and money to invest in the future of Southwest Florida; I have
listened to dedicated donors who are passionate about a community cause or endeavor and want to make sure that
their passion lives on long after they are gone; I have listened to scholarship recipients who would not have been able
to attend college without the support of the scholarship funds that have been established at the foundation; I have
listened to fathers who set up funds in honor of a child who has been lost to a tragedy; I have listened to children of
parents who were committed to the arts and wanted the family legacy to live on; I have listened to women who want to
see their donations having an impact now through the annual grant programs and later through an endowment fund;
I have listened to Sanibel and Captiva residents who care especially about island needs in the future and neighbors
from Bonita Springs who want to use their fund to strengthen non profits in that community; I have listened to
professional and amateur advocates of the arts, education, human services and environment, all pledging their support
for the future; I have listened to the staff who are dedicated to making the Foundation work; I have listened to
supporters share the history of the organization that has been built on trust, strength, longevity and good stewardship;
and I have listened to a community full of people who have hope for the next 35 years and beyond.
If you have thoughts or ideas about how the Southwest Florida Community Foundation can impact the next 35 years
in this community, please email me at iamlistening@floridacommunity.com.
I am listening.
Sincerely,
Sarah Owen
www.floridacommunity.com 3