wcw APRIL 2022

just some
thoughts
Louise Bruderle
Editor and Publisher
West Coast Woman Erin Minor
CEO Harvest House
Sarasota has a homeless problem and it goes
deeper and wider than just those people
walking around on Main Street. Veterans,
young adults, families, single moms with
kids, those needing emergency shelter and
those coming out of jail or prison and dealing
with substance abuse issues, are the diverse
homeless populations that one-size-fits-all
solutions don’t help.
Erin Minor
And those diverse populations are a tall order
Photo by Evelyn England
for any community let alone one nonprofit, but
that’s what Harvest House, a nonprofit, has been taking on - very capably
so - for 30 years. Haven’t heard of them? Well, I admit I didn’t know of
them either, but two nonprofit CEOs told me of the great work they do.
Thank goodness for having a network…!
Erin Minor is the CEO at Harvest House and, as you’ll read in this
issue, she is very busy with managing their nine supportive housing
campuses around Sarasota. They don’t call them shelters because they
do so much more than provide a bed. Harvest House also does such a
thorough job offering counseling, classes, and a multitude of things
like a food pantry.
Homeless rates are rising and a sad new wave of homelessness is
taking place with families being edged out by dramatically escalating
rent increases. Where do you go if your pay stays the same and your
rent goes up 20-40% in one year? Erin and her team at Harvest House
are preparing to answer that question with the addition of their 11,000
square foot, life-enrichment campus taking shape off North Beneva
Road in Sarasota which will provide more classrooms, daycare and
office space that will free up space at their current location.
If you’re interested in helping Harvest House, consider going to Art
Center Sarasota and view photographer Susan Sidebottom’s exhibit
“A Place in The Sun” which portrays homelessness in our community
and where 20 per cent of the sales of her work will go to Harvest House.
https://www.artsarasota.org/onview.
The Road Ahead
We’re seeing words like “after a two-year hiatus” or
“that was previously canceled” or simply “finally”
in the slew of events coming in that WCW hasn’t
seen in well, over two years. April is typically a
transition month, yet our calendars are full! And
while it is much more than an event, Earth Day
is April 22.
And speaking of beautiful planet Earth, Choral
Artists has “Listen to the Earth” on Sunday, April
24, at 5 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House. Choral Artists
has a world premiere of a new work by James Grant,
featuring baritone soloist Marcus DeLoach, The Women’s Ensemble
from Parrish Community High School and the Choral Artists singers
with a full orchestra.
The program also includes a setting by Ola Ojeilo of Walt Whitman’s
poem, Song of the Universal and a stunning instrumental work by
Ralph Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending with violinist Daniel
Jordan, concertmaster of the Sarasota Orchestra.
For more information, visit www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.
Travel,
anyone?
This is part one
of our two-part
Women’s Travel
Issues which is a
daunting task to create, but also fun to edit. There’s so much pent-up
energy for travel and hotels, resorts, and events of all kinds and airlines
have answered with exciting new options. No surprise that Sarasota
Airport is going to have a major expansion coming.
We had so much travel content that we’ve added a second Women’s
Travel to May’s issue.
Sarasota Film Festival
One event that was here last year is the Sarasota Film
Festival which returns April 1-10 but in full bloom
with films in person and virtual which seems to be the
standard for most events in our area. West Coast Woman
is once again a proud sponsor. Look for our logo “on the
big screen” which sounds very cool to say.
WCW updates:
On March 2, Resilient Retreat reached another milestone with the
completion of the James P. Roque Community Center with a formal topping
off celebration. This new center adds 5000 square feet to Resilient
Retreat’s campus, which is slated for a grand opening
this fall. This space will serve as the gathering hub for
classes, lectures, treatments, exercise classes, workshops,
luncheons, mingling, and more.
Resilient Retreat is situated on 84 acres of conservation
land: a nature-centered backdrop that is key to Resilient
Retreat’s mind/body/spirit approach to healing.
Once the new facilities open, Resilient Retreat will
provide expanded services for survivors of abuse,
first responders, and helping professionals to heal the
impacts of trauma on the mind, body, and spirit.
Congratulations to Dr. Sidney Turner, Resilient
Retreat’s founder and chair of their board of directors.
For more information about Resilient Retreat, visit
www.ResilientRetreat.org.
Join us in welcoming the new
Executive Director of the Sarasota
Farmers Market, Amber Rusch.
Amber was born in Colorado
Springs and is a new resident of
Sarasota. From arranging Pride
events to working in property management
to running a childcare
facility, she has experience working
with people from all walks of life.
She left Colorado (and a Corporate
Management job) in search of
a more fulfilling opportunity for
her family in Florida. Stop by the
Market’s booth and say hi the next
time you’re there on Saturday.
Amber Rusch
Dr. Sidney Turner
Photo by Evelyn England
Louise Bruderle | Editor and Publisher |
westcoastwoman@comcast.net
We welcome your thoughts and comments on this column and on other columns and features in this issue.
You can reach us at westcoastwoman@comcast.net. We’re on the web at www.WestCoastWoman.com.
4 WEST COAST WOMAN APRIL 2022