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Here's West Coast Woman's July issue. We've got lots of Travel news and offers. Lots and lots in our "Good News" Column and a feature on the CEO of Safe Children Coalition, Brena Slater

Here's West Coast Woman's July issue. We've got lots of Travel news and offers. Lots and lots in our "Good News" Column and a feature on the CEO of Safe Children Coalition, Brena Slater

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JULY 2023<br />

Brena<br />

Slater<br />

Chief Executive Officer,<br />

Safe Children Coalition<br />

Also in this issue:<br />

■ Art Center<br />

Sarasota’s Juried<br />

Regional Show<br />

■ Good News Dept.<br />

■ Travel: Florida’s<br />

National Parks<br />

■ Travel Deals<br />

for FL Residents


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2 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


JULY 2023<br />

contents<br />

Editor and Publisher<br />

Louise M. Bruderle<br />

Email: westcoastwoman@comcast.net<br />

Contributing Writer<br />

Carol Darling<br />

Contributing Photographer<br />

Evelyn England<br />

Art Director/Graphic Designer<br />

Kimberly Carmell<br />

Assistant to the Publisher<br />

Mimi Gato<br />

West Coast Woman is published<br />

monthly (12 times annually) by<br />

LMB Media, Inc., Louise Bruderle,<br />

President. All contents of this<br />

publication are copyrighted and<br />

may not be reproduced. No part<br />

may be reproduced without the<br />

written permission of the publisher.<br />

Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs<br />

and artwork are welcome, but return<br />

cannot be guaranteed.<br />

focus on the arts<br />

Art Center Sarasota has “Identity: Exploring<br />

the Human Condition.” The 2023 Annual<br />

Juried Regional Show runs through August 5.<br />

p13<br />

HOW TO REACH US:<br />

Email: westcoastwoman@comcast.net<br />

Here are our columns:<br />

n Out & About: includes<br />

fundraisers, concerts, art exhibits,<br />

lectures, dance, poetry, shows<br />

& performances, theatre, film,<br />

seasonal events and more.<br />

n You’re News: job announcements,<br />

appointments and promotions,<br />

board news, business news and<br />

real estate news.<br />

dining in<br />

Grilling with Walnuts—No, we don’t<br />

mean placing walnuts on the grill like a<br />

steak, but the versatile walnut can be<br />

part of a variety of traditionally grilled<br />

items like steak, corn, fish and burgers.<br />

p27<br />

FOLLOW US AT:<br />

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/<br />

WCWmedia<br />

EARS<br />

WCW<br />

35<br />

YEARS<br />

WCW Mailing Address:<br />

P.O. Box 819<br />

Sarasota, FL 34230<br />

email:<br />

westcoastwoman@comcast.net<br />

website:<br />

www.westcoastwoman.com<br />

west coast<br />

WOMAN<br />

travel feature<br />

Planning to visit any of America’s National Parks? Check out<br />

the 11 U.S. National Parks located in Florida.<br />

p28<br />

departments<br />

4 editor’s letter<br />

7 Out & About: listings for things to do<br />

live and/or online<br />

9 healthier you: The Renewal Point<br />

13 focus on the arts:<br />

ArtCenter Sarasota<br />

15 all about craniosacral therapy<br />

16 west coast woman: Brena Slater,<br />

CEO, Safe Children Coalition<br />

18 good news in our community<br />

21 get to know: Palm Aire Women’s Club<br />

23 in our community: UnidosNow<br />

25 you’re news<br />

26 dining in: Grilling with Walnuts<br />

28 travel: Florida’s National Parks<br />

29 travel: Florida travel deals<br />

30 healthier you:<br />

Processed Food - is it all bad?<br />

■ on the cover: Brena Slater, CEO, Safe Children Coalition.<br />

■ Image: Louise Bruderle<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 3


just some<br />

thoughts<br />

Louise Bruderle<br />

Editor and Publisher<br />

West Coast Woman<br />

Safe Children Coalition<br />

CEO Brena Slater<br />

There’s lots to manage with many moving parts at<br />

Safe Children Coalition (SCC). For one thing, it’s a<br />

very large nonprofit with five offices, 300 employees<br />

and a youth shelter. They have a $54 million budget,<br />

and they work with over 9,000 children and families<br />

served in foster care, adoption and prevention and<br />

diversion programs. SCC works through Circuit<br />

12 which incudes Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto<br />

Brena Slater counties. Add to that, SCC is building a new youth<br />

Image: Louise Bruderle shelter and now raising the funds for it. It’s a big<br />

responsibility.<br />

I have to admit, it’s not easy writing about such a large and complex<br />

agency that covers so many issues and not make it sound like a report.<br />

But it’s harder work investigating for possible abuse or neglect and then<br />

removing a child from a home. The woman in charge at SCC, Brena Slater,<br />

has 32 years in the profession of caring for kids and families in crisis<br />

— her entire career, in fact. She knows what her frontline case managers<br />

are going through since she did it herself.<br />

Yet she found time to meet and talk with me and answer questions.<br />

For such a demanding job, Brena has a calm demeanor that must be<br />

reassuring to her staff. In this month’s WCW profile you’ll learn about<br />

how SCC manages child welfare (a broad topic that includes abuse and<br />

neglect, but also foster care, adoptions and reunifications) in our area.<br />

It’s a Hit!<br />

Our “Good News Dept.” column is a big hit apparently, as measured by<br />

the amount of information we receive and by all the clicks and shares<br />

seen on our social media outlets. Maybe the content is popular due to a<br />

general craving for good news, but the column also highlights how generous<br />

this community is and how proactive it is in finding solutions.<br />

For example, Neal Communities donated $10,600 to Take Stock in<br />

Children of Manatee County to provide a tuition-based college/technical<br />

college scholarship to a student<br />

in the Manatee County<br />

program or Arts Advocates<br />

has awarded 11 Sarasota and<br />

Manatee county students<br />

with scholarships for the<br />

2023-2024 school year totaling<br />

$38,500.<br />

And there’s the Barancik<br />

Foundation which recently<br />

approved grants for 20 local<br />

nonprofits that support the<br />

community in the areas of<br />

arts and culture, early learning, student success, business development,<br />

foster care, ecological restoration, and more. Six of the grants will go toward<br />

capacity building for nonprofits to strengthen their infrastructure<br />

and, in many instances, add full-time staff.<br />

Another foundation, Selby, awarded 45 graduating high school students<br />

with scholarships to support their four undergraduate years of<br />

college. This year’s “Selby Scholars” includes 24 first generation students,<br />

those who represent the first in their families to go to college. In total,<br />

$887,000 has been approved by the Foundation for Selby Scholars and<br />

institutional grants this year.<br />

The Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation awarded scholarships<br />

to five local high school students who plan to pursue careers in<br />

healthcare. Through the G. Duncan Finlay Health Careers Scholarships<br />

and The Heather G. Miller Health Careers Scholarship, each student<br />

will receive up to $10,000 to help offset the cost of college tuition and<br />

expenses over the next four yearsRecent grants are supporting All Faiths<br />

Food Bank programs that provide nutrition assistance to community<br />

members in need. Two recent contributors to the food bank’s work<br />

are Isermann Family Foundation, $20,000 for the BackPack program,<br />

and Bank of America Charitable Foundation, $30,000 for the Mobile<br />

Pantry Program.<br />

With its Gulf Coast Community Foundation grant, Girls Inc. is able<br />

to provide researched based summer programming scholarships for<br />

girls in our community, along with continued support for their families<br />

through their Family Strengthening Program. Funding was made possible<br />

through the L. Channing Endowment Fund at Gulf Coast Community<br />

Foundation.<br />

A lot of these reflect that last month was graduation time. But you get<br />

the idea - generous organizations offering a hand up, not a hand out.<br />

Choral Artists of Sarasota’s<br />

Independence Day Concert July 4<br />

Choral Artists celebrates America’s forefathers every Independence<br />

Day. But, according to Joseph Holt, the artistic director and conductor of<br />

Choral Artists of Sarasota, “For our ultimate July 4th concert, we decided<br />

to celebrate our nation’s ‘foremothers’ as well.”.<br />

The program<br />

will also<br />

showcase<br />

popular songs<br />

of World War<br />

II, including<br />

“White Cliffs<br />

of Dover,” “I’ll<br />

Be Seeing You,”<br />

and “We’ll Meet<br />

Again.”<br />

During the<br />

second half,<br />

the Lakewood<br />

Ranch Wind Ensemble will perform hits from the Big Band era.<br />

The concert concludes with such uplifting anthems as “Colossus of<br />

Columbia” and “From Sea to Shining Sea.”<br />

“As this will be our final Independence Day concert, we decided to go<br />

out with a bang,” Holt says. “We thought it’d be fitting to end the program<br />

with fireworks — sonic fireworks, that is. Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812 Overture’<br />

was our one and only choice for musical pyrotechnics! It’s traditionally<br />

performed with cannons. As none were available, we’ll be handing out<br />

paper bags to everyone. At the crescendo, you pop your bag!”<br />

According to Holt, that audience participation perfectly captures the<br />

July 4th spirit. “You’re not simply listening to the triumphant music of<br />

freedom—you’re helping to make it. I think Tchaikovsky would approve!”<br />

Choral Artists of Sarasota presents “American Fanfare,” July 4, 4:30<br />

p.m., at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota.<br />

Tickets: www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org or call 941-387-4900.<br />

Looking to Travel? Look no more…<br />

Are you reading WCW on your phone in an airport? It’s possible — the<br />

roads and the skies are very crowded. And if you are, we hope your flights<br />

are on time and not canceled and your vacation is relaxing and fun.<br />

But if you’re in planning mode and looking for something new close to<br />

home or maybe a deal or two, be sure to read our travel features in this<br />

month’s WCW.<br />

Did you know we have National Parks in Florida? Me neither. I didn’t<br />

know any of them beyond the Everglades. And we have a feature on some<br />

deals on Florida travel. FL residents get a nice discount at many hotels<br />

this time of year so take a look and see if one works for you and by all<br />

means, enjoy!<br />

Louise Bruderle | Editor and Publisher |<br />

westcoastwoman@comcast.net<br />

We welcome your thoughts and comments on this column and on other columns and features in this issue.<br />

You can reach us at westcoastwoman@comcast.net. We’re on the web at www.WestCoastWoman.com.<br />

4 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


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out &about<br />

At The Bay<br />

Ride and Paddle at The Bay.<br />

Experience the flora and fauna at The<br />

Bay through a guided kayak nature<br />

tour. Offered every Saturday at 8:30,<br />

a.m. join in for a free, 2-hour, intermediate-level<br />

tour through The Bay’s<br />

restored mangroves and to the north<br />

and south of the park, allowing paddlers<br />

to explore Sarasota Bay and<br />

learn more about The Bay Park from<br />

Ride & Paddle’s experienced guides.<br />

Next dates: July, 8, 15, 22, 29 and<br />

August 5. Location: The Bay Park-<br />

Kayak Launch, 1055 Boulevard of the<br />

Arts, Sarasota. Reservations: www.<br />

thebaysarasota.org/.<br />

▼<br />

CoolToday Park<br />

Offers Movie<br />

Nights<br />

CoolToday Park, the Spring<br />

Training Home of the Atlanta Braves,<br />

has Movie Nights. Back by popular<br />

demand, the Summer Movie Nights<br />

provide a unique experience for<br />

everyone during the summer, while<br />

remaining fun and affordable.<br />

Father’s Day on June 18 will give<br />

fathers the opportunity to play catch<br />

on the field with their kids before<br />

the movie begins. The Holiday favorite,<br />

Elf; will be shown on July 23.<br />

The Movie Nights will take place on<br />

most Sundays, inside the stadium at<br />

CoolToday Park.<br />

Here’s the schedule:<br />

• July 9- Thor- Love & Thunder<br />

• July 16- Jaws<br />

• July 23 - Christmas in July- Elf<br />

• July 30 - Ferris Bueller’s Day Off<br />

The movies will be shown on the<br />

scoreboard and will begin at 5 p.m.<br />

each night. Tickets are available at<br />

the CoolToday Park box office or at<br />

cooltodaypark.com/movies. Parking<br />

is free, seats will be available in<br />

the seating bowl.<br />

▼<br />

American Jewish<br />

Committee (AJC)<br />

Lecture Series<br />

July 19—Benjamin Rogers, AJC<br />

Director, Middle East and North Africa<br />

Initiatives. The United States, Israel,<br />

and the Arab World: Where do we<br />

go from here?<br />

As we prepare to celebrate the third<br />

anniversary of the Abraham Accords,<br />

where have there been successes, and<br />

where have there been challenges?<br />

Join them as they discuss the ever-shifting<br />

dynamics of U.S. - Middle<br />

East relations.<br />

• August 23—Belle Yoeliu, AJC Chief<br />

Advocacy Officer. The State of Jewish<br />

Affairs: Around the World with AJC<br />

There is never a dull moment for the<br />

Jewish people and the State of Israel.<br />

Join them for an in-depth conversation<br />

as they tackle some of the most<br />

challenging current events and how<br />

they are impacting our community.<br />

Advance reservations required.<br />

To RSVP, call AJC at 941-365-4955 or<br />

email sarasota@ajc.org. Held at Michael’s<br />

On East, Sarasota. $39 per lecture<br />

includes luncheon.<br />

▼<br />

Get to Know<br />

Southface Sarasota<br />

▼<br />

Southface has a Green Drinks<br />

Meetup on July 20, 5-7<br />

p.m. Join them at Sun<br />

King Brewery. It’s a sustainably<br />

good time every<br />

third Thursday of the<br />

month. Join Southface<br />

Sarasota members and<br />

local experts to talk sustainability<br />

and network<br />

over drinks at the Sun<br />

King Brewery. No registration<br />

required.<br />

The event is offered in<br />

partnership with Green<br />

Drinks Sarasota and<br />

the USGBC (U.S. Green<br />

Building Council). Held<br />

at Sun King Brewing,<br />

1215 Mango Ave., Sarasota.<br />

Information: www.<br />

southface.org/sarasota/<br />

Choral<br />

Artists<br />

Presents<br />

American<br />

Fanfare<br />

Choral Artists will<br />

be partnering with the<br />

Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble<br />

for a star spangled event on Tuesday,<br />

July 4 at 4:30 pm the Sarasota Opera<br />

House, 61 N. Palm Avenue, Sarasota.<br />

Come celebrate our National Day<br />

of Independence and patriotic pride<br />

through choral fireworks, Sousa<br />

marches, and the American songs<br />

we all know and love. Tickets:<br />

941-387-4900 or visit ChoralArtists<br />

Sarasota.org.<br />

▼<br />

RADD Bike Rides<br />

DreamLarge is behind BLVD Bike<br />

Rides, a free community bike ride<br />

that aims to bring residents, neighbors<br />

and friends together to celebrate<br />

the community and cycling in downtown<br />

Sarasota.<br />

Join them every quarter from April<br />

to December for a specially-themed<br />

ride (each with its own fantastic guide).<br />

The guided group ride will end at a<br />

different local restaurant or bar. Riders<br />

are encouraged to stay and mingle<br />

with their fellow bikers after the ride.<br />

The event is free and open to everyone<br />

in the community and aims to<br />

bring residents, neighbors and friends<br />

together, while enjoying a fun bike<br />

ride in downtown Sarasota. Bring your<br />

own bike and water bottle for this ride.<br />

Their next ride is on July 13. Ride<br />

Leader is Bill Waddill, Chief Operating<br />

Officer The Bay Park Conservancy.<br />

Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m.; Ride begins<br />

at 5:45 p.m.<br />

So you can plan ahead, here are future<br />

ride dates: October 19 Halloween<br />

Edition with Ride Leader: Jeff Vredenburg,<br />

Sustainability Program Educator<br />

for the City of Sarasota. Check-in<br />

begins at 5:15 p.m.; Ride begins at 5:30<br />

p.m. Held at DreamLarge Office, 513<br />

Central Ave, Sarasota.<br />

For information, visit www.Dream<br />

Large.org. Register at www.<br />

eventbrite.com<br />

▼<br />

Van Wezel<br />

Updates and<br />

Friday Fest<br />

▼<br />

The Van Wezel has its free, outdoor<br />

At Sarasota Art Museum:<br />

Stephanie J. Woods<br />

my papa used to play<br />

checkers, 2022.<br />

Framed archival<br />

ink-jet print<br />

(watermelon, hand<br />

dyed cotton fabric,<br />

hair beads, barrette<br />

bows, and afro hair)<br />

summertime concert series, Friday<br />

Fest. The lineup of bands this year<br />

includes:<br />

• July 21: One Night Rodeo<br />

• August 11: TEN76<br />

• September 22: Jah Movement<br />

Bring blankets or lawn chairs, take in<br />

the music and the sunset by the bay,<br />

and enjoy food and beverages from<br />

local vendors.<br />

Bishop Museum<br />

of Science and<br />

Nature<br />

In the field of engineering, human<br />

achievements receive the most recognition,<br />

but Eco Engineers, the<br />

new temporary exhibit at the Bishop<br />

Museum of Science and Nature,<br />

shifts the spotlight to the flora and<br />

fauna that shape ecosystems with<br />

their own engineering feats.<br />

The exhibit pays homage not only<br />

to furry friends like beavers, but also<br />

to plants like red mangroves and live<br />

oaks that leave an indelible mark on the<br />

landscape. The exhibit is divided into<br />

three zones, including the land, water’s<br />

edge, and sea sections. Giant photos of<br />

the featured species fill the space, creating<br />

an immersive environment.<br />

A selection of photos bring each<br />

species to life, with the largest photos<br />

measuring about 3 by 6 feet. The<br />

coral photos, lent to the Bishop by the<br />

Coral Restoration Foundation, will<br />

stun visitors. 3D elements, like corals<br />

and a beaver skull from the museum’s<br />

collections complement the photos<br />

and text. Eco Engineers runs through<br />

September 3.<br />

Laser Light Nights at The Bishop<br />

Museum of Science and Nature runs<br />

through September 2, 7pm and 9pm.<br />

Break out the big hair and acid-washed<br />

denim every Thursday, Friday, and<br />

Saturday night and prepare to rock<br />

out to some of your favorite artists. A<br />

variety of food options and drinks are<br />

available for purchase onsite.<br />

The Bishop Museum of Science and<br />

Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Information:<br />

bishopscience.org.<br />

▼<br />

Sarasota<br />

Art<br />

Museum<br />

Sarasota Art Museum<br />

of Ringling College<br />

presents Stephanie J.<br />

Woods: my papa used<br />

to play checkers runs<br />

through September 17.<br />

In her first solo museum<br />

exhibition, Woods<br />

presents new multidisciplinary<br />

works inspired<br />

by her firsthand experience<br />

of West Africa and<br />

with themes focusing on<br />

transatlantic cultural<br />

continuity and memories.<br />

• Also on display is<br />

The New Black Vanguard<br />

Photography<br />

Between Art And Fashion<br />

though September<br />

17. The exhibit presents<br />

artists whose vibrant<br />

portraits and conceptual<br />

images fuse the genres<br />

of art and fashion photography<br />

in ways that<br />

break down long-established<br />

boundaries.<br />

The New Black Vanguard: Photography<br />

between Art and Fashion, presents<br />

artists whose vibrant portraits<br />

and conceptual images fuse the<br />

genres of art and fashion photography<br />

in ways that break down long-established<br />

boundaries.<br />

Their work has been widely consumed<br />

in traditional lifestyle magazines,<br />

ad campaigns, and museums, as<br />

well as on their individual social-media<br />

channels. The images open up<br />

conversations around the representation<br />

of the Black body and Black<br />

lives as subject matter; collectively,<br />

they celebrate Black creativity and the<br />

cross-pollination between art, fashion,<br />

and culture in constructing an image.<br />

This exhibition includes select<br />

works from these groundbreaking<br />

contemporary photographers: Campbell<br />

Addy, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Micaiah<br />

Carter, Awol Erizku, Quil Lemons,<br />

Namsa Leuba, Renell Medrano,<br />

Tyler Mitchell, Jamal Nxedlana,<br />

Daniel Obasi, Ruth Ossai, Adrienne<br />

Raquel, Dana Scruggs, and Stephen<br />

Tayo. A salon wall also features images<br />

created by other young Black photographers<br />

contributing to this movement<br />

while simultaneously proposing<br />

a brilliant re-envisioned future.<br />

Sarasota Art Museum is participating<br />

in Blue Star Museums, a program<br />

that provides free admission to U.S.<br />

military personnel and their families<br />

this summer. The Museum, which<br />

already provides free admission yearround<br />

to veterans and active-duty<br />

military members with ID, will also<br />

offer free admission to their families<br />

through September 4 through its participation<br />

in Blue Star Museums.<br />

Visit sarasotaartmuseum.org/<br />

visit to learn more about visiting Sarasota<br />

Art Museum during the Blue Star<br />

Museums program and preview its<br />

current and upcoming exhibitions.<br />

Sarasota Art Museum is located at<br />

1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.<br />

▼<br />

Art Galleries<br />

▼<br />

Art Uptown Gallery has a New<br />

Artists Exhibit, “Creative Collaboration”<br />

in July. The exhibit showcases<br />

the original paintings of artists,<br />

Donna Grossman, Christine Hales,<br />

Debbie Kadagian, Maureen Riesco<br />

and Kathryn Adele Schumacher. Met<br />

them at the First Friday public reception<br />

on July 7 from 6-9 p.m. All five<br />

award-winning artists are local, fulltime<br />

residents of Sarasota. The exhibit<br />

runs through July 28.<br />

From July 29 to August 25, Art<br />

Uptown Gallery will display their artists’<br />

creative interpretations on the<br />

theme: “FLORA.” The gallery will offer<br />

paintings and flower-filled collages,<br />

plein-air landscapes, abstract and<br />

traditional florals, decorative glass,<br />

ceramics, whimsical garden sculptures,<br />

bronze and glass mosaics to<br />

enchant visitors with a variety of<br />

“plant-based” fine art. FLORA ’s First<br />

Friday opening public reception will<br />

be on August 4 from 6-9 pm.<br />

Art Uptown Gallery, 1367 Main St.,<br />

Sarasota. Info: 941-955-5409 or www.<br />

artuptown.com<br />

At Art CenterSarasota: On view<br />

through August 5: Regional Juried<br />

Show: Identity, Exploring the<br />

Human Condition.<br />

Artists will submit work that addresses<br />

a sense of who they/we are as individuals,<br />

or who we are as a society.<br />

These works will highlight the journey,<br />

the turmoil, the ecstasy of the<br />

human condition.<br />

These works may reinforce the<br />

underlying communication of emotional<br />

truth as only understood by<br />

other human beings. The Annual Juried<br />

Regional Show is Art Center Sarasota’s<br />

largest juried show of the year<br />

and encompasses all four of our gallery<br />

spaces. Juror: Christy Paris, Adjunct<br />

Art History Professor and PhD candidate<br />

at the University of South Florida.<br />

Location: 707 N. Tamiami Trail,<br />

Sarasota, www.artsarasota.org.<br />

▼<br />

At The Ringling<br />

Reclaiming Home, Contemporary<br />

Seminole Art runs through September<br />

4. This group exhibition marks<br />

The Ringling’s first presentation of<br />

contemporary art by Native American<br />

artists with ancestral, historical, and<br />

present-day connections to Florida.<br />

An imperative step toward establishing<br />

a meaningful relationship<br />

with the Native American artistic<br />

community, Reclaiming Home will<br />

highlight the breadth and depth of<br />

the artwork by Seminole, Miccosukee,<br />

and mixed-heritage artists from<br />

Florida with the important work by internationally-recognized<br />

artists. The<br />

exhibition will expand the conceptual<br />

framework of Native American art<br />

made in Florida today and provide a<br />

fuller understanding of the complexities<br />

of issues within the art of the Seminole<br />

diaspora.<br />

Artists include Noah Billie (Seminole),<br />

Wilson Bowers (Seminole),<br />

Houston R. Cypress (Miccosukee),<br />

Alyssa Osceola (Seminole), Jessica Osceola<br />

(Seminole/Irish), Brian Zepeda<br />

(Seminole), Corinne Zepeda (Seminole<br />

/Mexican), and Pedro Zepeda<br />

(Seminole). Presented with the important<br />

work by the internationally-recognized<br />

artists of Muscogee<br />

(Creek) and Seminole descent from<br />

Oklahoma and beyond—Elisa Harkins<br />

(Cherokee/Muscogee [Creek]), C.<br />

Maxx Stevens (Seminole/Muscogee<br />

▼<br />

continued on page 8<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 7


out and about continued<br />

[Creek]), Tony Tiger (Sac and Fox/<br />

Seminole/Muscogee [Creek]), and<br />

Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie (Taskigi/<br />

Diné [Navajo]/Seminole)—the exhibition<br />

will expand the conceptual<br />

framework of Native American art<br />

made in Florida today and provide a<br />

fuller understanding of the complexities<br />

of issues within the art of the Seminole<br />

diaspora.<br />

Reclaiming Home is also the first<br />

collaboration between Florida’s Ah-<br />

Tah-Thi-Ki Museum of Seminole culture<br />

and history, located on the Big<br />

Cypress Indian Reservation, as several<br />

important loans from the museum<br />

will be featured in the exhibition.<br />

• From the Chambers Honoring<br />

John Sims is also at Ringling Museum<br />

through August 6. In December<br />

2022, the innovative artist, activist,<br />

writer, and filmmaker John Sims<br />

passed away suddenly at his studio<br />

in Sarasota.<br />

The loss of Sims left a deep impact<br />

on the art world. His art, informed by<br />

mathematics, design, sacred symbols,<br />

and poetic text, boldly confronted<br />

white supremacy, the Confederate flag,<br />

and the deep disparities and division<br />

within our society.<br />

The Ringling worked closely with<br />

Sims, who was their artist in residence<br />

in 2020. The exhibition From the Chambers,<br />

Honoring John Sims brings those<br />

two works together, on view publicly for<br />

the first time, in conjunction with John<br />

Chamberlain’s sculpture Added Pleasure.<br />

The exhibition serves as just one<br />

part of the significant legacy the artist<br />

leaves behind, in Sarasota and beyond.<br />

On view in the Searing East galleries.<br />

The John and Mable Ringling<br />

Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd.,<br />

Sarasota. Info: www.ringling.org.<br />

Theatre<br />

Black Pearl Sings! Runs to July<br />

30 in the Keating Theatre. In 1935<br />

Texas, two women from very different<br />

backgrounds discover the other holds<br />

the key to everything they’ve each<br />

been searching for. Susannah is an<br />

ambitious Library of Congress musicologist,<br />

determined to record undocumented<br />

slave songs. Pearl is an African<br />

American woman with a soulful<br />

voice, a steely spirit, and a sentence in<br />

a high-security female prison. Pearl’s<br />

memory is a treasure trove of unrecorded<br />

slave era music, but can she<br />

hand over her ancestors’ songs without<br />

giving up something of herself?<br />

▼<br />

• Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy<br />

of Tenors begins August 2 in the<br />

Gompertz Theatre. One hotel suite,<br />

four tenors, two wives, three girlfriends,<br />

and a stadium filled with<br />

screaming fans. It’s 1930’s Paris and<br />

the stage is set for the concert of the<br />

century…as long as producer Henry<br />

Saunders can keep Italian superstar<br />

Tito Merelli and his hot-blooded wife<br />

from causing utter chaos. Runs to<br />

August 20.<br />

• Florida Studio Theatre has its<br />

annual Sarasota Improv Festival<br />

which will feature over 20 of the top<br />

improv troupes from across the country<br />

and as far as Canada and the United<br />

Kingdom. The Festival will be held<br />

on FST’s downtown Sarasota campus<br />

July 20-22.<br />

Headlining the 13th Annual Sarasota<br />

Improv Festival is MC Hammersmith,<br />

a multi award-winning hip<br />

hop improviser<br />

and comedian<br />

from the United<br />

Kingdom.<br />

• Their Summer<br />

Cabaret has The<br />

Surfer Boys, a<br />

tribute to the<br />

band credited<br />

for creating pop<br />

music’s iconic<br />

“California<br />

sound.” In this<br />

lively music<br />

revue, four<br />

Broadway veterans<br />

bring The<br />

Beach Boys’ biggest<br />

hits to life<br />

with classics like<br />

“California Girls,”<br />

“Good Vibrations,”<br />

“Barbara<br />

Ann,” and “Surfin’ USA.” The Surfer<br />

Boys is in FST’s Goldstein Cabaret<br />

through August 13.<br />

• Next up is Divas Three, a celebration<br />

of the artists whose musical impact<br />

earned them the coveted title of<br />

“Diva.” In this dazzling Cabaret, three<br />

powerhouse female vocalists deliver<br />

the biggest hits by some of music’s<br />

most influential women, such as Aretha<br />

Franklin, Carole King, Celine<br />

Dion, and Whitney Houston. Featuring<br />

classics like “We Are Family,”<br />

“Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Total<br />

Eclipse of the Heart,” and “It’s Raining<br />

Men.” Divas Three runs in the Court<br />

Cabaret from July 11-September 10.<br />

Tickets at FloridaStudioTheatre.org<br />

FST Improv presents Comedy<br />

Lottery, where 12 audience members<br />

select the night’s lineup of games.<br />

Once the games have been selected,<br />

FST Improv cast members spin scenes,<br />

sketches, and songs to win over the<br />

audience’s laughter. Every performance<br />

is different, but one thing is<br />

guaranteed: the improvisers’ fate is in<br />

the audience’s hands. Runs Saturdays<br />

in FST’s Bowne’s Lab to July 29.<br />

▼<br />

• Beginning August 5, FST Improv<br />

Presents: As Seen on TV, an original<br />

sitcom created on the spot. Featuring<br />

a never-before-heard theme song and<br />

commercials, As Seen on TV includes<br />

all of the elements of one of America’s<br />

favorite forms of televised entertainment.<br />

Runs Saturday nights through<br />

September 30.<br />

• FST Improv Presents: Fast Times<br />

at John Hughes High, returns for an<br />

exclusive performance on August<br />

12. Inspired by films as The Breakfast<br />

Club and Risky Business, FST Improv<br />

cast members will shape an all-new<br />

story celebrating the abundant awkwardness,<br />

hormones, and dreams of<br />

American teenage life.<br />

• Bringing the Summer Improv<br />

Season to a close is FST Improv Presents:<br />

The End of the World, which<br />

performs for one night only: September<br />

2. Disaster has struck the<br />

planet and the future of humanity is<br />

at stake. The world’s only hope is for<br />

FST Improv to record a movie telling<br />

the true story of the end of the world,<br />

leaving their film behind as a warning<br />

to any future civilization looking<br />

to make a go of it here on Earth. This<br />

90-minute improvised disaster movie<br />

performance will have audiences<br />

rooting for FST Improv’s performers<br />

At The Ringling: Reclaiming Home, Contemporary Seminole Art runs through<br />

September 4. Image: Alyssa Osceola (Seminole), Carolyn (detail), 2022.<br />

to beat the odds and survive the end of<br />

the world.<br />

• Taking the Bowne’s Lab stage<br />

in Tournament of Fools and Comedy<br />

Roulette are returning cast members:<br />

Kevin Allen, Tori Baird, Taylor<br />

Bungo, Cameron Clements, Christian<br />

Corpora, Valerie Dale, Sylvia<br />

Day, Sarah Durham, Darryl Knapp,<br />

Will Luera, Shawn McWhinnie,<br />

Kathryn Parks, Keegan Penny, Sal<br />

Piccolo, Christine Reagan, Autumn<br />

Steiner, Joshua Thomason, AJ Trinci,<br />

Danielle Trzcinski, and Matt Walker.<br />

Jim Prosser or Helena Rankin will<br />

alternate as musical improvisers on<br />

the piano at each performance.<br />

Visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org/<br />

Urbanite Theatre has its That<br />

Must Be The Entrance To Heaven<br />

running through July 9. Four Latino<br />

boxers all chase a world title to<br />

achieve their personal versions of<br />

heaven. But to get there, they must<br />

battle each other, their own battered<br />

bodies, and the universe itself. All<br />

four men walk the line between life<br />

and death in this poignant, poetic collision<br />

of combat and cosmos.<br />

▼<br />

Urbanite Theatre, 1487 2nd Street,<br />

Sarasota. Tickets: (941) 321-1397 or<br />

visit www.urbanitetheatre.com.<br />

▼<br />

Manage Performing Art Center has:<br />

• Seussical KIDS Show—Transporting<br />

audiences from the Jungle of Nool<br />

to the Circus McGurkus, the Cat in<br />

the Hat, our narrator, tells the story of<br />

Horton, an elephant who discovers a<br />

speck of dust containing tiny people<br />

called the Whos, including Jojo, a Who<br />

child, who gets in trouble for thinking<br />

too many “thinks.”<br />

Horton’s challenge is twofold — not<br />

only must he protect the Whos from<br />

a world of naysayers and dangers, but<br />

he must also guard an abandoned egg<br />

that’s been left in his care by the irresponsible<br />

Mayzie La Bird. Although<br />

Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping<br />

and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude<br />

McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately,<br />

the powers of friendship, loyalty,<br />

family and community are challenged<br />

and emerge triumphant.<br />

Seussical KIDS is fun for the whole<br />

family. Date: July 21 at 7 p.m.<br />

• Late Nite Catechism is a play that<br />

takes the audience back to their youth.<br />

The irrepressible Sister teaches class<br />

to a roomful of “students.” Throughout<br />

the course of the class the benevolent<br />

instructor rewards the “students” for<br />

correct answers<br />

with glow-inthe-dark<br />

rosaries<br />

and other<br />

nifty prizes.<br />

Naughty students<br />

may well<br />

find themselves<br />

on stage sitting<br />

in a corner<br />

reflecting their<br />

actions. However,<br />

even the<br />

most reluctant<br />

“students” will<br />

be clamoring<br />

to get into this<br />

Sister’s class.<br />

Date: July 23, at<br />

3 p.m.<br />

www.manatee<br />

performing<br />

artscenter.com.<br />

They’re at 502 Third Avenue West,<br />

Bradenton.<br />

Sea Turtle Nesting<br />

Season<br />

It’s that time of year, when sea<br />

turtles make their way to the shore for<br />

nesting season. Despite spending the<br />

majority of their lives in the ocean,<br />

adult female sea turtles lay their eggs<br />

on dry land. Between their ocean<br />

home and sandy nesting sites, they<br />

travel hundreds or even thousands of<br />

miles each year.<br />

As you walk along the beach during<br />

this season, keep your eyes peeled for<br />

any signs of turtle tracks leading up<br />

to the dunes. Remember to give these<br />

amazing animals plenty of space and<br />

respect their nesting areas.<br />

Sarasota County beaches play host<br />

to the largest population of nesting sea<br />

turtles on the Florida’s Gulf Coast. Sea<br />

turtle nesting season runs through<br />

Oct. 31. In this time, residents are<br />

urged to keep light out of sight and<br />

remove unused beach furniture and<br />

coastal structures during that time.<br />

Each season, there’s an average of<br />

more than 200 sea turtle nests per<br />

mile along Sarasota County’s coastline;<br />

however, only one out of every<br />

1,000 hatchlings survive to adulthood.<br />

Most die from predators, and the<br />

exhaustion and starvation caused by<br />

disorienting bright, artificial lights.<br />

Here are some ways to<br />

help sea turtles beat the odds:<br />

• Each night, remove all furniture<br />

and recreational items from the<br />

beach and store them in an area<br />

landward of the beach and dunes.<br />

• Properly dispose of trash. Sea turtles<br />

ingest plastic bags, and garbage<br />

attracts predators that eat turtle eggs.<br />

• Knock down sand sculptures and<br />

fill in holes before you leave the<br />

beach so turtles have direct access<br />

into and out of the water. A turtle that<br />

falls into a hole cannot get out.<br />

• Reduce use of flashlights on the<br />

beach at night.<br />

• Recreate in locations away from<br />

marked nesting areas.<br />

• Property owners must either extinguish<br />

all white lights visible from<br />

the beach or replace them with<br />

amber or red light-emitting diodes<br />

(LED) or low-pressure sodium vapor<br />

(LPS) bulbs and pair them with<br />

shielded fixtures.<br />

For questions or assistance,<br />

visit scgov.net.<br />

▼<br />

Selby Gardens<br />

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens<br />

has Diving Into Nature with the iconic<br />

art of Sarasota designer and illustrator<br />

John Pirman. The exhibit will<br />

feature Pirman’s celebrated artwork<br />

inside the Museum of Botany & the<br />

Arts and outside in the Gardens of the<br />

Downtown Sarasota campus.<br />

John Pirman: Diving into Nature<br />

will be on view from July 22-September<br />

17. The show comprises works<br />

spanning Pirman’s long career in New<br />

York City and now in Sarasota, along<br />

with pieces from his formative years<br />

growing up in Ohio.<br />

Several images of Selby Gardens<br />

scenes will be printed in large format<br />

on aluminum and set directly in the<br />

locations that inspired them. Selby<br />

Gardens downtown location is at 1534<br />

Mound Street, Sarasota. For information,<br />

visit www.selby.org.<br />

▼<br />

Summer Movies<br />

at Sarasota<br />

Opera House<br />

Sarasota Opera again has its<br />

Summer Classic Movies at the Opera<br />

House. These are the movies for July.<br />

Next month we’ll post more.<br />

• The Big Lebowski — July 14 at 7:30<br />

p.m. From the Academy Award-winning<br />

Coen Brothers, this hilariously<br />

quirky comedy-thriller about bowling,<br />

avant-garde art, nihilistic Austrians,<br />

and a guy named “The Dude.” Directed<br />

by Joel Coen, starring Jeff Bridges,<br />

John Goodman, Steven Buscemi,<br />

Julianne Moore, Peter Stormare, John<br />

Turturro, David Huddleston, Sam<br />

Elliott, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.<br />

▼<br />

• Oklahoma! Starring Hugh Jackman<br />

- July 16 at 1:30 p.m. This HD<br />

film marks the 25th Anniversary of<br />

this National Theatre Production. This<br />

acclaimed, Olivier Award-winning<br />

production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s<br />

Oklahoma! Starring then-newcomer<br />

Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables,<br />

The Greatest Showman) as Curly,<br />

alongside Maureen Lipman, Josefina<br />

Gabrielle and Shuler Hensley, this<br />

stage production was filmed during its<br />

record-breaking 1998 run in London.<br />

• You Can’t Take It With You — July<br />

28 at 7:30 p.m. This film is an adaptation<br />

of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play<br />

about an eccentric family of carefree<br />

misfits, whose only seemingly normal<br />

member, a young lady, falls for her<br />

employer’s son, the gentlemanly product<br />

of stuffy, snobby parents. And when<br />

the members of the two disparate clans<br />

meet, there are fireworks. Directed by<br />

Frank Capra, starring Jean-Arthur, Lionel<br />

Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward<br />

Arnold, and Mischa Auer.<br />

Information and tickets can be<br />

found at SarasotaOpera.org.<br />

Art Around<br />

the State<br />

The Boca Raton Museum of Art<br />

has Benn Mitchell Photographs:<br />

Hollywood to NYC. From the age of<br />

13, when he received his first camera,<br />

Mitchell produced photographs<br />

that capture a particularly American<br />

vitality. Born in New York City in 1926,<br />

he sold his first photograph to “Life”<br />

magazine when he was 16. Then, at<br />

▼<br />

continued on page 10<br />

8 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


healthier you<br />

Balance Your Hormones,<br />

Balance Your Brain<br />

University of California scientists<br />

discover a unique program<br />

to reverse cognitive decline by<br />

balancing hormones:<br />

Known by many names: brain degeneration,<br />

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple<br />

Sclerosis, and others, cognitive decline<br />

can slip in and steal our health, our feelings,<br />

our memories, and even our loved<br />

ones. Having spent billions of dollars<br />

on research over the last 80 years with<br />

thousands of scientists working on the<br />

problem, there is still no cure. Medications<br />

have had marginal effects at best.<br />

Furthermore, it has been pointed out<br />

that women are at the epicenter of the Alzheimer’s<br />

epidemic, with 65% of patients<br />

and 60% of caregivers being women.<br />

That’s the bad news, now for the good –<br />

In a breakthrough brain health<br />

program, studied at the esteemed Buck<br />

Institute for Research on Aging (University<br />

of California, L.A.), a team of scientists<br />

were able to reverse memory loss in 90%<br />

of the patients. Cognition returned in<br />

3-6 months, with the only failure being<br />

in late stage Alzheimer’s. Better yet,<br />

improvements have been noted over the<br />

course of years now!<br />

The great news out of all this is that<br />

brain degeneration is not inevitable. Your<br />

brain has amazing powers of regeneration<br />

– medical science is learning how to stop<br />

it, reverse it, and recover what is lost.<br />

A case study<br />

A 55-year-old woman, married with<br />

two grown children, was healthy until<br />

menopause. Her symptoms resembled<br />

those of a full-blown neurotic. She described<br />

herself as:<br />

• “Losing it”<br />

• “Absent-minded”<br />

• “Trouble sleeping”<br />

• “Flipping out”<br />

• “Can’t focus”<br />

• “Fuzzy thoughts”<br />

• “Think I’m getting early Alzheimer’s”<br />

Fortunately, she was not getting Alzheimer’s.<br />

Within a few months of hormone<br />

balancing, as recommended by The Renewal<br />

Point, all her symptoms subsided.<br />

Dr. K. Yaffee writes in the Journal of<br />

Neurology that natural hormone balancing<br />

improves memory and decreases<br />

Alzheimer’s risk by 50%.<br />

· Estrogen therapy decreased ẞ-Amyloid<br />

and risk of Alzheimer’s; improves longterm<br />

memory 30%.<br />

· Testosterone improves cognitive function<br />

in both men and women.<br />

· Cortisol bathes the Prefrontal Cortex<br />

which is responsible for critical working<br />

memory and executive function.<br />

· Insulin maintains neural synapses and<br />

amyloid regulation.<br />

· Growth Hormone is significantly lower<br />

in patients with memory loss.<br />

· Thyroid irregularities can lead to impaired<br />

spatial learning and memory.<br />

If you or a loved one have been experiencing<br />

any of the symptoms that were mentioned<br />

in this article ~ or any other symptoms<br />

related to cognitive decline ~ it’s<br />

definitely worth getting your hormones<br />

levels checked. Bio-identical hormone<br />

balancing could be the key to getting your<br />

memory, vitality, and life back!<br />

—————————————————<br />

SOURCE: Dr. Watts, MD, ND, MSNM and<br />

Deb Spinner, ARNP, MSN, are experts in<br />

Bio-identical and NeuroAdrenal Hormone<br />

Balancing. With over<br />

25 years experience in<br />

Hormone Balancing, a<br />

Post-doctoral Certification<br />

in Metabolic<br />

Endocrinology, and a<br />

Fellowship in Anti-Aging,<br />

Regenerative, and<br />

Functional Medicine,<br />

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To schedule an appointment, ask questions,<br />

or get more information, you can<br />

call us at 941-926-4905.<br />

References:<br />

1. Lambert, S. The Endocrinology of Aging and the Brain.<br />

Arch Neurology, 2002. 59:1709-11.<br />

2. Wilcoxon, J. Behavioral Inhibition and Impaired Spatial<br />

Learning and Memory. Behavior Brain Res. 2007. 1771(1):<br />

109-116.<br />

3. Davidson, S. Endocrine Society ~ 93rd Annual Meeting,<br />

2011.<br />

4. Flood, J. Age-related Decrease of Plasma Testosterone.<br />

Physiol. Behavior, 1995. 57: 669-73.<br />

5. Lupen, S. The Modulatory Effects of Corticosteroids on<br />

Cognition: Studies in young human populations. Psychoneuroendocrinology<br />

2002. 27: 401-16.<br />

6. Croft, S. Intranasal Insulin Therapy for Alzheimer’s disease<br />

and Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. Arch Neurol.<br />

Sept. 2011.<br />

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out and about continued<br />

age 17, he headed west, gaining permission<br />

from Warner Brothers to<br />

frequent the studios, shooting Hollywood<br />

stars on various sets and sound<br />

stages. One of his most valued photographs<br />

in this exhibition features<br />

Humphrey Bogart in a rare moment<br />

of respite, having a cigarette break<br />

between takes.<br />

After two years of duty as a navy<br />

photographer, he returned to New<br />

York City and worked as a photographer<br />

in a large commercial studio.<br />

In 1951 he started a commercial studio.<br />

Finally, he retired to Boca Raton,<br />

where he and his wife Esther avidly<br />

supported the Museum, donating<br />

many of Mitchell’s photographs to the<br />

collection. The Museum is located at<br />

501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton.<br />

More info at: bocamuseum.org/art/<br />

benn-mitchell-photographs-hollywood-nyc<br />

▼<br />

An exhibition showcasing Salvador<br />

Dalí’s rarely seen drawings,<br />

“Where Ideas Come From: Dalí’s<br />

Drawings” features newly conserved<br />

works on view for the first time in<br />

more than three decades.<br />

Experience the opportunity to see<br />

Dalí’s fragile works on paper, highlighting<br />

the artist’s creative process<br />

throughout the many phases of his<br />

career on view through Oct. 22 at The<br />

Dalí Museum.<br />

The exhibition chronicles the movement<br />

of the Surrealist’s imagination<br />

through more than 100 pencil, pen,<br />

charcoal, watercolor and gouache<br />

works, many of which have been<br />

secured in the Museum’s vault for<br />

more than three decades and likely<br />

will not be displayed again for many<br />

years to come.<br />

“Where Ideas Come From” also<br />

marks the debut of two recent Surrealist<br />

acquisitions by The Dalí:<br />

“Drawing for ‘Bacchanale,’ Ludwig II<br />

of Bavaria” (1939), a ballet-inspired<br />

portrait of King Ludwig II of Bavaria,<br />

and “Untitled (Paranoiac Face)” (c.<br />

1935), a frontispiece dedicated to Paul<br />

Éluard from Dalí’s book “Conquest of<br />

the Irrational.”<br />

The Dalí Museum organizes<br />

“Where Ideas Come From” chronologically,<br />

presenting works that date<br />

from 1916 to 1974. Four sections —<br />

Early Period; Surrealism; Nuclear<br />

Mysticism, Classicism and Religion;<br />

and Late Period — feature studies for<br />

major oil paintings, portraits, experimental<br />

drawing techniques and commercial<br />

projects, including film.<br />

The Early Period opens with student<br />

sketches, book illustrations, poster<br />

designs and self-portraits that demonstrate<br />

Dalí’s journey from Classicism<br />

to Cubism and eventually anti-art.<br />

The works also showcase his natural<br />

mastery of drawing and painting<br />

techniques. Dalí learned to draw at a<br />

young age and adopted the approach<br />

of Old Master painters in his work.<br />

The Dalí anchors the Surrealism<br />

section with studies for such works as<br />

“The Weaning of Furniture Nutrition”<br />

(1934), illustrations for the poetic<br />

novel “Le Chants de Maldoror” (1940)<br />

and examples of Dalí’s experimentation<br />

with various Surrealist drawing<br />

techniques. This section also features<br />

“Study for ‘Disappearing Images’”<br />

(1939) which marks the beginnings of<br />

“Old Age, Adolescence Infancy (The<br />

Three Ages),” a significant 1940 double<br />

image oil painting<br />

in The Dalí’s<br />

collection.<br />

Following World<br />

War II, Dalí coined<br />

himself a classicist<br />

and “Nuclear Mystical<br />

painter.” This<br />

section includes<br />

illustrations for<br />

works by the Italian<br />

poet, writer and<br />

philosopher Dante<br />

Alighieri and the<br />

ballet “Tres Picos,”<br />

familiar motifs of<br />

exploding watches,<br />

flies, disintegrating<br />

figures and religious-tinged<br />

images<br />

of dissolving angels.<br />

In “Study for Soft<br />

Watch Exploding”<br />

(1954), the sketch<br />

for “Soft Watch at<br />

the Moment of the First Explosion,”<br />

Dalí presents an object that has disintegrated<br />

into nearly unrecognizable<br />

particles. Transformations and studies<br />

for “The Sacrament of the Last Supper”<br />

(1955) and “Christ of St. John of the<br />

Cross” (1951) round out this section.<br />

The final section, Late Period,<br />

includes diverse selections with small<br />

studies of “The Hallucinogenic Toreador”<br />

(1969-1970) and “Galacidalacidesoxiribunucleicacid<br />

(Homage to<br />

Crick and Watson)” (1962-1963), both in<br />

the Museum’s oil collection. The exhibition<br />

concludes with the 1974 “Iceberg”<br />

sketch, a self-portrait Dalí gifted<br />

to the founders of The Dalí Museum, A.<br />

Reynolds and Eleanor Morse.<br />

After viewing a multitude of Dalí’s<br />

sketches, experiments and finished<br />

drawings, visitors to The Dalí will also<br />

have a chance to try their hand at drawing<br />

like the Surrealist icon. A series of<br />

instructional videos, sketchpads and<br />

pencils are available for visitors to create<br />

symbolic Dalinian imagery or other<br />

ideas inspired by the exhibit.<br />

Additionally, the Museum is offering<br />

a multitude of programs inspired by<br />

drawing and creativity including free<br />

lectures, artistic workshops and tasting<br />

events. More information about<br />

the exhibition, events and programs is<br />

available at TheDali.org.<br />

USF Contemporary Art Museum<br />

presents Rico Gatson: Visible Time<br />

running through July 29. The USF<br />

Contemporary Art Museum, part of<br />

the Institute for Research in Art in the<br />

USF College of The Arts, presents Rico<br />

Gatson: Visible Time. For more than<br />

two decades, Brooklyn-based artist<br />

Rico Gatson has been celebrated<br />

for his vibrant, colorful, and layered<br />

artworks. Inspired by significant moments<br />

in African American history,<br />

identity politics and spirituality, his<br />

oeuvre includes images of protests and<br />

longstanding injustices—touching on<br />

subjects like the murder of Emmett<br />

Till, the Watts Riots, and the formation<br />

of the Black Panthers—as well as<br />

dynamic abstract geometries that celebrate<br />

Pan-Africanist aesthetics and<br />

Black cultural and political figures.<br />

Gatson has transformed the walls<br />

of the USF Contemporary Art Museum<br />

with a kaleidoscopic, life-size<br />

image of Zora Neale Hurston—author,<br />

anthropologist, filmmaker, and Florida<br />

resident—along with a large-scale<br />

abstract composition. USF students<br />

▼<br />

Headlining the 13th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival is MC Hammersmith, a<br />

multi award-winning hip hop improviser and comedian from the United Kingdom.<br />

have painted alongside the artist<br />

to help complete the installation<br />

inspired by the author of Their Eyes<br />

Were Watching God. While Visible<br />

Time also includes important paintings<br />

and works on paper by Gatson,<br />

the exhibition will additionally feature<br />

a mini-survey of the artist’s video<br />

works from 2001 to the present.<br />

Rico Gatson is a multimedia visual<br />

artist whose work explores themes of<br />

history, identity, popular culture, and<br />

spirituality, through sculpture, painting,<br />

video, and public art projects.<br />

USF Contemporary Art Museum,<br />

4202 E. Fowler Ave. CAM101, Tampa.<br />

For more info, visit CAM.USF.EDU.<br />

Tampa Museum of Art has Identity<br />

in the Ancient World on view<br />

through March, 2025. Today, we recognize<br />

various expressions of identity,<br />

such as personal, social and national<br />

identity. Certain frames of identity<br />

are well-defined or fixed, others are<br />

based on personal choice or may<br />

change over time. Think of economic<br />

class and social status, education and<br />

profession, culture and nationality.<br />

Also, language, lifestyle, musical<br />

preference, personal companionship,<br />

political allegiance or religion. These<br />

frames of identity may invoke a sense<br />

of belonging or form exclusive alliances.<br />

They may also provoke feelings of<br />

marginalization, even policies of segregation.<br />

Or, they may create demands<br />

for acceptance and equal treatment.<br />

This exhibition engages the public<br />

to reflect upon the differences and<br />

similarities between the ancient world<br />

and our contemporary society. Some<br />

themes the visitor may encounter include<br />

masculinity and femininity, intimacy<br />

and ethnicity.<br />

In the ancient world such expressions<br />

of identity could not always be<br />

articulated explicitly because the terminology<br />

for voicing thoughts about<br />

personal, cultural and national frames<br />

of identity often did not exist. That is<br />

not to say that Egyptians or Persians,<br />

Greeks or Romans did not experience<br />

a sense of belonging to a certain group<br />

sharing a cultural, linguistic and historical<br />

heritage. They recognized biological<br />

differences between men and<br />

women, and they believed that certain<br />

social roles belonged to the different<br />

genders. Ancient societies were unambiguously<br />

patriarchal and hierarchical,<br />

with certain political rights<br />

held as privileges of well-defined<br />

▼<br />

classes. Others were<br />

excluded – such as<br />

enslaved persons,<br />

peasants, women<br />

and/or resident<br />

aliens (even when<br />

living in the same<br />

country for generations),<br />

who had little<br />

or no rights.<br />

Tampa Museum<br />

of Art, Cornelia<br />

Corbett Center, 120<br />

W. Gasparilla Plaza,<br />

Tampa. tampamuseum.org/<br />

Best In Showdogs<br />

in Art is at The<br />

MFA through August<br />

6, 2023. The<br />

MFA curators (and<br />

resident dog-lovers)<br />

have collaborated<br />

on an exhibition<br />

linking their disparate areas of expertise<br />

and media across time and space<br />

with a unifying theme—in this case,<br />

our beloved canine partners.<br />

Humans and canines have been<br />

co-evolving for over 30,000 years,<br />

developing a rich and complex set of<br />

relationships that is revealed through<br />

works of art. Working exclusively from<br />

our collection, our curators have chosen<br />

their favorite works that memorialize<br />

this special relationship.<br />

From ancient times through contemporary<br />

times, dogs have been constant<br />

companions. They have assisted<br />

by hunting and guiding, supported<br />

through their steadfast loyalty, and<br />

amused with their energy and antics.<br />

This small focus show—drawn entirely<br />

from the MFA Collection—highlights<br />

the ways dogs have been represented<br />

throughout the history of art.<br />

▼<br />

• Also on display is Shashin Japanese<br />

Photographs From the Meiji<br />

Era, 1870-1900. Runs through July<br />

23, 2023. Although photography was<br />

invented in 1839 in France, shashin—<br />

the Japanese word for photograph—<br />

was not fully introduced in Japan<br />

until the mid-1860s. Learning the<br />

craft from European photographers,<br />

Japanese photographers were quick<br />

to embrace the ambrotype, albumen,<br />

and carte-de-visite processes. Most<br />

opened studios in the 1870s amid stiff<br />

European competition, but by the<br />

1890s, Japanese photographers dominated<br />

the market.<br />

While many Japanese studios<br />

adopted the earlier conventions established<br />

by European studios, photographers<br />

like Kusakabe Kimbei<br />

(1841–1934) incorporated subtle variations<br />

in content which underscored<br />

the movement toward modernization<br />

prevalent in Meiji-era Japan (1868–<br />

1912). Discovering a new approach to<br />

present local subjects to a primarily<br />

foreign audience, his meticulously<br />

hand-painted genre images reflect a<br />

dynamic merging of the subject matter<br />

and artistic sensibility of Japanese<br />

woodblock prints with photographic<br />

technology. Ogawa Kazumasa (1860–<br />

1929)—a pioneer in photomechanical<br />

color printing—produced lusciously<br />

colorful botanical works that emphasized<br />

the artistic merits of photography.<br />

Ambrotype portraits housed<br />

in handmade kiri-wood boxes—a<br />

uniquely Japanese presentation—<br />

served as personal mementos of loved<br />

ones. Later, cartes-de-visite made images<br />

of family and notable personalities<br />

accessible to everyone.<br />

This selection of photographs showcases<br />

the skill and innovation of Japanese<br />

photographers working in Japan<br />

from 1870–1900. Comprised of almost<br />

50 works from the MFA Collection,<br />

early Japanese photography served a<br />

multitude of functions including mementos<br />

for remembrance, collectibles<br />

for tourists, and furthered the notion<br />

of photography as an art.<br />

The MFA is located at 255 Beach Dr<br />

NE, St. Petersburg. mfastpete.org<br />

At Norton Museum of Art On<br />

View: Portrait of Mrs. Frederick<br />

Guest (Amy Phipps) by John Singer<br />

Sargent. Last month, we unveiled our<br />

first oil painting by celebrated American<br />

artist, John Singer Sargent. Portrait<br />

of Mrs. Frederick Guest (Amy<br />

Phipps), 1905, is a generous gift from<br />

the sitter’s grandson, Alexander M.<br />

D. C. Guest, and the Guest family. Not<br />

only is this work a significant example<br />

of Sargent’s defining style, but the portrait<br />

also showcases the captivating<br />

history of Amy Phipps Guest, whose<br />

interest in aviation led to Guest learning<br />

to pilot an aircraft herself, and ultimately<br />

providing the crew and plane<br />

for Amelia Earhart’s world-famous<br />

transatlantic flight in 1928. You can<br />

view this work in the Trust Gallery on<br />

the First Floor.<br />

Forty years of American Modernism<br />

will be on view at the Norton with two<br />

exhibitions, At the Dawn of a New<br />

Age: Early Twentieth-Century American<br />

Modernism and From Man Ray<br />

to O’Keeffe, American Modernism at<br />

the Norton.<br />

Held in conjunction with the exhibition<br />

At the Dawn of a New Age: Early<br />

Twentieth-Century American Modernism,<br />

this show will explore connections<br />

between the leading collections<br />

of American modernist art held by the<br />

Norton and the Whitney Museum of<br />

American Art. The core of the Norton’s<br />

holdings in this area is still the works<br />

acquired by museum founder Ralph<br />

Norton, who grew increasingly fascinated<br />

by modernism in the last years<br />

of his life. His bequest to his museum<br />

reflects his passion for work by painters<br />

such as Charles Demuth, John<br />

Marin, and Georgia O’Keeffe who were<br />

supported by New York photographer<br />

and dealer Alfred Stieglitz as well as<br />

American direct carvers like John<br />

Flannagan. To July 16, 2023<br />

Norton Museum of Art | 1450 S. Dixie<br />

Highway, West Palm Beach, www.<br />

norton.org/<br />

▼<br />

INTERESTED<br />

IN<br />

ADVERTISING?<br />

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westcoastwoman<br />

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WestCoast<br />

Woman.com<br />

10 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 11


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Join us for an empowering and transformative event on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 at Robarts Arena in<br />

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Open to the Public, Free Admission<br />

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Engaging Speakers and Inspiring Talks<br />

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focus on the arts<br />

Art Center Sarasota has<br />

“Identity: Exploring the Human Condition”<br />

The 2023 Annual Juried Regional Show runs through August 5<br />

1st Place:<br />

George<br />

Zebot<br />

(Venice)<br />

Healing<br />

Democracy,<br />

2021<br />

Oil on<br />

Wood.<br />

40 x 32 in.<br />

2nd Place: Julie White (out-of-state)<br />

Reflection, 2022<br />

Oil and Mixed<br />

Media on<br />

Canvas.<br />

24 x 18<br />

x 1.5 in.<br />

3rd Place:<br />

Ravi Venkataraman (Longboat Key)<br />

Breaking Free, 2023<br />

Acrylic on Wood. 9 x 13 x 5 in.<br />

Merit Award: Eva Bejar Merit Award: Jana Millstone Honorable Mention: Perry deVick Honorable Mention: Denise Pruett<br />

rt Center Sarasota’s<br />

2023 exhibition<br />

season continues<br />

with its annual<br />

regional exhibit,<br />

the largest juried exhibition of<br />

the year. “Identity: Exploring<br />

the Human Condition,” highlights<br />

the diverse talents of artists<br />

from across the southeast<br />

region of the United States and<br />

is on display in all four gallery<br />

spaces.<br />

On view through August 5,<br />

the juror is Christy Paris, an art<br />

professor and PhD candidate in<br />

the College of Education at the<br />

University of South Florida.<br />

According to Christina Baril,<br />

Art Center Sarasota’s exhibitions<br />

director, the annual regional exhibit<br />

“showcases a broad range<br />

of perspectives and reactions<br />

from an exceptionally diverse<br />

group of artists.” She explains<br />

that the theme, “Identity: Exploring<br />

the Human Condition” is<br />

meant to “highlight the journey,<br />

the turmoil, and the ecstasy of<br />

the human condition. These<br />

artworks may reinforce the underlying<br />

communication of emotional<br />

truth as only understood<br />

by other human beings.”<br />

The winning works of art are:<br />

• 1st Place: $800<br />

George Zebot (Venice)<br />

Healing Democracy, 2021<br />

Oil on Wood. 40 x 32 in.<br />

• 2nd Place: $600<br />

Julie White (out-of-state)<br />

Reflection, 2022<br />

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas. 24 x<br />

18 x 1.5 in.<br />

• 3rd Place: $400<br />

Ravi Venkataraman (Longboat Key)<br />

Breaking Free, 2023<br />

Acrylic on Wood. 9 x 13 x 5 in.<br />

• Merit Award: $100<br />

Eva Bejar (Brandon)<br />

Roses on Grey, 2021<br />

Oil on Canvas. 40 x 30 x 1 in.<br />

• Merit Award: $100<br />

Jana Millstone (Sarasota)<br />

Everybody Smiled, 2021<br />

Acrylic on 2 Shaped Wood Panels. 24<br />

x 33 x 1.5 in.<br />

• Honorable Mention: $50<br />

Ann Kozeliski (Tallahassee)<br />

Enough for the Bus, 2022<br />

Sumi-e’, Asian Watercolors on Single<br />

Shuen Paper, Unmounted. 60 x 30 in.<br />

• Honorable Mention: $50<br />

Perry deVick (St. Petersburg)<br />

Memento Mori, Memento Vivere, 2020<br />

Oil on Wood Panel. 18 x 24 x 2 in.<br />

• Honorable Mention: $50<br />

Richard Monteleone (Bradenton)<br />

Chemical Isolation, 2021<br />

Oil on Canvas. 48 x 60 in.<br />

• Honorable Mention: $50<br />

Denise Pruett (Fort Myers)<br />

Internal Struggle, 2022<br />

Photography. 23.75 x 27.75 x 2 in.<br />

“The exhibition includes a variety of<br />

breathtaking interpretations on the<br />

theme of identity and the human experience,”<br />

says Christy Paris, the exhibition<br />

juror. “I was incredibly impressed by all<br />

the submissions and the talent each artist<br />

demonstrated through skill and creatively<br />

and uniquely handling the mediums. This<br />

exhibition is filled with a diverse array of<br />

voices and styles, and it was an honor to<br />

be part of the selection process.”<br />

Paris is an art history professor and<br />

PhD candidate in the College of Education<br />

at the University of South Florida.<br />

Her dissertation focuses on queer inclusivity<br />

in art- and museum-based educational<br />

settings drawing on an exhibition<br />

she curated in the fall of 2022 entitled,<br />

“#visibleUSF: Queering the Art Narrative<br />

through Curatorial Activism.” The<br />

exhibition included works created by<br />

LGBTQIA+ artists from USF and pieces<br />

from the USF Library’s LGBTQ Special<br />

Collections. Paris earned a Museum<br />

Studies graduate certificate from Florida<br />

State University<br />

focusing on museum<br />

education<br />

and interned at<br />

the Museum of<br />

Fine Arts in Tallahassee<br />

while<br />

Christy Paris<br />

earning her master’s<br />

in interdisciplinary humanities.<br />

While earning her master’s<br />

in art history from USF, Paris<br />

co-curated “Photographing the<br />

City” at the Museum of Fine<br />

Arts, St. Petersburg. Over the<br />

last 15 years, Paris has taught<br />

humanities, film, and art history<br />

at FSU, USF, and University of<br />

Tampa specializing in modern<br />

art, contemporary art, art theory,<br />

and museum education.<br />

ART CENTER SARASOTA<br />

707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota<br />

Call 941-365-2032 or<br />

visit www.artsarasota.org<br />

GALLERY HOURS<br />

Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.<br />

Saturday: Noon-5 p.m.<br />

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Whenever fascia shortens any place in the<br />

body, the entire network of fascia creates an<br />

increased tension affecting the functioning<br />

of our physical body as well as our organs,<br />

our brain and spinal cord.<br />

Our body is the history of every major<br />

trauma we have experienced physically and<br />

emotionally beginning with birth issues, falls,<br />

head trauma, car accidents, childhood abuse<br />

issues, death, divorce and other emotional<br />

issues. Our body tries to minimize each trauma<br />

by shortening fascia to isolate the energy<br />

coming into the body from that trauma.<br />

Shortened fascia results in pain, loss of mobility<br />

and range of motion, organs becoming<br />

less efficient and with parts of the brain and<br />

spinal cord becoming stressed.<br />

To keep the brain functioning, the body<br />

transfers some of your functional work play<br />

energy (7:00 AM-10:00 PM) to the brain resulting<br />

in less energy to make it through each<br />

day. As we age, the accumulation of all the<br />

tightened fascia, from every major trauma<br />

in life, begins to restrict every aspect of our<br />

body’s functions resulting in pain, loss of mobility,<br />

mis-functioning organs, loss of energy,<br />

as well as our brain losing some its sharpness.<br />

How Craniosacral<br />

Therapy Works<br />

The Craniosacral Therapist creates a safe<br />

place, with gentle holding techniques, that<br />

engages your body’s ability to self correct,<br />

reorganize and heal itself with the release<br />

of some of that tightened fascia during<br />

each session. As the Craniosacral Therapist<br />

engages your body, you will feel fascia releasing.<br />

As the fascia releases, pain begins to<br />

decrease, range of motion and mobility improve,<br />

organs begin functioning better and<br />

with less stress on the brain feels, it returns<br />

the energy it borrowed at the time of each<br />

trauma resulting in an immediate increase in<br />

your energy levels. Rarely does anyone leave<br />

from my first session not feeling better.<br />

Short Leg Syndrome<br />

Eighty-five percent of my clients have one<br />

of their legs pulled up 1/2 to 1 by shortened<br />

fascia. The tension from short leg syndrome<br />

on the sacrum (5 fused vertebrae at bottom<br />

of the spine) is transferred up the dural tube<br />

that encases the spinal cord into the lower<br />

and upper back, the neck, the cranium and<br />

The physical stress in bodies caused by shortened<br />

fascia (connective tissue) shuts down<br />

energy flows to certain organs. Short leg syndrome<br />

by ½ to 1 in (where one leg is pulled up<br />

by shortened fascia) shuts down energy flow to<br />

the spleen (an important part of your immune<br />

system) and the small and large intestine. With<br />

the release of that shortened fascia, energy returns<br />

to these organs.<br />

the brain. Headaches, migraines, TMJ and<br />

neck problems can originate from the fascial<br />

stress in the sacrum.<br />

Releasing this sacral stress increases energy<br />

in the bladder, sex organs, kidneys and<br />

the chakras as well as releasing major stress<br />

in the upper part of the body.<br />

Cause of Shallow Breathing<br />

A great majority of the clients who come to<br />

me for various problems are also shallow<br />

breathers. Fascial stress in the diaphragm<br />

restricts the depth of breathing by restricting<br />

energy flow to the lungs, the pericardium<br />

and the heart. With the release of fascial diaphragm<br />

restriction, the client immediately<br />

starts breathing deeply and energy is restored<br />

to the pericardium and the heart.<br />

Shoulder blades that are cemented to the<br />

body also restricts how much the rib cage can<br />

open and thereby also restricting depth of<br />

breath. Without proper breathing, your cells<br />

do not get enough oxygen. Everyone, especially<br />

people suffering from bronchitis, asthma<br />

and COPD as well as shallow breathing can<br />

benefit when the fascial stress is released.<br />

Specialized Training<br />

to work with Brain<br />

Dysfunctions<br />

Just as the body physically gets stressed from<br />

physical and emotional trauma, the functioning<br />

of the brain is also affected by fascial stress. For<br />

our brains to remain healthy, we need dynamic<br />

production of craniosacral fluid which performs<br />

the important function of bringing nourishment<br />

to all the cells in the brain and spinal<br />

cord as well as cleansing all the metabolic<br />

wastes given off by those same cells.<br />

Once the craniosacral fluid cleanses these<br />

metabolic wastes, efficient drainage of these<br />

metabolic wastes into the lymph system is<br />

absolutely necessary. Research has shown,<br />

that at night, craniosacral fluid cleanses amyloid<br />

plaques from the brain. If the drainage<br />

is inefficient, then the brain is being bathed<br />

in a toxic slurry. How does 15 or 20 years of<br />

your brain being bathed in a toxic slurry<br />

affect you: senile dementia, Parkinson’s,<br />

Alzheimer’s and other brain dysfunctions?<br />

A Craniosacral Therapist, who has received<br />

training in working with the brain, can reverse<br />

that stress on the brain that eventually can<br />

result in those brain dysfunctions. As we all<br />

know, the proper functioning of the body is<br />

dependent on a healthy functioning brain.<br />

Babies and Children can benefit<br />

■ Our little boy Leo, four years of age, had a<br />

difficult birth and at 7 months was put on antibiotics<br />

for an ear infection and as a result developed<br />

c-diff. His development came to a stop.<br />

At 3 years, with the help of an OT, he started<br />

to walk and talk. In spite of the improvements,<br />

he was unable to answer questions and his<br />

communication skills were very poor. Leo<br />

had very poor muscle tone, a lot of stress in<br />

his body and physical activities such walking,<br />

jumping and climbing were difficult for him.<br />

Beginning with the first session with Terry,<br />

he began showing improvement and with each<br />

following session. Everyone from his teachers<br />

to his grandparents noticed an increase in his<br />

■ “I was in awful pain and the<br />

MRI showed 2 pinched nerves<br />

and stenosis. I scheduled surgery.<br />

My daughter suggested Craniosacral therapy.<br />

After only 2 visits the pain was reduced to<br />

advanced craniosacral about 80% and therapy I canceled the surgery. I went<br />

for a 3rd visit and I am about 90% better.”<br />

■ “Simply Amazing! One visit was all it took for<br />

Terry to relieve 85% of my year long, nagging<br />

(sometimes severe) neck/shoulder tightness/<br />

pain!! My breathing improved tremendously.”<br />

physical strength, as well as improvements in<br />

comprehension, speech and communication<br />

skills. For the first time, he started participating<br />

in class lessons and interacting with his<br />

classmates. Terry has made a huge impact on<br />

getting Leo to a place a little boy should be at<br />

age four. We cannot thank Terry enough.<br />

■ Terry’s treatment helped our 6 week old<br />

baby boy from recent hospitalization into<br />

the first series of healthy bowel movements<br />

when seemingly nothing could help. Our son<br />

was able to latch onto the breast and for the<br />

first time completed his feeding. He was much<br />

calmer after working with Terry.<br />

■ “He was able to relieve tension that I have<br />

been carrying around for 15 years or more.<br />

I left his office table with more energy than I<br />

have had in years.”<br />

■ “I began working with him because I was<br />

dealing with anxieties, depression and lots of<br />

emotional pain inside and out. You don’t realized<br />

how much stress can cause damage to<br />

your body, mind and soul. I can say Terry was<br />

a big help.”<br />

Terrence Grywinski<br />

of Advanced<br />

Craniosacral Therapy,<br />

B.A., B.ED., LMT #MA 6049<br />

Testimonials from Clients<br />

SOURCE:<br />

■ Terrence Grywinski of Advanced Craniosacral Therapy,<br />

B.A., B.ED., LMT #MA 6049. Terry has specialized in Craniosacral<br />

Therapy since 1994 when he began his training at the Upledger<br />

Institute. Described by his teachers, clients and colleagues<br />

as a “gifted healer”, Terry’s intuitive sense and healing energy<br />

provides immediate and lasting relief from injury, pain, mobility<br />

issues as well as dysfunctions of the body and the brain. Part<br />

of Terry’s ongoing education, he has completed 4 craniosacral<br />

brain and peripheral nervous system classes which enables him<br />

to work at a cellular<br />

level and with brain<br />

dysfunctions.<br />

Call 941-321-8757<br />

for more information,<br />

Google Advanced<br />

Craniosacral<br />

Therapy.<br />

■ “On a recent vacation to Siesta Key, I re-injured<br />

my back. I found Terry online. I can say<br />

with complete joy that was the best decision<br />

I made in the history of my back pain. I have<br />

sought many modalities and visit a CST regularly<br />

and never have I had such a healing in<br />

my entire body.<br />

After 3 sessions, I made a 16-hour drive<br />

home with no pain or discomfort in my entire<br />

body. Unbelievable. My body has a sense of<br />

moving freely and that is completely new. I’m<br />

advanced craniosacral therapy<br />

so grateful to Terry for his knowledge, for his<br />

sensitivity to my needs and his kind generosity<br />

in healing my body. I will see him when I return<br />

next year.”<br />

■ “I am a snowbird who spends 7 months<br />

in Sarasota. I have had back problems for 25<br />

years. Terry’s techniques have led to a great<br />

deal of release and relief in areas that have<br />

been problematic. I have been seeing him over<br />

the years when my body says ”it’s time”. Usually<br />

after a few sessions, I can tell a huge difference.”<br />

PAID ADVERTORIAL<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 15


Brena<br />

Slater<br />

Chief Executive Officer,<br />

Safe Children Coalition<br />

SCC has five offices,<br />

300 staff and a<br />

multitude of<br />

programs and services.<br />

They’re the contracted<br />

lead agency with the<br />

Department of Children<br />

and Families to provide<br />

foster care, adoptions<br />

and related services<br />

in Circuit 12, covering<br />

Sarasota, Manatee and<br />

DeSoto counties and have<br />

been doing so since 1997.<br />

Brena came to Florida in<br />

1996 and has spent her<br />

entire career working in child<br />

welfare —the last ten with<br />

SCC. It’s demanding work,<br />

but the goal is still the<br />

same: that all children can<br />

grow up in safe, stable,<br />

nurturing families and<br />

communities.<br />

16 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


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Get Started Right”<br />

Ican’t imagine her “elevator”<br />

speech. Brena’s agency has five<br />

offices, 300 staff, a multitude of<br />

programs and services and is responsible<br />

for all the cases of abuse<br />

and neglect sent to them after DCF<br />

(Department of Children and<br />

Families) investigates.<br />

There’s more. The nonprofit that she<br />

runs, Safe Children Coalition (SCC), also<br />

does adoptions and monitors foster care<br />

and guardianship. Add to that early childhood<br />

learning and operating a youth shelter<br />

as well as referrals to many local nonprofits.<br />

You get the point. An all-encompassing<br />

agency, SCC is the contracted lead agency<br />

with the Department of Children and<br />

Families to provide foster care, adoptions<br />

and related services in Circuit 12, covering<br />

Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties<br />

and has been doing so since 1997, according<br />

to their website.<br />

Brena came to Florida in 1996 and began<br />

her career with DCF. She has spent ten years<br />

at SCC, moving up “through the ranks” with<br />

six years as Vice President and four as CEO.<br />

Drug abuse, domestic violence and neglect<br />

are the top reasons why a child may<br />

be removed from a home. DCF does what is<br />

called an initial investigation (some 7,698 in<br />

2021-2022) that stems from 13,008 Florida<br />

Abuse Hotline calls.<br />

Then Safe Children Coalition takes over.<br />

No child is turned away and all children are<br />

carefully placed in what appears to be an<br />

all-compassing system to get them in a situation<br />

that keeps them safe via what’s called<br />

“crisis management.”<br />

Children in “unsafe” situations may be<br />

placed with a relative or non-relative, enter<br />

foster care or go to residential housing.<br />

What SCC calls “exit to permanency” is<br />

actually a lot more positive than the name<br />

suggests. It can mean adoption, guardianship<br />

or family reunifications.<br />

For such challenging work, Brena stays<br />

calm talking about the serious work her<br />

large nonprofit does. Her years on the frontlines<br />

as a caseworker (unusual for her position)<br />

gave her the perspective that her own<br />

young case managers have.<br />

Crisis calls come in all hours and happen<br />

to you “whether you have kids or not,” she<br />

notes. Having been in the field 30 years—<br />

her entire career— she also smiles at the age<br />

disparity as in once using the word "beeper"<br />

or another time “CD,” which no doubt drew<br />

blank looks from some of her Gen Z staff.<br />

But, back to being serious, she admits it’s<br />

hard for her caseworkers and what they experience<br />

in their work with children. They<br />

see first hand abuse and neglect. “You want<br />

parents to get better. But you sometimes<br />

have people call you names. You’re a 23 year<br />

old and you want to save the world. Trust<br />

me, there are days that are hard.”<br />

Brena commutes three hours a day<br />

round trip from her home in Tampa taking<br />

her either to their main office in north<br />

Sarasota or to Tallahassee where DCF has<br />

its offices, and where the Florida Legislature<br />

meets. In total, she oversees five offices<br />

and a youth shelter.<br />

As a CEO, she’s not above cleaning at<br />

one of their offices if need be, and smiles<br />

recalling that a staff member took her<br />

picture doing so. “We all pitch in when we<br />

need to.” So there’s no ivory tower, no big<br />

ego, and no corner office (hers is small and<br />

windowless).<br />

But she also has many staff members who<br />

have worked for SCC for over 20 years and<br />

Brena has worked to raise salaries because<br />

she wants them to make a career at SCC.<br />

Does she have a favorite part of her job?<br />

Yes, they’re the reunifications — those moments<br />

when a family is made whole again<br />

when children are returned to their home and<br />

to their parents. “I like seeing success: caseworkers<br />

happy, judges happy, parents happy.”<br />

Some 40% of the children in their care are<br />

reunited with their biological parents.<br />

Portraits of past adoptees line the walls<br />

of their main office in north Sarasota. Some<br />

are recent, some go back much further. We<br />

stop at an image of a large tree with children’s<br />

names in the leaves. There’s Isabella<br />

15, Mariah 2, Giovanni 8, to name a few.<br />

These and all the other children on the tree<br />

have been adopted.<br />

SCC’s mission is “Protect children,<br />

strengthen families and build community.”<br />

The chart of their organization is complicated,<br />

but they "blend available resources<br />

to support, advocate, grow and educate<br />

the children and families we serve.”<br />

Part of that includes “early childhood<br />

literacy for low income families, a program<br />

for middle and high school students to help<br />

them succeed academically and counseling<br />

services for youth experiencing difficulties<br />

with truancy, runaway behavior or<br />

homelessness.”<br />

They serve over 1,500 abused and neglected<br />

children every day, help 150 youth<br />

get adopted annually, assist over 750 homeless<br />

youth stay in school, provide after<br />

school care at three elementary schools and<br />

manage 40 subcontracts providing services<br />

to our children and families.<br />

SCC is the lead agency “for community<br />

based care” meaning that they collaborate<br />

with other local community agencies<br />

working in critical care for children and<br />

families like SPARCC and First Step to<br />

name just two.<br />

Brena oversees SCC’s $54 million budget<br />

explaining that the funds are mainly “pass<br />

through” which means, in layman’s terms,<br />

money in, money out. Of that, $12 million<br />

goes for foster care (the largest component of<br />

what SCC does) and $12 million for adoptions<br />

with a good chunk contracted out for mental<br />

health and trauma-informed services.<br />

The latest news with SCC is that they’ve<br />

launched a capital campaign for a new<br />

youth shelter that started with a $1 million<br />

grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik<br />

Foundation.<br />

According to a release that announced<br />

the grant, “There are typically over 2,000<br />

teens who are homeless in Circuit 12 (Sarasota,<br />

Manatee and DeSoto counties) and<br />

there is always a waiting list for the shelter.”<br />

SCC has the only shelter for homeless,<br />

foster or runaway youth in Sarasota. These<br />

homeless or unaccompanied teens are<br />

“without safe shelter due to extreme parental<br />

conflict, abuse or neglect, or a parent’s<br />

inability to cope.” The previous shelter was<br />

more than 60 years old and limited the<br />

number of teens the program could serve.<br />

The ultimate goal of the youth shelter<br />

program is to reunite youth with their families<br />

as appropriate, or to help parents find<br />

resources for more appropriate care, thereby<br />

keeping teens out of foster care. It will<br />

provide nearly 3,000 safe shelter bed-nights<br />

a year and serve up to 200 youth annually.<br />

A synopsis of her agency would be they<br />

try to do everything to protect children and<br />

keep them from harm and neglect. And they<br />

also do everything they can to try and keep<br />

families intact and functioning in a healthy<br />

way. And, if that’s not possible, they create<br />

the best outcome for the child.<br />

And as to the challenges of the work she<br />

does? “I do it for the families…I see how<br />

hard my staff work and it’s so important for<br />

me to be a leader and role model.” The way<br />

to look at this profession is, “Child welfare is<br />

not a job - it’s a calling.”<br />

For more information about Safe Children<br />

Coalition, visit sccfl.org.<br />

STORY and IMAGES: Louise Bruderle<br />

For more Information<br />

Call 941.914.1560<br />

Amanda E. Stiff, MBA Financial Advisor<br />

AccessAdvisorsLLC.com 941 914-1560 | Astiff@AccessAdvisorsLLC.com<br />

1800 Second St. Suite 895 Sarasota, FL 34236 | 1305 Langhorne Rd. Lynchburg, VA 24503<br />

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Four Advisory Services, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor. Level Four Financial, LLC, Level Four Advisory Services, LLC and Access Advisors, LLC<br />

are independent entities. Neither Level Four Financial, LLC, Level Four Advisory Services, LLC nor Access Advisors, LLC offer tax or legal advice.<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 17


good news department<br />

Neal Communities Supports<br />

Take Stock in Children of Manatee County<br />

For the past year, young professional<br />

Katie Rhyne, community<br />

affairs coordinator at Neal Communities,<br />

has mentored Amajai<br />

Kirksey, a Manatee High School<br />

student, through a program set up<br />

by Take Stock in Children of Manatee<br />

County.<br />

Take Stock in Children’s mission<br />

is to break the cycle of poverty for<br />

low-income, academically qualified<br />

students by providing opportunities<br />

for a postsecondary education.<br />

The students, from middle<br />

to high school age, are matched<br />

with a volunteer mentor, provided<br />

college readiness services and a<br />

dedicated college success coach.<br />

Each student is awarded a college<br />

scholarship and provided with postsecondary<br />

support through degree or certification attainment.<br />

For Rhyne and Kirksey, the mentoring journey<br />

began near the end of Kirkey’s junior year<br />

of high school and continued throughout her<br />

senior year. Rhyne provided guidance as Kirksey<br />

filled out college applications and made<br />

decisions about how she would like to continue<br />

her education after high school. They spent<br />

at least 30 minutes a week together.<br />

Rhyne is supported in her mentoring by<br />

both her immediate supervisor, Ivory Matthews,<br />

Neal Communities’ vice president of<br />

community and governmental affairs, who<br />

has volunteered with Take Stock in Children of<br />

Manatee County for more than 10 years, and<br />

(l-r) High school senior Amajai Kirksey receives a scholarship<br />

certificate presented by Katie Rhyne, community af-<br />

fairs coordinator for Neal Communities and Anne LeBaron,<br />

CEO of Take Stock in Children of Manatee County.<br />

by the company itself.<br />

Neal Communities donated $10,600 to Take<br />

Stock in Children of Manatee County to provide<br />

a tuition-based college/technical college<br />

scholarship to a student in the Manatee County<br />

program. That scholarship was awarded to<br />

Kirksey, and Rhyne presented it to her during<br />

the Take Stock in Children of Manatee County<br />

graduation ceremony. They were joined by<br />

two other Neal Communities’ employees who<br />

also volunteer with Take Stock in Children of<br />

Manatee County, Neal Communities’ Finance<br />

Director Pamela Curran, who was named Take<br />

Stock Manatee Mentor of the Year this past<br />

January, and Neal Communities’ Sales Associate<br />

Sarah Toedman.<br />

For information, visit TakeStockManatee.org.<br />

The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation<br />

Girls Inc. of Sarasota County awarded grant from<br />

Gulf Coast Community Foundation<br />

With its Gulf Coast Community Foundation<br />

grant, Girls Inc. is able to provide researched<br />

based summer programming scholarships for<br />

girls in our community, along with continued<br />

support for their families through their Family<br />

Strengthening Program. Funding was made<br />

possible through the L. Channing Endowment<br />

Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation.<br />

Girls Inc. supports all families, including<br />

single parents, who would not be able to<br />

continue to work without quality childcare<br />

during the summer months. By offering affordable<br />

and accessible childcare to single<br />

Selby Foundation awarded 45<br />

graduating high school students<br />

with scholarships to support<br />

their four undergraduate years<br />

of college. This year’s “Selby<br />

Scholars” includes 24 first generation<br />

students, those who<br />

represent the first in their families<br />

to go to college. In total,<br />

$887,000 has been approved by<br />

the Foundation for Selby Scholars<br />

and institutional grants this year.<br />

Majors students have selected include<br />

sciences (Electrical Engineering, Nursing, Aerospace<br />

Engineering, Medical Health Sciences,<br />

Computer Science, and Environmental Engineering,<br />

for example); Business Administration;<br />

Criminology; Advertising; Graphic Design;<br />

and others.<br />

More than half of the 2023 Selby Scholars<br />

are from Sarasota County, with additional students<br />

from Charlotte, DeSoto and Manatee<br />

counties. Most students will attend in-state<br />

colleges and universities, though five scholars<br />

have chosen out-of-state schools.<br />

In addition to the scholarships awarded<br />

directly by the Foundation, universities, vocational<br />

schools and colleges will receive<br />

$231,000 in institutional grants for educational<br />

scholarships offered to their students.<br />

To learn more, visit SelbyFdn.org.<br />

parents, Girls Inc. is able increase a family’s<br />

resiliency and promote beneficial familial<br />

outcomes. Girls Inc. is not only committed to<br />

focusing on serving the “Whole Girl,” but are<br />

also committed to serving the “Whole Family.”<br />

The summer camp programs put in place allow<br />

working families to have a safe and secure<br />

environment for their children to learn, grow,<br />

and thrive. Girls Inc. ensures that parents will<br />

have the opportunity to continue working<br />

while their daughter is in a safe space.<br />

For more information, visit www.GirlsIncSRQ.<br />

org.<br />

Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation Latest Grants<br />

The Barancik Foundation recently approved<br />

grants for 20 local nonprofits that support<br />

the community in the areas of arts and culture,<br />

early learning, student success, business<br />

development, foster care, ecological<br />

restoration, and more. Six of the grants will<br />

go toward capacity building for nonprofits<br />

to strengthen their infrastructure and, in<br />

many instances, add full-time staff.<br />

In the area of education:<br />

• A $350,000 grant to The Greater Sarasota<br />

Chamber of Commerce Foundation for the<br />

organization’s Opportunities For All program<br />

which supports minority-run small<br />

businesses and paid internships to grow<br />

social capital and create long-lasting relationships.<br />

• A $200,000 grant to Take Stock in Children of<br />

Sarasota County to increase organizational<br />

capacity. Take Stock in Children’s approach<br />

helps students graduate from high school<br />

with the knowledge and skills they need to<br />

attain a college degree or certification and<br />

enter the workforce.<br />

• A $225,000 grant to The Children’s Movement<br />

to support The Future Project for<br />

creating a roadmap for policy and funding<br />

grounded in parent and educator voices.<br />

• A $20,000 grant to the Education Foundation<br />

of Sarasota County to support post-secondary<br />

education efforts. Through PLANit Sarasota,<br />

the Education Foundation is helping<br />

families and high school graduates learn<br />

about the potential long-term consequences<br />

of taking a “gap year.”<br />

• A $75,000 grant to J5 Experience for capacity<br />

building. By nurturing the mother/daughter<br />

bond and creating intergenerational cycles<br />

of opportunity, J5 is building stronger families<br />

and future leaders. This grant allows<br />

the team to add a full-time director, contracted<br />

certified teachers, paraprofessionals,<br />

and tutors.<br />

• A $155,000 grant to Links to Success for ongoing<br />

operational support. Desoto County’s<br />

median family income ranks second to last<br />

in Florida, posing significant challenges for<br />

students to receive the necessary educational<br />

resources and opportunities to excel.<br />

Links to Success provides resources,<br />

services, experiences, and guidance to help<br />

students achieve academic success.<br />

To support humanitarian causes:<br />

• A $450,000 grant to Project 180 for the purchase<br />

of an additional home to help reduce<br />

recidivism.<br />

• A $180,000 grant to The Twig Cares to expand<br />

operations in Venice. Twig empowers<br />

children in families connected with the<br />

foster care system to believe in themselves<br />

and the future. With this grant, The Twig is<br />

expanding its Venice location.<br />

• A $350,000 grant to Help to Home to support<br />

the Hope Village project. The organization<br />

is securing 16 new temporary housing<br />

units in Manatee County for homeless residents<br />

throughout our region.<br />

Disaster Recovery and Resiliency:<br />

• A $100,000 grant to United Way of South<br />

Sarasota County in support of its efforts<br />

to advance hurricane recovery through the<br />

Long-Term Recovery Group. Individuals<br />

and families struggled to make ends meet<br />

before COVID-19 and inflation. This investment<br />

builds capacity by helping them retain<br />

case managers to continue supporting<br />

south Sarasota County residents.<br />

Foster Care Stability:<br />

• A $145,000 grant to Bridge a Life to support<br />

foster and adoptive families. Bridge a Life is<br />

meeting foster families where they are and<br />

utilizing technology to strengthen partnerships<br />

with other organizations that can help<br />

their mission.<br />

Continued Growth and Capacity Building:<br />

• A $200,000 grant to Truly Valued for capacity<br />

building. Truly Valued promotes positive<br />

self-esteem, education, confidence, and<br />

character among youth and families. This<br />

investment allows the nonprofit to increase<br />

staffing and expand programmatic needs.<br />

Protecting Students and Respecting<br />

Families in Sarasota:<br />

• A $250,000 grant to Equality Florida Institute<br />

to provide support for LGBTQ parents,<br />

their children, and youth.<br />

This will support the nonprofit’s efforts to<br />

connect, train and empower parents, community<br />

advocates, and students and allows<br />

for professional development of mental<br />

health providers who work with LGBTQ<br />

youth and families.<br />

Mental Health:<br />

• A $1,000,000 grant to First Step of Sarasota<br />

to support the organization’s No Wrong<br />

Door strategy. This investment allows the<br />

nonprofit to expand its crisis emergency location<br />

to provide services when and where<br />

they are needed.<br />

Serving Those Who Served:<br />

• A $150,000 grant to Operation Warrior Resolution<br />

for capacity building.This veteran-run<br />

nonprofit provides innovative, holistic treatments<br />

for mental health to veterans and<br />

their family members, alleviating PTSD, anxiety,<br />

and other mental health-related issues.<br />

Teen Health Educator Program Expansion:<br />

• A $225,000 grant to Healthy Teens to support<br />

current operations and expand Sarasota<br />

County services, equipping them with<br />

the knowledge and skills needed to make<br />

informed decisions about their physical,<br />

mental, and emotional health.<br />

In the Area of Arts and Culture:<br />

• A $400,000 grant to Hermitage Artist Retreat<br />

for general operating support. This<br />

grant allows the nonprofit to enhance its<br />

educational programming and strengthen<br />

staff resources.<br />

• A $100,000 grant to The John and Mable<br />

Ringling Museum of Art Foundation to enhance<br />

the Howard Bros. Circus Model which<br />

the Museum is updating.<br />

To Support the Environment:<br />

• A $121,000 grant to Oyster River Ecology for<br />

capacity building. The nonprofit is working<br />

to restore and preserve the ecological functions<br />

of the Suncoast while increasing understanding<br />

of our natural systems. With its<br />

first executive director, the organization will<br />

build partnerships, elevate public engagement,<br />

and drive ecological restoration and<br />

enhancement projects.<br />

• A $150,000 grant to Friends of the Myakka<br />

River for capacity building. Myakka River<br />

State Park is one of the region’s most<br />

under-appreciated natural wonders and<br />

under-utilized environmental education<br />

resource. With the addition of a full-time executive<br />

director, the nonprofit will increase<br />

education efforts, outreach, and impact.<br />

The Board also approved a $300,000 investment<br />

into Barancik Foundation’s Affordable<br />

Housing Initiative for work on a Newtown<br />

improvement project.<br />

continued on page 20<br />

18 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


good news department continued<br />

Arts Advocates Awards $ 38,500 in Scholarships<br />

Arts Advocates has awarded 11 Sarasota and<br />

Manatee county students with scholarships<br />

for the 2023-2024 school year totaling $38,500.<br />

Since 1969, the scholarship program has<br />

awarded over $1.1 million to students whose<br />

studies include visual and related arts, dance,<br />

writing, music, theater and architecture. Here<br />

are the recipients:<br />

• Danny Bó Delongaig is a two-time recipient<br />

of an Arts Advocates scholarship. He is entering<br />

his senior year at Baldwin Wallace University<br />

in Ohio where he is majoring in musical<br />

theater. Upon graduating, he plans to audition<br />

in New York City.<br />

• Lillian Fox received her second Arts Advocates<br />

scholarship. She will be a sophomore<br />

at the University of South Florida where she<br />

is pursuing a double major in studio arts and<br />

dance performance. When she graduates in<br />

2026, Fox plans to audition for ballet and<br />

modern dance companies.<br />

• Colin Leonard is a three-time Arts Advocates<br />

scholarship winner. He’s entering his junior<br />

year at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in<br />

Ohio, studying for a degree in music with a<br />

minor in environmental studies.<br />

• Wilderley (“Will”) Mauricette, who is majoring<br />

in film, enters his senior year at Ringling<br />

College of Art & Design this fall. He<br />

received a first-place award at a recent film<br />

festival as an emerging filmmaker. Mauricette<br />

completed a full-length feature film,<br />

“Monopoly Money,” while attending school<br />

fulltime. The film was shown at the Sarasota<br />

Film Festival and other film festivals around<br />

the world.<br />

• Maria Medina discovered<br />

her passion<br />

for music at an<br />

early age in Cuba.<br />

Medina graduated<br />

from Florida State<br />

College at the top<br />

of the music program.<br />

In spring<br />

2022, she won the<br />

FSC Piano Division.<br />

Medina wants to<br />

Maria Medina<br />

integrate Hispanic musical roots in the areas<br />

of film scoring and music for media.<br />

• Emma Pritchett, a two-time recipient of the<br />

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe awarded NEA grant<br />

The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has received<br />

a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award<br />

from the National Endowment for the Arts<br />

(NEA) to help underwrite its 2024 production of<br />

“Ruby” as well as to defray the costs of community<br />

outreach activities related to the play.<br />

NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD has<br />

approved more than $31 million in grants for<br />

1,130 projects – including the WBTT award – as<br />

part of the NEA’s second round of funding for<br />

Grants for Arts Projects in fiscal year 2023.<br />

After two postponements due to COVID,<br />

WBTT can finally bring the world-premiere<br />

musical “Ruby” to the stage. This musical<br />

by WBTT Founder and Artistic Director Nate<br />

Jacobs and his brother, Michael Jacobs, explores<br />

the secrets just beneath the surface of<br />

the idyllic, genteel exterior of a quaint Florida<br />

town. Nate Jacobs will direct. Show runs February<br />

28-April 7, 2024.<br />

The community outreach activities WBTT<br />

will implement include two free performances<br />

of “Ruby” for low-income and minority-based<br />

community and student groups, and a free<br />

“WBTT Voices” community forum focusing on<br />

the content of the play.<br />

Arts Advocates scholarship, is studying at<br />

the University of South Florida’s School of<br />

Architecture. She is interested in being a<br />

role model for young girls to enter the field<br />

of architecture.<br />

• Noelle Prouty is interested in studying how<br />

art influences our understanding of nature.<br />

This fall, she enters her sophomore year at<br />

the University of Florida Honors College majoring<br />

in art and biology. She plans to pursue<br />

a career in medical or biological illustration.<br />

• John Quigley is a second-time winner of an<br />

Arts Advocates scholarship. Quigley is a military<br />

veteran entering his junior year at the<br />

Ringling College of Art & Design majoring in<br />

illustration/digital art, preparing for a career<br />

as a concept/storyboard artist.<br />

• Mehak Sandhu, a graduate of the Booker<br />

High School Visual & Performing Arts Program,<br />

enters college this fall to major in fine<br />

arts. Sandhu is focused on the marketing and<br />

business side of art and looks forward to creating<br />

an online presence in the art world.<br />

• Samantha Tanelli enters college in the fall to<br />

major in fine arts and illustration. She plans<br />

to write and illustrate children’s books. Tanelli’s<br />

goal is to inspire people to explore<br />

their emotions, reduce anxiety, and increase<br />

self-esteem.<br />

• Danae Tran, who graduated from Booker High<br />

School, will major in violin performance. Tran<br />

has attended FSU’s Music Camp, Sewanee<br />

Summer Music Festival in Tennessee, and the<br />

Brevard Summer Institute in North Carolina.<br />

At the age of 10, Tran was selected to participate<br />

in the Perlman Suncoast Super Strings<br />

Program. Tran hopes to become a member of<br />

an orchestra.<br />

Fox’s and Quigley’s artwork will be on<br />

display in the Arts Advocates Gallery in July.<br />

The gallery, located in the Crossings at Siesta<br />

Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota,<br />

is open Saturdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.<br />

Deb Altshul-Stark, co-chair of the Arts Advocates<br />

scholarship team along with Tonya Eubank,<br />

stated, “Members of Arts Advocates are<br />

proud to support these students in furthering<br />

their educations. We are impressed by the<br />

work, optimism, and drive of our awardees. We<br />

look forward to following their careers.”<br />

To learn more, visit artsadvocates.org.<br />

Cast members from the scheduled spring<br />

2020 production of ‘Ruby’; the show has been<br />

postponed twice due to COVID.<br />

Photo by Sorcha Augustine<br />

For information, visit westcoastblacktheatre.org.<br />

SMH Foundation<br />

Awards Thousands in Health Career Scholarships<br />

Grants to All Faiths Food Bank’s<br />

BackPack and Mobile Pantry programs<br />

Recent grants are supporting All Faiths Food<br />

Bank programs that provide nutrition assistance<br />

to community members in need. Two<br />

recent contributors to the food bank’s work<br />

are Isermann Family Foundation, $20,000 for<br />

the BackPack program, and Bank of America<br />

Charitable Foundation, $30,000 for the Mobile<br />

Pantry Program.<br />

The BackPack Program provides students at<br />

risk of food insecurity with “backpacks” filled<br />

with kid-friendly, healthy food to take home<br />

to eat over the weekends and during school<br />

holidays. This program takes place over the<br />

course of the school year at 70 schools and<br />

youth-serving organizations.<br />

Mobile Pantries provide community members<br />

with fresh produce, meats, and groceries<br />

at sites throughout the region all year long.<br />

Some Mobile Pantries provide community<br />

The Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation<br />

awarded scholarships to five local high<br />

school students who plan to pursue careers<br />

in healthcare. Through the G. Duncan Finlay<br />

Health Careers Scholarships and The Heather<br />

G. Miller Health Careers Scholarship, each<br />

student will receive up to $10,000 to help offset<br />

the cost of college tuition and expenses<br />

over the next four years.<br />

For 30 years, the health careers scholarships<br />

have provided $773,750 to 166 high<br />

school seniors, and are critical as the demand<br />

for health care professionals grows each year.<br />

This year’s recipients of the G. Duncan Finlay<br />

Scholarships included:<br />

• Zechariah Riddle of North Port High School,<br />

who plans to attend Florida Atlantic University<br />

to pursue a degree in Nursing.<br />

• Kara Parsotan of North Port High School,<br />

who plans to attend University of Massachusetts<br />

Boston to pursue a Pre-Med degree.<br />

• Scarlett Ochoa-Conde, dually enrolled at<br />

Sarasota High School and the Suncoast<br />

Technical College LPN program, who plans to<br />

attend State College of Florida to pursue a<br />

degree in Nursing.<br />

• Paxton Barrick of Venice High School, who<br />

plans to attend University of Florida to pursue<br />

a degree in Physical Therapy.<br />

• This year’s recipient of the Heather G. Miller<br />

Scholarship was Mitchell Dominguez, a<br />

senior at Booker High School who plans to<br />

attend State College of Florida to pursue a<br />

degree in nursing.<br />

A volunteer loads food into a community<br />

member’s car during a Mobile Pantry<br />

Courtesy photo/All Faiths Food Bank<br />

members with pre-packed grocery boxes and<br />

others offer the opportunity to shop farmers’<br />

market-style and choose what they want.<br />

For more about All Faiths Food Bank, visit allfaithsfoodbank.org.<br />

Foundation Announces<br />

2023 Gulf Coast Leadership Institute Class<br />

Gulf Coast Community Foundation<br />

has selected 29 participants from<br />

across the region for its 2023 Gulf<br />

Coast Leadership Institute. The<br />

foundation provides leadership<br />

training designed to identify, develop,<br />

and connect a diverse and growing<br />

group of aspiring community<br />

leaders. Class members will take<br />

part in six training sessions from<br />

May through June conducted by the<br />

nationally recognized Leadership Development<br />

Institute at Eckerd College. Gulf Coast provides<br />

all training and resources at no cost to participants<br />

in exchange for their commitment to use<br />

their new skills to benefit the community.<br />

The 29 participants selected for the 2023 Gulf<br />

Coast Leadership Institute are:<br />

• Jasmine Akins, CAN Community Health<br />

• Charlene Altenhain, The Glasser/<br />

Schoenbaum Human Services Center<br />

• Uzi Baram, New College of Florida<br />

• Emilie Campos, Harvest House<br />

• Kecia Carroll, KC Roberg<br />

• Chris Collins, Ability to Include, Inc.<br />

• Misty Daniels, Community Volunteer<br />

• Grier Ferguson, Church of the Redeemer<br />

• Marlene Hauck, Lee & Bob Peterson<br />

Foundation/Sunshine from Darkness<br />

• Megan Howell, Second Heart Homes, Inc.<br />

• Ashley Jimenez, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens<br />

• Jessica Johnston, SPARCC<br />

• Cynthia Keaton, Prescott HR<br />

Gulf Coast Leadership Institute’s 2023 class has begun their<br />

leadership training at Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s<br />

Sarasota Philanthropy Center.<br />

• Amber Lamerson, The Bay Park Conservancy<br />

• Will Luera, Florida Studio Theatre<br />

• Cole McHargue, Merrill Lynch<br />

• Michael Meerman, CareerSource Suncoast<br />

• Anne Miller, Operation ECO Vets<br />

• Sarah Miller, NAMI Sarasota & Manatee Counties<br />

• Nan Morgan, Planned Parenthood of<br />

Southwest and Central Florida<br />

• Steven Pajevic, Crystal Clean Green Cleaning<br />

• Karen Pharo, Children First<br />

• Mark Royce, Bayside Sod Inc.<br />

• Evan Samson, DMSI International<br />

• Tiona Settles, Centerplace Health<br />

• Lauren Stroman, The Sarasota Ballet<br />

• Kiarra Womack, William G. and Marie Selby<br />

Foundation<br />

• Earl Young, Take Stock in Children/Booker<br />

Promise<br />

• Lisa Zachary, SunCoast Blood Centers<br />

For more information, visit www.GulfCoastCF.<br />

org/GCLI.<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 19


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20 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


get to know<br />

FOR MORE THAN SIX DECADES<br />

THE Palm Aire Women’s Club<br />

HAS Made a Difference<br />

This year the Palm-Aire<br />

Women’s club (PAWC)<br />

celebrated its 65th anniversary<br />

by distributing<br />

grants to six local charities<br />

in need of funding.<br />

The Charity Committee, headed by<br />

Carolann Garafola, selected small<br />

independent charities that help our<br />

community. Giving back to the community<br />

was the reason the PAWC<br />

came into to existence 65 years ago.<br />

All funds raised flow back into the<br />

community in the form of scholarships<br />

and grants to local charities.<br />

Representatives from the chosen<br />

organizations: Barbara<br />

Price (Baby Basics), Victoria Brown<br />

(Dollar Dynasty), Valerie Green and<br />

Erline Constant (Healthy Teens<br />

Coalition), Laurel Lynch (Hope<br />

Family Services), Rosemary McMullen<br />

(Mothers Helping Mothers), and<br />

April Glasco and Erin McIntyre (Second<br />

Chance Last Opportunity)<br />

attended the May luncheon and<br />

gratefully received the grants.<br />

These grants allow their organizations<br />

to continue helping those in<br />

need. The PAWC recognizes what<br />

these organizations accomplish<br />

and supports the critical work they<br />

are doing.<br />

Several past presidents attended<br />

their annual luncheon to observe<br />

both the grant distribution and the<br />

traditional PAWC installation ceremony.<br />

Honorary Lifetime member<br />

Barbara Link presided as the board was sworn in.<br />

Peg McKinley became the first president of the Palm<br />

Aire Women’s Club to serve three terms. This year<br />

she will be assisted by: Vice-President Ann King,<br />

Recording Secretary Nancy Curley, Treasurer Susan<br />

Romine and Corresponding Secretary Linda Greene.<br />

Sherry Kenny and Ann King will co-chair the PAWC<br />

Fashion Show “STEPPING OUT” scheduled for February<br />

23, 2024. Sherry and Ann have already worked together<br />

on other successful fund-raising campaigns.<br />

Sherry is a new member of the Women’s Club, originally<br />

from the Chicago area. She is experienced in<br />

financial services marketing. Ann is the PAWC Vice<br />

President and has years of experience in High Tech<br />

sales, marketing as well as event management.<br />

Darci Jacob will sponsor the fashion show and her<br />

store is known for its high-style fashion in a boutique<br />

environment. She has developed deep roots<br />

within the community and often sponsors charitable<br />

events including a prior PAWC fashion show.<br />

Even though there are no meetings scheduled over<br />

the summer months, Mix and Mingles and small<br />

group lunches are being planned. These events are<br />

extremely popular. At the Mix and Mingles, members<br />

host other members, potential members, and<br />

3<br />

guests. It’s a great way for present and future members<br />

to get acquainted and stay connected, especially<br />

over the summer months. Check the Palm Aire<br />

Women’s Club Facebook Page for dates and times.<br />

New members are always welcome. Dues are $40<br />

which goes towards providing scholarships and<br />

grants and is 100% tax deductible. Membership is<br />

open year-round. Mail checks to PAWC Dues, P.O.<br />

Box 21051, Bradenton, FL34204.<br />

For more information on PAWC, visit www.<br />

palm-airewomensclub.org or contact membership<br />

chair, Katherine Pike at katherinemaryt@<br />

yahoo.com.<br />

— SOURCE: PAWC<br />

History of<br />

The Palm-Aire Women’s Club<br />

On April 30, 1958, a group of 17 women in Desoto<br />

Lakes decided to get together on a regular basis to<br />

promote friendship and enjoy social activities. They<br />

elected their first president, Frances Briddon, called<br />

their group the DeSoto Lakes Women’s Club and as<br />

the months passed, a state charter as a non-profit<br />

organization was acquired.<br />

1<br />

2<br />

1<br />

Past PAWC presidents gathered to<br />

support Peg McKinley as she was<br />

sworn in for a third term. Left to right-<br />

Michelle Crabtree, Carolann Garafola,<br />

Beverly Allen, Doris McCowen, Joan<br />

Greene and Peg McKinley.<br />

2Rosemary McMullen, Victoria Brown,<br />

Valerie Green, Carolann Garafola,<br />

Erline Constant, Candace Holloway,<br />

April Glasco, Barbara Price, Char<br />

Young, Eryn McIntyre and Mary Beth<br />

Rempp at the Charity Luncheon.<br />

3New Members Lisa Devivo and<br />

Joan Morgan were introduced to<br />

the members.<br />

4The new PAWC Board was installed<br />

at the last meeting. Left to Right,<br />

President Peg McKinley, Recording<br />

Secretary Nancy Curley, Vice<br />

President Ann King, Corresponding<br />

Secretary Linda Greene and<br />

Treasurer Susan Romine.<br />

On September 3, 1958, the first “Rules and Bylaws”<br />

were adopted and within two months membership<br />

had grown to 29. The group<br />

merged with women from the<br />

DeSoto Lakes Country Club Colony<br />

(now known as Palm Arie Country<br />

Club) in October of 1961. In January<br />

of 1964 the group formed the Palm-<br />

Aire Women’s Club.<br />

Membership has grown throughout<br />

the years, at one time rising<br />

so high that it was necessary to<br />

rewrite the bylaws to cap membership<br />

at 325 active members. In<br />

4<br />

today’s busy world membership<br />

averages 150, but the mission of the membership<br />

remains the same, to raise money for scholarships<br />

and charities.<br />

Scholarships were originally given to students who<br />

had completed two years at Manatee Community<br />

College, now the State College of Florida (SCF) and<br />

were pursuing their bachelor’s degree. These scholarships<br />

are given to students through non-endowed<br />

funds which the club established and contributed<br />

to throughout the years. Students may use their<br />

scholarships to remain at SCF or transfer to a different<br />

four-year university; however, they are required<br />

to maintain a high-grade point average. Since the<br />

spring of 2011 the Palm-Aire Women’s Club has also<br />

offered scholarships to Manatee Technical Institute,<br />

which is today known as Manatee Technical College.<br />

In addition to scholarships, the club donated money<br />

and items to local charities each year. The Palm-Aire<br />

Women’s Club has supported several local charities<br />

throughout the years with cash donations presented<br />

at the May luncheon, Additionally, members have<br />

donated diapers and baby wipes, peanut butter,<br />

health kits and school supplies for the homeless,<br />

Christmas gifts and storybooks, and numerous other<br />

items to individuals in need.<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 21


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22 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


in our community<br />

Celebrates First-Generation Students at its<br />

Future Leaders Academies<br />

GRADUATION<br />

Future<br />

Leaders<br />

Academy<br />

senior Maria<br />

Prisila E. and<br />

her parents.<br />

She will be<br />

attending<br />

New College<br />

of Florida.<br />

Future Leaders Academy for Middle School graduate Santiago B.<br />

and his family.<br />

Executive Director<br />

Cintia Elenstar<br />

Executive<br />

Director<br />

Cintia<br />

Elenstar<br />

announcing<br />

that this<br />

year’s<br />

seniors<br />

collectively<br />

earned<br />

over $4.5<br />

million in<br />

scholarships<br />

and grants.<br />

More than 50 young participants<br />

were acknowledged for their<br />

academic achievements<br />

at the May 25 event<br />

More than 50 young<br />

participants in<br />

UnidosNow’s Future<br />

Leaders Academies<br />

program were acknowledged<br />

for their academic successes<br />

on May 25 at the Harvest<br />

House’s Life Enrichment Campus<br />

in Sarasota. During the event,<br />

UnidosNow Executive Director<br />

Cintia Elenstar announced that of<br />

the group, 15 high school seniors<br />

achieved 100 percent college acceptance<br />

and collectively earned<br />

approximately $ 4.5 million college<br />

scholarships and grants. The graduates<br />

will attend MIT, Wake Forest,<br />

University of Portland, UF, New<br />

College, USF, Ringling College of<br />

Art, State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota,<br />

among other schools.<br />

The Future Leaders Academy<br />

(FLA) is a rigorous year-round program<br />

offered primarily to low-income,<br />

first-generation Latinx high<br />

school students and their families<br />

in Sarasota and Manatee counties.<br />

The UnidosNow event brought<br />

together community partners and<br />

mentors to recognize and applaud<br />

students of all ages who participate<br />

in the Future Leaders Academies<br />

program. Several students<br />

and parents provided personal testimonials<br />

about how UnidosNow<br />

and the Future Leaders Academies<br />

program have positively impacted<br />

their lives.<br />

“UnidosNow assisted me in<br />

achieving its slogan: ‘To dream<br />

big!’ I have been empowered by<br />

the UnidosNow team to seek a<br />

degree in computer science studies,<br />

and I will be participating in<br />

the University of Florida’s Gator<br />

Engineering Program,” explained<br />

Ariem P., a graduating senior from<br />

Sarasota High School.<br />

Norma C., the parent of an elementary<br />

student in the FLA program,<br />

told the audience that it has<br />

not been easy for “immigrants like<br />

us to start over in another country.<br />

There are many cultural and<br />

linguistic barriers. But thanks to<br />

UnidosNow, my family and I have<br />

been discovering the opportunities<br />

available to us for integrating into<br />

this community.”<br />

The event also celebrated alumni<br />

who have graduated from college,<br />

as well as past FLA graduates who<br />

are enrolled in college and work<br />

as college coaches for the current<br />

cohort of high schoolers. Isabella<br />

M., a UF student enrolled in MIT’s<br />

summer astrophysics program<br />

shared, “When someone asks me<br />

how UnidosNow has impacted me,<br />

I always say that without them,<br />

I would be flying aimlessly into<br />

space, lost in the darkness between<br />

the stars. They have provided me<br />

with the fuel to lift off and coordinates<br />

to lead me to another galaxy<br />

full of accomplished dreams.”<br />

Elenstar challenged the graduates<br />

to “make epic happen” and<br />

offered them four suggestions for<br />

doing just that:<br />

1) Stay true to your values, that’s a<br />

matter of integrity and selfrespect.<br />

2) Speak up: your voice matters.<br />

Stand up for yourself and for what<br />

is right.<br />

3) Be compassionate. Embrace yourself<br />

and the world with lovingkindness.<br />

4) Believe in the power of collaboration.<br />

We can achieve so much<br />

more when we work together.<br />

Elenstar also thanked the Unidos-<br />

Now funders, which include Charles<br />

and Margery Barancik Foundation,<br />

Bank of America, the Community<br />

Foundation of Sarasota County,<br />

The Patterson Foundation, William<br />

G. and Marie Selby Foundation,<br />

Manatee Community Foundation,<br />

Gulf Coast Community Foundation,<br />

The Bishop Parker Foundation, the<br />

Cook Family Foundation, Evalyn<br />

Sadlier Foundation, the Cornelia T.<br />

Bailey Foundation, Scheidel Foundation,<br />

and the Louis & Gloria Flanzer<br />

Philanthropic Trust.<br />

To learn more about UnidosNow<br />

and the Future Leader’s<br />

Academy, visit unidosnow.org<br />

or email at info@unidosnow.org.<br />

About UnidosNow<br />

Founded in 2010, with a mission<br />

to elevate the quality of life of the<br />

growing Hispanic/Latinx community<br />

through education, integration,<br />

and civic engagement,<br />

UnidosNow has established<br />

itself as a leader in the field of<br />

postsecondary education attainment.<br />

To date, through direct<br />

service programs, advocacy, and<br />

coalition-building, UnidosNow<br />

has served over 3,500 low-income<br />

Hispanic/Latinx students<br />

and their families through its<br />

elementary, middle, and high<br />

school programs, and has assisted<br />

high school students in<br />

earning more than $ 18 million in<br />

scholarships and grants.<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 23


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24 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


you’re news<br />

Accolades<br />

■ Sarasota County’s Fleet Services<br />

ranks third in the nation. Fleet<br />

Services Manager Justin Mullins,<br />

Fleet Operations Manager Michael<br />

Naletko and Fleet Acquisitions and<br />

Replacement Program Supervisor<br />

Erinn DeJonge accepted the award<br />

during the 2023 Government Fleet<br />

Expo and Conference.<br />

Sarasota County Fleet Services<br />

maintains more than 1,600 county<br />

vehicles, fire and rescue trucks,<br />

white fleet vehicles and heavy<br />

equipment. Since 2014, Government<br />

Fleet and the American Public<br />

Works Association have bestowed<br />

this award to the top 20 Leading<br />

Fleets in the U.S. and Canada.<br />

Fleets are judged on showing<br />

leadership with staff, with customers,<br />

and within the community; staying<br />

efficient and competitive; overcoming<br />

challenges; and having a vision<br />

and direction for the operation.<br />

Government Fleet also named<br />

the No. 1 fleets in size categories<br />

— the No. 1 mid-size fleet (500-999<br />

assets) is Lynchburg, with approximately<br />

731 on- and off-highway<br />

vehicles, and the No. 1 small fleet<br />

(499 or fewer assets) is Forest<br />

Preserve District of DuPage County,<br />

with approximately 350 on- and<br />

off-highway vehicles. Raleigh is<br />

also the No. 1 large fleet (more than<br />

1,000 assets), with more than 2,000<br />

on-highway vehicles and almost<br />

900 off-highway vehicles.<br />

■ Kimberly Evener, Director of<br />

Client Services for Forza Wealth<br />

Management, was recently<br />

awarded the<br />

Certified<br />

Trust & Fiduciary<br />

Advisor<br />

(CTFA)<br />

professional<br />

certification<br />

from the<br />

American<br />

Bankers<br />

Kimberly Evener<br />

Association<br />

(ABA). ABA professional certifications<br />

promote standards of performance<br />

in the financial services<br />

industry by validating individuals’<br />

knowledge and expertise.<br />

The CTFA certification is awarded<br />

to individuals who demonstrate<br />

excellence in the wealth management<br />

and trust industry. To qualify<br />

for the CTFA certification, individuals<br />

must achieve a certain level of<br />

experience and education in the<br />

trust profession, pass an exam, and<br />

agree to abide by a code of ethics.<br />

The CTFA exam covers many areas,<br />

including fiduciary and trust activities,<br />

financial planning, tax law and<br />

planning, investment management,<br />

and ethics. The CTFA certification<br />

also requires individuals to meet<br />

professional continuing education<br />

and development requirements.<br />

“We congratulate Kimberly on<br />

achieving the CTFA designation,”<br />

said Timothy Videnka, CFA, CFP,<br />

Chief Investment Officer & Principal.<br />

“This accomplishment not only<br />

demonstrates her expertise and<br />

dedication but also exemplifies our<br />

commitment to continuous learning<br />

and professional development<br />

for the benefit of our clients.”<br />

Evener joined Forza Wealth Management<br />

in July 2022 as Director of<br />

Client Services; she is responsible<br />

for all aspects of client services,<br />

including strategic direction, coordination,<br />

and operations. Evener<br />

also holds the license of Investment<br />

Advisor Representative with the<br />

State of Florida (Series 65) and has<br />

been in the financial services industry<br />

for 19 years.<br />

■ Cindy Quinn of RE/MAX<br />

Alliance Group has achieved the<br />

RE/MAX Titan<br />

Club Award,<br />

ranking #25<br />

in Florida<br />

among top<br />

individual RE/<br />

MAX agents<br />

for commissions<br />

earned<br />

in 2023. This<br />

Cindy Quinn<br />

is the second<br />

year she has achieved this high<br />

level. The Titan Club Award honors<br />

high-achieving real estate professionals<br />

for their service to buyers<br />

and sellers during the past year.<br />

Quinn has more than 20 years<br />

of real estate experience with local<br />

knowledge of the Anna Maria Island,<br />

Longboat Key and Bradenton<br />

markets. She is based in the Anna<br />

Maria Island office at 5316 Marina<br />

Drive, Holmes Beach.<br />

RE/MAX Alliance Group is the #1<br />

RE/MAX franchise in Florida and<br />

the #1 RE/MAX franchise in Florida<br />

for contributions to the Children’s<br />

Miracle Network. The company<br />

now offers residential and commercial<br />

real estate solutions through 13<br />

offices in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte,<br />

Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco<br />

and Hernando counties. For more<br />

information, visit www.alliancegroupfl.com.<br />

Appointments<br />

■ The Manatee County Board of<br />

County Commissioners (BOCC)<br />

voted to install Jodie Setnor Fiske<br />

as the Director of Public Safety.<br />

Fiske, who has been Acting Director<br />

since January 2023, started with<br />

Manatee County Emergency Management<br />

in November 2022.<br />

Prior to her tenure with the<br />

County, Fiske was the Florida Field<br />

Supervisor of Regional Response<br />

Coordination Teams and the<br />

Regional Response Coordinator for<br />

Region 6. In these roles, she was<br />

responsible for overseeing preparedness,<br />

planning, recovery and<br />

mitigation emergency management<br />

needs in 10 Florida counties in<br />

Southwest Florida.<br />

Director Fiske’s experience in<br />

disaster response and recovery is<br />

extensive, contributing to various<br />

operations, including the Parkland<br />

School Shooting and Hurricane<br />

Jodie Setnor Fiske<br />

Michael in 2018, the Naval Air<br />

Station Pensacola Base Shooting in<br />

Escambia County and Hurricane<br />

Dorian in 2019. In 2020, she played<br />

a critical role in COVID-19 Operations,<br />

as well as the response efforts<br />

for Hurricane Iona, Hurricane Eta<br />

and the Piney Point Gypsum Stack<br />

Breach in Manatee County.<br />

Fiske holds a Master of Science<br />

degree in Homeland Security/<br />

Emergency Management from<br />

Kaplan University and a Bachelor<br />

of Science degree in Administration<br />

of Criminal Justice from George Mason<br />

University, Fairfax, VA.<br />

For information about Manatee<br />

County Government, visit mymanatee.org.<br />

■ Fifth Third Bank, National<br />

Association, has announced<br />

Stephanie Green as South Florida<br />

region president. As region president,<br />

Green is responsible for the<br />

growth and strategic direction of<br />

the Bank’s commercial, wealth<br />

and asset management, business<br />

banking and treasury management<br />

businesses.<br />

Green has spent her career with<br />

Fifth Third, having progressed<br />

through multiple leadership positions<br />

in retail, business banking,<br />

human capital, mortgage and<br />

wealth and asset management. She<br />

most recently was managing director,<br />

Fifth Third Private Bank, in the<br />

Bank’s Central Ohio region.<br />

Fifth Third South Florida has 76<br />

full-service banking centers and<br />

more than 550 employees.<br />

Board News<br />

■ Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota<br />

and DeSoto Counties has added<br />

three community leaders to its<br />

Board of Directors.<br />

The new appointees include<br />

Julie L. Herd,<br />

General Counsel<br />

– Sarasota<br />

County<br />

Sheriff’s<br />

Office; David<br />

Mills, Broker<br />

Associate and<br />

Success Coach<br />

Julie L. Herd EXP Realty -<br />

Icon Luxury<br />

Group / Lakewood Ranch.; and<br />

Patricia C. Pope, CEO and Chief<br />

Creative Officer – Pope Consulting.<br />

The new board members join<br />

Chair, Meghan O. Serrano, Esq.,<br />

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP;<br />

Chair-Elect Ken Freeman, Gartner<br />

Executive Programs; Treasurer,<br />

David Arch, Chairman and CEO<br />

of Blistex Inc; and Past Chair, Lee<br />

DeLieto, Michael Saunders &<br />

Company.<br />

Currently, BGCSDC’s board<br />

is leading three bold initiatives,<br />

including capital projects and enhanced<br />

programming and safety<br />

efforts in Arcadia, Newtown and<br />

North Port.<br />

For more information, visit www.<br />

thebaysarasota.org.<br />

■ The Diva Angels have appointed<br />

Launita<br />

“La” Burtley<br />

as their next<br />

National<br />

President. La<br />

will lead the<br />

organization<br />

with the goal<br />

of meeting<br />

its objectives<br />

Launita “La” Burtley<br />

of growing<br />

membership, bridging gaps between<br />

chapters, building internal<br />

relationships, practicing positive<br />

sisterhood, and providing support<br />

where needed.<br />

La has been operating motorcycles<br />

for over 30 years in Michigan and<br />

Florida and has been an active member<br />

of the Gulf Coast Diva Angels<br />

(GCDA) chapter for the past three<br />

years. La initially served the GCDA<br />

chapter as Secretary, then took on<br />

the role of the Chapter Director<br />

in 2023. She has attended GCDA<br />

meetings, enjoyed many group rides<br />

and events, invited riders and friends<br />

to join in on local rides or dining<br />

out, participated in volunteer events,<br />

helped to raise funds and attract and<br />

recruit new members.<br />

La has 25 years management and<br />

leadership experience in telecommunications.<br />

She managed and<br />

directed 60+ door-to-door sales<br />

reps in multiple locations in Florida<br />

and Michigan, as well as five sales<br />

managers. And finally, she also<br />

coached girls high school basketball,<br />

AAU basketball and summer<br />

softball leagues.<br />

La is taking the reins from Tara<br />

Londergan, who stepped down as<br />

the Diva Angels National President to<br />

focus more time on job and family.<br />

Learn more at www.divaangels.<br />

org for more information and to<br />

find a chapter near you.<br />

■ The Patterson Foundation has<br />

added Cathy Layton as the newest<br />

member of its Governing Board.<br />

Layton, a retired commercial real<br />

estate broker, has lived in Sarasota<br />

since 1970. She has served the community<br />

in many ways since, notably<br />

in volunteer leadership roles with<br />

multiple public and private entities.<br />

This includes appointed and<br />

elected positions with the Sarasota<br />

County Planning Commission, the<br />

Sarasota Housing Authority and the<br />

Sarasota County Charter Review<br />

Board, among others. Most recently,<br />

Layton served on the boards of the<br />

William G. and Marie Selby Foundation<br />

and the Bay Park Conservancy<br />

(BPC), chairing both groups.<br />

The Patterson Foundation has<br />

long supported BPC and its work<br />

with the community to create The<br />

Bay, an open and accessible public<br />

park that will span 53 acres along<br />

Sarasota’s bayfront.<br />

For information on The Patterson<br />

Foundation and its Governing<br />

Board, visit thepattersonfoundation.org.<br />

■ The TREE Foundation of<br />

Sarasota has added two new board<br />

members: recently retired pediatrician/neonatologist<br />

Dr. Robert Beck<br />

of Fairfax, Virginia, and EarthJustice<br />

legal recruiter Carmela French of<br />

Washington, DC.<br />

TREE Foundation, an international<br />

non-profit organization<br />

based in Sarasota, is dedicated to<br />

tree and forest research, exploration,<br />

education, and conservation<br />

across the globe.<br />

Also a talent management consultant,<br />

French holds a BA in Conservation<br />

Biology from New College of<br />

Florida. She was a leader and Chair<br />

for the DC Chapter of the Climate<br />

Reality Project from 2017-2019.<br />

Biology major in college, Dr. Beck<br />

is concerned about climate change<br />

and the impact of humans on the<br />

global inventory of forests and seeks<br />

to strategize and implement sustainable<br />

solutions to these issues.<br />

His career includes leading<br />

newborn intensive care services for<br />

Fairfax Neonatal Associates in Virginia<br />

as President (1997-2005) and<br />

Board Member (2006-2022). The<br />

TREE Foundation was founded in<br />

1999 and is actively leading efforts<br />

to create forest canopy walkways<br />

around the globe to preserve the<br />

Earth’s vital, endangered forests.<br />

Learn more at treefoundation.org or<br />

mission-green.org.<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 25


Come celebrate freedom and<br />

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American Fanfare<br />

Dr. Joseph Holt, Artistic Director<br />

Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble joins the<br />

Choral Artists to celebrate freedom with<br />

beloved American songs. Our National Day of<br />

Independence swells with patriotic pride through<br />

choral fireworks and rousing Sousa marches.<br />

Great Voices.<br />

Powerful Music...<br />

Experience It!<br />

Tuesday, July 4 | 4:30 pm<br />

Sarasota Opera | 61 N. Palm Ave, Sarasota<br />

ORDER YOUR TICKETS NOW!<br />

Call 941.387.4900 or<br />

visit ChoralArtistsSarasota.org<br />

YOUR TABLE<br />

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26 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


dining in<br />

No, we don’t mean placing walnuts on the grill like a<br />

steak, but the versatile walnut can be part of a variety of<br />

traditionally grilled items like steak, corn, fish and burgers.<br />

Romesco is a beloved<br />

institution in the Catalonian<br />

region of Spain,<br />

and it contains many<br />

of that beautiful sunny<br />

region’s signature<br />

flavors. While there<br />

are probably as many<br />

variations as there are<br />

Catalonians, most contain<br />

some or all of the<br />

following ingredients:<br />

tomatoes, garlic, almonds,<br />

red peppers,<br />

nuts (almonds, pine<br />

nuts, or hazelnuts), toasted bread, smoked paprika, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and<br />

sherry vinegar.<br />

It can be used to sauce fish (probably the original usage), chicken, turkey, grilled beef,<br />

and vegetables. The flavor is deep, smoky, and robust, but not necessarily spicy or hot.<br />

INGREDIENTS:<br />

1 cup well-drained roasted red peppers<br />

1/2 cup California walnuts<br />

1 tablespoon olive oil<br />

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar<br />

DIRECTIONS:<br />

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate<br />

until ready to serve. Serve over grilled summer vegetables or grilled steak.<br />

INGREDIENTS:<br />

Fresh corn on the cob,<br />

husked (8 cobs)<br />

1 teaspoon vegetable oil<br />

For the PESTO:<br />

1 large bunch fresh<br />

basil (@2.5 ounces)<br />

1/2 cup packed fresh<br />

parsley, chopped<br />

1 cup California walnuts<br />

1/2 cup grated Parmesan<br />

cheese<br />

Juice and zest of 1 lemon<br />

2 cloves garlic<br />

1/4 teaspoon salt<br />

DIRECTIONS:<br />

F Walnut Romesco Sauce<br />

Walnut Romesco Sauce T<br />

1 teaspoon paprika<br />

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper<br />

3 cloves garlic<br />

1 bunch fresh parsley<br />

Salt and pepper to taste<br />

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place walnuts (for marinade and salsa) on a baking sheet. Toast<br />

walnuts for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Roughly chop when cool.<br />

For the CORN:<br />

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Clean and lightly oil your grill. Brush each corn on<br />

the cob with vegetable oil. Place on the grill.<br />

Grill corn for 10-15 minutes, rotating corn 2-3 times throughout cooking time. Remove<br />

corn from grill and place onto serving platter.<br />

For the PESTO:<br />

While corn is cooking, prepare pesto. Add basil, parsley, 1 cup walnuts, Parmesan<br />

cheese, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse until<br />

finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Drizzle in olive oil and process until combined, 15-20<br />

seconds. Spoon pesto into a bowl.<br />

INSTRUCTIONS:<br />

F Hearts of Palm Crab Cakes<br />

Hearts of Palm Crab Cakes T<br />

1/4 teaspoon black pepper<br />

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil<br />

Smear pesto with a knife over the top side of each corn on the cob. Sprinkle corn with<br />

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts. Serve.<br />

• Source and more recipes at: walnuts.org/recipes •<br />

F Grilled Mahi Mahi w/Walnut & Peach Relish<br />

Grilled Mahi Mahi w/Walnut & Peach Relish T<br />

INGREDIENTS:<br />

4 teaspoons coriander seeds<br />

1 teaspoon fennel seeds<br />

1 teaspoon red chili flakes, or<br />

crushed red pepper flakes*<br />

3 peaches, fresh, firm but ripe,<br />

cut in half, pitted<br />

4 tablespoons canola oil (to be<br />

divided)<br />

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or<br />

to taste (do be divided into 3)<br />

3/4 cup California walnuts, toasted,<br />

chopped<br />

1 fennel bulb, small, trimmed and<br />

thinly sliced (about 1-1/2 cups sliced)<br />

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced<br />

3 tablespoons basil, thinly sliced<br />

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil<br />

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar<br />

6 mahi mahi fillets, 5–6 ounces each*,<br />

skinless<br />

*If mahi mahi is not available, substitute<br />

swordfish, halibut, or other firm white fish.<br />

For the WALNUT & PEACH RELISH:<br />

Place the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and red chili flakes in a small dry skillet over<br />

medium heat. Stir and toss often for 4 to 5 minutes, until darkened slightly. Note: Red<br />

pepper flakes give off a pungent aroma when toasted in a skillet, so take care not to<br />

inhale the fumes while the spice mixture is hot.<br />

Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a spice or coffee grinder. Grind into a fine<br />

powder and set aside. Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high.<br />

In a bowl, toss the peaches in 2 tablespoons canola oil and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.<br />

Place peaches on a hot grill, cut side down.<br />

Grill for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned, or even a little charred. Turn and grill for 1 to 2<br />

minutes longer. Remove from heat and let stand a few minutes, until cool enough to handle.<br />

Dice into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a large bowl.<br />

Add the walnuts, fennel, red onion, basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon<br />

kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the ground coriander spice blend.<br />

Gently stir to combine. Cover and set aside at room temperature.<br />

Brush top and bottom of each mahi mahi fillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons of canola oil.<br />

Then evenly sprinkle both sides with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and<br />

about 2 teaspoons of the remaining ground coriander spice blend. (The more blend you<br />

use, the spicier the fish will be.).<br />

For the GRILLED MAHI MAHI:<br />

With your fire still at a medium-high heat, place each fillet on the grill and cook for 4 to<br />

5 minutes. Turn and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Fillets are fully cooked when<br />

they are well browned and firm to the touch, and the fish flakes easily. If you aren’t sure,<br />

use a small knife to cut into the middle of one of the fillets.<br />

Arrange grilled mahi mahi on a serving platter and top with walnut and peach relish.<br />

Serve immediately, passing any remaining relish at the table.<br />

F Walnut & Mushroom Teriyaki Burgers<br />

INGREDIENTS:<br />

1 cup rolled oats<br />

12 oz. crimini or baby bella<br />

mushrooms, roughly chopped<br />

1 cup California walnuts<br />

1/3 cup sliced green onions<br />

2 tablespoons soy sauce<br />

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger<br />

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder<br />

1/2 teaspoon onion powder<br />

1/4 teaspoon black pepper<br />

2 eggs<br />

2 tablespoons vegetable oil<br />

DIRECTIONS:<br />

Walnut & Mushroom Teriyaki Burgers T<br />

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce, plus additional<br />

for serving if desired<br />

Buns, leafy lettuce, sliced red onion,<br />

sliced avocado and grilled pineapple<br />

slices (optional)<br />

Place oats in a food processor and process until oats resemble a coarse meal. Remove<br />

and set aside.<br />

Place mushrooms in food processor and finely chop; add to bowl with oats.<br />

Add walnuts and green onions to food processor and chop fairly finely. Add to bowl with<br />

soy sauce, seasonings and eggs. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Using wet hands<br />

shape into 6 patties.<br />

Heat oil in a very large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook for 3 to<br />

5 minutes on each side, brushing with teriyaki sauce during the last 2 minutes of cooking.<br />

(Burgers may also be cooked on a grill, set on a well-oiled piece of heavy duty foil. Brush<br />

lightly with oil before flipping.)<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 27


travel feature<br />

Planning to visit any of<br />

America’s National Parks?<br />

Check out the 11 U.S. National Parks located in Florida<br />

There are more<br />

than 400 national<br />

parks<br />

across the country.<br />

Here are<br />

some Florida’s<br />

parks:<br />

Florida’s National Parks, Preserves,<br />

Monuments, Seashores<br />

and Forests promise adventure,<br />

graphic history, and natural wonders.When<br />

people think of U.S.<br />

National Parks in Florida, what most likely<br />

will come to mind are Everglades National<br />

Park, Biscayne National Park, and perhaps<br />

the Dry Tortugas. But did you know there are<br />

actually 11 U.S. National Parks in Florida?<br />

You can snorkel coral reefs, splash in<br />

crystalline waters and discover a Fort at the<br />

mysterious Dry Tortugas National Park; curl<br />

your bare toes into the pristine sugar-sands<br />

of Gulf Islands National Seashore, a phenomenon<br />

that stretches endlessly alongside emerald-hued<br />

waves; and explore the legendary<br />

Everglades National Park, the wild ‘river-of-grass’<br />

where the Florida panther hides.<br />

As an added bonus, there are three free<br />

entrance days in 2023. Fee waivers do not<br />

include costs associated with camping,<br />

boating, shuttles, tours, and other activities,<br />

but if you do plan on taking advantage<br />

of the promotion, be sure to plan well in<br />

advance. Numerous national parks have<br />

incorporated entry reservation systems to<br />

compensate for soaring visitor numbers,<br />

with officials citing “congestion and crowding<br />

that can negatively impact public safety,<br />

visitor experiences, and park resources.”<br />

To maximize your trip, meanwhile, try<br />

out the free National Park Service app, an<br />

interactive service that consolidates up-todate<br />

information on hiking trails, lodging,<br />

news alerts, dining options, and more.<br />

Download the app for free on Apple<br />

and Google Play, and consider planning<br />

a visit on any of this year’s remaining free<br />

entrance days:<br />

• Aug. 4 — Celebrating the two-year<br />

anniversary of the signing of the<br />

Great American Outdoors Act<br />

• Sept. 24 — National Public Lands<br />

Day<br />

• Nov. 11 — Veterans Day<br />

For those interested in Park Service<br />

perks beyond National Park Week, there<br />

are select criteria that allow for free or discounted<br />

entry throughout the year.<br />

Veterans with any disability percentage<br />

remain entitled to a lifetime access pass<br />

free of charge, which can be acquired on<br />

the spot at any federal recreation area<br />

where passes are issued by presenting a<br />

form of government-issued identification<br />

(driver’s license, state ID, passport, birth<br />

certificate) alongside documentation of a<br />

service-connected disability.<br />

You can also consider annual and lifetime<br />

passes, including discounted rates for seniors,<br />

active-duty military, elementary school<br />

students, and Park Service volunteers.<br />

c NATIONAL<br />

PRESERVE<br />

Big<br />

Cypress,<br />

Ochopee<br />

The freshwaters<br />

of the Big Cypress<br />

Swamp,<br />

essential to the<br />

health of the<br />

neighboring Everglades,<br />

support<br />

the rich<br />

marine estuaries<br />

along Florida’s<br />

southwest coast.<br />

Conserving over<br />

729,000 acres of<br />

this vast swamp,<br />

Big Cypress Na-<br />

De Soto<br />

Dry Tortugas<br />

tional Preserve Timucuan<br />

contains a mixture<br />

of tropical<br />

and temperate plant communities that are<br />

home to diverse wildlife, including the Endangered<br />

Florida panther.<br />

c NATIONAL PARK<br />

Biscayne | Miami, Key Biscayne<br />

& Homestead<br />

Within sight of Miami, yet worlds away,<br />

Biscayne protects a rare combination of<br />

aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and<br />

fish-bejeweled coral reefs. Evidence of<br />

10,000 years of human history is here too;<br />

from prehistoric tribes to shipwrecks, and<br />

pineapple farmers to presidents. For many,<br />

the park is a boating, fishing, and diving<br />

destination, while others enjoy a warm<br />

breeze and peaceful scenery.<br />

c NATIONAL SEASHORE<br />

Canaveral | Titusville and<br />

New Smyrna Beach<br />

Reflect on the pristine barrier island which<br />

is composed of dune, hammock, and lagoon<br />

habitat. Explore ancient Timucua shell<br />

mounds. Experience the sanctuary that is<br />

provided for thousands of species of plants<br />

and animals that call Canaveral National<br />

Seashore home.<br />

c NATIONAL MONUMENT<br />

Castillo de San Marcos,<br />

St. Augustine<br />

Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend<br />

Florida and the Atlantic trade route,<br />

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument<br />

preserves the oldest masonry fortification in<br />

the continental United States and interprets<br />

more than 450 years of cultural intersections.<br />

c NATIONAL MEMORIAL<br />

De Soto, Bradenton<br />

In May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de<br />

Canaveral<br />

Soto’s army of soldiers, hired mercenaries,<br />

craftsmen, and clergy made landfall in Tampa<br />

Bay. They were met with fierce resistance<br />

of indigenous people protecting their<br />

homelands. De Soto’s quest for glory and<br />

gold would be a four year, four thousand<br />

mile odyssey of intrigue, warfare, disease,<br />

and discovery that would form the history<br />

of the United States.<br />

c NATIONAL PARK<br />

Dry Tortugas, Key West<br />

Almost 70 miles west of Key West lies the<br />

remote Dry Tortugas National Park. This<br />

100-square mile park is mostly open water<br />

with seven small islands. Accessible only<br />

by boat or seaplane, the park is known the<br />

world over as the home of magnificent Fort<br />

Jefferson, picturesque blue waters, superlative<br />

coral reefs and marine life, and the vast<br />

assortment of bird life that frequents the area.<br />

c NATIONAL PARK<br />

Everglades, Miami, Naples,<br />

and Homestead<br />

Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled<br />

landscape that provides important<br />

habitat for numerous rare and endangered<br />

species like the manatee, American<br />

crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther.<br />

An international treasure as well - a World<br />

Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve,<br />

a Wetland of International Importance,<br />

and a specially protected area under<br />

the Cartagena Treaty.Everglades National<br />

Park is the third largest national park in the<br />

contiguous United States and is one of the<br />

most unique ecosystems in the world.<br />

c NATIONAL MEMORIAL<br />

Fort Caroline, the Timucuan<br />

Preserve; Jacksonville<br />

Big Cypress<br />

Castillo de San Marcos<br />

Fort Matanzas<br />

At the settlement of la Caroline, French settlers<br />

struggled for survival in a new world.<br />

Many sought religious freedom in a new<br />

land, while others were soldiers or tradesmen<br />

starting a new life. The climactic battles<br />

fought here between the French and Spanish<br />

marked the first time that European nations<br />

fought for control of lands in what is now the<br />

United States. It would not be the last time.<br />

c NATIONAL MONUMENT<br />

Fort Matanzas, St. Augustine<br />

Fort Matanzas National Monument preserves<br />

the fortified coquina watchtower, completed<br />

in 1742, which defended the southern approach<br />

to the Spanish military settlement of<br />

St. Augustine. It also protects approximately<br />

300 acres of Florida coastal environment<br />

containing dunes, marsh, maritime forest,<br />

and associated flora and fauna, including<br />

threatened and endangered species.<br />

c NATIONAL SEASHORE<br />

Gulf Islands, Gulf Breeze, Florida &<br />

Ocean Springs, Mississippi, FL, MS<br />

Millions of visitors are drawn to the Gulf<br />

of Mexico for Gulf Islands National Seashore’s<br />

emerald coast waters, magnificent<br />

white beaches, fertile marshes and historical<br />

landscapes.<br />

c ECOLOGICAL & HISTORIC<br />

PRESERVE<br />

Timucuan, Jacksonville<br />

Visit one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands<br />

on the Atlantic Coast. Discover 6,000<br />

years of human history and experience the<br />

beauty of salt marshes, coastal dunes, and<br />

hardwood hammocks. The Timucuan Preserve<br />

includes Fort Caroline and Kingsley<br />

Plantation.<br />

28 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


travel news<br />

Scoop Some Scallops This Summer and<br />

Scalloping season began<br />

on July 1 this year at Crystal<br />

River and Plantation on<br />

Crystal River. They’re offering<br />

guided scalloping deals starting<br />

at $ 991* for mid-week stays for<br />

two guests that includes:<br />

• Two-night stay in a garden or<br />

water view deluxe room, patio<br />

room or golf villa<br />

• Guided scalloping tour including mask,<br />

snorkel and fins with one of the area’s top<br />

captains<br />

• Souvenir bag with mesh scalloping bag,<br />

scallop recipes and water<br />

• Chef-prepared cook-your-catch from the<br />

day’s harvest (scallops or fish) for lunch or<br />

dinner and serve with two sides**<br />

• Breakfast daily<br />

A popular activity for families, scalloping<br />

is like snorkeling, but with the simple<br />

addition of a mesh bag for storing the harvest.<br />

Most scallops can be found in the shallow<br />

grass flats of the Gulf of Mexico that range<br />

anywhere from three to six feet deep. Only<br />

two to three inches in length and located<br />

inside a fan-shaped shell, the scallops can be<br />

easy to spot with their 30-40 bright blue eyes<br />

that help them detect predators.<br />

“Cook Your Catch”<br />

Once daily scallop<br />

limit has been reached,<br />

they can be prepared by<br />

the hotel for a cook-yourcatch<br />

meal. If guests<br />

choose not to book a scalloping<br />

package, they can<br />

still have their scallops<br />

cooked**.<br />

For $ 17.95 per person,<br />

the chef at West 82° Bar & Grill will prepare<br />

guests’ shucked scallops during lunch or dinner<br />

one of four ways: scampi style, au gratin,<br />

sautéed in lemon butter or Chef’s choice.<br />

The eco-friendly Plantation on Crystal<br />

River is surrounded by the natural springs<br />

of King’s Bay and more than 25,000 surface<br />

acres of pristine lakes and rivers, as well as<br />

wildlife refuges and state parks.<br />

For more information on Plantation on<br />

Crystal River, visit PlantationonCrystal<br />

River.com<br />

* Price listed is for two people, two-nights midweek<br />

with a guide in a Garden View room. Weekend<br />

pricing also available. Subject to availability.<br />

Resort fee, taxes and gratuities not included.<br />

** For meals, scallops must be shucked, cleaned,<br />

stored on ice, and delivered to the dining room<br />

a minimum of 2 hours prior to dinner or lunch<br />

reservation.<br />

Hyatt Regency Coconut Point<br />

Resort & Spa<br />

At Hyatt Regency Coconut Point<br />

in Bonita Springs, residents can<br />

receive 15 percent off their room<br />

rate throughout the year and access to<br />

the resort’s staycation experience.<br />

Guests must present a valid Florida ID<br />

upon check-in. Hyatt Regency Coconut<br />

Point Resort & Spa, is in Bonita Springs,<br />

near the city of Naples.<br />

To receive the 15 percent off their room<br />

rate, book through hyattregencycoconutpoint.com<br />

and use the booking code CP-<br />

FLR, or call the resort at (239) 444-1234.<br />

The resort features year-round getaway<br />

opportunities with multiple on-site pools.<br />

Guests can enjoy the waterfall pool, scenic<br />

lap pool, and adventure pool which features a<br />

corkscrew waterslide and a smaller waterslide<br />

for younger children.<br />

Guests can also relax on the waterfall<br />

pool deck, in multiple heated whirlpools, or<br />

reserve one of the resort’s cabanas which features<br />

chaise lounge and sofa seating, a mini<br />

fridge stocked with sodas and waters, and a<br />

large-screen television, and dedicated food<br />

and beverage service.<br />

The resort also provides spacious relaxation<br />

areas that showcase the tropical setting, as<br />

well as a variety of lawn games on its grassy<br />

courtyards including corn hole, giant Jenga<br />

and oversized Connect Four. After a day of<br />

exploring the resort, guests can roast marshmallows<br />

and make s’mores at palm tree-shaded<br />

fire pits, or practice their golf skills at a<br />

lakeside practice putting green. The resort<br />

also features rejuvenating spa treatments at<br />

Stillwater Spa, yoga classes offered on select<br />

dates, and live music in its Belvedere Lounge.<br />

Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa<br />

features several newly-renovated spacious<br />

guestrooms and suites. Each room includes<br />

floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors with<br />

sweeping views.<br />

The Diplomat Beach Resort<br />

Situated along beaches of Hollywood,<br />

Florida – centrally located between<br />

Miami and Fort Lauderdale – The Diplomat<br />

Beach Resort provides a picturesque<br />

backdrop for a summer staycation retreat.<br />

Whether you’re looking to lounge on the<br />

beach, enjoy a day of paddleboarding, or take<br />

a dine around The Dip to experience their<br />

new menu offerings, there’s something for<br />

everyone. Even on the rainiest of SoFla days,<br />

you can discover the sunshine beyond The<br />

Dip – with plenty of museums, shops, and<br />

local attractions to explore.<br />

Summer Vacation Packages:<br />

• “RR&R” - Rest and Relaxation at the Resort<br />

– Unwind and rejuvenate with a 50%<br />

discount on select spa services. Enjoy complimentary<br />

valet parking, making arrival and<br />

departure hassle-free. Guests can enhance<br />

their stay with a complimentary room upgrade.<br />

Visitors get guaranteed premium pool<br />

and beach seating<br />

• Vacation Like a VIP – Includes a $ 100 daily<br />

food and beverage credit, which can be used<br />

at the property’s restaurants and lounges.<br />

Visitors get two complimentary “Welcome”<br />

Vistors to and and residents in<br />

Sarasota County can take advantage<br />

of summer deals with Fun in the<br />

941 special offers. These deals allow visitors<br />

to easily find savings to experience dining,<br />

entertainment and attractions like the locals.<br />

Some offers visitors can take advantage of<br />

include:<br />

Through September 11, Siesta Key is<br />

offering a discount on lounge chair rentals<br />

at their private beach, located near Beach<br />

Access 12. Siesta Key Beach is TripAdvisor’s<br />

2023 No. 2 beach in the U.S. and No. 11 beach<br />

in the world.<br />

Now through September 11, The Bay is<br />

offering free 2-hour kayak tours through<br />

the restored mangrove bayou and along the<br />

Sarasota Bay shoreline. The Bay is a community,<br />

city, and park conservancy initiative<br />

that is conserving and transforming 53 acres<br />

of city-owned land into a signature public<br />

park that sits on Sarasota Bay.<br />

Through August 31, the John and Mable<br />

The Resort at Longboat Key Special<br />

They’re offering a “Toes in the Sand Special”<br />

that includes daily umbrella rental<br />

and resort credit at their three Longboat<br />

Key/Sarasota Resorts.<br />

No matter which one you choose, you’ll have<br />

it made in the shade with a daily beach umbrella<br />

rental (a $ 25 daily value), and a daily resort<br />

credit (amount varies by location ) to order<br />

frozen cocktails right from your beach chair.<br />

drinks, complimentary self-parking, and a<br />

complimentary room upgrade. Rates starting<br />

at $ 349 per night.<br />

Fun in the 941<br />

Local Happenings this Summer:<br />

• Rolling Loud Festival (July 21-23): one of the<br />

world’s hottest hip-hop music festivals. Rolling<br />

Loud takes over Miami with its star-studded<br />

lineup, featuring the biggest names in rap<br />

and hip-hop. Dance to the beats just a short<br />

distance from The Diplomat Resort.<br />

• Miami Spice (August and September): a culinary<br />

extravaganza that showcases the city’s<br />

Ringling Museum of Art offers free admission<br />

every Monday. Don’t miss “Reclaiming<br />

Home: Contemporary Seminole Art” group<br />

exhibition that marks The Ringling’s first<br />

presentation of contemporary art by Native<br />

American artists with ancestral, historical,<br />

and present-day connections to Florida.<br />

Reclaiming Home highlights the breadth<br />

and depth of the artwork by Seminole, Miccosukee,<br />

and mixed-heritage artists from<br />

Florida, including Noah Billie (Seminole),<br />

Wilson Bowers (Seminole), Houston R. Cypress<br />

(Miccosukee), Alyssa Osceola (Seminole),<br />

Jessica Osceola (Seminole/Irish), Brian<br />

Zepeda (Seminole), Corinne Zepeda (Seminole<br />

/Mexican), and Pedro Zepeda (Seminole).<br />

The exhibition expands the conceptual<br />

framework of Native American art made in<br />

Florida today and provide a fuller understanding<br />

of the complexities of issues within<br />

the art of the Seminole diaspora. Runs to<br />

September 4.<br />

More fun at www.funinthe941.com.<br />

Participating properties:<br />

• The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Longboat<br />

Key. If beach time needs to be paired with<br />

spa time, tennis time, and golf time - this is<br />

your best bet. Daily credit amount: $ 75<br />

• Zota Beach Resort, Longboat Key. Peace<br />

and quiet will be found at Zota Beach Resort.<br />

Its stunning beach and posh pool deck are<br />

best suited for sun worshippers. Daily credit<br />

amount: $ 25<br />

• Lido Beach Resort, Sarasota. A few short<br />

miles removed from Longboat Key, Lido<br />

Beach Resort delivers the best of both worlds.<br />

A white-sand beach with newly added food &<br />

beverage service delivered right under your<br />

beach umbrella, and a stone’s throw from<br />

bustling St Armands Circle. Daily credit<br />

amount: $ 25<br />

They also offer “Sunshine State Savings”<br />

and Florida residents can save up to 15% off.<br />

Visit www.opalcollection.com/longboat-keyclub/offers/florida-resident-discount/<br />

for<br />

details.<br />

finest restaurants with special three-course<br />

prix-fixe menus. Info: https://www.diplomatresort.com/.<br />

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 29


healthier you<br />

Can Processed Foods<br />

Find a Place in a Balanced Diet?<br />

Packaged foods<br />

can help keep the<br />

kitchen stocked<br />

with fast and<br />

healthy options<br />

What comes to mind<br />

when you think of<br />

the term “processed<br />

foods”? Consumer confidence<br />

in defining this<br />

colloquial term varies,<br />

according to IFIC’s (International Food<br />

Information Council) recent consumer<br />

survey, “Perceptions on Processed.”<br />

The survey found that nearly half of<br />

respondents selected the answer, “I can<br />

easily explain what processed foods<br />

are and identify examples of processed<br />

foods.” But what are those explanations?<br />

For some, “processed” equates solely to<br />

“low in nutrients,” whereas others have a<br />

more wholistic definition, acknowledging<br />

that processing occurs on a spectrum<br />

and that many of the foods we eat are<br />

processed on some level.<br />

If you’re wondering why these varying<br />

definitions matter, consider that how we<br />

think about processed foods is the first<br />

step in directing how we can appropriately<br />

incorporate them into eating patterns.<br />

For example, their survey found that<br />

when respondents were asked to choose<br />

the positive aspects of processed foods<br />

from a list of attributes, the most popular<br />

options were “convenience” (with 45%<br />

saying so), “affordability” (39%), and “shelflife”<br />

(38%).<br />

On the other hand, when provided<br />

with the same list of attributes, but asked<br />

to choose which aspects respondents<br />

perceived as negative, the most selected<br />

options were “impact on health” (44%),<br />

“quality of ingredients” (33%), and “nutrition”<br />

(31%). Are these fair assessments on<br />

the part of consumers?<br />

Here’s how processed foods may (or<br />

may not) play a helpful role in an eating<br />

pattern that is nutritious overall.<br />

Saving Time. Some processed and<br />

packaged foods are non-perishable or<br />

quick to prepare while still featuring<br />

minimal processing, so you can keep your<br />

kitchen stocked with fast and healthy<br />

options and spend less time prepping<br />

dinner. Some great grocery-list suggestions<br />

include frozen fruits and vegetables,<br />

canned beans, legumes, and soups<br />

(check the label for low-sodium options),<br />

fortified cereal and granola<br />

bars, microwavable brown<br />

rice, popcorn, canned<br />

or pouched tuna, whole<br />

grain pasta, yogurt cups or<br />

tubes, and cheese sticks.<br />

■ Consider this example:<br />

A mom of three young<br />

children wants to feed her<br />

family nutritious foods, but<br />

is often so preoccupied<br />

with taking care of their<br />

other needs in the early<br />

evening that it’s hard to<br />

spend an hour making dinner<br />

or running out to pick<br />

up last-minute, fresh ingredients.<br />

A microwaveable<br />

package of brown rice<br />

paired with frozen vegetables<br />

and canned chicken<br />

can save time while providing a swathe of<br />

healthy nutrients to her family.<br />

Convenience. Think about medical<br />

professionals who tend to many<br />

patients during long shifts and don’t<br />

always have the ability take a break for<br />

the perfectly crafted meal. Could a premade<br />

smoothie with a beef stick, nuts,<br />

or a nutrition bar help manage hunger<br />

until they get a proper chance to sit<br />

down and eat a full meal?<br />

Or how about a college student who<br />

could eat breakfast on the way to class<br />

with a portable yogurt, microwaveable<br />

oatmeal cup, or a high-protein nutrition<br />

bar. If time permits, adding some canned<br />

or frozen fruit can make for a quick, balanced<br />

breakfast.<br />

Products that come in single-serving<br />

sizes make great snacks because they’re<br />

easy to pack and can help with proper<br />

portion control.<br />

Affordability. Processed foods can<br />

contribute to economic food security by<br />

assuring that sufficient food is available<br />

for people of all income levels. These<br />

foods can contribute to nutrition security<br />

as well. Again, consider that processed<br />

foods occur on a spectrum and ideally<br />

should be paired with fresh or minimally<br />

processed choices to create healthy<br />

meals and eating patterns. For example,<br />

canned, frozen, or packaged proteins can<br />

be paired with fresh vegetables to cut<br />

down on price and waste while still providing<br />

important nutrients for persons<br />

and families with limited budgets.<br />

Nutrition. How can processed<br />

foods offer nutritional benefits? Mainly<br />

through fortification. Fortification of<br />

foods has taken place in the U.S. since<br />

the early 20th century, when healthcare<br />

providers noted that nutritional deficiencies<br />

caused chronic health problems.<br />

Starting in the 1920s, iodine was added<br />

to salt as a preventative measure against<br />

goiter. In the 1930s and 1940s, milk was<br />

fortified with vitamin D and calcium, and<br />

thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and iron were<br />

added to flour.<br />

Additionally, in the late 1990s, folic<br />

acid was added to various foods to<br />

prevent neural tube defects in embryos.<br />

Recent packaged foods have been fortified<br />

with fiber, probiotics, and antioxidants,<br />

all of which have been shown to<br />

support health.<br />

Still, some processed foods contain very<br />

high amounts of added sugar, saturated<br />

fat, and sodium. It’s well understood that<br />

a diet too high in foods that are lower in<br />

nutrients, but higher in fat, sugar, and<br />

sodium is not beneficial for long-term<br />

health. And while it’s certainly not recommended<br />

that we make an everyday habit<br />

of eating significant quantities of these<br />

kinds of foods, it’s also worth noting that<br />

different people have different health<br />

conditions, preferences, and life goals, so<br />

it’s important to figure out what makes<br />

sense for your own individual lifestyle.<br />

The Final Goal: Balance. What<br />

we eat over time is more important than<br />

any single food we consume. Variety,<br />

balance, and moderation are always key<br />

tenets to an overall healthy diet.<br />

Processed Foods Defined. According<br />

to the Department of Agriculture,<br />

processed food are any raw agricultural<br />

commodities that have been washed,<br />

cleaned, milled, cut, chopped, heated,<br />

pasteurized, blanched, cooked, canned,<br />

frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed or<br />

packaged — anything done to t hem that<br />

alters their natural state. This may include<br />

adding preservatives, flavors, nutrients<br />

and other food additives, or substances<br />

approved for use in food products, such<br />

as salt, sugars and fats.<br />

■ Which foods are more processed?<br />

Here’s how the Academy of Nutrition<br />

and Dietetics ranks processed foods<br />

from minimally to mostly processed:<br />

t Minimally processed foods, such as<br />

fresh blueberries, cut vegetables and<br />

roasted nuts, are simply prepped for<br />

convenience.<br />

t Foods processed at their peak to<br />

lock in nutritional quality and freshness<br />

include canned tomatoes or tuna, and<br />

frozen fruit or vegetables.<br />

t Foods with ingredients added for<br />

flavor and texture, such as sweeteners,<br />

spices, oils, colors and<br />

preservatives, include<br />

jarred pasta sauce, salad<br />

dressing, yogurt and cake<br />

mixes.<br />

t Ready-to-eat foods,<br />

such as crackers, chips<br />

and deli meat, are more<br />

heavily processed.<br />

t The most heavily<br />

processed foods often<br />

are frozen or premade<br />

meals, including frozen<br />

pizza and microwaveable<br />

dinners.<br />

Minimally processed<br />

foods have a place<br />

in healthy diets. For<br />

example, low-fat milk,<br />

whole-grain or wheat<br />

breads, precut vegetables<br />

and fresh-cut greens are considered<br />

processed foods. Also, milks and<br />

juices may be fortified with vitamin D<br />

and calcium, while breakfast cereals<br />

may have added fiber. And canned<br />

fruits packed in water or natural fruit<br />

juice can be part of a healthy diet when<br />

fresh fruit isn’t easily available.<br />

It’s important to do some investigative<br />

work by examining the ingredient list<br />

and analyzing the Nutrition Facts label.<br />

Just because a product reads “natural”<br />

or “organic” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s<br />

better for you.<br />

Eating processed foods on occasion is<br />

fine. However, look for hidden sugar, fat<br />

and salt, especially those added during<br />

processing. Most Nutrition Facts labels<br />

now include added sugars.<br />

Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends<br />

getting less than 10% of total<br />

calories from added sugars. Learn to<br />

spot words like “maltose,” “brown sugar,”<br />

“corn syrup,” “honey” and “fruit juice<br />

concentrate.”<br />

When it comes to sodium, people<br />

often comment they don’t put salt on<br />

their food. As it turns out, you don’t even<br />

need to, because manufacturers have<br />

already added salt for you — and too<br />

much, in fact. The Dietary Guidelines also<br />

recommends less than 2,300 milligrams<br />

of sodium per day. So look for low- or<br />

reduced-sodium foods. Also, try rinsing<br />

canned vegetables with water to remove<br />

some of the sodium.<br />

Many health care professionals<br />

consider transfat to be the worst type<br />

of fat. Unlike other dietary fats, transfat<br />

— also called transfatty acids — raises<br />

your low-density lipoprotein (LDL<br />

or bad) cholesterol and lowers your<br />

high-density lipoprotein (HDL or good)<br />

cholesterol. Although manufacturers<br />

are working to eliminate transfat, if<br />

a product has less than 0.5 grams of<br />

transfat, manufacturers can claim it<br />

has zero grams. Be cautious of foods<br />

high in saturated fat, as well.<br />

The key to healthy eating starts with<br />

you. Educate yourself on what to look for<br />

and talk with your health care professional<br />

or nutrition expert to discuss a food<br />

plan that works best for you.<br />

30 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023


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