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good news department Safe Children Coalition awards scholarships to 2023 Achievers Bishop Parker Foundation Awards $ 400,000 to Second Heart Homes Achievers program graduates Ariel (second from left) and Anastasia Samedi (far right) with mother Kanani (center), an Achievers PUSHY Parent Award recipient, and other family members. The Safe Children Coalition’s Achievers program recently honored graduates and awarded $31,800 in college scholarships to “Class of 2023” high school graduates as well as returning college students who were engaged with the program as teens and have continued their involvement through Zoom career cluster sessions and community service during the holidays. A total of 38 scholarships – 12 incoming freshmen and 26 continuing college students – were awarded. Contributing to this year’s program and scholarship funding were: the Harry Sudakoff Foundation, Bay First National Bank, the A. Jean Battie Scholarship, Marilyn & James Heskett Charitable Foundation, Tracy Ross Memorial Scholarship, and others. Addressing the guests were Kathleen Cowan, SCC’s VP of Child Welfare, and Chief Rex Troche of the Sarasota Police Department as well as several program alumni, who spoke about their Achievers experience and how it helped them to succeed in college. The Achievers program empowers atrisk, minority and other disadvantaged students to set and achieve goals in both their educational and personal lives, encouraging continuous growth in the areas of personal development, college preparation, community service and leadership, cultural enrichment, and career options. The program ultimately increases student participation in school programs, decreases school absenteeism and dropout rates, and prevents delinquent behavior. The program, which has served thousands of students in the community for over 30 years, is open to all middle and high school students in Sarasota County. Approximately 113 students participated in the Achievers program during the 2022- 2023 school year. Neal Communities Supports Venice Main Street Neal Communities has donated $15,000 to Venice MainStreet to sponsor its Friday night concert series and marketing efforts. It is the second consecutive year that the homebuilder has supported the entertainment series in downtown Venice. For more than 35 years, Venice MainStreet has hosted special events like the Friday night concert series in the city of Venice’s historic downtown district. On the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month, free music performances take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Centennial Park. Last year, the concert series, which is open to the public, drew an attendance of 15,000. Last year, Neal Communities was the first corporate sponsor of the event and donated $15,000. This year’s sponsorship makes a total of $30,000 that the homebuilder has put toward the event. Venice MainStreet is an accredited Main Street organization through the Florida Main Street Program and Main Street America. Its mission is to preserve and enhance the character, beauty and economic vitality of historic downtown Venice. The organization achieves its goals through marketing, promotions, special events and historic preservation advocacy. For information about Venice Main- Street’s events, visit www.VisitVeniceFL.org. Adell Erozer, Executive Director of the Bishop Parker Foundation and Megan Howell, executive director and founder of Second Heart Homes The Bishop Parker Foundation recently authorized a $400,000 grant to Second Heart Homes, which provides housing, support services and love to homeless adults with mental-health challenges. The grant – the largest single gift to Second Heart Homes since its founding in 2019 – will be used to purchase a third home dedicated to taking homelessness people off the streets of Manatee County. An additional home will complement the organization’s six properties in Sarasota: All told, more than 50 homeless people will be off the streets. “We are so grateful, from the bottom of our hearts, for this generous gift from the Bishop Parker Foundation. It will help us make a true impact on homelessness in Manatee County,” said Megan Howell, executive director and founder of Second Heart Homes. Human services and health are among the Bishop Parker Foundation’s focus areas. During their years in Bradenton decades ago, Edward and Lillian Bishop, and Mary Parker, supported many institutions – and often individuals – responding to direct human needs, especially those dealing with hunger and homelessness. “Our Foundation has long recognized food insecurity, homelessness and lack of accessibility for mental health services as major challenges in our community. We are excited to partner with Second Heart Homes to address these complicated issues in our community,” said Adell Erozer, Executive Director of the Bishop Parker Foundation. For more information, visit Bishop- ParkerFoundation.org and Second- HeartHomes.org. Sarasota Memorial Recognized as Role Model for Best Practices and Life-Saving Care Sarasota Memorial Hospital received top awards from the American Heart Association (AHA) for providing life-saving care to patients experiencing heart and stroke emergencies. Part of its national “Get With The Guidelines” annual quality review, the AHA recognizes hospitals not only for following best practices, but for doing so consistently, year after year, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital. James Fiorica, MD, chief medical officer of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, credits the hospital’s superior performance and patient outcomes to the expertise of clinicians, as well as the commitment of hospital leaders to research-based, high-quality care. This year, Sarasota Memorial’s Sarasota and Venice campuses received awards with multiple honors for their dedication to best practices and life-saving care for cardiac arrest and stroke patients. continued on next page 20 WEST COAST WOMAN SEPTEMBER 2023
good news department continued Grants to All Faiths Food Bank support Mobile Pantry program Caldwell Trust Company Trustees Select Tidewell Foundation All Faiths Food Bank volunteer Arlene Hull loads a community member’s car with food during a mobile pantry. Recent grants are supporting All Faiths Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry program, which provides access to healthy foods to community members in Sarasota and DeSoto counties who are experiencing food insecurity. Two recent contributors to the food bank’s Mobile Pantry program are Ameriprise Financial, $5,000, and the Masala Giving Circle, $10,000 (for mobile pantries in Newtown). Mobile pantries provide community members with fresh produce, meats, and groceries at sites throughout the community, all year long. Some mobile pantries distribute pre-packed grocery boxes and others offer the opportunity to shop, farmers’ market-style, and choose what they want. “Through our Mobile Pantry program, and by working together with partner agencies and programs, we are able to meet people where they are and reach underserved populations,” said All Faiths Food Bank CEO Sandra Frank. For more about All Faiths Food Bank, visit allfaithsfoodbank.org. Hermitage Artist Retreat Receives Regional and National Grants Andy Sandberg, Hermitage Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer The Hermitage Artist Retreat has received several grants that will support the Hermitage’s mission and community programming. The Hermitage offers oneof-a-kind artistic programming with a focus on community impact, education, and social justice. The Hermitage provides artists the opportunity to create new works of art across all artistic disciplines. These artists give back to the community by presenting their works in progress to audiences throughout our region before they go on to national and international acclaim. The Hermitage welcomes nearly 100 of the world’s leading artists to Sarasota County each year. Their free community programming now includes over 50 events annually at locations throughout the Gulf Coast region. Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) is continuing its support of the Hermitage with a $40,000 Arts Appreciation Grant in support of the Hermitage’s mission: to inspire and foster the most influential and culturally consequential art and artists of our time. The Hermitage became one of Gulf Coast’s “Arts Appreciation” grantees in 2021, following multiple years of ongoing support and partnership. This grant was made possible through the Venice Endowment Fund, the Agnes Gnewikow Charitable Fund, and the Margaret Lehman Endowment Fund. An additional $15,000 in community program support came from The Exchange of Sarasota, which awarded a grant for “Hermitage North” programming and the Hermitage’s arts education initiative. Part of these funds were awarded through The Exchange’s new Elizabeth Lindsay Arts in Education grant program. Additional gifts of support include a grant for improvements designed to enhance artist facilities from the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation, a Capacity Building Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County (CFSC) to support professional development, a grant from the Camilla & Earl McGrath Foundation toward the Hermitage’s nationally renowned artist residency program and free community programming, with continuing grants from the Amphion Foundation, Sustainable Arts Foundation, and Plantation Community Foundation to show support for special Hermitage programs in dance, music, family residencies, and more. Delesa Morris, M.S., CFRE, Interim President of Tidewell Foundation, stands between Caldwell Trust Company board members CEO/president R.G. “Kelly” Caldwell, Jr., Tom Stuhley, Giving Project Chair Mack Reid, and Marge Maisto. In its 30th year, Caldwell Trust Company, has selected the Tidewell Foundation as the recipient of the Trustee’s annual $5,000 donation. Tidewell Hospice provides comprehensive care and support to individuals and families facing advanced illnesses, grief, and loss. To date, Caldwell trustees have donated a total of $43,000 and have supported these local organizations: • Sarasota Military Academy, Cadet to Cadet Training, $3,000 (2015) • State College of Florida, BSN Nursing Scholarship, $5,000 (2016) • Take Stock in Children, Two-Year Florida Prepaid Scholarships, $5,000 (2017) • Children First, Inc., Families First Institute Grant, $5,000 (2018) • Take Stock in Children, Scholarships, $5,000 (2019) • All Faith’s Food Bank, Covid-19 Response Feeding Program (Boys & Girls Clubs, Girls Inc., and Children First), $5,000 (2020) • Easter Seals SW Florida, Inc., $5,000 (75th Anniversary Gala, 2021) • Church of the Redeemer, Barnabas Aid, $5,000 (2022) • Tidewell Foundation, Children’s Grief Blue Butterfly Program, $5,000 (2023) The $5,000 donation from Caldwell Trust Company will be utilized by the Tidewell Foundation to expand the bereavement support programs, enabling them to reach more individuals and provide vital assistance during their most vulnerable moments. This contribution will further empower the foundation to continue making a meaningful difference in the lives of those they serve. Helping to Reduce the Digital Divide How do disadvantaged youth and low-income families compete without a computer or laptop in today’s world? According to Mark Sharff, a Guardian ad Litem volunteer in Manatee County and a member of the Sarasota Technology Users (STUG), it means that most are left behind, unable to easily access educational and career training opportunities. Sharff explains that’s why, in 2004, The Children’s Guardian Fund teamed up with the Sarasota Technology Users to collect and refurbish used computers and laptops. Since the launch of the STUG Refurb Project, 20,689 renovated digital devices have been donated to residents of Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. The recipients include disadvantaged school children, low-income adults and seniors, individuals in recovery programs, veterans and others trying to emerge from homelessness. In 2013, the program was expanded to provide computers directly to students in the Sarasota County Bill Crowe and Mike Hutchinson with the Sarasota Technology Users Group. Photo courtesy of STUG school system. The group partners with more than 25 regional nonprofits to assist in distribution, including The Children’s Guardian Fund, Goodwill, Women’s Resource Center, Career Source, SPARCC, Take Stock in Children, Janie Poe, Literacy Center, and dozens of other area charities. SEPTEMBER 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 21
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