Judy Cahn
Community Investments and Governance Committees
"If you know Teri Hansen [GCCF president and CEO], you know why anyone wants to be involved with GCCF. She challenges the board to be bold and to be involved. The Foundation makes the community aspirational and then finds a way to transform an issue with options and solutions. The Foundation is never satisfied with what we are as a community. This is why I am so proud to be involved with this dynamic organization that always has its eyes on the tasks. The bottom line is that GCCF takes its obligations very seriously; it is focused on its mission and its stewardship of its investment in this community. In 2008, I became the board chair of Jewish Family and Children's Service after a serious illness forced the chair to resign six months into his term. After seven days on the job, I had the good fortune of attending the GCCF "Building Better Boards" two-day workshop. This initiative intends to strengthen the nonprofits that are the beneficiaries of grants from GCCF. By giving board guidance the non-profits begin to work smarter toward the mission and vision. This was my first exposure to GCCF. I came to understand why it isn't about just making a handout to the nonprofits, but creating a structure that allows them to stand on their own."

FROM LEFT: JUDY CAHN, PAULINE JOERGER, BEN HANAN. PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN SIGMUND

Pauline JoeRger
Audit and Community Investments Directors
"Gulf Coast Community Foundation crossed my path many years ago, and I have always been impressed by their people, their organization and their intelligent and highly effective philanthropic initiatives. Joining the Gulf Coast family allows me to have an active and rewarding role in their numerous community initiatives and to reinvest and shape the future of our and my children’s community. The magic of being a member of the Gulf Coast family is that transformative and rewarding experiences occur regularly in your life. I have seen a mobile farmers market dispatched to our community’s food deserts; thousands more hungry children have been fed during this immediate past summer; the community’s 1,000 homeless children no longer have to sleep in cars in parking lots, as a system has been put in place to find at least short-term shelter immediately; Sarasota County’s middle-schoolers are learning science and math in newly updated STEMsmart classrooms; and our network of environmental and recreational amenities is growing and strengthening by the day—to name just a few of the exciting initiatives. These successes and systemic improvements in our community are why I love to devote my time to Gulf Coast."

Ben Hanan
Chairman of the Board
"I have seen firsthand how Gulf Coast Community Foundation benefits members of our community and the community as a whole. As an estate planning attorney, I work with many clients who have engaged in a lifetime of giving. Gulf Coast is very adept at helping philanthropists like my clients articulate their vision for a better community. The foundation then works with them to develop and implement a program that will create a legacy of giving. As an endowed organization, Gulf Coast will be here forever, and it has the flexibility to address emerging issues that we might not even think of right now. Helping people see that potential and connect their own giving to it lifts them and our community, and it sets an inspiring example for those who will follow. Gulf Coast encourages philanthropy at all levels. My 17-year-old daughter was able to create a fundraiser for a school program through the GulfCoastGives.org website. I love that no matter the size of the cause or the means of the donor, Gulf Coast likely has a platform to help unite donors with causes about which they are passionate."