I like TED Talks. I listen to them when I run and I find when I’m completely absorbed in the talk, I don’t even realize how far I’ve gone. Simon Sinek is a great example. His TED Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action, has generated over 26 million views since it first aired in 2009. He introduces his topic by asking powerful, thought-provoking questions. “How do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions? What's your purpose? What's your cause? What's your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care?”

These are important questions leaders to contemplate and answer confidently and persuasively if we want to see our organizations grow, thrive and be relevant in our community. At the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, we’ve been having extensive conversations, meeting with a variety of stakeholders, challenging assumptions and clarifying our value proposition with even greater vigor than ever before.

We’re also dispelling myths, such as one that we are an independent nonprofit organization that is exclusively designed to provide philanthropic support to Sarasota County schools, teachers and its students. As a 501c3 charitable organization, our governing body is our own board of directors. We are not governed by the Sarasota County School Board and we are not under the school district.

Interestingly though, that just tells you our “who” and our “what” – it doesn’t explain the “why.” So in true Simon Sinek form, I’d like to share our “why.”

We believe every child deserves to reach their full potential and we relentlessly pursue this ideal through strategic philanthropy that supports Sarasota County public education.

An example of this is one of our core programs called Texcellence, a program that aims to ensure every student in Sarasota County public schools has access to technology outside of the classroom so they have the opportunity to be successful in the 21^st century. This year alone, we provided over 4,500 students and families with home computers and we just opened our 27^th digital learning lab, a technology hub strategically placed throughout the community to give students and families access to technology. Why does this matter?

Because there will be 1 million more computing jobs than students to fill them, 30 percent of jobs in the next decade will require technology and coding skills. Yet with a disparate gap evidenced by 52 percent of Sarasota County School students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch, it is incumbent upon us to bridge the technology gap for our underserved youth. We have an urgent call to action to prepare, equip and inspire our children to aim high and believe in a brighter future. There’s simply no other option. Education changes lives. We can strengthen our community by powering the potential of the next generation, which is why investing in a child’s future is the best investment one could ever make. 

It’s easy to get up in the morning for a “why” like that.

Jennifer Vigne is executive director of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County.