SRQ DAILY May 19, 2021
Wednesday Philanthropy Edition
"As we enter the 5th summer of Dive Into Reading, one of the many joys is not knowing who gets the most out of it...the kids or the mentors!"
In an effort to not only continue education for kids over summer break, but instill a lifelong love of reading and teach lasting social-emotional skills, The Dive Into Reading (DIR) summer reading program is back and will run for five weeks: June 7 - July 15, 2021. The annual reading program hosted by Anna Maria Oyster Bar (AMOB) aims to improve children’s reading levels by combating the “Summer Slide” — when kids tend to decline in reading ability and other academic skills that can occur over the summer months when school isn't in session. DIR will be offered at six area locations in the School District of Manatee County including the Anna Maria Oyster Bars at Ellenton, Cortez and Landside; Gecko’s SR-70; O’bricks Irish Pub; and The Bishop Museum of Science & Nature.
"John [CEO of AMOB] and I have loved seeing how our Dive Into Reading family grows each year," says Director of Marketing & Philanthropy for AMOB, Amanda Home. "And this year, we are expecting to double the number of children being mentored from 372 in 2019 to almost 600 rising 2nd and 3rd graders from all 15 of our Manatee County Title I elementary schools." By the end of the summer 2021 program, Dive Into Reading will have served nearly 1500 students in its five-year history.
According to AMOB, on average, a child from an asset limited family can lose between two to two and a half months of reading skills during the summer—with a little help from our community. "Just two hours a day, we can ensure our children have the opportunities to be successful in life! It's joyful, it's fun and you'll make memories that will fill your heart for a lifetime."
Held virtually in 2020, this summer, the program will return safely in-person and is seeking a diverse group of volunteer mentors to encourage, grow and inspire the young minds of rising 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders in the Manatee County area. Interested mentors can apply online here and will be required to attend one 90-minute training session.
"As we enter the fifth summer of Dive Into Reading," says Home, "one of the many joys is not knowing who gets the most out of it...the kids or the mentors!" 
Photo courtesy of Anna Maria Oyster Bar.
Click here for more information/results of The Dive In Summer Reading Program
As part of its popular "Rock Your Summer Reading" initiative, Music Compound presents Sarasota author Amy Diamond, who will host live reading sessions at Music Compound’s downtown location at the Bazaar on Apricot & Lime (821 Apricot Ave., Sarasota) on Saturday, June 5, at 10:15am and again at 11:15am. Music Compound owner Jenny Townsend said, "Over the past year, children have had to contend with unprecedented levels of stress. Amy’s books offer strategies for parents and children to ease their anxiety, discuss important issues in kid-friendly ways, and simply bring joy, while reading together as a family, which we know supports healthy brain development and bonding.”
Pictured: Music Compound team members (from l-r) Kaylee Betts, owner Jenny Townsend, and Alyssa Martin Photo by Cliff Roles.
After more than a year of being closed to in-person assistance, Goodwill Manasota’s Arcadia Job Connection office has returned to in-person services. The Arcadia Job Connection office (1701 E. Oak St., #B) reopened to the public on May 17. Goodwill responded by providing Job Connection services virtually almost immediately, to assist community members at a time when many were experiencing job losses or reduced hours.
Pictured: Ana Magadan (right), Goodwill's new GoodPartner Coach/career development facilitator for Arcadia, discussing current priorities in DeSoto County with vice president Margie Genter.
There’s never been a more important time to quit tobacco.
Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center, as part of the Tobacco Free Florida AHEC Cessation Program, offers free tobacco cessation sessions to help individuals quit all forms of tobacco. These group sessions—held virtually and in-person—will assist you with developing your own customized quit plan. Free nicotine replacement therapy in the form of patches, gum or lozenges (if medically appropriate and while supplies last) and follow up support from a trained tobacco treatment specialist are provided with the session.
Contact us today at 866-534-7909 or visit our page to schedule a class or learn more about the program!
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to welcome celebrated photographer John Pinderhughes for a virtual artist’s talk. The online event will take place May 25 at 10:30am Christopher Jones, Stanton B. and Nancy W. Kaplan Curator of Photography and Media Art, will facilitate the conversation during which Pinderhughes will share his memories and stories from his long and celebrated career as a professional photographer and fine artist and his experiences as a member of Kamoinge Workshop, the famed collective of African American photographers. The Artist’s Talk tickets are $5.00/ free for members.
Join Sarasota Contemporary Dance Thursday May 20st and Friday 21nd, 2021 at 7pm for Nor Cast Before Swine by Zoe Austin. Tickets are $20.
DutchCrafters, the largest online retailer of Amish furniture and home décor and daughter company of JMX Brands, is partnering with Ponton Interiors to redesign its showroom experience. "We introduced a new vision in 2020, and central to that vision is an exceptional customer experience,” said DutchCrafters Vice President Linse Miller. “The expansion of DutchCrafters stores is part of this new vision. We want to get the framework down here in Sarasota first and then we will replicate this at our future stores. We have been wanting to start the redesign since early 2020, but when the pandemic hit, we had to delay our plans.”
On May 26, Sarasota Memorial will host an appointment-based job fair for hospitality positions at our growing health system, which has been voted one of the best places to work. Candidates must be able to work in a fast paced environment and share our passion for delivering the highest level of customer service. Candidates must be able to provide positive, professional references and pass a background and drug screening. RSVP today by emailing resume to: Hilda-Puckett@smh.com or calling 941-917-2651.
First Home Bank has named Jason Osborne as its new vice president, SBA lending officer. Osborne brings 12 years of banking experience to the position, including an extensive background in loan and deposit structure, financial sales, client relations, and business coaching.
Center For Sight is now providing LASIK patients with topography- guided surgery with the WaveLight® EX500 Excimer Laser. The machine, developed by Alcon, personalizes the procedure by customizing laser treatment based on the patient’s unique cornea shape. Topography-guided LASIK not only helps patients with myopia or astigmatism, but it can treat patients with abnormal corneal surfaces who in the past may not have been candidates for surgery.
With a growing staff of 32 members, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has created a new role – Director of Organizational Capacity – to plan, direct, and provide oversight for its team member and office resources. Lisa Carter, MS, will spearhead these efforts by building relationships with staff to identify needs and development opportunities, overseeing recruitment and outreach, managing technology and other facility services, as well as cultivating and maintaining a culture based upon diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The School District of Manatee County and LECOM Park have agreed to double the attendance for upcoming graduation ceremonies to be held at the ballpark the first week of June. In addition, Manatee High School will also significantly expand attendance for their graduation ceremony, which will be held on the school’s campus in Hawkins Stadium. Previously, attendance for the five graduation ceremonies scheduled for LECOM Park were limited to approximately 2,500 seats. Attendance has now been raised to approximately 5,000 seats. A similar expansion of attendance figures is expected at Manatee High’s graduation ceremony.
We're bringing back one of our trademark events from the past for our 75th Anniversary... The Pancake Jamboree. Join us on July 15 from 7am to 1pm for a nostalgic day at LECOM Field (next to where the original Boys Club was located on 9th St) for a pancake breakfast, the Boys & Girls Club Baseball All-Star Extravaganza and Club Alumni Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. There is also be a VIP Luncheon option on the outfield boardwalk.
'Your CBD Store,’ a local, holistic wellness shop, invites the community to attend free informational workshops planned throughout May to educate and raise awareness of CBD and related topics. The workshops, planned for Thursday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 25, will share research, facts and myths surrounding the cannabidiol compound found in hemp and cannabis, commonly referred to as CBD. The first educational series workshop on Thursday, May 20 at the Lakewood Ranch store, located at 8215 Natures Way #105, in Lakewood Ranch will cover CBD options for pets, from 10am to 11am, in recognition of May as “National Pets Month,”, and CBD information for senior citizens from 12pm to 1pm, as May is also “Older Americans Month.” The following workshop series, held at Your CBD Store located at their Lakewood Ranch store on Tuesday, May 25: from 10am to 11am, the workshop will include information on CBD and PTSD, in recognition of May as “National Military Appreciation Month,” and from 12pm to 1pm, for “National Mental Health Awareness Month,” topics will include the impact of CBD for depression, anxiety and sleep issues.
In mid-June, The Soul Sensations & Friends return to Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe to perform on the popular outdoor concert stage, in support of WBTT and the important role it plays in the local community. Like 2019’s “Black or White: Makes My Music Right” and previous concerts produced by Dr. Randall Morgan to benefit WBTT, “Put Your Hands Together” is a revue of rhythm & blues songs and timeless pop hits. The show is a special celebration of optimism for the future as WBTT emerges from a challenging period, with songs of energy and love to include “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now,” “Before I Let Go,” “How Will I Know,” “Uptown Funk” and many other crowd-pleasers, performed by Dr. Morgan, Raleigh Mosely II, Leon S. Pitts II, Ywada Pitts and Latraia Savage, backed by the fabulous Soul Sensations Band. Edna Sherell will narrate; choreographer is Donald Frison. The band is: Judi Glover, music director and keyboard; Kenny Walker, bass; Errol Wise, percussion; Tommy LoBue, guitar; and Tom Ellison, sax. The proceeds from "Put Your Hands Together" will support WBTT’s mission. Shows take place each evening, Friday-Sunday, June 11-13, at 8pm. Tickets are $50/person, with seating in socially distanced parties of one or two. Go to westcoastblacktheatre.org or call the Box Office at 941-366-1505.
On Tuesday, June 15 at 8pm In the Heights: Finding Home Virtual Book Launch with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Jeremy McCarter. Bookstore1Sarasota is joining with other bookstores throughout the country to offer this exciting special event hosted by Random House. Before Hamilton became a global phenomenon, before Lin-Manuel Miranda became a household name, a little show called In the Heights shook up Broadway with its hip-hop and salsa soundtrack and big, bilingual heart. In the new book In the Heights: Finding Home, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Jeremy McCarter tell the story of the show’s humble beginnings, from rehearsals in a bookstore basement to the Broadway smash (and soon-to-be feature film!) that created an unbreakable community and a new kind of family for everyone involved. Join Miranda, Hudes, and McCarter for a very special In the Heights Virtual Book Launch on Zoom. It’s sure to be an unforgettable conversation on creativity, community, and finding home, this is your chance to hear directly from the creative team behind the timeless story of how one neighborhood—Washington Heights—can speak to the world. The ticket price is $48. This includes a copy of In the Heights: Finding Home picked up at the store and the Zoom special event. A ticket is $53.50 to have the book shipped. Ticket purchase required for Zoom link. More event info at https://www.sarasotabooks.com/events or 941-365-7900.
On Thursday, June 3 at 7pm Dave Seminara joins us to talk about his book Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth, the tale of the con artist William Baekeland who scammed many of the world's most traveled people as they sought to reach the planet's most remote and off-limits places. A Zoom Author Visit. A brilliant, young con artist offered to help the world’s most traveled people reach the planet’s last untouched frontiers; instead, they were taken for a wild ride that turned into a costly lesson on the perils of wanderlust. There is no charge for this event. There is an optional fee of $7.00 to help defray the cost to the bookstore. Reservations required for Zoom link. More event info at https://www.sarasotabooks.com/events or 941-365-7900.
Dive Into Reading (DIR) summer reading program aims to improve children’s reading levels by combating “Summer Slide” and continuing education over summer break - now in its fifth year. The program’s long-term objective is to improve elementary level reading levels, instill a lifelong love of reading and teach social-emotional skills. By the end of the summer 2021 program, Dive Into Reading will have served nearly 1500 students in its five year history. In 2020, DIR continued virtually with the help of more than 100 volunteer mentors. This summer, the DIR program will return safely in-person and is seeking a diverse group of volunteer mentors to encourage, grow, and inspire the young minds of rising 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in the Manatee County area. Interested mentors can apply online and will be required to attend one 90-minute training session on a date of their choice (May 18, 19, 21, 24 or June 4). Volunteers must commit to one morning shift (8:30am-10:30am) one time per week for 5 weeks during June 7 through July 15. No sessions week of July 4. Story Opportunities: Interview: Amanda Horne, Director of Marketing & Philanthropy, Anna Maria Oyster Bar. Interview: John Horne, CEO of Anna Maria Oyster Bar. Interview: Melissa Powell, reading coach at Daughtrey Elementary and teacher-coordinator at Landside who has worked with DIR for 4 years. Social Media: Instagram takeovers & other content available.
On May 26, Sarasota Memorial will host an appointment-based job fair for hospitality positions at our growing health system, which has been voted one of the best places to work. We appreciate you sharing the info below as time and space allow. On-site interviews by appointment only for: Environmental Aides (Housekeeper), Food Service Workers, Patient Transporters, and Valet Greeters. Candidates must be able to work in a fast paced environment and share our passion for delivering the highest level of customer service. Candidates must be able to provide positive, professional references and pass a background and drug screening. Excellent Benefits, Ongoing professional development and educational opportunities , and Voted Best Places to Work. RSVP today by emailing resume to: Hilda-Puckett@smh.com or calling 941-917-2651.
We are pleased to announce our partnership with Nathan Benderson Park to host the first-ever inclusion and cultural scavenger hunt event on June 5 at 9am. The scavenger hunt will have several components that allow for social distancing; it will promote inclusion at all levels with team-building activities between disabled and non-disabled people. The event is part of a week-long initiative, "All Together" held in West, & Central Florida from June 2 to June 9. The GCLCC is a key organizer in the “All Together” Exchange and Social Inclusion Camp, which highlights the "Survivor Assistance Program," --an initiative supporting police, military, and civilian personnel affected by improvised explosive devices in Colombia. The goal of “All Together” is to educate the greater community on the correlation between efforts to eradicate illicit crop production in Colombia and the sacrifices these individuals have made to do so. It is also intended to generate awareness and establish ties to survivors, helping the community to recognize and value the contribution of people with different backgrounds, experiences, capabilities, and perspectives. Collaborative partners include BlueTie International, the Intercultural Learning Center, & local organizations. Registration Qualifications include: Each team must have 5 individuals and show diversity and inclusion with its participants, $500, Registration Deadline: May 21 at 4pm.
The Florida Center for Early Childhood is launching its inaugural “Mind Matters” Early Childhood Development Symposium, a virtual conference for early childhood professionals and caregivers on Thursday, June 24 from 9am to 3pm. The first 150 registrants receive the training for FREE. The symposium is part of The Florida Center’s newly expanded Training Institute, a learning center made up of skilled practitioners who help professionals, educators, parents and caregivers provide the best future for children through clinical trainings, parenting classes and tools for educators. The full-day virtual symposium, on understanding and supporting early childhood brain development and mental health, will feature three renowned speakers who will teach participants how to identify brain differences, understand their implications and utilize strategies to address them. The agenda includes the following sessions: Whole Child, Whole Adult: Transformation through Mindfulness-Based Social Emotional Learning by Laura Bakosh, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Inner Explorer. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD): Identifying and Supporting Children with Brain Differences by Anika Trancik, PhD, Neuropsychologist. Building the Foundation of a Lifetime: The Lasting Impact of Early Childhood Experiences, by Harleen Hutchinson, PsyD, Psychologist and Mental Health Clinician. Attendees will also benefit from a 30 minute guided yoga session using breath and gentle movement to re-energize, promote mindfulness and enhance clarity.
Let's save Siesta Key by becoming our own town. Do you believe Siesta Key has a voice worth hearing? We stood up against the dredging of Big Pass and were not heard. The development of the Promenade will create even worse traffic, we spoke but were not heard. Now four large proposed projects that require special exception for density and height are trying to be built, we are not being heard. We believe our community of residents and businesses deserve to have a voice that is heard. The next public meeting will be held on May 19, 2021 at 7pm at Siesta Chapel, 4615 Gleason Avenue with guest speaker and topic to be determined. Get involved at www.savesiestakey.org to donate, volunteer and learn.
Yoga Instructor Ashley Stewart will lead a yoga session on the Ca' d'Zan Terrace. Each session will last one hour, and participants may begin entering 30 minutes prior to the event. Participants should bring a yoga mat and water or drink as desired. Tickets are limited to 50 in order to maintain proper social distancing. Please note: Tickets will be available 30 days prior to each event and must be purchased online, in advance of the event. Upcoming dates include Thursday, March 18 and April 15 at 6:30pm and Thursday, May 20 and June 17 at 7pm.
Friends of Manatee County Animal Services (FoMCAS) invites everyone to join them at the February Yappy Hour at Motorworks Brewery. FoMCAS will be the featured nonprofit and will have over $4000 in raffles and silent auction items plus a 50/50 drawing to help fundraise for the Manatee County Animal Services shelter animals. The family friendly and pet friendly event will be held on Sunday, February 21st in the Motorworks Beer Garden from 1pm to 4pm. The event will feature vendors selling an array of pet and non-pet related products with drink specials and food from local food trucks all in the 12,000 sq ft. artificially turfed beer garden. Raffles and silent auction items include resort stays on Anna Maria Island, spa packages, restaurant gift cards, sailing excursions, fabulous gift baskets, pet items, tickets to sporting events and a golf package, handmade arts by local artisans, jewelry, baskets of spirits, gourmet gift packages, and much, much more. Pet owners are encouraged to bring their leashed pets to enjoy the day and help contribute to the Friends of Manatee County Animal Services whose mission it is to work hand in hand with Manatee County Animal Services to enrich the lives of the shelter animals by raising funds to provide additional resources, medical care and heartworm treatment. Animal Network is the event partner with Motorworks Brewery for the monthly Yappy Hour held on the third Sunday of each month. It features different local nonprofit animal organizations that support, rescue, and find loving homes for dogs and cats in our community. Each month, the guest organization receives the funds raised through the silent auction, raffles and 50/50 split drawing. Over the last three years the event has raised over $100,000 shared among the various guest organizations. Animal Network, Dawg Phonics and Motorworks are sponsors of the Yappy Hour.
The Gecko’s Hospitality Group, an award-winning independent family of restaurants co-owned by Mike Gowan and Mike Quillen since 1992 will be hosting In-House Job Fairs at two Gecko’s Grill & Pub locations during the months of May and June, 2021. Gecko’s Job Fair schedules will be as follows: First and third Thursdays in May and June from 2pm to 4:30pm, starting May 6 through June 17, 2021 at Gecko’s Grill & Pub on SR 70 at Twelve Oaks Plaza, 7228 55th Avenue East, Bradenton and Gecko’s Grill & Pub on Clark Road at 5585 Palmer Crossing Circle. Applicants can expect to meet with a hiring manager and will be advised of the many company benefits the Gecko’s Hospitality Group offers employees, including Health, Dental and Vision insurance, paid time off, company 401(k), flexible schedule, meal allowance and opportunities for bonuses, career advancement and community involvement.
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