Pictured: Bonnie Eskell (center) with Wes Roberts, SRQ Media Vice President and Executive Publisher (left) and Arthur Lerman of JFCS. Photo taken by Wyatt Kostygan.

Each year, SRQ Media invites the community to nominate individuals with hearts of giving who have made a significant impact with local nonprofit organizations — from volunteers and board members to individual staff members and donors. This year, attendees were thrilled to be together as we recognized our annual Good Hero Philanthropic Award recipients at the SB2: Philanthropic Agenda Luncheon and Good Hero Philanthropic Awards Luncheon on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. We are happy to feature each of the twelve honorees in our Wednesday Philanthropic edition of SRQ Daily.

Today we are honoring Bonnie Eskell, Early-Learning Inclusion Coordinator at Children First. During one of the most critical periods in Children First's 60-year history, Bonnie became a beacon of hope for the children, families, and staff as the pandemic took its toll on our community. In her role as a site manager for the agency’s largest location, she helped to lead more than forty staff in serving nearly 150 children and their families across eleven classrooms. Throughout the pandemic Bonnie led courageously and intelligently, and she continues to be crucial to daily operations and the well-being of children and families. Whether she is fostering meaningful child-teacher interactions, assisting kitchen staff with serving meals, or providing classrooms with extra supervision, Bonnie remains a steadfast system of support for everyone around her. Thank you Bonnie for your dedication to our children.

Pictured: Bonnie Eskell (center) with Wes Roberts, SRQ Media Vice President and Executive Publisher (left) and Arthur Lerman of JFCS. Photo taken by Wyatt Kostygan.