Pictured: Members of Children First Diamond Circle. 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 have been happy to feature each of the twelve honorees in our Wednesday Philanthropic edition of SRQ Daily over the past few months.

Today we are honoring the Children First Diamond Circle. As part of this organization’s 60th anniversary celebration, key supporters came forth with the idea to present a challenge to the community. They decided to collectively donate $1,060,000-dollars if the community could match it. This group of dynamos inspired the entire community—to support a giving challenge called The Challenge for Changing Lives. In total, the Diamond Circle and many members of the community came together to raise a total of $2,120,000 in support and recognition of the thousands of children and families whose life stories have been changed over the past 60 years as part of the Children First Family. Several of the Diamond Circle members were in attendence at our luncheon in December, including: Carol Kalikow, Richard Kalikow, Bart Levenson, Joan Levenson, Frank Martucci, Katherine Martucci, Elenor Maxheim, Keith Monda and Veronica Brady. Congratulations to the Children First Diamond Circle for stepping up to empower this organization to expand its mission.

Pictured: Members of Children First Diamond Circle. Photo taken by Wyatt Kostygan.