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SRQ DAILY Jan 29, 2015

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"This transforms people's lives."

- Suzy Wilburn, Southeastern Guide Dogs
 

[Service]  Southeastern Guide Dogs Open Campus
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

Mock bus stops, training kennels and countless adorable puppies will be on display at the open house for Southeastern Guide Dogs expanded 35-acre campus in Palmetto this weekend. Whether winning over the hundreds of expected visitors with such active demonstrations as a blindfold walk or just by batting puppy-dog eyes, the human and canine staff look forward to explaining the mission of the organization and its countless successes.

“This transforms people’s lives,” said Suzy Wilburn, director of admissions and graduate services for the organization. She knows; Wilburn became legally blind in 2005, then got guide dog Carson in 2011 and had such lost elements of life as going out after dark restored. Now she helps with the programs for tomorrow's guide dogs.

The training at the Palmetto campus, located on 77th Street East, involves raising animals from pups, then after 14 months putting them through four to six months of harness training. Only about 40 percent of the dogs make it through the entire program to become a guide dog for the blind or to be used for veteran services offered by Southeastern Guide Dogs. “Some tell us they don’t want to go be guide dogs, and some tell us that’s exactly what they want to do,” Wilburn said. Those ones who are apt for the job go through a 26-day course with blind owners, learning to guide through the mock streets filled with curbs, railroad crossings and other obstacles. The dogs learn to walk atop 17 different textures of roads and how to indicate dangers that may harm their owners. 

The events at the Open House begin at 9:15 on Saturday with a "Creation of a Guide Dog" presentation, with other various events scheduled through 12:30pm. Information will be available for any prospective students, volunteers, breeders or program graduates. 

[Stage]  Morello and Gilhooley Put Backstage Front and Center
Philip Lederer, Phil.Lederer@srqme.com

The Gypsy Stage Repertory Theater Company will be at Art Center Sarasota this Friday with a collection of short plays from partnered playwrights Jo Morello and Jack Gilhooley entitled Life Upon the Wicked Stage. An allusion to the classic song from the musical Show Boat (the original lyric ending with “ain’t ever what a girl supposes”), Life gives audiences a playful peek at the behind-the-scenes quirks and characters that make the theater life simultaneously maddening and alluring.

“It’s a funny, inside look,” said Morello, who formerly served as the managing director of a theater for three years. Alongside husband Gilhooley, professional playwright, they realized they had enough stories and experience between the two of them to have a little fun and work on a project together, a rarity. “We only wrote one play together,” said Morello before dropping her voice. “That we survived.”

Called The Split, two of the six plays presented in Life are scenes adapted from the work. Following the comic travails of a dysfunctional playwright couple, the plays Connubial Bliss and Co-Dependents end the first and second acts respectively. Other works include The Dog Lovers, the surprisingly reality-based story of a man trying to mount a production with his pet pooch in the lead, Hetero Chorus Boy, a tale of hijinks and mistaken sexual identity, and Obsolete and The (Play)w/right Stuff.

A traveling production, Life Upon the Wicked Stage makes only one stop in Sarasota, a stop Morello says she specifically fought for, at Art Center Sarasota on Friday at 8pm. Tickets cost $15. 

[Opening]  US Nano Relocating to Sarasota

US Nano, a nanotechnology early stage company, is relocating from South Bend, Indiana to Sarasota County to allow the high-tech firm to triple its employees and quintuple its space. The move comes after the company won a prestigious, $750,000 National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grant coupled with securing $1 million from investors. US Nano develops flexible electronic devices based on nanomaterials printed on plastic. The proprietary nanomaterial are nanowires, which have the potential for industry-transforming commercial applications because of their ability to measure and manipulate light and heat, which is at the core of numerous sensing, imaging, fiber optic and energy harvesting and storage applications. The company has won approval for a Sarasota County grant of $3,000 per new job created, and plans to create eight jobs the first year and two the second. 

US Nano

[Exec Moves]  Piro Moves to RE/MAX Sarasota

Roger Piro has been named the managing broker of the RE/MAX Alliance Group Sarasota office. The 2013 President of the Sarasota Association of Realtors, he was the broker/owner of Town and Country Real Estate for the past eight years. Piro has been involved in the industry at the local, state and national levels, and currently serves as a director of the National Association of Realtors. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Piro moved to Sarasota in 1979 and became a Realtor in 1994. Prior to opening Town and Country Real Estate, he served with Century 21 Advantage for 12 years, where he managed an office of more than 65 agents. 

RE/MAX Alliance Group

[Dedication]  SCF Tennis Courts Dedicated

State College of Florida Foundation named tennis courts at SCF Bradenton in honor of benefactors Betsy Nagelsen McCormack, Jim Nagelsen, Nick Bollettieri, Mary and Tom James and Penelope “Nip” Anderson McBride at a dedication ceremony on Jan. 23. Cassandra Holmes, SCF Foundation executive director, Chris Pfahler, SCF Foundation Board of Directors president, and SCF President Dr. Carol F. Probstfeld recognized each benefactor at the event. 

State College of Florida Foundation



[SB2]  Reinvent Retirement: What We Learned

At SB2 last week, a crowd gathered early to get an answer to a big question: is retirement still retirement? We assembled some of the most knowledgeable people we know in their respective fields to get their perspective. The discussion covered financial and estate planning, employment opportunities for the aging, life expectancies and even universal design. Of all the issues discussed, the most important ideas for our region can be boiled down to this: If you can, work longer. The general population is living much longer and incurring more expenses. There should no longer be a "one size fits all" magic number to retirement. Meet with a professional and be clear about your expectations. As you age, utilize the resources available to maintain a high quality of life. Whether through facilities and organizations in our community, or embracing new technological advancements - take advantage of what's out there. Have a plan. Proper planning can save yourself (or your loved ones) a lot of headaches. When it comes to end of life, have your affairs in order so that you can live and enjoy the rest of your life. Get ready, we’re about to be front and center. The population of our area skews much older than the rest of the country. The way we accommodate the elderly and aging right now and in the very near future will be a guidepost to the rest of the country. In preparation, set best practices now. To find out more about what we learned and to view photos from the event, here  

SRQ Media Group

SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email

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