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SRQ DAILY Oct 6, 2018

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"Our belief in this ongoing education program is incredibly strong, and we want to invest in organizations that work to continuously improve."

- Roxie Jerde, Community Foundation of Sarasota County
 

[Education]  The Overlooked Middle?
Jennifer Vigne, jvigne@edfoundationsrq.org

Lately, my mind has wandered to pondering the status of “middles” in our world, e.g., the middle class, middle management, middle income workers, middle children, reliable average citizens and the great sea populated by moderates and the mainstream.

It seems that, at every turn, our attention is demanded by extremes—the super-achievers and the low-performers at work, in sports, schools, social settings, entertainment—and spread too thin to focus equitably on the consistent average.

Our lingo demonstrates the trend. It seems that hearing “job well done” for showing up and competently carrying out a task isn’t an adequate accolade. Now everyone has to be a “rock star” to feel the love.

I have personal experience with this. When our household grew to three kids, my husband and I immediately grasped that we were outnumbered 3:2. Where were a third set of hands and extra pair of eyes when we needed them?

When children outnumber parents, multiple conflicts present themselves. As hard as we tried to give our children equal attention, we had to choose and rotate whose parent-teacher conference, school open house, ball game and concert to attend.

I recall many times being thankful for the child who was compliant, responsible, quiet and mannered when my attention and support were directed to the child who had the greater need at the time.

Then, one day, it occurred to me to wonder what I might have missed because of my middle child’s minimal demands. Had I unintentionally overlooked her needs or failed to support her to the best of my abilities because I was focused on the others?

It was a wake-up call to be more intentional in interacting with each of my children, no matter the demands or lack thereof. Sure enough, I learned the demands were there, just quietly hidden and tucked away in a compliant nature.

Thankfully, our second-born child is a well-adjusted young adult and doesn’t exhibit any signs of feeling overlooked. But the experience has parallels to the waning voices of those in the middle class and mainstream, the solid citizens and the average students.

How does this relate to the work of the Education Foundation?

All children have needs, whether the setting is in a large family, a team on the field, or a school classroom. In our noble quest to provide equitable support to each and every student, as we continue encouraging those who are high achievers and low performers, do we also need to pause and ask ourselves how we are carrying out our responsibility to those in the middle? Are we unintentionally overlooking the needs of the quiet, average student?

Is it possible that the student in the middle is fading into the background? Do we find that we save our fanfare for students at the extremes and give token recognition to students who fall squarely in the middle, those who habitually turn in their homework and are punctual, respectful, and compliant?

This is not to suggest that support for any child should be diminished to help another child. Rather, while focusing (appropriately) on the bottom 25 percent quartile and our top-performing gifted and talented students, we want to ensure that we aren’t missing the mark when it comes to helping the 65 percent of students in the middle who cause the least disruption and require the least intervention but who might give us the highest return with slightly more attention.

It can be challenging to examine the inadvertent results of our actions, especially when our intentions are good. But if we reframe our thinking about what equitable support means, perhaps we can change the paradigm from “equity for all students” to “equitable support for each and every child.”

Jennifer Vigne is president of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. 

[Community]  Building a Community with Bricks and Beliefs
Roxie Jerde, roxie@cfsarasota.org

When nonprofits are more effective and efficient, donor dollars work harder. That’s why we’re proud at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County that our support of local nonprofits goes deeper than the millions in grants we award.

In 2000, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s long-time board member and donor Leila Gompertz had a vision the Community Foundation could solidify itself as a permanent, charitable force in the region in every sense. At the time, the Foundation was operating out of office spaces in downtown Sarasota, but Leila wanted to create a space that nonprofits, government organizations and community leaders could all convene to collaborate, learn from each other and enhance the impact they were making in the community.

Leila generously donated more than $2 million to buy a plot of land on Fruitville Road and construct the building where the Community Foundation of Sarasota County stands today. In exchange for this new, rent-free space, the Foundation would invite other community organizations to utilize the conference space to host board meetings, conferences, trainings and workshops at no cost. Leila passed away in 2013, and we are honored to continue to carry out her legacy through the use of our space in the way she wanted it. More than 18,000 people are welcomed into our building each year for a variety of different reasons, and overwhelmingly it is with the goal to make our community an even more incredible place to live, work and play.

But our commitment to nonprofit organizations goes beyond providing space. For decades our Community Investment team has helped build the capacity of local organizations to ensure donors’ charitable dollars make an even bigger impact. Through our nonprofit services, workshops and volunteer consultants, our team helps guide others on topics ranging from fundraising, human resources management, program support, marketing, data evaluation and much more. Each training is handcrafted to provide direct and relevant information to strengthen nonprofit capacity. This fall a new session of training sessions began in September, and we are looking forward to welcoming new participants who dedicate their work to incredible causes.

 What’s unique about this new seven-month series is that in addition to traditional subjects, we are also focusing heavily on relationship building to maximize impact. As our world continues to change at a rapid pace, relationships are the constant that keeps us connected and able to affect change. These sessions will focus on stewarding relationships with donors, creating healthy work environments, engaging in community initiatives, inspiring good board governance and many other topics.

Our belief in this ongoing education program is incredibly strong, and we want to invest in organizations that work to continuously improve. We are excited the Community Foundation’s Board approved $100,000 in grant opportunities to those who take part in our trainings. This opportunity is offered exclusively to organizations with updated profiles in The Giving Partner, our online nonprofit database. We believe this will even better help participating nonprofit professionals implement the information they’ve gathered from the trainings and put their learning into action at their own organizations.

Expanding impact means ensuring our partnering nonprofits have access to the tools and resources they need to grow and thrive to address the issues that affect our community. No one knew this more than Leila Gompertz, and we will be forever grateful for the vision that she brought into being. It is not widely known that the Community Foundation of Sarasota County was first established in 1979 by a single $500 check and first operated out of a utility closet at the Sarasota Orchestra (then the Florida West Coast Symphony), but donor by donor, we have grown to become the permanent charitable force we are today. We have many people to thank for that—many people who believed they could be the ones to impact another person, a cause, a community.

Roxie Jerde is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. 



[KUDOS:]  2nd Annual Grey Matters Alzheimer's Disease Research Symposium a Huge Success

Kudos to The Roskamp Institute on the huge success of their 2nd Annual Grey Matters Luncheon Symposium. Over 285 grey-clad attendees gathered at Michael’s on the Bay at Selby for the sold-out event to hear updates on current Alzheimer's Disease research and participate in the interactive Q & A with experts in the field. Grey Matters raised an estimated $115,000, proceeds which support The Roskamp Institute and Clinic’s mission of discovering safe and effective pharmaceutical and nutraceutical therapies to successfully treat diseases of the mind, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Those who missed the Symposium may view key elements of the event which was live streamed, on The Roskamp Institute Facebook page.  Monthly tours of the Institute are also open to the public. To sign up for a tour (as RSVP is required) please call (941) 552-9832. 

The Roskamp Institute

[SOON]  United Way Suncoast Organizes Volunteer Event Across Five Counties

More than 2,600 volunteers from more than 50 local companies and community groups will be mobilized to tackle more than 120 projects at local social service agencies, schools and community organizations through United Way Suncoast’s annual Day of Caring, held on Friday, October 12, 2018. The value of the donated work is estimated to be $261,319, amounting to 10,584 hours or 264 weeks of work. Volunteers will take on projects at United Way partner agencies ranging from landscaping to painting and everything in between. “Volunteers are critical for the nonprofit community,” said Suzanne McCormick, President and CEO of United Way Suncoast. “Day of Caring provides companies with a unique, hands-on way to empower their workforce to accelerate change where they live. And the volunteers themselves see first-hand the impact they are making through their service.” Follow all the action on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:  #DayofCaring2018  #LIVEUNITED. To find Suncoast-area volunteer opportunities, visit the link below. 

United Way Suncoast

[SCOOP]  SRQ Special Projects Opens in Sarasota

 Johnette Cappadona, longtime local nonprofit professional and her son, Noah Cappadona, local hospitality veteran and Le Cordon Bleu graduate, have combined their talents and expertise to open SRQ Special Projects, LLC. in Sarasota specializing in assisting for-profits and not-for-profits in the execution of high-impact events, board development facilitation, fundraising strategies and long-range development plans. With more than 25 years of experience in helping organizations to cultivate success, the Special Projects Team provides strategic consulting and targeted solutions to maximize impact and reach for clients.   

SRQ Special Projects LLC

[SCOOP]  Fall in Love with Your New Forever Friend at Cat Depot's Annual Reduced-Fee Adoption Event

Cat Depot is proud to announce that its annual fall, reduced-fee adoption event will be held once again this October. “Falling for Felines” will take place at Cat Depot’s Sarasota-based adoption center, on Saturday and Sunday, October 6 and 7, from 11am to 5pm During the “Falling for Felines” adoption event, all cats and kittens (excluding specialty breeds), are available for a $20 adoption fee. Available cats and kittens have received complete medical exams including vaccinations, microchipping, and have also been spayed/neutered. Each adopter will also receive a complimentary goodie bag to make their new family member’s transition easier. Potential adopters are encouraged to arrive early, as cats and kittens are available on a first come-first served basis. Children’s activities and photo opportunities with Cat Depot’s mascot, Petunia, will also be available.

 

Cat Depot

[SCOOP]  Florida Studio Theatre Announces Fall Improv Season

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) announces its Fall Improv Season, which includes a brand new performance every Saturday, plus three special holiday-themed shows that will bring laughs, scares, and holiday cheer to Sarasota. The season kicks off on October 6 with FST Improv’s classic comedy competition, Out of Bounds, where two teams of improvisers go head-to-head to compete for the most audience laughs. Out of Bounds runs every Saturday in FST’s Bowne’s Lab Theatre through December 22. Later this month, FST Improv will celebrate Halloween with a one-night-only performance of We’re Doomed on October 26, where cast members will create a live horror movie on the spot inspired by audience suggestions. Also, When X Meets Y: Home for the Holidays returns for only one night this year on December 21. Inspired by one location and three notes on the keyboard, the cast of FST Improv’s When X Meets Y weaves a story of love during the holidays. FST’s final holiday-themed show of 2018, Resolution Rewind, is a mashup of the top audience favorite skits and games of the past year, for a one-of-a-kind comedy retrospective. Audience members are invited to shout out their own highlights of 2018 and join in on a champagne toast to bring in the New Year. Resolution Rewind plays December 29, 30, and 31. 

Florida Studio Theatre

[SOON]  Understand Your Medicare Benefits for Free in Sarasota County

The Medicare Open Enrollment Period begins on October 15, and future and current Medicare beneficiaries are invited to attend free presentations about the ins and outs of Medicare in Sarasota County. The presentations will feature professionally trained counselors of the SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) program. SHINE is a Medicare counseling program offered locally through the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AAASWFL).Two free presentations are scheduled to be offered in October on the 20th and 26th. To receive help from SHINE, individuals may call to schedule appointments at designated SHINE counseling sites, attend enrollment events in their local communities, or arrange to speak with a trained SHINE counselor by calling the AAASWFL Elder Helpline 1-866-41-ELDER (1-866-413-5337). For a listing of SHINE counseling sites and enrollment events, please visit www.floridashine.org.



 

The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida

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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