Andy Warhol’s public persona exists as a sort of template for the modern artist. Aloof, mysterious, shy and prone to bouts of whimsy, Warhol captured the attention of the masses in the burgeoning age of television, frustrating attempts by interviewers to get a straight answer out of him and creating accessible art that had all of the weight of an increasingly brand-conscious media landscape And though Warhol was certainly shy and a bit eccentric, he, like any person, possessed a multi-faceted personality. To Donald Warhola, he was known as Uncle Andy.

Warhola, Andy Warhol’s nephew, sits on the board of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and recently gave a talk called Warhol: Parellels and Dichotomies at the Manatee Performing Arts Center that explored the man behind the enigmatic persona. The “parallels” confirm some of the public perceptions of Warhol’s life, but the “dichotomies” illuminate a whole new side of the soft-spoken artist. Warhola remembers his uncle as a man with very traditional values—he ate well, exercised, had a close relationship with his family, went to church and volunteered regularly—hardly the kind of lifestyle that would make headlines. “My belief is that once his career took off he started to see the importance of his brand,” says Warhola, “and that controversy sells.” 

But Warhola says his uncle never allowed any controversy from his celebrity parties at The Factory to affect his family ties. Warhola remembers trying to pry information from Uncle Andy about the time he met Sylvester Stallone, but he deflected the question and asked how school was going. Uncle Andy was similarly tight-lipped when his family watched Duran Duranleave his studio after a portrait session. “He was very good about compartmentalizing his life,” says Warhola, “and he was very protective of his family.” And this, says Warhola, is arguably the most important part of his uncle’s legacy and indicative of his overarching philosophy in both his life and his art. “Under a high school year book photo,” says Warhola, “my uncle wrote that he wanted to be as authentic as a fingerprint.” Through a career that was sometimes ridiculed, often celebrated and always making headlines, Warhol maintained his connection to the working-class roots of his immigrant family and left an artistic legacy whose commercial success belied its profound sense of humanity. 

Pictured: Donald Warhola talks to attendees about the man behind the iconic portraits.

Bcorp DreamLarge recently hosted a Thank You Party in its Rosemary District yard in lieu of its first successful DreamLarge Weekends. The celebration gathered back the alumni of students, volunteer mentors and the six local nonprofits apart in the first DreamLarge Weekends philanthropic challenge. The After Party continued on building the bonds and relationships that manifested between the young changemakers, their mentors and nonprofit representatives from the October 11-13 weekender initiative, while DreamLarge also took the opportunity to specially honor students with certificates and awards. Geier’s Sausage Kitchen donated hamburgers, hotdogs and brats to the party for a good ol’ fashion cookout, while a headshot station was set-up for the students to show the importance of resume building, among other exciting and fun activities.

“The collective impact these students have on our community is inspiring. Before our eyes, they’ve developed into the true changemakers in our community," said Julia Groom, DreamLarge. "Over the course of one weekend, they’ve managed to do what so many of us can’t, redefining the future of our community in the process."

Additionally, private philanthropists and friends of DreamLarge generously donated $7,500 to the program nonprofits, in which DreamLarge matched for a grand total of $15,000. The evening culminated in check presentations to winning organizations, Embracing Our Differences, SaraSolo Productions, and Urbanite Theatre. This served as an opportunity for students to give back to their community, providing not just a solution to challenges, but also a tangible sum of money that will have a direct positive impact on the organizations they are most passionate about. 

"SaraSolo Productions was thrilled to be apart of this wonderful weekend of students focussed on solving concerns with non-profits in Sarasota," says Ann Morrison. "SaraSolo is a theatre company nurturing solo theatre artists and we are always looking for collaborations with other organizations to create their unique voice with our community. We were thrilled the 'Dark Horse' team came up with the idea of bridging us with Embracing Our Differences. The team asked us to come in and give a crash course on acting that was so much fun! I hope we can get the Dark Horse team to create a solo piece on their own stimulated by Embracing Our Differences art submissions on bullying."

More details on the winning teams and their solutions to the philanthropic challenges they were presented with by local nonprofits can be found here. 

DreamLarge Weekends, reigniting creativity and innovation in Sarasota County students, was sponsored by Gulf Coast Community Foundation and SRQ MEDIA, and was hosted by the Ringling College of Art + Design.  

Photo courtesy of DreamLarge.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is delighted to announce that Gulf Coast Community Foundation has issued a $45,000 “Arts Appreciation” grant to FST. These funds will underwrite FST’s 2019/20 Winter Mainstage and Cabaret seasons and also sponsor FST’s annual fundraising event on February 24, 2020. “Gulf Coast has been supporting the arts in our community for 25 years, and we appreciate how much organizations like Florida Studio Theatre add to our quality of life and our regional economy,” said President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation Mark S. Pritchett. this year, the "Arts Appreciation" grant will underwrite FST's 2019/20 Winter Mainstage and Cabaret seasons, and FST's annual fundraising events, te Dangerous Ladies Shindig, taking place on February 24, 2020.  

Anyone who brings three items to donate between now and November 18 will receive a free gift from CoolToday Park, located 18800 South, W Villages Pkwy, Venice. Donations may be dropped off 7 days a week at the Tomahawk Tiki Bar. “I am so thankful to have the Braves as a partner in mission for the Fall Canned Food Drive," said Major Charles Whiten, Area Command. "Our community recognizes the importance of addressing food scarcity and is consistently putting their care and compassion into action. This is a great opportunity to help our neighbors and get to know our new team." 

For more information phone 941-413-5000, email Dale.Dimassi@Braves.com or head to Braves.com/CoolTodayPark 

The Alzheimer’s Association is inviting Sarasota residents to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s by participating in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The Walk will take place Saturday, November 16, beginning at 8am at Nathan Benderson Park. On Walk day, participants will honor those affected by Alzheimer's disease with Promise Flowers during the poignant Promise Garden Ceremony – a moving display of hope to represent the personal reasons participants come together to fight Alzheimer’s. Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

“We encourage locals to participate in Walk, as the fundraising dollars fuel the Association’s mission and having participation in the event helps to change the level of Alzheimer’s awareness in the Sarasota community,” says Ryan Smith, Sarasota/Manatee County Walk Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association. “While there is no fee to register, the Alzheimer’s Association encourage participants to fundraise in order to contribute to the cause and raise awareness. This inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the fight against the disease!”

Participants can join a team or register to walk as an individual at alz.org/walk. 

The Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (CWC-FPRA) is hosting “Operation Gratitude” in honor of John Spinello, the inventor of the classic board game Operation. On Friday, November 8 from 6pm — 9pm, attendees will enjoy the screening of OPERATION: Operation the Power of Play, craft cocktails, a silent auction, and other surprises. On Saturday, November 9, families are encouraged to come play games and have their photo taken with Spinello from 10am – 3pm. Both days of the event will take place at The Bazaar on Apricot and Lime, 821 Apricot Ave., Sarasota.  Limited VIP tickets for the Friday night event, which are $75 each, are available for purchase. The cost includes a reserved seat, two drink tickets and a signed copy of Operation. General admission tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. Cornerstone & Company will be on hand serving up craft cocktails and wood fire pizza for sale. Saturday is a free event; attendees may purchase signed copies of Operation and Deli Deli Sandwich Co will have food for sale.

A portion of the money raised from this event will also benefit Family Network on Disabilities of Manasota (FND), a local non-profit organization that assists families of children with disabilities and special needs to go “from Heartache to Hope - One Family at a Time."

To purchase tickets or for more information about Operation Gratitude, visit cwcfpra.com/event/operation-gratitude/ 

Residents in the Bradenton community and surrounding areas will have the opportunity to receive free dental services at Family Dental Care of South Bradenton. Dr. Nichole Koby, Dr. Quyen Dang and team at Family Dental Care of South Bradenton will be improving the oral health of the community as part of Free Dentistry Day, a day dedicated to providing free dental care to the growing number of Americans without dental insurance. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 108 million Americans are living without dental insurance. “We understand that many people in our community and across the nation haven’t been to the dentist for a long period of time. Some don’t understand the importance of dental health, but more often than not, they don’t have the financial means,” said Dr. Koby. “This event is a great opportunity for us to share our time and resources with those less fortunate and give back to the community.”

During this Free Dentistry Day event, a choice of one cleaning, filling or extraction will be provided to patients on Saturday, November 2, between 9 am - 1pm at 3565 53rd Ave., West Bradenton. Patients will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call 941-758-3996 or visit www.FreeDentistryDay.org. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County announced the 2019-2020 Corporate Board of Directors and Foundation Board of Directors as the agency prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020 as a leading youth-serving organization in Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. The organization also announced the 2019-2020 Foundation Board of Directors. For a full list of the executive team and board of Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County, visit bgcsarasota.com. 

Realize Bradenton, a nonprofit organization that promotes cultural and physical development, as well as economic growth in downtown Bradenton, recently appointed Karen Corbin as the organization’s first development director.  A seasoned fundraising and donor relations professional, Corbin brings more than 20 years of experience in philanthropy and resource development to Realize Bradenton. In her new position, Corbin will be responsible for Realize Bradenton’s comprehensive resource development plan in partnership with the executive director and board of directors. She will also serve as the organization’s major gift fundraiser, donor relations coordinator and strategic grants manager.  This new role will extend Realize Bradenton’s ability to secure resources and grants that build downtown’s vitality, attractiveness and business development. “Realize Bradenton has a great story to tell,” said Corbin. “I look forward to spreading the word and connecting with others to help grow Realize Bradenton’s positive impact on the Bradenton-area community.” 

The Sarasota Memorial Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Sarasota Memorial Home Care team each received 5-Star government ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).  The public quality ratings – updated periodically on CMS’ website (Medicare.gov) – continue a record of high-quality care designations that cross Sarasota Memorial’s range of hospital and post-acute services. SMH’s flagship 839-bed hospital holds the coveted honor as the only hospital in Florida to achieve the federal government’s highest 5-Star rating since CMS launched the Hospital Compare program in 2016. In its Fall 2019 update, CMS reviewed about 16,000 nursing homes across the nation, with tougher standards to evaluate medical care, including facilities’ use of anti-psychotic drugs, which can pose serious risks for older adults and those with dementia. Its methodology also measures staffing ratios, successful discharges to the community, improvements in function, emergency visits and re-hospitalizations, in addition to state-conducted, annual health inspections and how much time nurses spend with residents. This year, CMS also added an alert icon to its Nursing Home Compare website to warn consumers about homes that have been flagged for violations including abuse and neglect.

For more information about CMS star ratings, visit cms.gov and search under “Hospital Compare,” “Nursing Home Compare” or “Home Health Compare.” An online tool allows visitors to search by region or facility name.