Relationships matter.

Most of us can fondly identify a friend or family member who has been impressed upon our hearts, someone we rely on, in whose company we feel safe. Families with strong bonds can better weather the inevitable struggles of life by leaning on each other in times of need. In the workplace, supportive and healthy relationships create a camaraderie that strengthens corporate culture and optimizes organizational performance. Teachers and students can form trusting and caring relationships that bring out the best in even the most reluctant learners. 

A key attribute to any healthy relationship is building trust. When relationships are firmly built upon trust, vulnerabilities can be shared, disagreements can be respected, and commitments are upheld. 

It might feel like we as a society are on a downward trend in our ability to trust one another. Yet I feel a sense of hope in the power of healthy relationships and what they can teach us. 

In partnership with Sarasota County Schools, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County is prototyping an innovative model of student support through Resiliency Coaches who will work closely with a select group of high school students who are most at risk of not graduating. Resiliency Coaches will provide practical assistance such as one-on-one support to help ensure students complete necessary coursework and can pass end-of-course exams. They will ensure students are enrolled in ACT/SAT test prep workshops where these standardized tests can be used as concordant scores for graduation. 

These coaches will also mentor students, modeling and promoting responsibility, honesty, citizenship and other key characteristics that will prepare them for life. They will provide a safe, encouraging, caring environment that is essential to growth.

Resiliency Coaches will aim to develop a trusting relationship with students and offer hope and support as the students persevere, overcome obstacles and strengthen their resiliency. 

It’s an exciting protype in alignment with the Florida Department of Education, which is developing a resiliency toolkit and prioritizing instruction around valuable attributes such as grit, empathy, perseverance and self-awareness.

With this pilot program, the Education Foundation is moving quickly and thoughtfully to address a decline in high school graduation rates across Sarasota County and the need to prepare at-risk youth for life, and we are actively searching for qualified candidates to apply for these key positions. 

A high school diploma dramatically improves earning power and keeps open more possibilities for students to reach their potential. When students graduate and do so with a plan, resilient and better prepared for life, they are more likely to keep a community thriving.

And for so many students in Sarasota County and across the nation, that begins with a trusting relationship that can help students find hope. 

The need for coordinated, one-on-one mentoring and coaching in schools is urgent, and we are excited to be a contributing partner of this new initiative that I hope will garner widespread community and donor support. But first the initiative needs a few caring, qualified individuals eager to help at-risk students graduate high school and do so more prepared for life.

If you or someone you know are interested in helping students who most need a champion, who most need someone who will help them find purpose and reengage with school and with planning for life, someone to mentor them, we need you. Students across our county during these difficult times need a little extra support. Together, we can help reverse learning loss and declines in graduation. We can build trust, foster hope, and strengthen resiliency—through relationships. Relationships can do that and so much more.

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

The book Stolen Focus by Joha

nn Hari has earned a lot of attention for its efforts to revive the art of thinking deeply and limiting distractions in a frenzied world.

Hari says that while attention span (or our lack of it) may seem to be a personal asset, it’s actually the product of community, connected to our social environment. Now that the internet is so woven into our societal fabric, placing unlimited diversions at our fingertips, there are new societal norms about how we interact through technology that have become accepted, but that truly disconnect us.

The solution to reclaiming our focus, he posits, must be a communal effort as well. Aside from keeping our smart phones in a lock box, there’s not much a person acting alone can do to quiet the constant chatter of the online world. As Hari points out in the book – a person can’t reduce smog in a city by wearing a gas mask.

The idea that solutions are a communal responsibility, one that requires the tweaking of systems to improve results for people, is at the heart of philanthropy. Community foundations connect networks of relationships between individuals, nonprofits, civic, and faith-based organizations on behalf of generous, visionary donors. Strategic giving facilitates systemic change; done well, charitable giving can be used as risk capital to showcase what is possible and inspire institutions and the people managing them to make
broader changes.

This requires patience and a thoughtful, collaborative approach that takes the long view. When issues arise, it’s tempting to react with a quick fix, but that approach doesn’t result in solid and meaningful change.

When we work with philanthropically minded people and families alongside their advisors, our discussions often lead to how to support innovative, strategic systemic solutions that address the causes of issues. In determining results, we focus on metrics that gauge how we’re making a difference, be that student reading scores, increases in skilled workers, or college completion rates.

Inevitably, our community's needs will continue to change as more people call our region home. I am hopeful that the solutions to some of our greatest challenges will evolve as well. As Hari noted in Stolen Focus, a committed group of mothers that focused on measurements of lead in paint changed how that industry evolved, improving products we use today in homes, churches, and daycare centers. Those who leave their estate to foundations trust us to help safeguard the future of our community by supporting creative changes locally. Strategic giving generates solutions that will be enacted long into the future. That is something to focus on: how investments in our community yield long-term results. Put another way, it’s not a task that can be accomplished with a gas mask.