The Education Foundation this past Sunday hosted its first Ringling Bridge 5K/10K Run and Well-Being Expo. The event brought together over 1,200 race participants and many others. While people were drawn to this event for many reasons, we are so glad that they joined us to support students and teachers in Sarasota County Schools.  

As we know, championing students and teachers doesn’t just happen at a one-time event. It happens throughout the year, in so many ways. It’s the daily interactions, both big and small, and it’s the way in which we demonstrate value, support, access, and opportunity to students and teachers.  

Lasting change isn’t forged overnight, and championing students and teachers requires a steady, thoughtful, unified, responsive approach that accounts for an increasingly uncertain world and for the unexpected challenges that inevitably arise.  

This year, for instance, the late rollout of the revamped Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has created uncertainty in the lives of many low-income students. While so many students are graduating with plans, ready to start their next adventure, others will leave high school adrift, uncertain about their future. These students still need support lest they fall through the cracks. 

At the same time, we know that great teachers are essential to a thriving community. It is vital that we elevate the value of teachers and the respect the community has for their remarkable work in and outside of their classrooms. Exceptional teachers, after all, are key in developing the next generation of leaders. 

Teacher Appreciation Week begins on Monday. All week, the Education Foundation will celebrate teachers who inspire their students to dream big and actively pursue those dreams. We will provide recognition and rewards through a daily chance drawing. Each day throughout the week, teachers will be winning gifts of all shapes and sizes, which will validate their contribution and symbolize the support of an entire community. 

If you or your business would like to provide gifts or prizes to local teachers, please contact our Events and Volunteer Manager Kayla Bailey as soon as possible at kbailey@edfoundationsrq.edu.  

Gifts and recognition can uplift teachers and validate their challenging work. Equally if not more important are kind words, notes, and hugs—which are free! I hope you will take time this week, however you’re comfortable, to celebrate teachers and make them feel valued.  

The sustained support and recognition a community gives to students and teachers will carry us further and ensure Sarasota County remains the vibrant, thriving place that it is today. The Education Foundation is honored to be part of it.  

We are honored to host a race across the iconic Ringling Bridge, a well-being expo, a teacher recognition campaign, and others because these events, while finite, ripple outward. They generate awareness and interest, which leads to action, and action ensures that students and teachers, no matter their experience, can find the relationships and resources that will help them succeed.  

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

Photo courtesy Education Foundation: Education Foundation CEO Vigne and Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Terry Connor at opening ceremony..

It is human nature to rush in to help in the aftermath of a crisis. We see it time and again after natural disasters or accidents, the immediate aid given to help restore normalcy. 

While this is a beautiful response to life’s dark moments, there is something to be said for contributing to future well-being during a bright time.

That is what happened on April 9 and 10, when our community came together to support 724 nonprofit organizations during the 2024 Giving Challenge, raising the second-highest total in Giving Challenge history, $17.2 million. The only Giving Challenge that raised more money was in 2020, in the first terrifying weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, during a global societal shutdown and mass uncertainty. 

There are clearly aspects of present-day society that are challenging; however, this year’s Giving Challenge came at a calmer time when we could celebrate our vital nonprofits in our community. How about 53,305 neighbors—another second-place record, only outdone by 2020—coming together, aligned in the purpose of strengthening the nonprofits that contribute so much to the quality of life we enjoy here?  Bravo to all the donors who supported our community!

We are grateful to our partner The Patterson Foundation, for inspiring giving through a generous and unique unlimited dollar-for-dollar match, a hallmark of our Giving Challenge that has amplified impact since the first challenge in 2012. Over nine Giving Challenges, The Patterson Foundation’s matching dollars have contributed more than $37 million in funding to nonprofits. 

Much more than money was raised during those 24 hours—the Giving Challenge was an event that affirmed our community’s belief in the value of the unique and vital role our nonprofits play. It bolstered hope for the future of our community and was a testament to the generous character of those who live here. It showed that we can and do unite for a good cause: safeguarding the rich social, historical, cultural, and environmental assets of our community. 

A dive into the results for individual nonprofits shows that each has cultivated its own community of supporters and is considered worthy of support. This is true for all of them, whether their individual missions involve protecting animals, our environment, people living with disabilities, or religious freedoms. 

The vast array of services and goods provided by our nonprofits is key to the tremendous quality of life we enjoy here. That much was clear from the Giving Challenge results. 

Another key to our quality of life that became clear in those 24 hours is the deep connection we have to our community and one another, our belief in the greatness of this place we call home, and our commitment to ensuring a future full of possibility. This is all the more powerful because that commitment to tomorrow’s brightness was made on a perfectly sunny day. 

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

Image courtesy Pixabay.