SRQ DAILY Jan 28, 2026
Wednesday Philanthropy Edition
"At the end of the day, I want the next person to have less isolation from embarrassment and if they're more comfortable being out in public, there's more opportunity for them to go to training, therapy and to live life."
Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s held its Annual Parkinson’s Symposium on Saturday, January 24, at Sarasota Memorial Health Care Center. The free, expert-led event offered vital education and inspiration for people living with Parkinson’s, care partners and healthcare professionals. Alongside presentations from leading Parkinson’s specialists, this year’s Symposium featured special guest Jimmy Choi, celebrated American Ninja Warrior competitor and Parkinson’s advocate. Choi, who uses his platform to inspire and empower others with Parkinson’s, discussed his personal journey of living actively with the disease. In addition to his symposium presentation, Choi graciously took the time to share his thoughts with our readers. Below is a portion of the larger feature to appear in the April edition of SRQ Magazine.
How do events like the Neuro Challenge Foundation Symposium help strengthen the Parkinson’s community?
When I was diagnosed, there was a lot of shame and embarrassment that came along with the diagnosis. There was a stigma because of how little the public knew about Parkinson's. Everybody looked at me, thinking maybe I was drunk. Sitting on an airplane, I would have tremors and people wouldn't want to sit next to me. So, I thought it was important for me to raise awareness, not just for those living with Parkinson's, but if you look at my social media platforms, I'm really talking to the general public. If I can somehow help the public have a better understanding, there will be less shame, less embarrassment for the person living with Parkinson's. And at the same time, if I can show my abilities and if that can help another person with Parkinson's also learn how they can help themselves, then that's great as well. At the end of the day, I want the next person to have less isolation from embarrassment and if they're more comfortable being out in public, there's more opportunity for them to go to training, therapy and to live life. 
Pictured: American Ninja Warrior and Parkinson's advocate, Jimmy Choi, Provided photo.
Each year, SRQ Media invites the community to nominate individuals with hearts of giving who have made a significant impact with local nonprofit organizations—from volunteers and board members to individual staff members and donors. This year, attendees were thrilled to be together as we recognized these individuals at our annual Giving Coast and Good Hero Awards luncheon and panel discussion on December 10 at Michael’s on East in Sarasota. In the coming weeks, we are happy to feature each of the ten honorees in our Wednesday Philanthropic edition of SRQ Daily.
Today, we are recognizing Kaia Barrett, a recipient of our Good Hero Youth Award. Despite living daily with cystic fibrosis, Kaia has never allowed her challenges to define her. After surviving a devastating car crash in December, one that left her in a coma for three days with a fractured skull, brain bleed and traumatic brain injury, she has shown extraordinary determination and faith in her recovery. Her strength, resilience, and heart for others make her a true example of what it means to be a young leader in our community. Kaia volunteers at community events and serves as a teacher’s assistant at several homeschool co-ops. She currently serves as the Vice President for Turning Point USA Sarasota County Headquarters and was a Congressional Captain for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Teen Advocacy Day. She embodies what it means to be a Good Hero. Congratulations Kaia.
Pictured: Children First CEO Philip Tavill (left) with Kaia Barrett. Photo by Daniel Wagner or Wagner Visuals.
As the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s 26th annual Season of Sharing campaign enters its final stretch, the Bishop-Parker Foundation has issued a $100,000 grant to support the initiative, which supports people in crisis year-round. The funds will help individuals and families in Manatee County who are struggling to pay for basic needs like housing, utilities, childcare and transportation. Since Season of Sharing’s inception in 2000, the initiative has raised more than $50 million and assisted more than 57,000 households. Every dollar raised through Season of Sharing goes directly to help people in need, and while donations are invited year-round, the matching opportunity provided by longtime partner The Patterson Foundation concludes on Saturday, Jan. 31. The Patterson Foundation strengthens Season of Sharing by donating $100,000 for every $500,000 raised by the community through that date.
The Hope on the Run 5K Series is a community-centered running initiative designed to unite participants of all ages and abilities in support of local survivors of child abuse and children in foster care. This empowering three-race series invites runners, walkers, and supporters to hit the pavement while making a direct impact on local lives. Hosted in a county-wide partnership with Bridge A Life, the Child Protection Center, and The Twig, the Hope on the Run 5K Series celebrates compassion, community engagement, and active support for family programs. Every stride taken in the series contributes to vital services for children and families touched by adversity across Sarasota, North Port, and Venice, Florida. For more information on CPC or to inquire about ways to get involved, please visit them at www.cpcsarasota.org or call 941-365-1277.
Impact100SRQ is a women-led, all-volunteer organization committed to collective giving and thoughtful philanthropy in our local community. At least 100 women each give a $1,000 tax deductible donation, and together they collectively award grants in increments of at least $100,000 to nonprofits serving Sarasota and Manatee Counties in five focus areas: Arts, Culture & History; Education; Environment, Recreation & Animal Welfare; Family; and Health & Wellness. Every member has a voice and a vote in the grantmaking process, helping determine which nonprofit initiatives receive funding and support. Our Mission: To Empower Women to Collectively Fund Transformational Grants to Nonprofits in Sarasota & Manatee Counties. When women come together with purpose, generosity is amplified and impact is multiplied. Please join us for the 2026 Giving Year—membership is open through March 26, 2026.
Impact100 SRQ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
January 20, 2026 — In a powerful celebration of collective philanthropy, Impact100 SRQ’s 864 voting members gathered at their Annual Celebration & Awards Ceremony at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium at the Bay. The event featured ten nonprofit Grant Finalists presenting their initiatives, showcasing the sustainable impact they would have across Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Following the presentations, members voted to fund eight grants of $108,000 each, supporting initiatives across five focus areas: Arts, Culture & History; Education; Environment, Recreation & Animal Welfare; Family; and Health & Wellness. The Grant Recipients were announced live, celebrating the lasting change these initiatives will bring to the community. To learn more or become a member, visit www.Impact100SRQ.org/membership.
All Faiths Food Bank has recently been awarded numerous grants totaling in excess of $331,600. These funds will help children to receive nutritious food through the BackPack and School Pantry programs, enable patients at local healthcare facilities to return home with fresh groceries, and bolster the organization's operational capacity.
The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) has been awarded a $75,000 capital grant from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation in the highly competitive Fall 2025 Traditional grant cycle. The Selby Foundation’s investment will support critical preventative maintenance projects across WRC’s Sarasota and Manatee facilities, including replacing aging windows and exterior doors with hurricane-rated, energy-efficient units; completing roof replacements on both buildings at the Manatee Avenue campus; and repairing leaks and damaged ceiling tiles in client-facing program spaces. These improvements will strengthen the safety, resilience, and functionality of WRC’s centers, ensuring uninterrupted access to vital services for women across the region.
Residents of Sarasota's Newtown community will soon have a new resource, where fresh and healthy foods will be available alongside existing employment and support services. In March, All Faiths Food Bank will open Margie's Market by All Faiths Food Bank inside Goodwill Manasota's Job Connection Center (1781 Dr. Martin Luther King Way). This pilot program - powered by generous funding from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation - has the potential for expansion to other neighborhoods. Margie's Market will serve as a new model of food distribution, one that will reach more neighbors in a way that respects choice, culture and community. With Goodwill's Job Connection services and the food available at this new market, the location will serve as a hub for wraparound holistic support, connecting people with social services and resources to not only address an immediate crisis but also foster long-term stability and wellness.
The Manasota Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) will host its inaugural Black History Month Scholarship Luncheon on Friday, February 6, 11:30 a.m., at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota. Proceeds from the event will directly support the Manasota ASALH Scholarship Program, helping the organization continue empowering students and advancing equity through academic excellence. Tickets are $125, with sponsorships and tables available. For tickets, sponsorship information, or to learn more, contact info@asalh-manasotafl.org or visit www.asalh-manasotafl.org.
Hatch’s newly commissioned “plate painting,” Amalgam (2023), was created specifically for Sarasota Art Museum. Consisting of more than 450 earthenware plates hand-painted in white, blue, and gold luster, the abstract lines and shapes in Amalgam are drawn from a variety of historical ceramics from around the globe.
Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34236
Sundays, 1pm. Join psychic and tarot reader, Deni Dreazen on a metaphysical exploration trolley tour of Sarasota. Visit Pixie Dust gift shop, experience a sound bath at the Crocker Memorial Church with sound healer, Kaylene McCaw, and then walk the labyrinth.
Wednesdays, 10:30am. Explore Art Deco, Mid-Century Modern (the Sarasota School of Architecture) and Mediterranean Revival Architecture buildings, homes and structures of Sarasota on this 90-minute mainland tour.
Mondays, 1pm. Join Jerome Chesley as you explore more than 60 pieces of public art located in downtown and St. Armands.
Saturdays, 1pm. This tour led by circus historian Bob Collins explores the fascinating legacy of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Make your Saturday mornings even more fun! Check out the Backyard Science program for elementary-aged learners at The Bishop’s incredible indoor Mosaic Backyard Universe. This wildly popular learning program offers a wide range of activities, observations, and crafts that are sure to spark curiosity and ignite learning.
Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th Street West Bradenton FL 34205
Thursdays, 10am. Discover with our expert guide, Kendra Cross, why Sarasota is the only place in the world that the Amish and Mennonite communities come to vacation en masse. In Pinecraft, enjoy the tour stops at Alma Sue’s Quilt Shop, The Carlisle Inn and Der Dutchman Amish Kitchen Cooking Restaurant for shopping and a pie shooter sample of their delicious pie!
Swing into an evening of style, swagger, and timeless charm with Feeling Good, a high-energy celebration of modern crooners. From the timeless elegance of Sinatra and the smooth sophistication of Michael Bublé to the sparkle of Bette Midler and Lady Gaga, this show delivers silky vocals, irresistible rhythms, and captivating personality. Savor swingin’ favorites like “Come Fly With Me” and “It Had to Be You,” fresh hits like “Home” and “Moondance,” and delightfully cheeky numbers such as “Stuff Like That There” and “Me and Mrs. Jones.” Equal parts class and sass, Feeling Good will leave you – well – feeling good.
Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N Palm Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236
Stelliferous is your monthly guide to the night skies and the latest news from the world of astronomy. You can enjoy our upgraded Planetarium system and feel like an astronaut as you experience our 50-foot dome!
Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St W, Bradenton
This exhibition highlights contemporary Native design, craftwork, and art that employ the formal and aesthetic elements of abstraction as meaningful motifs and coded tools of Indigenous expression to communicate tribal cultures and histories, ancestral knowledge, and the lived experiences of the artists and their communities. Explored in a variety of media, including basket weaving, beadwork, collage, clay, textiles, photography, metalwork, and printmaking rooted in ancestral technologies, their work shares similar stylistic and social concerns, such as vibrant color, hard-edged geometries, curvilinear patterns, and bold mark-making, all infused with personal stories and those of their kin.
Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243
This exhibition highlights contemporary Native design, craftwork, and art that employ the formal and aesthetic elements of abstraction as meaningful motifs and coded tools of Indigenous expression to communicate tribal cultures and histories, ancestral knowledge, and the lived experiences of the artists and their communities.
Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243
Join us for a weekly guided tour of the night sky in our state-of-the-art planetarium. As Earth moves around the sun, different objects come into view. We'll not only discuss what you can see this season, we'll fly you there!
Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St W, Bradenton
Award-winning Hermitage Fellows offer a unique glimpse into their creative process, sharing original works in process with our Gulf Coast audiences. These free hour-long programs take the shape of musical performances, playreadings, concerts, visual art demonstrations, panel discussions, master classes, exhibitions, open studios,and more. The presentations are often works in process, giving Hermitage audiences a look into the creative process before these works go on to leading theaters, concert halls, and museums around the world.
Hermitage Artist Retreat, 6660 Manasota Key Rd, Englewood, FL 34223
Showcasing 100 rare posters along with sculptures, cocktail shakers, and furniture pieces, this exciting exhibition celebrates the centennial anniversary of Art Deco and the artistic significance it brought to the early 20th-century.
Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34236
Selina Román blends photography, abstraction, and self-portraiture to explore themes of beauty and the politics of size. Roman’s photographs transform the gallery into a space of quiet resistance, subverting traditional ideas of feminine beauty.
Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34236
The Sarasota Art Museum partners with the Jazz Club of Sarasota to present live jazz on the second Thursday of every month on the Marcy and Michael Klein Plaza. Enjoy a beverage or food in the Bistro and extended hours in the galleries and shops! Concert begins 5:30 pm.
Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota
Art immersion class for children ages 6-18. Small classes with fine arts materials. Visit linarinconart.com for more information and to register.
Creative Liberties Artist Studios, Gallery & Creative Academy, 927 N Lime Ave., Sarasota, FL 34237
The summer 2026 exhibition at Selby Gardens will celebrate the creative collaboration between two legendary figures and longtime friends, photographer Lynn Goldsmith and singer-songwriter Patti Smith, who is Selby Gardens’ artist in residence. The exhibition will feature Goldsmith’s photographs of Smith, past and present, in the Museum of Botany & the Arts. The images will offer an intimate portrait of an iconic artist over the course of her remarkable career.
Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St, Sarasota, FL 34236
Juana Romani (1867–1924) was one of the most fascinating and successful painters in late-nineteenth-century Paris. Born in Italy, Juana—whose given name was Giovanna Carlesimo—moved to Paris with her mother and stepfather at the age of ten. She took up painting, studying under the well-known painters Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905) and Ferdinand Roybet (1840–1920). Romani quickly earned both critical praise and significant fame for her deftly painted, richly colorful depictions of strong, sensual women adorned in lavish textiles.
Ringling Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243
Mayer explores the impact of technology on the human body through this interactive sculpture series. Slumpies invites viewers to sit and slump on these sculptures, much like furniture, and find a place of comfort while using their technological devices.
Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34236
Tradition Reimagined brings together a diverse group of Illustration Department faculty whose practices are rooted in traditional painting techniques while actively challenging and expanding their boundaries. This group exhibition celebrates the enduring power of representational art while highlighting each artist’s unique approach to storytelling, process and visual interpretation.
Galleries of Ringling College of Art and Design, 2700 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234
Once Upon a Mattress flips the classic fairy tale upside down in this hilarious, high-energy musical that’s bursting with charm, cleverness, and contagious fun for all ages. With toe-tapping tunes, outrageous characters, and non-stop laughs, this is a royal romp that will have you grinning from start to finish.
Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 3rd Ave W, Bradenton, FL 34205
Art Center Sarasota's Annual Juried Members Show fills all four galleries in celebration of our Centennial Season. This inclusive, unthemed exhibition showcases the diverse talents of our member artists across a wide range of styles and mediums, from bold abstractions to detailed realism. With guaranteed inclusion for all who submit, the show reflects our commitment to accessibility, creativity, and the vibrant spirit that has defined our community for 100 years.
ArtCenter Sarasota, 707 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota
When President Kennedy vowed to put a man on the moon, the task landed in the hands of a band of maverick engineers – once the misfits of American science. With no rulebook, they embraced “blue-skying,” drawing inspiration from Buck Rogers, Greek myths, Louis Leakey, and even Snoopy and the Red Baron.
Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N Palm Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236
A Hollywood film star and her entourage descend upon a quaint English village to film an epic period drama. But when the glamorous opening reception ends in a chilling murder, everyone becomes a suspect. Leaving Agatha Christie's beloved sleuth, Miss Marple, to untangle a web of ambition, deceit, and stage fright. One of the Queen of Mystery's most celebrated novels finally makes it to the stage in this new adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff.
Asolo Repertory Theatre , 5555 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
World Premiere, Choreography by Gemma Bond. Lilac Garden, Choreography by Antony Tudor, Music by Ernest Chausson. Valsinhas, Choreography by Ricardo Graziano, Music by Franz Schubert.
FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34243
An interactive exhibition exploring mental health, storytelling, and imagination through LEGO.
Galleries of Ringling College of Art and Design, 2700 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234
Experience an intimate look at award-winning and internationally recognized artist Janet Echelman’s artistic evolution, from early explorations in drawing, painting, and textiles to the monumental netted sculptures that have redefined public spaces around the world.
Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, FL 34236
Join us for the first of five family-friendly and Free Art Walks this Academic Year. Compelling exhibitions, food trucks and live music.
Galleries of Ringling College of Art and Design, 2700 N. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34234
SRQ DAILY is a daily e-newsletter produced by SRQ MEDIA. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. 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. SRQ DAILY includes content excerpted from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Robinson Valverde at 941-365-7702 x703 or via email |
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