When relationships thrive, we do better. Deepening connections takes work and time, but it’s worth it. We become more available to the people we serve, donors, partner organizations, and colleagues.

We can include elected representatives, or we can get caught in the idea of “sides” and forget that legislators are extensions of the relationship network that is essential to our success.

Traveling to Tallahassee last month, I was grateful that our state senators and representatives made time to meet. We talked about the importance of charitable organizations to our community’s vitality, the talented workforce they employ, and the irreplaceable resource they offer for informed decision-making.

During our conversations, several people told our small group about the personal relationships and respect they have for their colleagues across the aisle, the kind of stuff you don’t read about in the clickbait of today. Connection is absent from headlines because there is no drama; it’s simply about working in the same space even if there is disagreement.

While the comments about supportive colleagueship in our State Capitol offered an optimism to counter the divisiveness we hear about too often, we also have a role in civil conversation.

As a private foundation, the Selby Foundation does not lobby, but we can talk about the significant role of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations in creating safe spaces for dialogue, increasing health and wellness for our residents, driving economic benefits to our communities, supporting families, and protecting our environment.

Most of our elected representatives have charitable passions and at least one or two strong ties to local organizations. They may have attended a nonprofit afterschool program, have children who volunteer, have an adopted dog from a local shelter, or have a relative helped by an organization specializing in a substance abuse disorder. After session, they return to our community where they live, work, and play. This reminder makes progress seem more attainable when trying to convey the magnitude of our sector’s importance and what it means to keep it healthy.

The ability to start new conversations, find things in common, and connect with people you may not otherwise know helps our sector flourish. Legislators make decisions that impact the work of nonprofits and young people like our Selby Scholars here at home. They can benefit from knowledge partners--people like you who have on-the-ground experiences, intimately familiar with the needs of our community and the connected data.

When people listen, and when we are open to listening, it's more like working on a relationship than taking a "side." Special thanks to our friends at the Florida Nonprofit Alliance for organizing the second annual Florida Nonprofit Day and to colleagues at home for making the trip a meaningful and productive experience.

Susie Bowie is the President and CEO of The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. 

Last week, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County gathered to honor a long-held tradition: celebrating the individuals and families whose charitable legacies continue to shape lives here at home and beyond.

We were joined by those whose legacies we may one day carry forward, as well as community leaders whose careers and volunteer efforts strengthen our region every day. Our theme was joyful connection, because I believe that philanthropy begins there. The decision to give is often born in a moment of connection and compassion, when one person truly sees another and recognizes a shared humanity that rises above the divisions that can so easily pull us apart.

This year, we invited guests to share a photo of a joyful moment from the previous year. As they arrived, their own smiling faces filled the screen. What followed at each table was the kind of conversation that reminds you why community still matters. People shared stories behind the images—milestones, reunions, quiet victories. Laughter echoed. A few tears were shed. In those exchanges, connections deepened across the room. And naturally, the conversation turned to legacy: What do we want to be remembered for? What do we hope to build together?

I shared a few photos of my own—my family on vacation in Panama, a challenging hike with my husband in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and a moment moderating a panel at the 20th anniversary of the University of South Florida’s Women in Leadership & Philanthropy program. I shared these glimpses because they reflect the moments that shape who we are. Philanthropy is not transactional; it is deeply human. To truly know someone—their history, their values, their motivations—is the biggest honor of our work at the Community Foundation. We can only steward the future well when we honor the stories that brought us here.

Perhaps the most moving part of the program came from Terrance Jackson, the director of education and engagement at Asolo Repertory Theatre, who shared photos from throughout his life—from being born at Sarasota Memorial Hospital to graduating from Booker High School, performing around the country and now living back home again. He received a scholarship from the Community Foundation’s Allen Wirtz Nobbe and Jo Bowen Nobbe Scholarship Fund, which has awarded millions in scholarship dollars to more than 1,100 students in Sarasota County since Jo’s passing. Jo cared deeply about educational empowerment and opportunity. Seeing her photo alongside Terrance’s story was a vivid reminder that generosity, when nurtured carefully, can echo across generations.

When a legacy reverberates decades later—when one person’s belief becomes another person’s opportunity—there’s only one word for the feeling I get: joy.

Jessica Muroff is the President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. 

Photo courtesy of The Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

March is Arts in Education month, and I've been thinking about what that really means. What do arts programs actually do for our students? And more importantly, what happens when they're not there?

We talk a lot about preparing students for the future, for jobs that don't exist yet, for challenges we can't predict. There's a framework for this called 21st-century skills, built around four Cs: creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Those are the capabilities that matter most in a rapidly changing world.

And here's what I find fascinating; those are exactly the skills that arts education develops. They're also, not coincidentally, the skills that differentiate us from artificial intelligence. In an age when everyone's asking what humans will still be needed for, the answer is right there in the band room, the theater, the art studio. The things that make us distinctly, irreplaceably human.

We don't teach arts just to create more artists. Arts education gives young people a safe space to take creative risks, to work together, and to find their voices. We’re teaching life skills.

But here's the thing: school is the most reliable, most consistent way that students have access to arts. Full stop.

Think about it. Private piano lessons and dance classes at a studio are wonderful. They're also not available to everyone. They require money, transportation, and parents with flexible schedules. Without arts in schools, we're essentially saying that a child's access to creative development depends on their family's resources.

This is why school arts programs matter so much. They reach every student, regardless of what neighborhood they live in or what their family can afford. Just like we've decided that every child should learn to read in school, and every child should have water safety education (we do live around a lot of water, after all), we should ensure every child has access to arts education. It’s why the Alliance has long convened our arts organizations, educators, and community partners to support this work.

School districts everywhere are facing difficult budget decisions. And arts programs, because they often exist as singular positions are uniquely vulnerable. You might have several English teachers at a middle school, but there's often just one choral director, one theater teacher, one dance instructor. Cut that position, and you don't just reduce a program. You eliminate it entirely. And once that happens, restoring it could take a lot of time, and we know that it can also be unlikely.

So, what can we do? We can see the impact that the arts have in schools by attending a theater performance, an art exhibition, or a musical performance. Experience the impact for yourself, and you can join the conversation. On April 8, we're hosting an Arts & Education Advocacy panel, bringing together leaders from across Florida to talk honestly about the future of creative learning in our schools.

Because that's what this month is really about. It's not just celebrating arts in schools. It's recommitting to making sure they stay there as an essential element of a complete education.

The creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving students learn in arts classrooms don't stay in those classrooms. The students we invest in today become the workforce we depend on, the neighbors we live beside, the leaders who shape what comes next. Arts education doesn't just build better artists. It builds better citizens, better colleagues, better community members, the people all of us will work with, live with, and count on. That's our shared future.

Visit sarasotaarts.org to learn more Arts & Education.

Brian Hersh is the CEO of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County. 

Pictured: Art in Education, held at the Sarasota Art Museum, showcased students from various Sarasota County Schools. Provided photo.

At the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, students have always been at the center of our work. We listen to their ideas and needs, and their perspectives often help shape our direction. They have a seat at the table in our governance, with two student representatives serving on our board to keep us grounded in lived experience and informed by what matters most to them.

We see student voice as insight, leadership and influence, and we want our broader community to listen, too. When we create space for young people, we strengthen their leadership and prepare them for a future-ready world.

That’s why we’re excited to introduce a new platform led entirely by students — with real responsibility and real impact. A spinoff of our Education Conversations podcast, Future-Ready: Student Voices is produced by, about and for Sarasota students, amplifying their experiences and aspirations while connecting with peers through authentic conversation.

Four students, all seniors, joined forces to develop the concept for the podcast. Together, they identified topics aligned with their vision. Each student facilitates an individual episode, culminating in a final episode featuring all four hosts answering questions submitted throughout the season by students and families.

“Every student has the opportunity to wear every production hat,” said Lisa Moody, communications and content writer for the Education Foundation. “They will leave this experience with layers of transferable skills.”

In addition to shaping the concept, format and topics, students invite relevant guests — researching backgrounds, writing scripts, learning recording equipment, conducting interviews, editing episodes, and marketing and distributing the final product. These technical and soft skills will serve them wherever their futures lead — in school, in the workplace, or as entrepreneurs.

They also collaborate with peers from other schools, developing professionalism and teamwork along the way. For Debbie, the experience has meant stepping outside her comfort zone to try something new.

“The podcast has taught me more about my communication skills,” she said. “I wrote the script for my episode, but I was also able to go off-script and ask questions on the fly. I think that is an important skill I didn't have that this experience has taught me.”

As we expand this area of student support, we’re encouraged by the early outcomes. Students aren’t just building technical skills, they’re gaining confidence, strengthening communication abilities, learning to troubleshoot, and discovering the power of their own perspectives. Aaron describes the experience as a fun and unexpected opportunity for growth, saying, “The student podcast has been a blast. I’ve learned valuable skills in interview techniques and audio editing!”

Moments like these remind us why creating real-world learning opportunities matters — when students are given the space to lead, they rise to the occasion, giving adults an opportunity to learn from them.

Listen to Future-Ready: Student Voices on our website at edfoundationsrq.org/education-conversations-podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Pictured: (Left to right) Debbie Brannon interviews Staff Sargeant Jayvin Rivera, Aaron Nielsen talks with a Student Success Coach, Brothers Nate G and Jake G practice a mock podcast. Provided photo.