The Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s 10th Giving Challenge takes place from noon to noon, April 15 to 16, and you can already feel the excitement building across our community. Not a day goes by without someone in the community asking me for the latest update about the challenge or without me seeing a social media post or email update promoting the challenge. I joined the foundation in January, and so this is my first time experiencing the Giving Challenge from inside the organization, and while I knew the Giving Challenge was a big deal for our community, I had no idea it was this big of a deal.

The buzz is real, and it’s inspiring.

A record number of nonprofits are participating this year. They’re spreading the word about their missions and impact through every available channel so that when the challenge starts, they can move quickly toward their goals—and maybe even the top of the leaderboard. Many organizations are also teaming up with other nonprofits to create what we call Pop-up Giving Stations. These are in-person events and experiences held during the 24 hours of the Giving Challenge, where donors can come and learn about different organizations and give on the spot. While most giving takes place online, these events create real connection and community. If you can, I highly recommend stopping by one. (You can find a complete list of all the Pop-up Giving Stations on the Giving Challenge website.)

Donors are getting excited, as well. They’re researching nonprofits they may want to support and planning out how to maximize their giving, which will receive a significant boost from our friends at The Patterson Foundation. Like it has in years past, The Patterson Foundation is providing a 1:1 match for every unique donation between $25 and $100, per donor, per nonprofit.

That match makes it possible for longtime philanthropists to double their impact, and it also provides an extra incentive for first-time donors or people who don’t think of themselves as philanthropists to participate. When a $50 gift suddenly becomes a $100 gift, it can shift someone’s worldview by showing them that everyone can be a philanthropist and that our community grows stronger when all of us pull together to support organizations that are working to improve our area’s quality of life.

Add all of that excitement up and you can understand why there’s such an electric atmosphere around this year’s Giving Challenge. It can be a little chaotic, a little overwhelming, even a little exhausting—but it’s also an incredible amount of fun. I’m all in, and I hope you’ll join me—and tens of thousands of others—in making this year’s Giving Challenge, our 10th, the biggest and best one yet.

Jessica Muroff is the President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The Giving Challenge takes place from noon to noon, April 15 to 16. Visit GivingChallenge.org for all the details. 

Provided photo.

Bill and Marie Selby understood that, dedicating much of their generous legacy to helping others access the dream of college.

Seventy years after the Selby Foundation was founded, the process of awarding scholarships to “Selby Scholars” continues to introduce us to young people who have gone above and beyond to achieve a future that will change life for themselves, their communities, and people they care about.

This year’s Selby Scholars will graduate from high school with challenges we have never had to meet. The world that existed just five years ago has been changed by AI, politics, funding available for programs within colleges, support available for students in college, and so much more. Selby Scholars are agile and know how to navigate unchartered waters. While they may not know what comes next, they are prepared to adapt.

Students who are selected each year for the renewable scholarship are high-achieving academically. But that’s not all. They are dedicated servant-leaders. They actively find resources to enhance their resilience and ability to persevere. They seek spaces where they can develop personally even when it’s difficult.

Some students are the primary caretakers for younger brothers and sisters while parents work multiple jobs. Others work many hours after school and on weekends to contribute to their family income. Most maintain a complex schedule that demonstrates their ability to fully embrace opportunity wherever it shows up.

Scholars discover their own styles of leadership in high school while organizing service projects or excelling at JROTC, scouting, or tutoring others. They are students who start new initiatives they believe in and attract others to the cause, sometimes with a personal backdrop of anxiety or depression. Many volunteer for local nonprofits with hours far exceeding graduation requirements. They often grow confidence by helping their peers gain footing.

Life experiences are the motivation students cite for pursuing higher education. Recurring themes in scholarship essays include sacrifices families have made on their behalf, a personal health condition, the death of a close relative, or the desire to change an unjust condition.

These stories are not shared to engage application readers in a contest of “outdoing,” but they shed light on the powerful way students have used their experiences to develop resourcefulness, grit, empathy, and thirst for education that changes circumstances for the better.

Our scholars embrace the world with self-confidence. It’s not the kind whispering, “You are better than others.” It’s quiet assurance that says, “You deserve this, and you can do it.” These seeds have been watered in many ways—supportive teachers, parents and caregivers who believe in them, youth-serving organizations that push them to go the extra mile and know what they can achieve.

Much like Marie Selby, who cared about the students and their individual lives as much as she cared about the scholarships, our board and staff care deeply about seeing each student thrive after they go to college. Whether we help students adjust to their new surroundings, access extra tools for wellness, connect to other Scholars, or meet someone in their chosen career field, it all matters.

As much as one person can do on their own, we are each limited (or unlimited) by what a caring community contributes to set the stage for sustained confidence, access to opportunity, and a nurturing world. We thank everyone who has had a role in shaping the soon-to-be selected 2026 Selby Scholars. Trust us when we say they will pour back into the community in ways we cannot imagine.

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

Provided photo.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to welcome someone to Sarasota.

If you’ve ever driven down North Tamiami Trail, you’ve passed some of the most iconic cultural landmarks. The Ringling Museum. The airport that greets every visitor. And as you continue south toward downtown, you eventually reach the Van Wezel and Sarasota’s cultural corridor. But in between? For a long time, there wasn’t much to connect those dots. There wasn’t much that said: this is a place where creativity lives.

That’s changing. And we’re happy to be part of that change with a project called Artscape.

Artscape is a 75-unit affordable housing community designed specifically for artists, performers, and workers in the creative sector, located at 2309–2329 North Tamiami Trail. It’s a partnership between the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County and One Stop Housing, with the support of $1.2 million from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation. And it’s not just housing. The development will include a gallery and event space operated by the Alliance, a place where residents and the broader community can display and experience art throughout the year. It will also serve as the new home for the Alliance itself.

But let me back up, because I think the more important question isn’t what this initiative is. It’s why now.

We’ve known for years that affordability is a growing crisis for creative workers in this area. The people who paint our murals, who grace our stages, who teach our children to find their voices through music and theater and visual art, many of them are being priced out of the very community they help define. That need hasn’t gone away. It’s only gotten greater.

What’s different this time is that this is locally driven. One Stop Housing brings deep experience and knowledge in affordable housing development, and they sought our expertise within the cultural sector. Just like so many things in the arts, this is something made better through collaboration, a local developer partnering with a local organization, with local philanthropic support, to solve a local problem. That’s why it’s happening now. And then there’s the geography, which I find endlessly interesting.

The North Trail has been trying to find its identity for a long time. Development has stalled; plans have come and gone. But imagine what happens when a project like Artscape anchors that corridor. Imagine driving in from the north and passing the Ringling, John Ringling’s home, his legacy, and then arriving at Artscape, a home for the artists of today. That’s not just a building. That’s a statement about who we are as a community. It’s a beacon that says, welcome to a place that values the people who make our culture possible.

Because here’s what I keep coming back to. Sarasota has long called itself Florida’s Cultural Coast. That’s a beautiful phrase. But a phrase only means something if we back it up with action. Artscape is a meaningful step toward aligning our identity with our values, ensuring that the creative workers who enrich this community have a place to call home in it.

Let’s keep Sarasota a home for creativity, not just a destination for it.

For more information about Artscape, contact the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County at
sarasotaarts.org.

Brian Hersh is the Chief Executive Officer of the Arts and Cultural Alliances for Sarasota County.  

We’re living in a moment of profound change; one where the world around us is evolving in ways that are both complex and full of possibility. From the rise of artificial intelligence to shifts across our global community, it’s natural to feel uncertainty. But within that uncertainty is also an invitation.

In education, we see that invitation clearly. The ways we’ve always done things are giving way to new ideas, new tools, and new opportunities to better serve our students. This transformation isn’t about leaving the past behind. It’s about building on what we know and shaping what comes next. And while change can take time, it opens the door to deeper connection, greater innovation, and a future where every student is supported to thrive.

At the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, that belief is driving our Future-Ready program. Now in its second year, we are seeing what’s possible when students are equipped not only with information, but with relationships, guidance, mentorship, and confidence to shape their future.

Just this past week, we saw that impact come to life.

The Education Foundation gathered a group of high school juniors and seniors on a bus tour to visit the University of South Florida in Tampa, where many of the students got a personal look at a college campus for the first time. They explored majors, learned about the application process, and connected with current students - two of whom were former participants in our programs.

“For the first time, I know what college life is like and I can actually see myself there,” one student shared.

That moment when a student can see themselves in a future they once thought was out of reach is powerful. And it rarely happens by chance. It happens through exposure, encouragement, and trusted relationships.

After leaving USF, the group continued to Raymond James Stadium. There, with support from community partner Kirk Bauer of Fawley Bryant Architecture and Trish Singh of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Talent Acquisition team, students explored a wide range of career opportunities behind the scenes from engineering and construction to marketing and security. They could see how academic pathways translate into real-world opportunities.

Later that week, more than 25 employers gathered at Riverview High School for our Future-Ready Career Night, where students and families engaged in conversations about career pathways, participated in sessions on resumes and financial aid, and even received professional headshots at no cost. And students left with a clearer sense of direction and possibility.

But what ties all these experiences together is something deeper: the presence of caring adults who help students navigate the journey.

Coaching and mentorship, whether formal or informal, is one of the most powerful ways we can all support young people. Sometimes it looks like helping a student explore a career path or coordinating a job shadow. Other times, it’s offering encouragement, asking the right questions, or simply being someone who shows up consistently.

Our model is intentionally designed to stay with students through postsecondary completion, ensuring they don’t just start but finish. While our approach is smaller and more targeted, it reflects a broader truth: relationships change trajectories.

As we continue listening to our students, families, educators, and community partners, we are shaping programs, like Future-Ready, that reflect both today’s realities and tomorrow’s possibilities. And there is room for everyone to play a role.

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

Pictured: Future-Ready Scholars toured USF in Tampa and Raymond James Stadium on a recent tour with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. Provided photo.