Certain experiences can give us a clearer view of who we really are as a community. Spirit of Manatee is one of them.

This year marked the twentieth anniversary of Manatee Community Foundation’s annual celebration of philanthropy. Twenty years tells me something about what people here value. Helping a community flourish takes time. It depends on people who form deep relationships, stay engaged, and continue to invest in one another.

When I step back and look across this year’s Spirit honorees, I see people who choose, again and again, to put their values into action. These individuals reflect the many ways a person can serve others.

In Zoe Lander, we see that commitment taking root early. Zoe is an eleventh grader at Lakewood Ranch High School and this year’s Young Spirit Award recipient, and she has already built a remarkable record of service. Her projects are thoughtful responses to real community needs, from a Little Free Library to a beach toy borrowing system designed to reduce waste and protect marine life. She has also volunteered with many local organizations. It’s exciting to witness such initiative, the beginning of something I’m sure will continue for years to come.

Ron Allen, Owner, NDC Family of Companies, showcases that service instinct at a different stage of life and leadership. This year’s Community Spirit Award honoree has spent decades investing in Manatee County through both personal generosity and the example he sets through his business. He’s known for being present, and a good listener, qualities that hold so much value in leadership and community work. And he strives to strengthen others’ efforts, in ways both seen and unseen.

Ashley Brown, President and CEO of the Women’s Resource Center and recipient of the Charles Clapsaddle Community Spotlight Award, brings true care to her work. She has helped expand access to services for women and guided the WRC as it has grown, always ensuring women feel seen and supported. Those who know her often point to her willingness to support others without needing recognition, which makes recognizing her efforts now even more meaningful.

Mary Glass is well known to many in Manatee County for her long service to public education. This year’s Leadership Spirit Award recipient spent eighteen years leading the Manatee Education Foundation and helping direct millions of dollars into programs that strengthened local schools, including an effort that brought internet access to 1,500 underserved families. The results of her work can be seen in stronger support for students and schools across the county.

And then there’s Barbara Jennings, whose lifetime of philanthropy has made a permanent mark on our region. To truly capture her involvement and impact across organizations would surpass my word count here. Her support has reached every corner of this community, from children and families to the organizations that sustain our civic, cultural and spiritual life. She has given herself to the long game of progress, and this place is better for it.

These examples show why philanthropy matters. Philanthropy widens what is possible for others, but it also influences how the rest of us think about responsibility. I often say that philanthropy is contagious, and I have seen that proven repeatedly. When generosity is visible, through people’s time or resources or leadership, it extends an invitation to others to consider what they too can offer.

For two decades, Spirit of Manatee has made that generosity visible. It has given us a chance to pause and recognize those whose steady involvement has helped improve life here. It shows us a picture of a community at its best, revealing the good work already happening all around us and asking each of us how we might take part.

Pictured: Current and previous staff and board members toasting to 20 years celebrating Spirit of Manatee. Provided photo.

Next week, our region will welcome one of golf’s most prestigious events as the world- class Senior PGA Championship arrives in our community. Events of this caliber will draw national attention, but for Visit Sarasota County, this provides opportunity to leverage this moment into lasting economic and community impact for our destination. The true significance of an event like this is it will introduce thousands of visitors to what makes our area special and inspire future visits long after the final putt drops.

The credit for securing the championship belongs to The Concession Golf Club, whose leadership and financial commitment were instrumental in bringing the event to our region. Senator Bill Galvano also played a key role by recognizing the championship as a strategic investment in our community. Manatee County pledged $1.5 million a year, for three years, in financial support, which was then matched by the Sarasota County Government Board of County Commissioners to help secure the championship for this region.

Importantly, Sarasota County’s funding support comes from a portion of the Tourist Development Tax — a tax paid by visitors staying in short-term accommodations within the county. These are dollars generated by tourism and specifically intended to keep the tourism cycle moving forward by reinvesting in the experiences, events, and marketing efforts that continue to attract visitors. Our residents are particularly fortunate because many of the investments made from Tourist Development Tax dollars help create and sustain quality-of-life amenities.

This is where destination marketing and management matter most. Across our organization, staff is working in lockstep to ensure every visitor not only experiences an exceptional sporting event but the broader sense of place that defines Sarasota County. From digital storytelling to visitor guides, mobile app integration, and on-site assistance through our “AVA”, Area Visitor Assistant, everything is designed with one goal in mind: turning event attendance into deeper community engagement and future visitation.

Equally important, this championship arrives during a weekend that reflects the vibrancy of our broader sports and tourism landscape. With events such as the YMCA National Masters Meet, the Sarasota Cup Boys Weekend, and the Sarasota International Dragon Boat Festival happening simultaneously, visitors are experiencing firsthand the diversity of what our community offers. These moments encourage longer stays, increased spending, and a stronger connection to our destination.

That is the larger story. Tourism success is not created by a single event alone. It is built through visionary leadership, strategic public investment, strong private-sector partnership, and a coordinated effort to transform opportunities like the Senior PGA Championship into long-term economic and community benefit.

This tournament gives our region a national stage, but it is our people, our planning, and our shared commitment to excellence that turn visibility into lasting value for our businesses and residents.

That enduring impact is what we are truly celebrating.

Erin Duggan is President and CEO of Visit Sarasota County. 

Photo courtesy of PGA of America.

I accepted this role with one conviction: for a liberal arts education to be great, it must connect to the world that awaits graduates. Students arrive at New College hopeful, curious, and ready to explore. Many carry a question their families ask each year. Will this degree matter?

Our answer is yes. And it is measurable.

Career engagement here does not begin senior year. It begins on day one. Every incoming student is paired with a dedicated career coach who works alongside faculty and advisors to translate academic curiosity into real-world pathways. Together, they assess interests, map skills, and identify industries and organizations where those strengths can be applied. Far too often, students wait until junior year to think seriously about careers, and by then the window has narrowed. At New College, that window is wide open from the start.

Through micro-internships, semester placements, faculty research collaborations, and project-based work, students begin building professional portfolios early. Students are contributing to businesses, nonprofits, research labs, and civic organizations across Sarasota and beyond. They apply analysis to real problems, communicate in professional environments, and see how ideas operate in practice.

Many of these opportunities are paid. Students should not have to sacrifice income for growth, and access to workforce experience should not depend on financial standing. In our most recent cycle, New College committed $438,940 in internship scholarships supporting 223 students. Student Research and Travel Grants provide up to $2,000 per student for conferences, fieldwork, and off-campus study. Micro-grants help cover travel and materials so that financial constraints do not limit opportunity.

This is a measurable investment in workforce readiness, and it reflects a core institutional belief: every student will complete an internship before graduation.

We have also built the infrastructure to scale this commitment. Handshake connects more than 90 percent of our students and graduates to employers actively seeking talent. Our partnership with Parker Dewey adds a layer of agility, offering flexible micro-internships, remote or local, short or extended in duration, that allow students to test industries, build confidence, and contribute meaningful work quickly. These experiences frequently translate into full-time roles because students have already demonstrated value before a hiring conversation ever begins. But individual career trajectories are only part of the story. The deeper impact is regional.

Through New College's Community-Driven Internship Program, nearly 100 Sarasota-area organizations have partnered with us during the past two years. These include institutions that anchor the region's civic and intellectual life: Mote Marine Laboratory, one of the most respected independent marine science organizations in the country; Ringling College of Art and Design, a nationally recognized creative institution; Sarasota Memorial Health Care System; and a wide range of local nonprofits, law firms, design studios, financial services firms, and small businesses that form the backbone of the regional economy.

What makes these partnerships work is that they are reciprocal. Our students bring analytical rigor, creative thinking, and discipline that a demanding liberal arts curriculum develops. Our community partners provide mentorship, access to real challenges, and professional networks that students could not build in a classroom alone. Both sides gain something both tangible and permanent.

Sarasota has the institutional assets of a much larger city: world-class arts, serious science, a growing healthcare sector, and an entrepreneurial business community that is younger and more dynamic than its reputation suggests. New College is at the center of the region’s ecosystem and a major contributor to its workforce pipeline. New College is defining the region’s future.

New College remains a rigorous public liberal arts institution. Our students write senior theses, engage deeply with faculty, and spend years debating complex intellectual questions. That rigor is intentionally connected to professional environments and community needs.

At New College, career readiness is not an add-on. It is integrated, coached, funded, measured, and woven into the academic experience from the first week of the first year.

I believe in the liberal arts because they cultivate durable skills: the ability to think clearly, write precisely, question productively, and adapt to circumstances that have not yet arrived. But in an ever-changing AI world, we must do more. At New College, we are demonstrating that a rigorous liberal arts education and a strong professional start reinforce each other.

Students graduate with demonstrated experience, professional references, and the confidence that comes from having contributed something real in the world. They know how to think. They know how to work. They know how to translate ideas into impact.

In today's environment, that combination is rare. At New College, it is the standard.

Mitchell "Mitch" Ruzek is the Associate Vice President, Career Engagement and Opportunity at New College of Florida. 

Photo courtesy of New College of Florida.