It looks like someone discovering a new path to a better career. A family finding compassionate care when they need it most. Cleaner water. Stronger nonprofits. New opportunities taking root throughout our region.

The most meaningful work in a community rarely happens all at once. It happens one person, one family, one organization, one partnership at a time. Over time, those individual efforts become something much larger.

That collective commitment was more evident than ever this year: together with our donors, Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast) helped create more than $49 million in community impact in fiscal year 2026, reaching hundreds of nonprofit organizations that spanned Sarasota, Charlotte, and DeSoto Counties and beyond. Together, that work has helped drive more than $650 million in community impact since 1995.

At the center of this work are people — and the collective effort required to create the conditions for them to succeed. Across every area of our community, progress happens because people come together: donors who believe in this community, nonprofit organizations committed to doing the work, and partners willing to tackle challenges together. Gulf Coast’s role is connecting that generosity and expertise with opportunities to move our community forward.

Creating pathways forward looks different for everyone. For some, it means gaining the skills and support needed to build a stronger future. Through the CareerEdge Funders Collaborative, Gulf Coast and its partners have invested more than $2 million to date in workforce development efforts that have helped train more than 8,500 workers and drive $45 million in new wages and raises. For others, it means rethinking how people access mental health care. Through Behavioral Response and Community Engagement (BRACE), a collaborative effort with Centerstone of Florida and the Venice Police Department, Gulf Coast is helping connect residents with trained mental health professionals and compassionate care when they need it most. Different approaches can lead to the same goal: meeting people where they are and helping them find what they need to succeed.

The connections that shape our community extend beyond people. They include the natural environment that shapes the way we live, work, and gather. Protecting those natural resources requires a long-term commitment to exploring new ideas. Through Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START), Gulf Coast and its partners are investing in innovative

approaches to improve water quality, including a test pond that demonstrated a 56% reduction in nitrogen pollution. This kind of work takes patience and persistence, as meaningful change comes from continued learning and improvement over time.

Some challenges require building capacity — and sometimes, quite literally, building new spaces — to serve people today while preparing for what comes next. That commitment is reflected in the expansion of the Child Protection Center’s Monda Family Campus of Healing, creating greater access to critical child welfare services for children and families in south Sarasota County. Through a $500,000 challenge match, Gulf Coast and its donors helped rally additional community support that exceeded the original fundraising goal, bringing this vision to life even faster than planned. This effort is a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when generosity is matched with a shared purpose.

The $49 million in impact generated in fiscal year 2026 represents more than a measure of dollars awarded. It reflects the collective commitment behind every effort to move our community forward. This year, that commitment was recognized with the Community Impact Award from the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, a reflection not of Gulf Coast alone, but of everyone who makes this work possible. At the heart of this work is a simple idea: generosity creates the greatest impact when it is connected to purpose and the people who bring that purpose to life.

Phillip P. Lanham is President | CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. 

Photo courtesy Michael S Wentzel Photography.

Five years ago, The Argus Foundation launched the Sarasota Schools Data Dig social media campaign with a simple goal: keep our school district honest about its own numbers, and pull the public conversation around school board races back toward academic achievement instead of the social issues that too often dominate the debate.

Every summer since, when the Florida Department of Education releases its school and district grades, we have posted one data point a day on social media, comparing Sarasota County Schools to other districts across the state and comparing our own schools against each other.

This year marked our fifth campaign. We ran it for 38 days, from July 1st through August 10th, skipping only July 3rd through 5th, and did it entirely organically, with no paid promotion. It reached nearly 300,000 views.

The 2025-26 data gave us plenty to work with. Sarasota County Schools earned an A again this year, scoring 72 percent of available points, good for a spot in the top 10 among Florida's 67 districts and well above the statewide average of roughly 65 percent. That extends a run of A grades stretching back to 2002.

Neighboring Manatee County earned a B at 64 percent this year, and larger peer districts like Hillsborough and Charlotte earned A's as well, but with lower point totals than Sarasota's. Only Pinellas came close among nearby counties, and even there Sarasota's 94 percent graduation rate held the edge.

The district number is only half the story, and it is the half that is easiest to take for granted. Individual school results this year were more mixed.

Laurel Nokomis and Sarasota Suncoast Academy each posted their fourth consecutive A, one a traditional public school and the other a charter, proof that the grade is not about school type but about what happens inside the building.

Island Village Montessori and Sarasota Academy of the Arts both climbed to A's this year after a run of B's and C's, a real improvement worth noting. College Preparatory Academy at Wellen Park, still new, backed up last year's A with another one.

Imagine School at Palmer Ranch posted a C, its third in the last four years, the one school in this group that has not reached an A at any point.

That is the real value of this campaign. A single district letter grade can hide a lot, including a school that needs attention. Our members do not run their companies off one number, and our community should not judge its schools that way either. The Data Dig exists to put the specifics in front of the public, so that praise for what is working and pressure on what is not both land where they belong.

Christine Robinson is the Chief Executive Officer of The Argus Foundation. 

Photo courtesy of The Argus Foundation.

Long before Dr. William H. “Bill” Jervey Jr. became one of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota’s most generous supporters, he found inspiration in another philanthropist whose name became synonymous with opportunity: Andrew Carnegie.

As a young reader in Hawaii, Jervey discovered Carnegie’s story in a library, fittingly, one supported by the Carnegie legacy. He was struck not only by Carnegie’s success, but by his determination to use that success to benefit others. Years later, Jervey would carry that philosophy with him to Venice, Florida, and eventually to SCF.

His relationship with the College began almost by accident, with a visit to campus. What followed grew into a deep connection with SCF, its students and its mission.

Over the years, Jervey’s generosity to SCF has taken many forms. Most recently, a transformational $2 million gift supporting the SCF Collegiate Schools in Bradenton and Venice led the College to name Collegiate School buildings on both campuses in his honor. His commitment to SCF also extends well into the future through a planned legacy gift, ensuring that the impact he is making today will continue for generations.

The buildings bearing the Dr. William H. Jervey Jr. name represent far more than a recognition of generosity. They represent what Jervey has long believed philanthropy can do: create opportunity.

SCF’s Collegiate Schools allow motivated students to challenge themselves academically, earn college credit while completing high school and, for many, graduate with an associate degree alongside their high school diploma. Jervey has described the program as an embodiment of the excellence he has valued throughout his own life.

President Tommy Gregory sees Jervey’s influence extending far beyond the students enrolled today. Within the buildings that bear Jervey’s name, generations of young people will learn, grow and prepare to become future educators, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, scientists, artists and community leaders.

Perhaps that is the most fitting connection between Carnegie and Jervey. Neither viewed philanthropy simply as something to give away, but as something to set in motion.

And Jervey is not finished.

His story reminds us that legacy is built over time, through the choices we make about what matters to us and what we want to leave stronger for those who follow.

That does not require a multimillion-dollar gift. It can begin by helping one student, supporting a scholarship, sharing expertise, volunteering time, opening a professional door or giving consistently at a level that is meaningful to you.

Jervey found his inspiration in Andrew Carnegie and asked what he could do for the community he chose to call home.

His answer is still being written.

What do you want to make possible for those who come after you? 

Photo courtesy of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.

“I didn’t know you had to pay to have your garbage picked-up!”

“Wow, a high school diploma alone does not get me the job I want.”

“Adulting is expensive!”

Quotes like these coming from local high schoolers are golden nuggets each year when the Manatee Chamber of Commerce presents our Big Bank Theory program at high schools across Manatee County. The experience is designed to give high school seniors a firsthand look at the financial realities of adult life.

Through an engaging, hands-on simulation, students learn essential money management skills, including budgeting, saving, paying bills, and making informed spending decisions. Each year the feedback we receive from the students is telling. They share with us their surprise at the cost of housing, insurance, and childcare. As they work through the two-day activity, they seriously consider their priorities and the sacrifices they are willing to make (or not) in order to make their hypothetical monthly budget work.

More than just a classroom lesson, the Big Bank Theory challenges students to navigate real-world financial scenarios and understand the connection between education, career opportunities, and earning potential. The experience helps build financial confidence and prepares young adults for future success. Over the course of two days at each school, we transform the gymnasium into a setting for students to navigate one of more than 150 hypothetical profiles that dictate their education level, career, monthly salary, and family – and the typical expenses they would need to cover as a 25 year old working adult in our region.

I liken it to a large scale version of the game of “Life.” You Gen Xers out there likely remember it with me – the little cars with the pink and blue pegs representing members of your pretend family, the spinner, and the cards that present you with the real life situations – many with financial impacts – that you have to navigate for yourself and your game-generated family. Unexpected medical bill? Hope you have savings! Flat tire? Hope you can get it fixed and get to work on time.

The success of the Big Bank Theory relies on the support of dedicated community and business volunteers whose participation can make a lasting difference in a student's understanding of personal finance. If this idea piques your interest, there are volunteer opportunities available for you. We make it easy with great volunteer materials and training.

• October 13 & 14 - Lakewood Ranch High School
• October 20 & 21 - Manatee High School
• October 29 & 30 - Palmetto High School
• November 3 & 4 - Bayshore High School
• November 18 & 19 - Southeast High School
• December 1 & 2 - Braden River High School
• December 10 & 11 - Parrish Community High School

Additional school dates will be posted on our Manatee Chamber website as they are confirmed. To learn more and to register to volunteer, visit ManateeChamber.com/BigBank or reach out to Deborah Perry at DeborahP@ManateeChamber.com.

Jacki Dezelski, IOM is the President and CEO of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. 

Pictured: Manatee Chamber's Big Bank Theory program. Photo courtesy of Manatee Chamber.