A Paradise Realty partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program to collect toys for children. Donations were accepted Nov. 18 and donors were served a free lunch of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers by businesses in the Ellenton Plaza.
Supporting the effort were Ellenton Family Practice, Orgullo Latino, Image Consultant, Central Coast Transportation, Tranquil Waters Spa & Salon, Heritage Insurance and Heart2Heart Helping Hands.
The Florida Center for Early Childhoodhas been awarded a $10,000 grant from theWilson-Wood Foundation. The grant will be used to strengthen social-emotional education within the Starfish Academy, the center’s early education program, by implementing small social skills groups and providing parent-teacher support.
Increasingly, children under age 5 are demonstrating serious behavior and mental health problems. A compelling 20-year study published in the American Journal of Public Health in July 2015 demonstrates the link between children’s social skills in kindergarten and their well-being in early adulthood.
By beginning critical social-emotional education during the preschool years, the Florida Center will empower at-risk children with the tools they need to succeed. Research shows that preschool children, especially those with challenging behavior, learn best in small group settings with supports to practice their new skills in the classroom.
The Florida Center serves at-risk children and their families in Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee and DeSoto/Hardee counties.
The University of Alabama School of Law has received a $1.5 million gift fromHugh F. Culverhouse Jr., a trial attorney, investor and landowner in Sarasota. The gift will establish the Hugh F. Culverhouse, Jr. Chair in Constitutional Law and will serve as a foundation for a center for constitutional studies.
Culverhouse’s father, Hugh F. Culverhouse Sr., is a 1947 graduate of Alabama Law. The younger Culverhouse said his desire to fund an endowed chair in constitutional law springs from his love of the Constitution and his respect for Mark E. Brandon, dean of Alabama Law.
Culverhouse Jr. has donated more than $7 million to the University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. In 2015, he donated $2.5 million to the Crimson Tide Foundation, with $2.25 million going to a women’s golf scholarship in honor of his mother, Joy McCann Culverhouse, a 1942 UA graduate who starred as a golfer.
Al Purmort Insurance assisted Girls Inc. of Sarasota with a grant from theSociety Insurance Charitable Fund. The $1,000 grant will go to Support-A-Girl Scholarship Program, which provides financial assistance to girls from families of limited income.
The scholarship amount is determined by the financial capacity of each family. Families referred through Homeless or Protective Services are eligible for a full scholarship. At the start of the new school year, the demand for financial assistance continues to exceed the available funds.
As of August 2017, enrollment for the afterschool program was 46 percent above that for the 2016-2017 and the need for financial aid grows exponentially. The goal at Girls Inc. is to reach out to every girl in the community so that all girls, regardless of their family’s ability to pay, may participate in the Girls Inc. education and athletic programs.
Even with scholarships, some families struggle to pay. They rely on financial assistance so their daughters are able to attend and participate in enjoyable, meaningful activities in a secure, nonthreatening and supportive environment.
Neal Communities donated $1,000 to sponsor the Lemon Bay Garden Club’sannual Garden Fair, Nov. 17-18. The event is the club’s major fundraiser and is held before Thanksgiving each November.
The Garden Fair features a tour of eight local gardens, a luncheon and craft boutique. This year, the fair featured two gardens inside Neal Communities’ Boca Royale Golf & Country Club, a semi-private club in a 1,000-acre gated, master-planned Englewood community.
On Nov. 11, Oak & Stone restaurant, in Sarasota, donated $3,000 to Miracle League of Manasota.
Oak & Stone partnered with Miracle League for its inaugural OAKtoberfest event on Oct. 13. Oak & Stone raised the contribution by asking for $5 or $10 donations at the door – a $10 donation included a free commemorative stein – and by donating a portion of proceeds from its food and beverage sales that day.
Oak & Stone owners Joe Seidensticker and Brett Decklever look forward to partnering with Miracle League on a second OAKtoberfest in 2018.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8118, in Venice, recently made a donation of $2,500 to Goodwill Manasota’s Veterans Services Program. The money was raised through a golf tournament held at Lake Venice Country Club in the spring.
The Sheriff’s Activities League recently received a $10,000 donation from the Sunset Automotive Group.
SAL’s mission is to provide young people with safe, experiential educational opportunities that allow them to explore the diverse aspects of our communities, all while developing positive relationships with deputies.
The Sunset Automotive Group has 14 dealerships with 17 brands in Sarasota, Venice and Bradenton.
The Children’s Guardian Fund, which provides normalcy and enrichment support to local children in foster and state care, has received a $5,000 grant from the Junior League of Sarasota.
The grant will allow Children’s Guardian Fund to meet emergency needs and re-establish normal childhood experiences in the lives of abused, abandoned and neglected children.
The Steven and Natalee Herrig Family Foundation donated $50,000 to the Food Bank of Manatee as a 1:1 match for holiday donations to provide food to those less fortunate in our community.
The Children’s Guardian Fund, which provides normalcy and enrichment support to local children in foster and state care, has received a $5,000 grant from the Junior League of Sarasota.
The grant will allow Children’s Guardian Fund to meet emergency needs and re-establish normal childhood experiences in the lives of abused, abandoned and neglected children.
The Steven and Natalee Herrig Family Foundation donated $50,000 to the Food Bank of Manatee as a 1-to-1 match for holiday donations to provide food to those less fortunate in our community.
The Gecko’s Hospitality Groupfamily of restaurants celebrated 25 years of hospitality in the summer of 2017. Hundreds of guests joined owners Mike Gowan and Mike Quillen for Gecko’s Silver Anniversary Party and Bar-B-Que, which benefited the 4-H Foundation and Clubs, whose mission is to empower young people with the skills to become good citizens and lead for a lifetime.
The William G. & Marie Selby Foundation recently awardedChildren First, Inc. a $50,557 grant for needed playground enhancements at Children First’s North Port location.
Having access to quality outdoor play spaces is important for healthy brain development. This grant will provide the needed funds for playground resurfacing and the addition of a shade structure and four large pieces of playground equipment for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Children First is one of the nation’s top 10 Head Start Programs and the exclusive Head Start and Early Head Start provider for Sarasota County.
On Dec. 5, Truly Nolen Pest Control of Sarasota performed a free rodent exclusion job at the Sarasota home of Jenny Camacho, who is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. A community event was also held, with free hot dogs grilled for people in her neighborhood, San Luis Drive in Sarasota.
Truly Nolen assistant manager Steve Woodward organized the project after he visited Camacho’s home in November for a rodent inspection and learned she had cancer.
Knowing the cost of her rodent exclusion would be at least $1,000, Woodward spoke to his manager, Josh Bewley, and district manager, Tim Phillips, about donating the job. They agreed.