Brunch on the Bay fundraiser for USF Sarasota-Manatee scholarships and initiatives set Nov. 5
Brunch on the Bay set Nov. 5 at USF Sarasota-Manatee
Tickets are on sale for the 2023 Brunch on the Bay, the marquee fundraising event at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus.
Brunch on the Bay, set for Nov. 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., is a celebration of community, philanthropy and the achievements of USF Sarasota-Manatee campus students. By supporting academic scholarships and campus initiatives, participants will experience culinary delights from the area’s finest restaurants and connect with friends and university partners who are making a difference in the community.
USF Federal Credit Union is the event's title sponsor. The event co-chairs are Lisa Krouse and Rod Hershberger. Tickets can be ordered at sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/giving/brunch-on-the-bay/index.aspx. For more information sponsorships, call Pam Gleason at 941-359-4603.
Sarasota Hooters Girls join effort to help women-owned businesses
Eight Hooters Girls from the company's regional restaurants, including Sarah Magda and Sloan Miavitz of Sarasota, are raising funds for Self-Help International, a nonprofit that supports women business owners in Ghana and Nicaragua and helps to alleviate hunger.
In addition to online fundraising efforts, the Hooters Girls recently traveled to Waverly, Iowa, for the Hooters Give a Hoot for Self-Help International Weekend. “I'm so excited to start fundraising for this amazing cause, and to raise even more money than last year,” said Miavitz, who works at Sarasota Hooters.
To learn more about Self-Help International, visit selfhelpinternational.org/our-stories. To make a donation, visit justgiving.com/campaign/giveahoot2023.
Tickets, sponsorships available for Siesta Key Crystal Classic
Online advance tickets and parking passes are now available for the 13th annual Siesta Key Crystal Classic to be held Nov. 10-13 on Siesta Beach. Volunteer, sponsorship, vendor and amateur sand sculpting contest opportunities are also available.
The four-day festival features 24 master sand sculptors competing for prizes in solo and duo categories. The festival also features live music and 80-plus shopping and food and drink vendors. Other activities include the three-day “Quick Sand” competition, sand sculpting lessons, an amateur sculpting competition, a children’s play area and people’s choice voting.
The Siesta Key Crystal Classic is presented by the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Siesta Key Crystal Classic Scholarship Fund for Ringling College of Art and Design. For tickets and sponsorship information, visit siestakeycrystalclassic.com or contact the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce at 941-349-3800 or events@siestakeychamber.com.
Community Foundation supports new therapy van for Forty Carrots
The Forty Carrots Family Center recently received a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to fund a new van for community outreach for its Mental Health Program. As part of the foundation’s Equity and Access initiative, the grant was made possible through the Leslie and Margaret Weller Fund, Arthur T. Esslinger Memorial Fund, James Franklin Warnell & Dorothy J. Warnell Fund, and the Two-Generation Approach Fund.
“To ensure our community’s most vulnerable clients have access to high-quality mental health services, Forty Carrots utilizes its five vans to travel thousands of miles each year to provide mental health therapy," said Michelle Kapreilian, Forty Carrots CEO. "Vans are key in eliminating barriers to mental health treatment.”
The therapy van is equipped with a variety of therapeutic tools, supplies, and resources necessary for therapists to create a mobile treatment room for clients at Forty Carrots’ partner locations. Visit fortycarrots.org for information.
Around and about ...
SunCoast Blood Centers is holding a blood drive to benefit first responders, "Boots Vs. Badges," featuring members of the Sarasota police and fire departments today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oak & Stone restaurant, 4067 Clark Road, in Sarasota. Blood donors will receive a $10 gift card from Oak & Stone and a Boots Vs. Badges T-shirt. For information and to schedule an appointment, call 866-97-BLOOD or visit suncoastblood.org.
· The Barbershop Men of Prayer and Greatness Beyond Measure will present a Back-to-School Day of Fun and backpack giveaway with school supplies on July 30 from noon-3 p.m. at the Alfred R. Goldstein Library at Ringling College of Art and Design. The event also offers free haircuts and hair braids, video game tournaments, and pizza. Info: 941-962-6789.
· Mothers Helping Mothers is holding its annual Back to School Supply Drive through July 30 with a goal to distribute 1,000 backpacks to families in need. Donors can visit MHMsarasota.com or drop off supplies at Mothers Helping Mothers, 5933 N. Washington Blvd., in Sarasota, on Monday, Tuesday Wednesday or Friday from 9-12 p.m.
· The Humane Society of Sarasota County, 2331 15th St., Sarasota, is taking part in “Empty the Shelters,” a nationwide reduced-fee adoption event, now through July 31. Pets will be available for adoption for $25 or less. The initiative is sponsored by Bissell Pet Foundation and MetLife Pet Insurance. Visit hssc.org.
Submissions by Scott Biehler, Marc Masferrer, Ilona Wolpin, Ann Frescura, Tonya Getzen Gowan, Cheri DeVries, Alissa Jackson.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Brunch on the Bay fundraiser for students set at USF Sarasota-Manatee
