COMMUNITY BRIEFS: Charity walk for kids with apraxia; Choral Artists season; 'Orchid Show'
Music for Ian recovery
Charity walk at Twin Lakes
to support Apraxia Kids
Regional members of Apraxia Kids, a nationwide nonprofit that strengthens and enhances the lives of children with apraxia of speech, will hold a fundraiser on Nov. 20 at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota.
Funds raised at the inaugural Sarasota Walk for Apraxia (9 a.m.-noon) will support programs, including education and research, that help children cope with the rare neurological disorder that affects speech.
"Apraxia Kids does enormous good for apraxic children and families just like my own," Sarasota organizer Lauren Bercaw said. "We have families from Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee, and Hillsborough counties that attend our event. It's important to me to bring awareness to our local community and to provide resources for parents just starting their journey."
The national Walk for Apraxia is the largest fundraising event for childhood apraxia in North America. "We make this a fun family event and especially to honor our shining stars for all the hard work they have to put in each day to find their voice," Bercaw said.
Visit bit.ly/3CsaL6m and apraxia-kids.org to join the walk or to learn more about the fundraising effort. For more information, contact Bercaw at laurenbethea1@gmail.com.
Choral Artists of Sarasota
open 44th season Oct. 20
The Choral Artists of Sarasota will open their 44th season, “United in Song,” on Oct. 30 at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave., with a program entitled “Say a Little Prayer.”
The program begins at 5 p.m. with Artistic Director Joseph Holt. Songs will include “Amazing Grace,” “The Lord’s Prayer,” a setting of “Kaddish,” the Jewish prayer for the dead, and Buddhist and Native American chants. “In this concert, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist and Native American musical selections illuminate various aspects of prayer in our lives,” Holt said. “We often turn to prayer in times of need and distress, but prayer is also an opportunity to express adoration, confession and thanksgiving.”
Individual singers will be featured throughout the program along with the full choral ensemble of 30 professional singers. Organ, piano, strings and harp will accompany the chorus. A “Meet the Music” session with Holt is scheduled on Oct. 20 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Art to Walk On, 16 S. Palm Ave., in downtown Sarasota.
For more information and tickets ($35; students $5), visit ChoralArtistsSarasota.org or call 941-387-4900. Also, Selby Gardens will present a one-hour version of the performance on Nov. 9 at Historic Spanish Point.
'The Orchid Show 2022'
begins at Selby Gardens
“The Orchid Show 2022: Capturing the Perfect Shot” opens today at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, celebrating the scientific photography of Selby Gardens’ rare orchid collection.
The exhibit, part of Selby Gardens' “The Year of Photography,” is built around the massive body of photos taken by volunteers who help Selby Gardens scientists document the institution’s living research collection. The show will include original horticultural vignettes inspired by the art of scientific photography in the Tropical Conservatory plus gallery installations in the Museum of Botany & The Arts. The exhibit runs through Dec. 4.
“This photography is critical to the documentation of our world-renowned collection for research purposes," said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president/CEO of Selby Gardens. "But visitors will immediately see that these photos can stand as fine art in their own right.”
The exhibit will include a virtual lecture on Oct. 26 presented by Selby Gardens botany staff and an “Orchid Evening” on Nov. 2 with a live performance by The Circus Arts Conservatory. Advance tickets may be purchased at selby.org or at the Welcome Center. “The Orchid Show 2022” is presented by Better-Gro and sponsors include PNC Bank, Williams Parker Attorneys at Law, and WUSF Public Media.
League of Women Voters
extends student contest
The League of Women Voters of Sarasota County has extended the deadline for its essay, poster, and video contest, “YVote,” for high school students because of the impact of Hurricane Ian.
Jill Lewis-Spector, chair of the LWVSC Education Action Team, said the new deadline is midnight, Nov. 7, the day before Election Day. The guidelines and judging criteria remain the same. Winning entries will be announced in early December. For more information, email education@lwvsrq.org with the subject heading "YVote Information Request."
Around and about ...
The 2022 Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Fair sponsored by UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County is today from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Barbara Davis Educational Gardens, 1303 17th St, W., in Palmetto. All plants – including houseplants, orchids, wildflowers, vegetables, and herbs – are grown by MGVs and proceeds support Manatee County’s MGV program.
• Parrish United Methodist Church (12180 U.S. 301) will host a Community Fall Festival on Sunday from 4-7 p.m. in collaboration with First Baptist Church of Parrish, St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church, and Harvest Field Community Church. Activities include music by DJ Waldo; animals from Second Chance Ranch; hayrides; pumpkin decorating; raffle prizes; and food trucks.
Submissions by Lauren Bercaw, Su Byron, Greg Luberecki, Jill Lewis-Spector, Katie Granberg, and Ethel Pawley.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: LOCAL: Charity walk for apraxia kids; Choral Artists; 'Orchid Show'
