COMMUNITY BRIEFS: Day 4 Hope; Dreamers & Doers; Girls Inc.; food & wine fest; Fab Lab

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·5 min read

Volunteers make Day 4 Hope

Church of the Redeemer in downtown Sarasota served more than 240 children during its Day 4 Hope back-to-school event on July 23. Children and family members received a variety of services to prepare for the new school year, including a medical, dental, vision, and hearing exam; haircut; and photo session. Each child also received a backpack filled with school supplies. Over 150 volunteers participated, including many Redeemer parishioners. For information about Hope 4 Communities and their mission, visit hope4c.us.

Dreamers & Doers series
presents top restaurateur

Michael Klauber, co-owner of Michael’s on East and Michael’s Wine Cellar and a leading restaurateur and wine impresario, will speak at the Dreamers & Doers interactive series at The Bay Park on Aug. 11.

Michael Klauber is co-owner of Michael’s on East and Michael’s Wine Cellar and a leading restaurateur and wine impresario.
Michael Klauber is co-owner of Michael’s on East and Michael’s Wine Cellar and a leading restaurateur and wine impresario.

Klauber opened Michael’s On East in 1987. The restaurant has won numerous awards, including induction into the Nation's Restaurant News “Fine Dining Hall of Fame." Klauber is deeply invested in the community and has been a supporter of The Bay Park since its inception.

Dreamers & Doers, a platform for young professionals and business owners to network with global business leaders living in the Sarasota region, is presented by Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County. Visit bit.ly/3zXNCsB and dreamlarge.org/dreamers for tickets and information. The series continues on Sept. 8 with Michael Saunders, founder and CEO of Michael Saunders & Company.

Girls Inc. announces special
30-day donation campaign

Now through the end of August, all gifts to Girls Inc. of Sarasota County will be matched up to $150,000 thanks to the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and an anonymous donor.

Girls Inc. provides evidenced-based programming by experts who focus on supporting, mentoring, and guiding girls in an affirming environment through afterschool, summer and outreach programming. “This generous support will change girls’ lives, and ensure they have the foundation to develop their inherent strengths and create a better future,” Girls Inc. president Angie Stringer said.

Donations can be made online at GirlsIncSRQ.org or mailed to 201 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota 34237. For additional information or a tour of Girls Inc. contact Julie Anderson at Juliea@GirlsIncSRQ.org.

Suncoast Food & Wine Fest
online ticket sales underway

Online ticket sales are underway for the 20th annual Suncoast Food & Wine Fest, presented by the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch, on Nov. 12 at Premier Sports Campus, 5895 Post Blvd., Lakewood Ranch.

To date, the club has used festival proceeds to provide roughly $2 million to charitable causes and nonprofits. Guests will also enjoy a beer garden, chef demonstrations and music. Lakewood Ranch Rotarians volunteer at the festival parking cars, taking tickets, greeting guests or assisting vendors. “Where else can you have so much fun while doing so much good for our community?" club president Carmen Spagnola said.

Event tickets include all food, drinks, entertainment and parking. No tickets will be sold at the gate. Event sponsors and restaurants also still have time to sign up. For information about early bird, general admission, and VIP tickets, visit bit.ly/3OZjbGK or suncoastfoodandwinefest.com.

Tennessee-based foundation
invests in Fab Lab students

The Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab has received a $10,000 grant from the Tennessee-based Interchange Foundation to support its science, technology, engineering, art and math programming.

“We are so grateful for the support of The Interchange Foundation," SSC executive director Ping Faulhaber said. “Their investment in creating real-world learning opportunities for the innovators of tomorrow will help move the needle and prepare students, of all backgrounds and experiences, for successful pursuit of STEM fields.”

The grant will support SSC student-led initiatives, including the Student Planning & Education Committee that empowers high school students to develop and teach hands-on classes and camps at the Fab Lab and throughout the community. For more about the Suncoast Science Center, visit suncoastscience.org.

Florida Center uses grant
to purchase transit vehicle

The Florida Center for Early Childhood recently received a $50,000 grant from the Bishop Parker Foundation for its Early Childhood Court, or ECC, program. The grant supported the purchase of a transit vehicle to take families to and from their required appointments and for additional mental health therapy and parenting classes.

"Many of the families do not have reliable vehicles to attend visitations, medical appointments, meetings and court proceedings," Florida Center CEO Kristie Skoglund said. "We are so grateful to the Bishop-Parker Foundation for improving access to these services and funding a van, which will lessen some of the barriers that can jeopardize the success and completion of the program."

The grant is helping to provide an added layer to the safety net for vulnerable children and families. For information on Early Childhood Court, visit thefloridacenter.org/what-we-do/early-childhood-court.

Around and about ...

The JFCS of the Suncoast is hosting a Summer Family Fun Day today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Potter Building at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. The event will include free food from Fat & Happy Barbeque & More food truck, Carousel’s Soft-Serve Icery truck, a photo booth, games, music, and family activities. Guests can also learn about JFCS programs, including REACH Relationship Classes and Ignite Fatherhood.

• Creative Liberties Artist Studios and Gallery, 901-B Apricot Ave., Sarasota, will host Summer Saturday Open Studio – a collaboration with SPAACES, Princeton Street Arts and Define Art Gallery – on Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests can meet artists at work and purchase their art. Creative Liberties studio artists also will be in residence at Art Ovation hotel in downtown Sarasota on Aug. 16-21. For more information, visit creativeliberties.net or call 941-799-6634.

• Temple Beth El, 5150 Peridia Blvd., Sarasota, is holding an open house on Aug. 14 starting at 4 p.m. Activities at Temple Beth El, a Reform congregation, include Shabbat School on Saturday mornings, a men's club, a Sisterhood, adult education, and more. For information, email info@bethel-fl.org, call 941-755-4900, or visit bethel-fl.org.

Compiled from press releases and community submissions

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: COMMUNITY: Day 4 Hope; Dreamers & Doers; Girls Inc.; food & wine fest