COMMUNITY: Ringling Town Hall; UnidosNow workshop; Alzheimer's conference; Selby grant

Pulitzer Prize journalist set
for Town Hall appearance

Dave Barry, a prolific author, award-winning journalist and celebrated humorist, will speak on Feb. 7 at the Ringling College Library Association Town Hall in place of Paul Nicklen, who needed to cancel his appearance.

Barry has been tickling America's funny bone for more than three decades. For 25 years, he was a syndicated columnist whose work appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the U.S. and abroad. In 1988, Barry won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary, the only humor writer to have won journalism's top award.

For more information about Town Hall and to purchase tickets, visit rclassociation.org or call 941-309-5101.

UnidosNow plans info session
on post-secondary education

UnidosNow, celebrating 10 years of empowering the growing Hispanic/Latino community through education, integration, and civic engagement, will hold a free virtual community workshop on post-secondary education on Thursday from 6-7:15 p.m.

"College 101," a Zoom workshop, will focus on education options after high school; the differences between technical schools, community colleges, and four-year universities; maximizing a student's potential for acceptance; and the application process.

The event is designed for students and their parents and guardians. Registration is required at ly.unidosnow.org/college101. For more information about UnidosNow and its programs and events, visit unidosnow.org.

Alzheimer’s info conference
focuses on Florida residents

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America will host a free virtual Alzheimer’s educational conference for Florida residents on Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. to kick off its 2022 national Educating America Tour.

The free conference will allow participants to learn from and ask questions of health and caregiving experts. Sessions include:

• Genetic Studies in Alzheimer’s Disease: Pathway to Prevention and Treatment Across Ancestries.

• Cultural Awareness in Dementia Care.

• Caregiver-Care Partner Relationships: Preventing Misunderstandings and Overcoming Communication Barriers.

For information and to register, go to alzfdn.org/tour.

Resilient Retreat gains Selby
grant for residential center

Resilient Retreat recently received funding from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation to provide furnishings for a retreat for first responders, caregiving professionals, and other survivors of trauma.

Resilient Retreat started construction in 2020 on an 18,000-square-foot Retreat Center and a 5,000-square-foot community center with overnight accommodations, therapy spaces and communal social spaces. In addition to day programming, the facility at 13010 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, will have the capacity to welcome up to 30 individuals to attend multi-day retreats to heal the mind, body and spirit on 84 acres of conservation land.

"The kitchen is the heart of any space and this grant from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation will provide all of the essential kitchen items needed to provide nutritious well-balanced meals for our participants during 3–5 day retreats," executive director Lisa Intagliata said.

Resilient Retreat was founded in 2018 to empower survivors of abuse and those who experience trauma in the workplace. For more information, visit ResilientRetreat.org or call 941-343-0039.

LWR Women’s Club donates
over $53,000 to charities

The Lakewood Ranch Women’s Club recently donated $32,000 in cash and over $21,000 in-kind support to their adopted nonprofit charities at their general meeting in January at LWR Town Hall.

The charities included HOPE Family Services, SMART (Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy), Solve Maternity Homes, and the Children’s Guardian Fund (CGF).

The Lakewood Ranch Women’s Club, celebrating 25 years friendship and service, meets monthly for a range of activities, including luncheons, sightseeing tours, movie nights, shopping expeditions, educational seminars, fundraising events, and business meetings. For information, visit lwrwc.org.

Around and about ...

The Circus Arts Conservatory is seeking volunteer ushers for performances of Circus Sarasota and will hold an open call meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Circus Sarasota Big Top Tent on Regatta Island at Nathan Benderson Park. For more information, contact volunteer coordinator Aaron Watkins at 941-355-9335 (ext. 305) Volunteer@CircusArts.org.

• The Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival, hosted by the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, is scheduled Feb. 19-20. Family-friendly vendors, food, and entertainment will be available, including live music, nautical arts and crafts and children’s activities. Admission is $5 for adults; children 12-under free. On Feb. 19, a free park and ride will be available from Cortez Baptist Church, 4411 100th St W. on Cortez Road. For more information, including parking, visit the FISH website at cortez-fish.org.

• Gulf Cove United Methodist Church, 100 S. McCall Road, Port Charlotte, provides free sit-down and carry-out dinners on the first Monday of each month. The Feb. 7 menu includes baked ziti, bread, salad, and dessert. Visit GulfCoveChurch.com; email GulfCoveUMC@gmail.com; or call 941-697-1747 to reserve a meal. ... Gulf Cove Church also is seeking vendors of handcrafted items for its Arts & Crafts Show on Feb. 11-12. For information, call 941-276-7281.

• The second annual Sarasota Luxury Travel Forum is scheduled on Feb. 16 from 4-7:30 p.m. at The Meadows Country Club in Sarasota. Travel companies coming to the forum include Abercrombie & Kent, American Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Kensington Tours, Lindblad Expeditions, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Rocky Mountaineer, Scenic Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises, and Uniworld River Cruises. For information and registration, visit bookthatescape.com/SRQLuxuryTravel.

Compiled from press releases and community submissions

'Shred the Love’

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: COMMUNITY: Ringling Town Hall; UnidosNow; Alzheimer's; Selby grant