OPINION: Barancik Foundation's new report is inspiring stuff

Sarasota Herald-Tribune Editorial Board
·2 min read
In May 2021 five local teachers were presented with "Ripple Effect" awards from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation during a Sarasota County School Board meeting. In all, 10 teachers received "Ripple Effect" awards from Barancik Foundation last year. It was just one of the many inspiring accomplishments that Barancik, a major Sarasota nonprofit, achieved in 2021 despite the still-looming pandemic.

If you need a bit of cheering up – and you might, given the omicron surge, toxic partisan politics, the unfathomable level of interest in vapid celebrities Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian as a couple and countless other troubling signs regarding the state of America right now – here’s a good remedy:

Just take a few moments and read “2021: A Year of Resilience,” the creative report recently released by Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation to note the success stories recorded last year by one of Sarasota’s leading nonprofits.

Trust us: it makes for great reading.

There are photos of the tireless area teachers who were recipients of the “Ripple Effect Teacher Award,” which was launched by Barancik Foundation to honor top instructors by providing them with $5,000 awards to spend on classroom resources or professional development.

There are details about the foundation’s partnerships with a myriad of human services agencies to strengthen the local social safety net – a critical undertaking amid a still-deadly pandemic that continues to loom and morph.

There are tales of progress in solidifying support for mental health and wellness programs, broadening accessibility to early learning centers, reducing health inequity and increasing the spirit of inclusion across our community.

There are examples of collaboration to promote local sustainability and conservation – from backing a communitywide composting initiative to helping several area organizations install solar power systems.

And there are portraits of local “heroes” who are making a stirring impact today – as well as young “hopefuls” who are already poised to do the same tomorrow.

So do it.

Carve out some time.

Read about the meaningful deeds that were done by Barancik Foundation over the year that has just passed – and the promising seeds they have laid for the equally consequential work ahead to honor the legacy of foundation’s late founders, Charles and Margery Barancik.

And, most of all, feel free to smile.

To view “2021: A Year of Resilience,” visit https://2021.barancikfoundation.org.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Barancik Foundation's recent achievements pave way for future ones