December 2018

TOBY PERLMAN

Making Beautiful Music at the Perlman Music Program

THE GIVING PARTNER

Takes the Mystery Out of Giving

JFCS OF THE SUNCOAST Embarks on Bold Philanthropy

FUNDING OUR FUTURE

State College of Florida Foundation

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CONTENTS features

54 THE KNIGHTS EXHIBITION AT THE RINGLING

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

74 JFCS EMBARKS ON BOLD PHILANTHROPY

60 THE GIVING PARTNER

78 UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

Taking the Mystery Out of Giving

By Sylvia Whitman

64 FUNDING OUR FUTURE State College of Florida

By Jamie M. Smith

70 HEALTH DIVIDED The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation taps Glasser-Schoenbaum Human Services Center in a study assessing nonprofits’ role in healthcare

By Sue Cullen

By Sue Cullen

Jane Seymour Comes to Manatee Performing Arts Center

By Jacqueline Miller

83 GIVING HEARTS The Plymouth Harbor Foundation’s Impact on Employees

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

ON THE COVER Concept by Julie Milton, Design by Darcy Kelly-Laviolette.

54 10

SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

70

MAR 29

6:00 – 10:00 PM

WINE WALK TO CA’ D’ZAN 2019

Join us for Wine Walk to Ca’ d’Zan 2019 and taste your way through The Ringling World’s Fair. Enjoy a variety of wines from Total Wine & More while enjoying culinary delights from Sarasota’s top caterers.

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CONTENTS departments

SOCIAL SCENE 21 THE LIST December Events Calendar PARTY PICS

28 Women on the Scene Launch Party 30 Boys & Girls Club Champions for Children Gala

33 USFSM Brunch on the Bay 34 Aviva Keep the Dream Alive 36 Sarasota Orchestra’s

38

“A Musical Journey” Brunch

INSIDER 38 THE FIND Ring in the new year with luxury

112 LAUGHING MATTERS The “Are You Funnier Than a Chihuahua?” Quiz

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

PHILANTHROPY 42 BRAVI FOR THIS DUET Carla Koeffler & John Suhre

By Sylvia Whitman

46 GULF COAST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION’S

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Initiative

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

50 FOREVER HELPING CHILDREN Albert & Norma Cohen and Children First

By Sue Cullen 12

SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

ON THE TOWN

30

86 SCENES FROM AN INTERVIEW Toby Perlman: Making Beautiful Music

By Gus Mollasis

95 EDUCATION MATTERS In Their Own Words: The Sarasota Youth Orchestras

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

109 EAT & DRINK

86

Cooking Classes

By Rick Dakan

ART & CULTURE 98 BEST SEATS Performing Arts Calendar

102 GET INSPIRED Cultural happenings brought to you by the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County

106 LITERARY SCENE Holiday Gift Ideas for the Book Lovers in Your Life

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Be Informed Be Entertained Be SCENE scenesarasota.com

Click to View Featured Models

from the executive editor

A

ACCORDING TO GIVINGUSA.ORG, the booming stock market and strong economy encouraged Americans to give an estimated $410 billion to charities in 2017, an increase of 5%. This was the first time giving topped $400 billion in a single year.

Breaking it down, 70% was given by individuals, 16% by foundations, 9% by bequest, and 5% by corporations.

Where did all this giving go? Topping the list was religious contributions at 31%; education 14%; human services 12%; foundations 11%; health 9%; public-society benefit 7%; international affairs 6%; arts, culture and humanities 5%; environment/animals 3%, and individuals received 2%. A whopping 30% of that $410 billion in annual giving occurred in December.

What inspires you to give? Is there someone who needs your help? Perhaps it’s a cultural or human services organization that tugs at your heartstrings. Or maybe it’s a student scholarship that will bring you joy. Whatever it is, what are you waiting for Sarasota? It’s December. ‘Tis the season of giving. Get out that checkbook!

To make it easier for you to navigate the local nonprofit world, you only have to read this annual philanthropy issue of Sarasota Scene. Sylvia Whitman’s article “Taking the Mystery out of Giving,” will tell you all about Community Foundation’s free online tool called The Giving Partner, on which you can access lots of information on more than 600 local nonprofits in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto and Charlotte counties. Just type in the categories that interest you and The Giving Partner will source the nonprofits that match your query. You’ll get the transparent information you’ll need to make informed giving decisions.

Donating to education is one of our most important giving obligations. It is our future. And when you consider that our education system faces huge challenges on many fronts, educational contributions should be at the top of our giving list. State College of Florida is one of our prized schools, serving this community since 1957 (the same as Sarasota Scene!). The College’s Foundation board members are working tirelessly to raise funds to help deserving students who want to improve their lives. Learn how you can help and read Jamie Smith’s passionate plea in “Fund our Future.”

Learn about the important work of JFCS, a highly respected and impactful local human services nonprofit with a mission to change lives and help people in crisis. The organization is embarking on bold philanthropy and needs your help.

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SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

We’re also quite fortunate to have the Glasser-Schoenbaum Human Services Center in our town. This “campus of caring” houses over 17 vital agencies that serve our community needs in various ways. The Center is studied nationally as a model of success. Now, it has become one of only two nonprofits nationwide selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in a study assessing nonprofits’ role in healthcare and their capacity to meet community needs. To learn more about the importance of this study and its meaning to our community, be sure to read Sue Cullen’s article in this issue.

You also don’t want to miss our regular monthly philanthropy articles. The stories this month include a couple passionate about helping more than 600 at-risk children who attend Children First, designated a Program of Excellence by the National Head Start Association, which places it among the top one percent of all Head Start and Early Head Start programs nationally. Are performing arts more your thing? Then you’ll enjoy reading Sylvia Whitman’s interview with two local opera aficionados who share their passion for giving to Sarasota Opera.

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation leads the way in our community in identifying emerging needs, mobilizing

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THE COLLECTION CONDOMINIUM 13 3 5 S E C O N D S T R E E T, S A R A S O TA , F L 3 4 2 3 6

resources and encouraging its foundation donors to help.

One of its important initiatives is helping unaccompanied homeless youth. It is troubling to know that more than 400 teens and young adults in Sarasota County are homeless.

They are vulnerable 16- to 24-year olds who will become the next generation of chronically homeless adults if we don’t help. They live in cars, parks, shelters, hotels and other people’s homes and are more than likely living on the streets because of a parent who abuses drugs or alcohol or physical abuse.

Harvest House is one of several partners of Gulf Coast Community Foundation with shared objectives to reduce the effects of homelessness on our youth and to create a viable pathway to independence for them. Working together with the Youth Action Board, a group of formerly homeless young adults, and under the leadership of the Foundation, a new Harvest House Youth Center in north Sarasota was recently dedicated. If you want to learn more about getting involved with this incredibly important initiative, read Ryan Van Cleave’s article. You may also visit gulfcoastcf.org.

Are you a music lover? Who isn’t? Gus Mollasis interviews Toby Perlman, wife of world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, and co-founder of the Perlman Music Program (PMP) Sarasota Winter Residency in Sarasota. The organization celebrates its 15th anniversary with several great performances in December and January. You can read all about PMP, its needs and its incredible development of extraordinarily gifted young string students and accomplished graduates in this very passionate interview.

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The bottom line is that there are so many critical needs in our seemingly perfect town. We can’t sweep these problems under the rug. All of us need to help, no matter what the contribution. So again, what are you waiting for, Sarasota? It’s December, and there’s no better time to give!

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SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

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Locally Owned and Operated Since 1957 Vol. 61 No. 12

CEO/President Ronald Milton Publisher/Executive Editor Julie A. Milton Vice President, Sales & Marketing H John Knowles Graphic Designer Darcy Kelly-Laviolette Communications Specialist & Editorial Assistant Bobbilynn Hollifield Distribution Dick Jackson Contributing Writers Sue Cullen Jacqueline Miller Gus Mollasis Ryan G. Van Cleave Rick Dakan Sylvia Whitman Contributing & Social Photographer Nancy Guth Contributing Photographers Jordan Kelly-Laviolette Kelly Kearns

443 John Ringling Blvd. Ste. #F, Sarasota, FL 34236 941.365.1119 | Fax: 941.954.5067 | scenesarasota.com

RJM Ventures LLC, dba SCENE Magazine of Southwest Florida publishes 12 issues a year. Address editorial, advertising and circulation correspondence to the above address. Sufficient return postage and self-addressed, stamped envelope must accompany all manuscripts, artwork and photographs submitted if they are to be returned or acknowledged. Publisher assumes no responsibility for care of return of unsolicited materials. Subscription price: $12.95 per year, $19.95 for two years. All contents copyrighted. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

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social SCENE

THE LIST PARTY PICS

scenesarasota.com

All Faiths Food Bank: Bowls of Hope

The LIST DECEMBER 2018 EVENTS CALENDAR

The Ringling: Holiday Splendor

december 2

All Faiths Food Bank Bowls of Hope Ed Smith Stadium 11:00 a.m. $30 - $100 | allfaithsfoodbank.org

6

PICK YOUR FAVORITES!

The winter months are some of our favorites, and the lovely weather is only part of the reason. Holiday decorations, twinkling lights, and a general cheerfulness fills the air, making this time of year magical and putting us in the mood to celebrate. No snow? No problem!

The holidays in Sarasota are an exciting time, with a lineup of events to enjoy and important causes to support.

PINC.Sarasota 2018 Sarasota Opera House 8:00 a.m. $425 | PINCexperience.com

6

The Ringling Holiday Splendor Museum of Art, Circus Museum and Ca’d’Zan 5:00 p.m. $15 | ringling.org

7, 8, 15

Historic Spanish Point Holidays at the Point $15 - $45 historicspanishpoint.org

DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

21

The Sarasota Ballet

GALA An enchanting evening of fine dining and world class performances featuring

Kate Honea & Ricardo Graziano | Photographer Matthew Holler | Dress courtesy of L Boutique | Suit Jacket courtesy of The Met

Susan Graham Marcelo Gomes, Guest Artists, and The Sarasota Ballet

Sunday 6 January 2019 941.225.6510 | SarasotaBallet.org

social SCENE

Making a Difference.

Every Day. La Musica International Chamber Music Festival

SARASOTA SCENE

sponsored events!

3

JEWISH FEDERATION OF SARASOTA-MANATEE WOMEN’S DAY Art Ovation Hotel 11:30 a.m. $90 | jfedsrq.org

4

LA MUSICA INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL SONATA A DUE The Field Club 6:00 p.m. $250 | lamusicafestival.org

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The Florida Center Winter Gala

Each office is independently owned and operated.

SARASOTA SCENE

sponsored events!

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THE FLORIDA CENTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD ANNUAL WINTER GALA: AN ENCHANTED EVENING Michael’s On East 6:30 p.m. $200 thefloridacenter.org

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JFCS ANNUAL GALA The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota 5:00 p.m. $500 jfcs-cares.org/gala

DOWNTOWN BRADENTON • WWW.SOUTHFLORIDAMUSEUM.ORG *Up to six (6) guests. Not valid with any other discounts or special offers. Expires 4/30/19

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SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

social SCENE

Selby Gardens: Lights in Bloom

7

Sarasota Opera Guild 34th Annual Poinsettia Luncheon Bird Key Yacht Club 11:00 a.m. $65 - $100 sarasotaopera.org/sog.aspx

7

Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s Cause 4 Fashion Luncheon Bayside at the Van Wezel 11:30 a.m. $95 parkinsonsneurochallenge.org

7

St. Armands Circle Holiday Night of Lights Circle Park 5:30 p.m.

Free | starmandscircleassoc.com

8

9

Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast Feast Upon the Fields Mabry Carlton Ranch 12:30 p.m. $125 conservationfoundation.com

10

Asolo Repertory Theatre Starry Night Dinner 2: The Crucible

New Year’s Eve Celebrations

13

Child Protection Center Men, Whiskey & Watches Edson Keith Mansion 6:00 p.m. $175 | cpcsarasota.org

14

Lakewood Ranch Holidays Around The Ranch

LWR Main Street 6:00 p.m.

Private home, downtown Sarasota Free | lakewoodranch.com 6:30 p.m. $250 | asolorep.org/starrynights

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6:00 p.m. $15 | historicspanishpoint.org

Dec 20 – Jan 6

Education Foundation of Sarasota County Ignite Education Teacher of the Year Awards Art Ovation Hotel 10:30 a.m. $85 | edfoundationsrq.org/ignite

Manatee Community Foundation Horne & Moon Scholarship Social: Finale

13

Air & Energy Warehouse 7:00 p.m. $175 | manateecf.org

Michael’s On East 8:30 a.m. $45 | mhcci.com

Mental Health Community Centers High Hopes Breakfast 2018

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Lights in Bloom 6:00 p.m. $25 | selby.org

Historic Spanish Point Starlight & Fire: New Year’s Eve

31

27 – 30

Selby Gardens New Year’s Eve Celebration

Sailor Circus Big Top Holidays Circus Sarasota Big Top, Nathan Benderson Park $20 - $30 | circusarts.org

8:00 p.m. $250 | selby.org

31

Sarasota New Year’s Eve Illumination Party Sarasota Municipal Auditorium 9:00 p.m. $150 - $200 | thesrqnye.com

DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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CUSTOM PRESCRIPTION EYEWEAR social SCENE

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JANUARY 22 | The Hermitage Artist Retreat Muse Luncheon

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My name is Fatima Moon, I would like to invite you to visit my new Practice/Optical Boutique, Moon & Company Hello Sarasota!Eyewear.

JANUARY 23 | Embracing Our Differences Annual Luncheon Michael’s On East 12:00 p.m. embracingourdifferences.org

JANUARY 26 | 30th Annual Catholic Charities Ball The Westin Sarasota 6:00 p.m. catholiccharitiesdov.org

V IS IT S C EN ES A R A S O TA . C O M for the latest social scene party pics.

To submit your event for consideration, please send information to scenemagazine@scenesarasota.com

Together we can strengthen healthcare We are the foundation for Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. We rely on the philanthropic support of the community to maintain Sarasota Memorial’s position as a nationally recognized leader, providing world-class patient care throughout our region.

Your Support Makes a Difference.

To make a donation call (941) 917-1286 or visit

smhf.org

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE OR BY VISITING www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Consumer-Services.

REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. (REGISTRATION # CH103)

social SCENE

Aimee Cogan, Graci McGillicuddy & Ariane Dart

Karen Koblenz & Cheryl Burke

Teresa Mast

PARTY pics WOMEN ON THE SCENE LAUNCH PARTY More than 120 guests gathered at Cafe L’Europe Restaurant for the launch party celebrating Women on the Scene IV, a Sarasota Scene special issue. The issue profiles 100+ local women of impact and influence. To view the issue and read each profile, visit scenesarasota.com.

Margaret Hixon & Janet Lange

John & JoJo Bradshaw Rev. Robin Reiter & Linda Ware

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SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

Suzy Karasz & Lindsay Ketchum

Drs. Allison Konick, Ken Liszewski & Meredith Galloway

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Dr. Alissa Shulman, Elizabeth Massey, Craig Chasky, Dr. Sunita Sharan & JoJo Bradshaw

Daria Spina, Donna Koffman & Stephanie Church

Andria Piekarz, Mickey & Ned Davis, Sally Schule

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Fifi Queen & Greg Abdian Michelle Crabtree, Dr. Larry Thompson & Maggie Davenport

Andria Bilan & Janet Ginn

Rita Altman, Dr. Ken Schweizer & Mary Gratehouse

DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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social SCENE

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SARASOTA COUNTY CHAMPIONS FOR CHILDREN GALA More than 300 guests attended the annual gala honoring the legacy of Annette J. Hagens. Guests enjoyed live entertainment, catered dinner by Mattison’s and a heartwarming program led by Rickey Tedesco, 2018 Youth of the Year and Boys & Girls Club alumnus.

Proceeds from the event support the organization’s programs that empower 7,000 youth to excel and succeed before and after high school graduation.

Keith & Evella Feldhacker with Caroline & Lee Wetherington

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USF SARASOTA-MANATEE’S BRUNCH ON THE BAY More than 800 guests entering the Silver Anniversary event were serenaded by a trio of musicians and greeted

by USF cheerleaders, gold and green balloons and tables of mimosas in fluted glasses. Special guest USF System President Judy Genshaft reminded attendees of all Brunch has done since its inception in 1994, including awarding more than 1,700 scholarships totaling in excess of $1 million, and created a scholarship endowment totaling $1.3 million. Including state matching grants, endowment earnings and in-kind support, Brunch has helped generate more than $5.5 million for college scholarships­—most of which have gone toward local students.

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AVIVA – CAMPUS FOR SENIOR LIFE: KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE This year, the event, which was inspired by The Beatles’ famous song All You Need is Love, welcomed 250+ guests and residents of the senior living campus for an evening of dancing, dessert and discussion led by event co-chairs Susan Steenberger and Sheila Birnbaum. Keep the Dream Alive works to support Aviva’s Benevolent Care Fund, which promises that no qualified resident will ever be forced out of their home due to financial burden for the entirety of their life. Each year, the Benevolent Care Fund ensures on average 15-30 residents are provided a home, food, activity and access to the benefits of Aviva living.

Ron & Shari Paler

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Chairs Jill Levine & Susi Steenbarger with Norm Cohen

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SARASOTA ORCHESTRA’S A MUSICAL JOURNEY BRUNCH Sarasota Orchestra’s A Musical Journey Brunch welcomed over 200 attendees. Musical entertainment featured performances from several of the Youth Orchestra students and ensembles. All proceeds from the event support the Youth Orchestra. Audrey Robbins, Harry Leopold, Jeff Sebeika, Charlie Huisking and Kim Morey Wheeler cochaired the event.

Renee Hamad, Vivian Kouvant & BJ Creighton

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1. 18K WHITE GOLD RING | GIA-certified 1.39-carat Fancy YellowGreen Diamond with 0.67 carats of Natural Pink and White diamonds. Thayer Jewelers See store for price | thayerjewelers.com

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5. HERITAGE CHAMPAGNE GLASSES | Mouth-blown glassware by Juliska.

Charlotte’s Grace $250 (set of 4) | Charlottes-Grace.com

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philanthropy philanthropy

BRAVI FOR THIS DUET CARLA KOEFFLER & JOHN SUHRE

BY SYLVIA WHITMAN | PHOTO BY NANCY GUTH

When opera aficionados John Suhre and Carla Koeffler were casting about Florida for a retirement town, Sarasota was in the running, of course, offering culture, nature, and an airport for international travel. Friends tried to lure the couple to Naples, but John says Sarasota Opera was “a selling point—if not the main selling point.”

Carla wasn’t instantly sold, however. A marketing director who had moved and traveled for work, she had attended performances at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, Washington’s Kennedy Center, and Chattanooga’s gilded Tivoli Theatre. She found Sarasota Opera’s downtown complex unprepossessing. “It looked like a Florida building,” Carla explains. “And I thought, I guess that’s what they can afford.”

Inside, that underwhelming first impression of the facade gave way to a wow. Seated in the balcony, “I was absolutely blown away by the acoustics, and the intimacy of the theater,” Carla remembers. “The sound was like arms wrapping around me.”

John and Carla came to their love of opera separately. John had always liked music: in high school he played trumpet and tuba, and he sang in a community chorus. But in 1978, when he found himself in the third row at the Kennedy Center listening to Beverly Sills in The Barber of Seville, he was transfixed. “For me, opera is the quintessential use of the human voice,” he rhapsodizes. Government lawyer by day, he became a diva and divo devotee by night. Even recordings of Pavarotti’s rendition of “Nessun Dorma” give him goosebumps, he says.

Carla, too, discovered opera as a musically-inclined adult. Her parents had taken her to concerts as she grew up in Milwaukee, and in college she played guitar and sang folk. “Mercifully, I gave it up,” she says with a laugh. A chance listen to Pavarotti’s greatest hits on a business trip piqued Carla’s interest, and then she experienced Wagner at the Met. “The pageantry is magical,” Carla says. “Operas are miracles. If God hadn’t given voice to Puccini, to Verdi, life wouldn’t be what it is today.”

John and Carla had dated in D.C., parted, and then reunited more than two decades ago—with opera an unexpected bond. They both prefer what Carla calls the “beautiful and cherished classics.”

“Opera is kind of an acquired taste,” says John. “It’s long, all in a foreign language, full of silly stories. They’re fairy tales set to music.”

“They were written hundreds of years ago,” Carla points out, “so there’s so much history to them. But the performances today are beautiful: lighting, set design, costumes—the full package that modern audiences demand.”

In their six years in town, John and Carla have become mainstays of Sarasota Opera. In addition to subscribing to each season’s five shows, they’ve sponsored up-and-coming vocalists through the Apprentice Artists Program—Jonathan Harris, for instance, a bass-baritone from New Orleans, in winter 2018. They’ve also co-produced several operas. The intimacy DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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philanthropy of the underwriting mirrors the intimacy of the performances.

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“In Sarasota, you can be involved in more things for a reasonable amount of money,” Carla says.

“The season is a major part of our social life,” says John. “It’s a family affair.” With the producer credit come invitations to rehearsals, lunches, lectures with the maestro, and a special dinner on stage. John especially enjoys meeting the “amazing” artists. “It’s not an easy profession to break into and stay in,” he says.

John and Carla donate time and treasure elsewhere in the county. John is president of their Palmer Ranch homeowners’ association. Equestrienne Carla serves on the board of InStride Therapy in Nokomis, where the couple volunteer as “side walkers” for disabled clients who ride horses during hippotherapy sessions. Carla also tutors English for speakers of other languages (ESOL).

But their involvement with Sarasota Opera combines philanthropy with entertainment.

They love the organization’s traditionalist bent—no modernist interpretations of the tried and true. “They stage these operas the way they were meant to be staged,” says John.

At the same time, he and Carla appreciate the lack of pretention here. Although co-producers might wear gowns and tuxes on opening night, no one looks askance at patrons in khakis and boat shoes.

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“It’s an approachable art form,” says Carla, who approves of the varied price points on tickets. “There’s an entry point at any budget level, so you can come see if you like it.”

Being a benefactor helps ensure the success of the opera—a deeply satisfying feeling for John. “I’m cheered when I see young people in the theater,” he says. “I don’t want opera to go away.”

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

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F O R M O R E IN F O R M AT IO N

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philanthropy

GULF COAST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION’S

UNACCOMPANIED HOMELESS YOUTH INITIATIVE

BY RYAN G. VAN CLEAVE Whether you see them or not, they’re right here in our community— more than 400 teens and young adults in Sarasota County are homeless and living entirely on their own. They are part of the 6% of the total homeless population that unaccompanied youth represent in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, on any single night in 2016, there were approximately 35,000 unaccompanied homeless youths throughout the country, with 89% being 18-24 and 11% being under 18.

These unaccompanied youth live in cars, shelters, parks, motels, abandoned buildings, the homes of other people (often called “couch surfing”), and on the streets. Many are running away from abuse, neglect, poverty, or conflict. They don’t have a safe place to return home to. They don’t have a safe place to go.

With little or no work experience or life skills, and frequently a lack of education, this often-overlooked group of homeless 46

SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

individuals is on the path to become the next generation of chronically homeless adults in our region.

That’s why Gulf Coast Community Foundation and a collaboration of stakeholders from local government, human services, and philanthropy are working to address gaps in services for homeless youth. The partners include the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Florida Department of Health in Sarasota, Harvest House, More Too Life, Sarasota Family YMCA, The Salvation Army of Sarasota, and Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness. Together, they’ve implemented three projects that are providing immediate help to homeless youth while also generating data to inform longer-term plans, which include creating emergency shelter space dedicated for youth, targeting behavioral health challenges, and providing education and workforce training.

philanthropy

The initial projects are: • Youth Action Board: Consisting of teens and young adults with firsthand experience with homelessness, the Youth Action Board empowers these youth to advocate for their own needs more effectively.

• Drop-in Centers: These safe gathering places will provide access to services exclusively for homeless youth in highneed areas. The first center is located in North Sarasota and operated by Harvest House. A location for a second drop-in center in southern Sarasota County is now being explored.

• Housing Subsidies: Rental subsidies assist youth in covering the costs associated with stable housing, so they can instead focus on continuing their education. Without this type of assistance, sustainable housing in Sarasota County for this group of young people is simply not an option.

One young man who has taken a leadership role on the Youth Action Board is Darryl. On his own since he was 14, Darryl couch surfed for a long time but realized he needed stable housing in order to focus on his education and career goals. Thanks to help from Harvest House and others, as well as his own resiliency, Darryl is now studying to be a surgical technician. “We all agreed that we should have services for unaccompanied homeless youth,” he says of his fellow Youth Action Board members. “We knew that would change the dynamic of what help really was.”

Many Gulf Coast donors who understand the complexities of this issue also want to change that dynamic. For example, Lin and Bob Williams have invested in the initiative. “As

Bob & Lin Williams

DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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Save a Life this Holiday Season!

philanthropy philanthropic supporters of this effort,” says Lin, “Bob and I know that we are helping not just these kids, but building a system that will help young adults like them in the future.”

According to Greg Luberecki, the communications director at Gulf Coast, housing subsidies are one area where additional donors can make a difference.

“There are many more young people in our community who we could help get into safe housing with more subsidies,” he says.

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While the drop-in centers provide a new front door to critical services, there also remains a need for a specialized triage and shelter facility where youth in crisis can go. “We have options for homeless adults and for families with children,” says Luberecki, “but those shelter locations often aren’t safe or appropriate for homeless youth. We are lacking a dedicated space for them.”

Keith Monda, who, with his wife, Linda, generously supports numerous community causes, is another donor to the initiative.

“You look at the issue of chronic adult homelessness in our region and across the country, and you realize that support today for these young people—many of whom are in these circumstances due to decisions made by adults in their lives—is a great investment in them and in our community,” he says. “By helping them finish their education and get job training, we can keep these youth from becoming our next generation of homeless adults.”

Graduating from homelessness isn’t just about having a roof overhead—it’s about having a safe, stable, and secure place to call home. Thanks to the efforts of Gulf Coast Community Foundation and its partners and donors, more unaccompanied youth in our area will have a solid foundation upon which to explore their potential and access opportunities to become productive community members.

F O R M O R E IN F O R M AT IO N

about Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Unaccompanied Homeless Youth initiative, visit gulfcoastcf.org or call 941.486.4600.

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Forever

HELPING CHILDREN A TOUGH START IN LIFE INSPIRES ALBERT & NORMA COHEN TO HELP LAUNCH CHILDREN FIRST’S FOREVER SOCIETY.

BY SUE CULLEN | PHOTO BY NANCY GUTH

If anyone knows how crucial it is to get a good start in life when born into challenging circumstances, it’s Albert H. Cohen.

The retired CEO, who had a highly successful career leading large corporations in the aviation, automotive and electronics industries, lived his entire childhood on public assistance with his sick mother in the slums of Brooklyn. His story is a testament to what it takes to help children of poverty rise above their circumstances to excel.

Because of his life experience, Cohen and his wife Norma were inspired to get involved with Children First and help launch its Forever Society for legacy donors with a major gift to the organization’s endowment fund. They also are the society’s first ambassadors, encouraging others to invest in the future through planned giving to support Children First initiatives that aid the area’s most vulnerable children. “When we came to understand what Children First does, we saw that it fit with our objective to try to help children in their first years of life,” he said. “Norma and I believe we have to give as much guidance, assistance and parental help to young children as we can.”

The important difference that assistance can mean was brought home to Cohen very poignantly many years after he left the 50

SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

slums and created a successful career. “I was raised in the black slums of Brooklyn with a mother who was too sick to work. It was just the two of us, and we were recipients of the program Aid for Dependent Children, also called welfare. That is what carried me through my entire life into college,” he said. “Forty years after I left the neighborhood, I was in New York and a man from my childhood recognized me because we used to play ball together. I asked him about the kids from our neighborhood that we knew, and all of them either were in jail or dead. That had an enormous effect on me. Those were kids I played with and who protected me, and that’s why it hit home so much.”

One thing that proved advantageous for Cohen was having a mother who valued literacy. “My immigrant mother was the daughter of an orthodox rabbi in Poland who believed fervently in the need to be literate,” he said. “My mother schooled me at home, and I learned to read and write before I started kindergarten.” That fortunate circumstance was a step up for Cohen and strikes at the heart of Children First’s mission to provide a comprehensive approach to helping young children and families living below the poverty level.

philanthropy philanthropy

Children First serves more than 600 children annually from pregnancy through age five. Comprehensive childhood services are provided for infants and toddlers, along with Head Start pre-kindergarten education for three- to five-year-olds. The organization has been designated a Program of Excellence by the National Head Start Association, which places it among the top one percent of all Head Start and Early Head Start programs nationally. Knowing that the families of these children face many challenges, including food insecurity, Children First also provides healthy meals and snacks.

Children receive developmental, vision and health screening, access to regular medical and dental care, and occupational, physical and speech therapy are provided for those with a diagnosed disability. Families receive support with a goalsoriented approach to gaining self-sufficiency with the support of family advocates. Children First’s Families First Institute provides classes in career readiness and parenting, including its award-winning Nurturing Dads program.

The Cohens’ philanthropic involvement takes many forms, including her volunteer efforts on behalf of the Friendship Centers

and his 10 years of teaching Junior Achievement’s senior economics curriculum. Cohen also has been a professional classical music critic for 40 years with a regular column in a major New Jersey newspaper, and they support musical arts for youth. The couple chose to direct their legacy donation to Children First’s endowment fund to help ensure it can continue making a difference in the lives of children and their families for future generations, with a cushion to protect against the vagaries of government spending and individual donations.

“Children First needs an endowment fund that generates funds every year, which allows them to do planning over multiple years,” Cohen said. “We chose to make a substantial legacy grant to kick this off. The inordinate effort an organization like this must devote just to keep going year after year is enormous.

An endowment can allow resources to be devoted to helping more children and families.”

F O R M O R E IN F O R M AT IO N

about Children First, please visit childrenfirst.net or call 941.953.3877.

DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

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Masterworks 3

JANUARY 4-6

NEEL | VAN WEZEL Anu Tali, Music Director James Ehnes, violin

Experience the seasons in reverse.

The Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream followed by Schumann’s Spring Symphony. Finally Grammy Award-winning violinist local James Ehnes joins Sarasota Orchestra for Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No.1.

The concerto depicts winter’s harsh, crystalline beauty.

SUMMER TO WINTER

"EFFUSIVELY LYRICAL...

HAIR-RAISINGLY "

VIRTUOSIC

- The Guardian London

Tickets from $34

SarasotaOrchestra.org | 941-953-3434 SCENE Magazine

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Parade Shield, mid – late 19th Century. Electro-plating in copper, velvet; 25 9/16 × 18 1/8 × 2 3/8 in. On loan from Museo Stibbert, Firenze, Inv. no. armi1405.

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THE KNIGHTS EXHIBITION AT THE RINGLING

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

If you enjoy the King Arthur tales, the Robin Hood stories, or even Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you’re going to love the upcoming Knights exhibition at The Ringling (February 3 – April 21, 2019).

Why is The Ringling bringing in a 15th- to 19th-century weapons-and-armor exhibition? “Because these are exquisite art objects, as well,” explains Dr. Sarah Cartwright, the Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections at The Ringling. “The artisans are using the stylistic language of the period to decorate their equipment.

As the status of knights increased, they used this equipment as symbols of status. The more aristocratic that knights became, the more interested they were in having their armor serve as displays of wealth and good taste.”

The 100+ piece exhibition—which includes full suits of armor, helmets, swords, and other weaponry—will take up the entire west side of the Searing gallery. One of the biggest WOW moments will surely come from witnessing a pair of mounted equestrian figures featuring both man and horse in full armor. Trained warhorses were extremely valuable, so great care was taken to provide them with as much protection as the riders received.

“This fascinating exhibition explores many facets of latemedieval and Renaissance warfare, and it gives visitors a chance to examine choice examples of arms and armor up close,” says Dr. Cartwright. “I think audiences will come away with a deep appreciation of the variety and beauty of these functional objects, and the extraordinary level of artistry involved in producing them.” To showcase

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Sword known as Spanish type of Sword, Italian, ca. 1670. Steel, wood, fabric; 55 7/8 × 11 × 5 1/8 in. On loan from Museo Stibbert, Firenze, Inv. no. 4766

Chanfron, mid 16th Century. Steel, leather; 27 9/16 × 11 13/16 × 13 in. On loan from Museo Stibbert, Firenze, Inv. no. 2459.

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Suit of Armor, Italian, 1540–1550. Steel, leather, fabric, wood; 74 13/16 × 29 1/2 × 19 11/16 in.

On loan from Museo Stibbert, Firenze, Inv. no. 3959.

that level of beauty, the exhibition will also include paintings that depict battles or individuals wearing armor.

Knights is the second collaboration between The Ringling and the Museo Stibbert, an Italian museum founded by Frederick Stibbert, an Anglo-Italian collector who lived in the latter half of the 1800s.

He used his sizable inheritance to transform a Florentine hillside villa and park into the Museo Stibbert, which houses over 50,000 objects, with a special emphasis on European, Islamic, and Japanese arms and armor from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

In 2016, the Museo Stibbert loaned magnificent examples of samurai arms and armor to The Ringling for their Samurai: The Way of the Warrior exhibit that was part of the opening of the Center for Asian Art. Knights is the European counterpart.

For both exhibits, Contemporanea Progetti were the logistical organizers working with the Museo Stibbert and The Ringling.

“One thing that surprises me,” notes Dr. Cartwright, “is the degree to which motifs appear throughout art production of the period. We see skilled artisans making armor using the same motifs that are prevalent in architecture, manuscript illumination, printed books, and more. Clearly the taste of the period extended to everything—including armor.

The detail they lavished on armor is tremendously impressive.” And she admits, too, that she has a deep personal interest in Knights since she once worked in a Florentine museum on the same hillside as the Museo Stibbert.

Another thing most don’t realize is that you didn’t just stop in at your local blacksmith and order up a full set of armor and weapons. The inherent challenges in making equipment were so great that everyone soon realized where the best center of production existed. If you wanted superior armor, you went to the specialized craftsmen in Milan or southern Germany. If you wanted first-rate blades, you worked with the bladesmiths in Toledo, Spain.

Though getting a sword made proved even more challenging, since the Toledo

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Suit of Armor, 1500-1510, Steel, leather and fabric, Overall: 73 1/4 × 28 3/4 × 19 11/16 in. (186 × 73 × 50 cm), On loan from Museo Stibbert, Firenze smiths only made the blades. Local artisans were typically hired to fit these exquisite blades with a hilt and pommel, and then paired with an appropriate scabbard. Taken together, you can start to get a sense of why outfitting a knight was so expensive and why it became a symbol of taste and status. The earliest equipment in this exhibition is more functional than decorative, but the items from the 17th through 19th century really start to demonstrate a commitment to ornamentation and beauty.

Knights isn’t just for adults, though.

The Ringling has created a number of programs to run in conjunction with the exhibition include a ViewPoint lecture on Saturday, February 16th, by Dirk H. Breiding, The J.J. Medveckis Associate Curator of Arms and Armor at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. And throughout March, Family Saturdays will provide the opportunity for people of all ages to explore the exhibition. On March 9th, the animated film Shrek will be shown in the Museum of Art Courtyard.

Those who can’t get enough of this impressive exhibition will be able to purchase a fully-illustrated color catalogue in the Museum Store. It features essays as well as entries on all the objects in the exhibition.

Steven High, Executive Director at The Ringling, says, “We are thrilled to bring Knights to our audiences in Sarasota.”

For some time now, the idea of knights has occupied a large place in our cultural imagination. Now Knights will enlighten The Ringling visitors about the historical and functional contexts of arms and armor of this period, while also encouraging them to explore the undeniable beauty and artistic appeal of these stunning works.

For more information about The Ringling/ The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, please visit ringling.org or call 941.359.5700.

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The Giving Partner TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF GIVING

BY SYLVIA WHITMAN Let me introduce a tremendous local benefactor that has never chowed down at a luncheon or dressed up for a gala. That works behind the scenes but shares its home address without qualms. That puts numbers on a par with people. This good samaritan is on call 24/7 but has no heart, although many, many people praise it as a matchmaker.

The pronouns are probably a tip-off that I’m not talking about a generous neighbor you might run into at Publix.

Meet The Giving Partner (TGP), the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s free online tool for scoping out nonprofits.

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TGP (home address: thegivingpartner.guidestar.org) gathers and displays up-to-date profiles on about 600 nonprofits in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties, according to the Community Foundation. Each profile presents information in the same format—six tabs that cover a summary, background and needs, programs, management and planning, governance, and financials. Bar graphs allow for a quick scan of revenue vs. expenses, and attachments range from upbeat videos to IRS Form 990s.

It’s hard to have a conversation about TGP without hearing words like consistency and transparency.

“When the Community Foundation first introduced The Giving Partner, I didn’t get it,” confesses Sandra Frank, CEO and executive director of All Faiths Food Bank. “But it didn’t take me long to understand its value. With so many nonprofits in our region, it’s hard for a donor to understand capacity. The Giving Partner is a way to showcase what you do and demonstrate your credibility through full disclosure and transparency. For donors, it’s a great way to compare organizations.”

COMPLEMENTARY INITIATIVES The Giving Partner arrived in Sarasota in the toolbox of Community Foundation of Sarasota County (CFSC) president and CEO Roxie Jerde. The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, where Jerde served as senior vice president for donor relations and education, developed a beta version of the online platform, and other community foundations soon borrowed it. “GuideStar took over managing the product,” says Abigail Oakes, CFSC manager of nonprofit services. “The product itself is called ‘DonorEdge,’ but each community brands theirs differently.”

Jerde arrived in Sarasota in 2011, and in cooperation with other local foundations, CFSC launched The Giving Partner in 2012. According to Murray Devine, CFSC manager of communications and marketing, about 280 users search for nonprofits through TGP every week. “This definitely ramps up around the giving season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, etc.) and especially around the time of the Giving Challenge,” says Devine.

The Giving Challenge, another collaborative Jerde-era initiative, whips up a philanthropic frenzy, with nonprofits competing for prizes in addition to donations over a 24-hour period. To enter the challenge, organizations must post profiles on The Giving Partner. In 2018, the event raised $11.7 million.

Honor Sanctuary, for example, also known as Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue, vaulted to the top of the Giving Challenge leaderboard in number of unique gifts—1,611, totaling $100,243. That’s a striking feat for a medium-sized organization “founded in 2007 as a volunteer-run, foster-based rescue,” according to its TGP profile.

“We’re a young organization, just a baby,” says Rob Oglesby, director of development. “People are just getting to know about us.” Oglesby credits The Giving Partner profile with

attesting to the organization’s legitimacy. “Really, every single 501(c)(3) should [make one],” he says.

INFORMATION, NOT EVALUATION Unlike assessment tools like Charity Navigator, however, The Giving Partner does not rate, rank, or score nonprofits. It simply displays intelligence. The “Reviewed” button in TGP indicates that an organization has volunteered all the information requested by the Community Foundation and updated the profile within the last year. (In addition to the roughly 600 reviewed organizations, almost 200 more with outof-date information are listed as “not updated by organization.”)

“The Giving Partner interfaces with GuideStar, which is a national tool used to research nonprofit organizations,” says Oakes of the CFSC. “The Giving Partner and GuideStar intentionally do not rate organizations, as we feel that nonprofit organizations are so diverse in their structures and functions, it is incomplete to compare them to one another on a standardized scale.”

The Giving Partner leaves due diligence to donors, encouraging them to approach charitable giving as an investment. “They can see financials, see all of your fundraising plans, and see how that fits into their donation plans,” says MaryAnne Young, executive director of the New College Foundation, which made it onto the leaderboard (#8 in unique gifts) in the 2018 Giving Challenge. “Donors will look us up to have more information at their fingertips, and then they will come to us to ask more questions.

Very specific questions.”

Young says the consistency and transparency (those words again!) of the information can be comforting to donors. “A lot of giving is really emotional. They’re passionate about an issue,” she says. The Giving Partner reassures donors “that this organization is using our gifts prudently.”

Nonprofits appreciate that they can share essential information through a single URL rather than through costly printed documents or repeated emails full of attachments. TGP may also relieve them of the burden of duplicating reports elsewhere.

Sue Wetzel, president of United Way Suncoast, says that come spring, her organization is likely “to leverage this asset that the Community Foundation has already provided.” Nonprofits seeking United Way support will need to supply only what’s not already available through The Giving Partner.

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KNOW YOUR TOOL How can you find the charity of your dreams on The Giving Partner? Oakes recommends plunking down a keyword in the search bar.

“The broader, the better!”

Oakes explains that the IRS and the National Center for Charitable Statistics categorize organizations based on their applications when they file for tax exempt status. They use the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE). Nonprofits use that same vocabulary when they fill out their Giving Partner profiles. “Sometimes the NTEE codes of an organization may not accurately capture their work,” explains Oakes, “so searching their entire profile with specific words like ‘animal’ or ‘youth’ can be extremely helpful.”

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When I clicked on the NTEE category search “International, Foreign Affairs, and National Security,” for instance, five organizations surfaced. But when I typed “international” in the keyword search box, 31 names popped up, ranging from Guitar Sarasota to New Gate School to Shelter Box USA, none of which appeared in the NTEE category yield.

Potential donors can also search by zip code or “geographic area served.” Of course, organization names work, too.

Some benefactors discover organizations through The Giving Partner while others mine its data as they approach a decision.

Sarasota lawyer Charlie Ann Syprett has used the tool as she considers how best to support healthcare, animal welfare, and education.

“Love the Giving Partner,” she writes in an email. “More people should use it!”

Frank, of All Faiths Food Bank (#3 in gifts during the 2018 Giving Challenge), echoes that sentiment. “I don’t think it’s widely enough known,” she says. Donors are casting about, perhaps asking golf partners for recommendations. “They don’t realize there’s a one-stop shop … a trusted source that manages information.” As Southwest Florida enters the “biggest, most generous season of the year,” Frank hopes more philanthropists befriend The Giving Partner so that they can “give safely, give knowledgeably, and give wisely.”

There’s no limit to the BARGAI

To learn more about the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, visit cfsarasota.org. For the Giving Partner, visit thegivingpartner.guidestar.org.

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2019

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funding our future

BY JAMIE M. SMITH

The State College of Florida Foundation and its seventeen board members are faced with no small chore—to raise funds, including capital, to remove any potential obstacles for deserving students who want to improve their lives with a State College of Florida (SCF) education. SCF offers associate and bachelor’s degrees, as well as workforce certificates.

Established in 1957, SCF is the region’s first and largest public college, serving 11,000 college credit students annually at campuses in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch and Venice, and via online classes. Another 14,000 community members attend professional development and personal enrichment classes.

The College has graduated more than 50,000 students since 1959. More than 20,000 have stayed in the community serving in prestigious positions, such as Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight, Centerstone CEO Melissa Larkin-Skinner and Florida House of Representatives member Jim Boyd. Others have moved around the world to successfully practice in various professions, including doctors, nurses, dentists and musicians. For example, the recent movie Tag was written by alumnus Rob McKittrick, or perhaps you’ve heard another alumna, Jade Turner, perform at Asolo Rep in the production of Ragtime.

For local young adults, SCF is their community college, widely known by word of mouth. However, for newer residents and those retiring to the community, SCF is in the unknown middle of the broader educational system. It’s not the K-12

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system everyone is anxious and eager to help, or the celebrated and boasted university that is promoted by numerous alumni.

Herein lies the challenge for the Foundation’s board of directors and new capital cabinet consisting of recently appointed Board Chair, Mike Fuller; Board Treasurer, Lisa Bristow; and Board Director Chris Romine. Mr. Fuller is committed to ensuring that everyone in the community has an opportunity to get to know SCF and its foundation. He has experienced, first hand, the lack of knowledge of SCF and its impact locally and abroad. “Education is the key to open up so many opportunities for students and provides the foundation of change within communities,” he said.

For many students, SCF provides the necessary and affordable option to achieve a college degree, with more than 70 percent transferring to a university of their choice, including Ivy League institutions such as Yale and Harvard. Alumnus and board director Chris Romine is making it his personal mission to help the community understand that SCF is more than the traditional or stereotyped community college. “Young

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adults back in the day – and still today – are unsure of what they want to do and need personalized attention, experiential learning opportunities, and internships to help guide them along,” he said.

SCF provides a complete college experience that encourages students to explore all possible professions through degrees within science, technology, engineering, arts and math, as well as athletics.

Many of the board members are asked the same two questions by potential supporters. “Don’t you receive state funding?” and “The college is affordable; how is it students cannot afford it?”

The short and simple answer is yes, SCF does receive state funding; however, it’s complicated, constantly changing, and based on taxed revenue sources that fluctuate with the economy, including phone landlines that are becoming extinct as many consumers switch to cell phones as their primary service. SCF also has not raised its tuition in the last eight years to ensure students have an open-access opportunity. For the 2018-19 fiscal year, SCF received a legislative budget cut of nearly $1.3 million.

The socioeconomic factors that afflict students of the K-12 system often follow them throughout high school. These students must decide if a high school diploma will be all they can achieve or if additional opportunities can be afforded with a higher education and college degree. It’s not a matter of “Should I?” but rather a matter of “Can I?” while avoiding homelessness or going hungry. SCF recently learned that more than 75 percent of its nursing and health professions students are living at or below the poverty level.

Mr. Romine points out that just because SCF is affordable doesn’t mean it can’t compete with other universities. “SCF enhances our community in so many ways. Our nursing program is one of the best in the state. SCF allows students to stay at home for a couple of years, work, and possibly save money to give them an economic head start,” he said.

Fuller says the impact of helping young children continue their education has a profound impact on communities. He recalls the story of an SCF alumnus who was living in his car headed

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down a negative path when someone intervened and provided not only housing, but a full scholarship to SCF. The graduate is now pursuing his passion as a musician in local symphonies and orchestras while gainfully employed.

With the help of the community and generous donors, the Foundation and its directors have made an impact. Last year, more than $1.6 million was disbursed to over 1,100 deserving scholarship recipients, and as of August 2018, total giving was nearly $2.4 million toward equipment, faculty, program enhancements, and capital campaigns.

Thanks solely to the community’s generosity, the Foundation also is almost halfway toward their fundraising goal for a new Studio for the Performing Arts, which will feature an intimate recital hall and much needed practice space and classrooms for SCF’s music program.

As head of the Foundation’s Capital Cabinet, Fuller realizes how important the arts are to the community. “STEM is what builds 68

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a community, but it’s the arts that really make a community a home. As you get older, you realize how important arts are to a well-balanced community. Try to imagine life without the arts.”

When asked “Why SCF?” and “What inspires your dedication to SCF and its Foundation?” Fuller’s answer is that “it’s very motivating to work with a dedicated leadership and highly qualified faculty and staff who make it their daily mission to serve students.”

“We realize we are among the many deserving organizations that need funding,” added Fuller. “But if your passion is education, and you wish to make an impact on the local youth, we invite you to learn more about SCF and its students. How many other social issues in our community would be solved or greatly diminished if we could give the gift of education?”

For more information on State College of Florida Foundation, please visit scf-foundation.org or call 941.752.5390.

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HEALTH

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DIVIDED

BY SUE CULLEN ILLUSTRATION BY DARCY KELLY-LAVIOLETTE

The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center is one of two nonprofits nationwide taking the lead in a study assessing nonprofits’ role in healthcare and their capacity to meet community needs.

“Sarasota is a tale of two cities. We have über wealthy residents who live here for its beauty,” said Kameron Hodgens, Ph.D., Executive Director of The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center. “We also have 51 percent of our public-school children on the free and reduced lunch program, a chronically homeless population and a dearth of affordable housing.

I believe this study will be really good for Sarasota.”

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The two-year study aims to answer two questions: what resources and services do the nonprofit sector provide to changing health systems and what is the impact on the nonprofit sector as health systems’ dependence on their services increase? This community “carrying capacity” defines the ability to provide those services. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropic organization focused on community health outcomes, is funding the study, which is being conducted by the University of ColoradoDenver’s Center on Network Science and The Nonprofit Centers Network. Denton, Texas, is the other community participating in the study whose results should be ready to announce next summer.

“No one is measuring nonprofits’ capacity to support those who are discharged from traditional healthcare settings. What would we do without the nonprofit follow-up care? People know it is important, but it can be hard to quantify,” Hodgens said. “I have an academic background, so I appreciate high-level research.

Quality data backed by such a reputable organization is powerful and can lead to community change for the greater good.”

The data will demonstrate­—in graphic form— the flow of referrals to organizations and the connectivity among them. With that data, services can be delivered equitably across all populations and strategies can be developed to help nonprofits meet an increasing need for services. “The study will show which connections are overburdened or underutilized,” Hodgens said. “In an ideal world, this data could be used with funders, both public and private, to advocate for where funding needs to be focused. I would like to see this study be a neutral, data-driven showcase of where human services need help and support. Funders love data and having the legitimacy of this national team is critical.

The larger foundations here are spearheading the practice of using research to pull together collaborative partnerships. That truly makes systemic change happen.”

Current regional stressors on carrying capacity are the lack of affordable housing and the fallout from the opioid crisis. Both Sarasota and the city of Denton are struggling with those issues along with Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE) families–also known as the working poor. This means needing to have resources in place that include aiding addicted babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and understanding how the opioid crisis impacts family systems.

For Glasser/Schoenbaum, it has meant having local luxury resorts reach out for assistance in helping employees who are struggling to locate affordable housing while maintaining jobs in the hospitality industry. The Center has also helped Sarasota Memorial’s staff with information regarding local social services, such as those for domestic violence, food insecurity and opioid abuse, she said. And while healthcare organizations make referrals, they currently have no way of knowing whether the nonprofits they are referring to have the capacity to provide the needed service to their patients.

“We are always looking for solid connections between funders, the nonprofits and the health of the community,” Hodgens said. “In other words, what are the next initiatives and how are

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“No one is measuring nonprofits’ capacity to support those who are discharged from traditional healthcare settings. What would we do without the nonprofit followup care? People know it is important, but it can be hard to quantify,” -Dr. Kameron Hodgens

we collaborating to make those happen?” Some 20 local healthcare and nonprofit organizations have partnered with Glasser/Schoenbaum by participating in a written survey and face-to-face interviews with study researchers.

Those organizations include Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System, Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County, Department of Children and Families, Centerstone of Florida, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Friendship Centers, CASL Community Living, The Florida Center, Harvest House, Salvation Army, More Too Life, Coastal Behavioral Healthcare, First Step, Healthy Start Coalition, Epilepsy Services of Southwest Florida, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Barancik Foundation, and Sarasota County schools.

“It’s amazing to work in a community that not only talks about collaboration, but actually does it. Our objective is high-quality data that shows our capacity needs for human services. It is all about directing support that provides resources to help people,” Hodgens said. “I know the study’s results will be enlightening.”

Catholic Charities Ball 2019 Saturday, January 26, 2019

The Westin, Grand Ballroom • Event Chairs •

Julie Delaney Mary Kenealy-Barbetta Jane Norton

30 th Annual Catholic Charities Ball

Join us as we celebrate our at our exciting new downtown Sarasota venue ! The elegant evening will feature cocktails, unique auctions, dinner and dancing to the sounds of Soul Sensations.

Tickets $300 l Sponsorship Opportunities Available For more information or to purchase tickets please call 941-355-4680, ext.301, email nmuth@ccdis1.org or visit www.catholiccharitiesdov.org.

To benefit the programs and services of Catholic Charities in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Advocate Sponsor

Presented by Sarasota and Manatee Counties

Media Sponsors

Left to Right: Sherry Gluchov, Development Assistant Katie Bucek, Marketing Coordinator Stephen Fancher, VP of Major Gifts & Planned Giving Laura McManus-Mesia, Chief Development Officer Kathy Mahoney, Data Entry Carly Evans, Development Manager – Events & Philanthropy Alexandra Whipple, Creative Director

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JFCS EMBARKS ON

BOLD

PHIL ANT THR OPY

BY SUE CULLEN | PHOTOS BY JOSH BOTZENHART

A new development team is in place at JFCS of the Suncoast that is finding new ways to engage the community in bold, forward-thinking philanthropy that is mission-oriented and focused on changing lives for the better. JFCS is accomplishing this is by acknowledging that struggling individuals and families grapple with multiple challenges that must be addressed holistically–along with the underlying causes– for sustainable life changes using a traumainformed approach.

“We work to be the best stewards possible for our current donors and want to have deep conversations that focus on the mission and sustainability of JFCS,” said Heidi Brown, CEO. “We hired Laura McManus-Mesia to lead a new approach to our philanthropy and we are fundraising for our mission rather than for specific programs. We want our donors to understand how to develop their philanthropy to achieve what they care about rather than just focus on programs.”

This means seeking funds that are unrestricted in use allowing JFCS the flexibility to apply them where needed to support individuals and families for whom wraparound services are vital.

Having the flexibility to administer funds where needed to address these and other situations fully is driving the change to JFCS’ approach to development. For example, many donors are drawn to programs that aid children, such as Camp Mariposa for adolescents who are dealing with substance abuse by a parent or caregiver.

Offering these children a much-needed respite and support by mental health counselors and educators for a weekend at Camp Mariposa is beneficial, but it can only go so far.

To truly help children and break the cycle of addiction, both they and other family members likely need other social services, such as JFCS’ mental health counseling or programs to address homelessness prevention, domestic violence and child abuse or neglect. “Our continuum of services is interconnected, and we want our funders and partners to understand our needs and whether diversifying their funding may have more impact,” Brown said.

JFCS has been expanding Camp Mariposa services to include ongoing outreach, which may encompass counseling, at-home visits and telephone support or even assistance in finding part-time jobs. “It has been a significant fundraising ask this year to extend Camp Mariposa’s reach, and we’ve already received significant support from our donor pool,” DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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said McManus-Mesia, Chief of Development and Marketing. “I think this will be life-changing for the kids, and it demonstrates a holistic approach where we find solutions that allow them to better manage life going forward.”

JFCS annually helps more than 5,700 people from diverse backgrounds to address needs through the entire life cycle, including more than 1,000 counseling clients and more than 1,750 families. Programs include homelessness prevention, including veterans, and aid for at risk youth, isolated seniors, parents, caregivers and patients being treated for or recovering from cancer. Foundational to all of those programs are JFCS’ mental health counseling services, which are used by the entire community and are available on a sliding fee scale based on income and then supplemented by raised dollars both through private donors and grants.

The new development department was brought on board by McManus-Mesia, who joined JFCS a year ago with experience in nonprofit leadership, development and marketing. McManus-Mesia immediately began recruiting individuals for the development staff, including Stephen Fancher, Vice President of Major Gifts and Planned Giving.

“The goal was to develop a platform for the future of philanthropy, and we want to engage donors in a different way,” McManusMesia said. “The new process is to report nine months into the donation. We give an accurate account of their donated funds whether that is $50 or $50,000, to carefully detail how their investment in JFCS is changing lives.” Since joining JFCS, McManus-Mesia has established a model of excellence for future development efforts. She likes to refer to donors as investors and extols a bold philanthropy approach aimed at effecting lasting change by offering clients a hand up. “It really is a an act of faith, trust and planned investment, and I refer to our donors as investors because I think of them as investing in the future of the clients we serve, which means investing in the scope of our mission,” she said.

One upcoming initiative highlights the importance of JFCS’ counseling services. In 2019, a two-year $1 million mental health services fundraising campaign is being launched. “Our counselors use a trauma-informed approach that addresses the root of the issue. It looks at the full scope of the client’s life, as far back as early childhood, to establish the types of care needed.

This reaches across many of our programs and is the reason why JFCS can help in such a complete way,” McManus-Mesia said. “If our mission is to change lives and help people in crisis, we need to use multiple strands of services and operate more flexibly. That is what we are hoping will attract donors to this bold philanthropy, which is to invest in our mission and not one singular program.”

Sustainability for the future is also a key objective for the new development department, and Fancher is taking point on that with responsibility for planned giving. He came to JFCS after working in development for the Sarasota Opera and has a

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Laura McManus-Mesia, Chief Development Officer diverse background as a music educator and financial planner.

“As a fundraiser, you constantly worry about operating expenses and whether services can be continued year over year. You have to look at how you are growing your endowment for the future so you don’t have to rely on major donors year after year,” he said.

“One of the ways to be sustainable forever is through legacy giving, which could be through a donor’s estate or as beneficiary on an IRA.” Fancher, who is a concert pianist and associate conductor for Key Chorale, also is reaching out to introduce arts patrons to JFCS.

Another way to ensure needed services endure for the long term is to engage younger generations in philanthropy, which JFCS is doing by creating Beyond Me for young philanthropists in collaboration with a number of other local nonprofits. Aimed at 21 to 45 year olds, Beyond Me provides a way to be connected with the philanthropic community for those whose funds and time may largely be devoted to work, raising a family and building college funds. “Sarasota already has a culture of philanthropy at the heart of who we are as a community,” Fancher said, “and we want to be sure we perpetuate that.”

JFCS has been addressing human services needs locally since 1986, and as the community changes, it has evolved to meet current and emerging needs without losing sight of its legacy of helping others. “JFCS has been here more than 30 years,” McManus-Mesia said, “and we are clear on our mission and who we can serve and collaborate with in the community.”

For more information on JFCS, visit jfcs-cares.org or call 941.366.2224.

now playing MAINSTAGE d l e h

cabaret

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Book and Lyrics by

ROBERT L FREEDMAN Music and Lyrics by

STEVEN LUTVAK

GUITAR GIRLS

BY RICHARD HOPKINS, REBECCA HOPKINS, AND CATHERINE RANDAZZO ARRANGEMENTS BY JIM PROSSER

Sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the State of Florida.

941.366.9000 �oridastudiotheatre.org

1241 N. Palm Avenue, Downtown Sarasota DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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UP CLOSE

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SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

& PERSONAL JANE SEYMOUR COMES TO MANATEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

BY JACQUELINE MILLER When Jane Seymour comes to the stage at Manatee Performing Arts Center in January 2019, she will not be gracing the stage in a starring role as the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actress we all know and love. Instead she will stand before us as a talented artist and inspiring philanthropist opening her heart for all of us to see.

Ms. Seymour’s passion for art is based on an openhearted philosophy instilled in her by her mother, a World War II Japanese internment camp survivor.

Her mother survived three and a half horrific years by caring for fellow prisoners and focusing her energy on serving others in her effort to survive. Jane was greatly impacted by her mother’s story and was inspired by her mother’s advice that love has no boundaries and flows unconditionally.

This powerful inspiration resulted in the Open Hearts Foundation, which Ms. Seymour established in 2010 to fulfill her dream of building a legacy dedicated to serving others, and empowering people to turn adversity into opportunity. But let’s go back to the beginning of her “open-hearts” journey.

Her love of art began as a child in England, when family gifts were created, not purchased, so the true spirit of giving oneself was expressed. This was the genesis of what would be a lifetime of charitable work for Ms. Seymour. Over two decades ago, when faced with personal challenges, she began painting as an expression of healing. Throughout those years and through today, her open heart endures through her artwork to select charities which help children in need.

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JANE SEYMOUR ART –

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: THE OPEN HEART PHILOSOPHY January 2019 Bradenton, Florida • A collection of about 40 pieces of originals and giclee prints on exhibit from January 10 through February 9, 2019 at The Studio at Gulf and Pine, Anna Maria Island.

Today, Ms. Seymour is widely known as an accomplished, passionate painter creating an intimate world of delicate watercolors and colorful vibrant oil paintings and bronze sculptures. She has exhibited in numerous galleries and venues across the nation, and Canada, and has accepted select private commissions. An inspirational trip to paint in Monet’s garden in Giverny, France, resulted in an elaborate series of paintings and watercolors depicting the gardens.

In 2004, her first one-woman museum exhibition was mounted at the Butler Institute of American Art in conjunction with their 85th anniversary celebration.

She was chosen as the official artist for Naples Winter Wine Festival 2006, and also that year she was one of the painters selected to represent the US team in the Winter Olympics held in Torino, Italy. For this, Ms. Seymour created the largest landscape of her career, graced by the majestic snow-covered Alps with the dove of peace flying above the traditional red rooftops. In 2007, she was selected as one of the official artists of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and asked to paint a beautiful Portrait of a Chinese Peony. For the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, she created an image of one of her Open Hearts designs, titled Snowy Open Heart II, with the accompanying title “Compete with an Open Heart.”

Ms. Seymour’s Open Heart designs are also now part of jewelry collection by Kay Jewelers, and are available at Kay Jewelers and at Jared the Galleria of Jewelry stores in the US and Canada. The artist published an accompanying inspirational book titled Open Hearts to round out the collection of art and jewelry designs. Open Hearts, which is a collection of excerpts from world literature, quotes and sayings from world leaders, and stories from everyday people, is in its fourth printing, and has experienced immediate success along with the jewelry line.

Ms. Seymour is also a prolific author of almost a dozen books; her sold-out autobiographical and inspirational book, Remarkable Changes, was published in 2003 and has enjoyed great success, followed by her coffee table design book called Making Yourself at Home.

A follow-up tome to the very successful Open Hearts, titled Among Angels, was published in 2010, and a companion book Open Hearts Family released in October, 2012. Recently, the fourth in the series was published in 2014, and called The Wave. Collecting many of the Open Heart stories shared with her through the years resulted in a new inspirational book titled The Road Ahead, published just in time for Christmas, 2017, also to much success.

Coral Canyon Publishing, Ms. Seymour’s art company, has released a collection of fine

• An invitation-only artist reception on Friday evening, January 18, when Ms. Seymour and famed local chef and restaurateur Ed Chiles will do a heart-healthy, farm-to-fork cooking demonstration. Ed Chiles, son of The Studio founder Rhea and former Governor Lawton Chiles, is the owner of Sandbar, Beach House and Mar Vista restaurants.

• Jane Seymour Art – Up Close and Personal: The Open Heart Philosophy Manatee Performing Arts Center, January 19, 2019 at Noon: An afternoon discussion with the artist.

Ms. Seymour will discuss her art, motivation and inspiration behind the Open Hearts Philosophy. A Q&A will follow, along with book signing and photo opportunity. Books will be available at the theater. Seating is limited. Tickets are on sale now online at: tickets.manateeplayers.com or through the box office at 941.748.5875.

art Open Heart bronze sculptures by the artist and introduced the editions to the fine art world in the Spring of 2009. The Open Heart Icon and the Single Open Heart designs are currently available in three different patinas.

Additional works of fine art bronze sculpture include a Portrait Head of a Girl, a Seated Nude, and a series of children’s sculptures of her twin boys, and their playmate, Madeleine, all in traditional patina.

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941.351.8000 | asolorep.org Cast of The Music Man. Photo by Cliff Roles.

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Sponsors

Season Sponsors Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation

Giving Hearts

The Plymouth Harbor Foundation’s Impact on Employees

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

L

ocated at 700 John Ringling Boulevard on Sarasota Bay, Plymouth Harbor on Sarasota Bay opened its church-sponsored, not-for-profit “community of distinction for older adults” in 1966 as the culmination of the dream of The Reverend Dr. John Whitney MacNeil, a Congregational minister. He envisioned an inclusive, progressive interfaith

community based on shared values: trust, open communication, integrity, honesty, innovation, and the highest quality. Today this Life Plan Community offers customized independent living residences, home care, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing and rehabilitation therapy services, which attracts residents from throughout the world who have gone on to make significant contributions to Sarasota culture.

DECEMBER DECEMBER 2018 2018 || SARASOTA SARASOTA SCENE SCENE

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“The gift I was awarded allowed me to continue to pursue my dream and continue my education . . . but it has also allowed me financial peace of mind.”

-Jessica Taylor

Cindy Taylor with Daughter, Jessica Taylor To help keep Plymouth Harbor a lively community and a place of gracious living—and to assist with the generous philanthropy of its many supporters—The Plymouth Harbor Foundation was created in 2012. Since then, members of the resident population, their families, trustees, employees, and philanthropists have given over $10 million to keep Plymouth Harbor as a premiere destination for those who seek a positive aging experience.

“It gives me great pleasure to work together with our donors to improve life for those we care for and about,” says Becky Pazkowski, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy. “It is remarkable the impact we can make as a Foundation.”

One of the avenues for those impacts is through their own employees. Thanks to the generosity of their donors, The Plymouth Harbor Foundation has been awarding annual scholarships to deserving employees and their family members.

In 2018 alone, they awarded seventeen scholarships totaling more than $31,000.

One award went to Hayden Menzies, the 12-year-old daughter of an employee in the Dining Services Department who aspires to learn the saxophone and the trombone. She received $1,500 for lessons at Sam Ash Music.

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Another student who received support was Jessica Taylor, daughter of Cindy Taylor in the Home Care department. Jessica was attending State College of Florida with the idea of pursuing a career in the pharmacy industry. About the financial support she received, she says, “The gift I was awarded allowed me to continue to pursue my dream and continue my education . . . but it has also allowed me financial peace of mind.”

Dayle Cortes—the son of a nurse in the Smith Care Center— also received a scholarship so he could continue his studies at the University of Florida’s Innovation Academy with the goal of becoming a successful entrepreneur one day. “This scholarship has helped me gain valuable insight at the University of Florida. My knowledge has expanded and I have grown as an individual. I am honored to be chosen as one of the recipients for this scholarship.”

The Plymouth Harbor Foundation doesn’t just support educational opportunities for employees and their families— they also help out in times of crisis. As their 2017 Impact Report explains, “We understand . . . that no matter how much you plan, unforeseen financial setbacks just happen. In these trying times, the Employee Hardship Fund is a resource our employees can turn to.”

Plymouth Harbor employee Dinah Stamp, who has worked for Plymouth Harbor for 36+ years, regularly contributes to this particular fund. “I believe when an employee receives a s s i s t a n c e f ro m t h e E m p l o y e e Hardship Fund,” she explains, “it provides not only monetary support, but also emotional support knowing that Plymouth Harbor has reached out at a time in need.”

In 2015, Plymouth Harbor introduced a new employee wellness program called OnBoard. Created to help promote the value of overall health and wellness, it expanded current offerings, programs, and benefits to help educate, motivate, and reduce employee stress. The wellness team also launched Insights, a catered monthly luncheon that features a Plymouth Harbor resident (or resident couple) who shares stories from their career, education, or hobby. Of course, these events are a wonderful way for employees to get to know residents better, but it also helps foster a mutual, caring bond that is the hallmark of this special community.

That type of wellness is sometimes better than what you can find in a workout room.

“It’s no secret that our residents, employees, and board members have some of the most thoughtful minds and most giving hearts,” adds Becky Pazkowski. “The community of Sarasota is touched and affected by these acts within the walls of Plymouth Harbor and beyond. From lending a hand in our Smith Care Center to volunteering with local community organizations, Sarasota is a better place because of these individuals that we are proud to call our own.”

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| SARASOTA DECEMBER 2018 PLENTY SCENE OF PARKING!

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on the town

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SARASOTA SCENE SCENE || DECEMBER DECEMBER2018 2018 SARASOTA

SCENES FROM AN INTERVIEW

Toby Perlman

MAKING BEAUTIFUL

Music

BY GUS MOLLASIS

W

HEN TOBY PERLMAN SPEAKS OF THE EXTRAORDINARY TALENTS OF HER HUSBAND, renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, you will hear something that comes across loud and clear. In every word that she speaks about her Itzhak, there is admiration, awe, respect and of course, love.

Her notes on him are pure and clean, much like one of his performances. When she talks about the Perlman Music Program (PMP) Sarasota Winter Residency, which she founded with her husband, and which is celebrating its 15th year, you will hear many of the same passions. Formed in 2003, it is the companion program to The Perlman Music Program of New York, which was founded in 1994. The program offers “an artistic and personal experience that changes students’ lives forever.”

Together, Toby and Itzhak have brought their vision and sounds to the Suncoast in what they call their winter home-away-from-home. It is here that their program offers unparalleled musical training for students who play the violin, viola, cello, bass and piano.

As I interviewed Toby via phone from New York, she was quite eager to talk about the Perlman Music Program Sarasota’s 15th Anniversary, which runs December 22 to January 5. I heard a longing in her voice. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I don’t think so. It seemed to me she was just counting the days until she returned to Sarasota and the first musical notes could be struck. Whichever the case, I couldn’t wait for Toby to share some very musical scenes from her life.

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on the town

When did the idea first begin to start the Perlman Music Program Sarasota Winter Residency in Sarasota?

A friend of ours, who served on our faculty and was a resident of Sarasota, was married to a doctor who was an amateur violinist.

He was also one of these guys who was a dreamer. He said to us, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a winter residency and come to Sarasota?” And we said, “Sure, why not?”

He told us that Sarasota is a very unusual community, big on the arts, and that people there would appreciate it. And that’s how it started. He revved up the enthusiasm in the 88

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community and he turned out to be right. Sarasota does like us, and everybody does come to the concerts.

So you and Mr. Perlman both “got it” at the same time?

Sure, but I don’t think we realized how good it could be. We are so happy with all the support that we have received over the years. They come to all the events, from the open rehearsals to the event at the Opera House.

What is the most satisfying aspect of the program for you?

To see a student maximize their gift and really take advantage over a period of years. They may struggle a little bit at first, and then it seems as though their talent happens suddenly, but really it’s cumulative. And then, you see an artist, and not a little kid anymore. That’s what is really exciting. It’s never about who’s the best. They’re all terrific. They’re all the cream of the cream of the cream of

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the world in terms of talent in their age group. It’s more about who is able to make the most of the opportunity.

What do you hope the students in the program take away with them as they mature?

That’s a very good question and I think my answer may surprise you. PMP is as much about building community as it is about music. It’s about honesty, integrity, concern for your colleagues, and getting along in the group. I don’t talk too much about it, because I just love people. Everybody focuses on the musical aspect, and of course that is the center of everything. But it’s also this other thing that’s about community. About being a group and helping one another, rooting for one another, almost like a team. They really do that, and it works.

It must be a lot of hard work, but is it also fun to produce this side by side with your husband?

Oh yeah, it’s a lot of fun! It’s both. A lot of work, with a lot of detail. Some things are always going wrong and there are problems. But mostly it is a lot of fun. Part of the fun has to do with the fact that my husband and I are sharing it. We make a lot of decisions together, even though in this, I’m his boss, but still I listen to what he has to say. It’s wonderful to have something as important as this in our lives. Sometimes you have a situation in life where one member of the family is a brain surgeon and the other is not and doesn’t know anything about brain surgery.

They have nothing to talk about. But we have music in common and PMP in common and it’s fun.

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One of your hopes in the program is that this personal experience will change a student’s life forever. Please elaborate.

We have, on occasion, actually changed a child’s life forever.

The child will come from a small town in a faraway country, and suddenly his or her eyes and ears are opened in such a way that they wouldn’t have been in their home country or state. It can be, and has been, quite life-changing.

Does that give you great joy?

It really does. We never turn away a student because of financial needs. We find the money somehow and sometimes, we even have to find plane fare. Some of those kids would otherwise never move out of their normal sphere of living. This gives them a wonderful opportunity.

Finish the following sentences: When children leave our program, it is our hope they will…

Be more aware. Happier. More excited. Inspired. There it goes.

We hope that through the program they will become inspired.

When I think of the Perlman Music Program, the emotion that best describes my feeling is one of . . .

Happiness. Excitement. Exhaustion. Listen, my husband and I are so lucky to be involved with something we really love. How many people get to say that?

on the town Music, good music, is important for humanity because it…

It raises us out of our normal state of consciousness and catapults us into a state of being. That’s the purpose of art. That’s what separates us from the chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are smarter than a lot of people we know. But you know a chimpanzee couldn’t write a Mozart symphony (laughs).

Many people do things for a year or two but doing anything for 15 years shows a certain level of commitment and staying power.

Please explain the staying power and appeal of the Perlman Music Program Sarasota Winter Residency.

First of all, when you deal with children, it’s always interesting and it’s always challenging. And sometimes it’s heartbreaking, and other times it’s heartwarming. It’s everything. You’re never kind of finished with kids. The other thing is being around children is inspirational and it helps us grow and keep growing. The challenge keeps us young. It’s all good. Really, there is no downside.

Yours is a program that is very diverse, offering a Chamber Music Works-in-Progress Recital in which students perform together in small ensembles. How important is that to both the students and the program in showing there are many ways to share music?

It’s very important. We sing in chorus every day. Everybody loves it. It helps us to play chamber music, and the chamber music helps us to play solo. Orchestra helps everything. The more diverse, the better. We don’t currently give courses in theory, which would be great to do. We don’t do music history. There is plenty more that we could do, but we would need 24 hours in the day. At a certain point we have to say okay, we’re not going to do certain things.

Each year, the Winter Residency season culminates with a Celebration Concert held at the Sarasota Opera House featuring the PMP Orchestra and conducted by Itzhak Perlman, and the PMP Chorus led by Chorus Master Patrick Romano. Describe what goes through your heart when this takes place on stage.

It’s wonderful because it’s a group effort. We don’t have soloists in that concert. Everybody plays. The orchestra rotates, so there is no such thing as the best ones sit in the front. That doesn’t exist for us. It’s a group effort. A community effort making music together, listening to one another. It’s the best thing! Everybody loves it.

Five, ten or fifteen years from now, where do you hope the program goes?

Well, I don’t want to grow in terms of how many children we take. The secret of this program is that it is so small. That’s the trick — keeping it small. Where I would love to be is financially independent because that would enable us to do all sorts of things and make it easier for us in terms of scholarships. It would be great if it were tuition-free. We wouldn’t have to worry so much.

Hopefully, we would be financially stable, and an angel would come and drop hundreds of millions of dollars in our lap to run the program. Where I see us going musically, is again, we need to keep ourselves small. We need to keep inviting the finest faculty, making it possible for them to come from wherever they are to teach at our program. That attracts the best talent. The kids go where the excellence is. That’s an old story.

INVEST IN AN EXTRAORDINARY FUTURE. A third-year computer science student, Parankush Bhardwaj appreciates how quickly he was able to dive into his own academic interests. “This is what excites me about New College—the ability to get institutional support for learning whatever I desire,” he says. “New College has allowed me to pursue my passions and chase my dreams.”

Parankush has been building “cool applications,” something he says he wouldn’t have been able to do if he didn’t have a scholarship, since the cost of tuition would have forced him to take a part-time job. Last summer, he interned with the mobile applications team at Express Scripts.

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DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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When you think of Itzhak Perlman musically, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Magic. That’s the truth. This guy, I don’t know, I mean I don’t begin to understand how it works. I really don’t. It’s just some magical thing that happens. He picks up a fiddle and it’s not like anything else on this earth—before or now.

It’s just what it is.

You mentioned angels earlier. Do you feel there is a spiritual component in his God-given talent?

If you asked him this question, he wouldn’t even know what you’re talking about. He really wouldn’t. Because for him playing is like breathing is for us. So some days he feels he plays better than others, just like a regular person, except the fact that we’re listening to him, the world is listening to him, and the world feels differently than he feels about his playing.

You know the world can’t wait to hear the next concert, or the next note, or the next phrase. Personally speaking, do I feel that it’s a gift from God? Absolutely. Of course. But I’m not speaking for him, only for myself. For me, it’s a perfectly logical, reasonable explanation that God loaned him this gift while he’s on earth, and will take it back at some point.

Is there a piece of music that best describes your relationship?

No, and I’ll tell you why. We’re kind of obsessive listeners.

And obsessive students of music. We listen all the time. We talk about the music all the time. I don’t know how we don’t

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get bored, but we don’t. We talk about our most favorite and least favorite. I think I could make a list of most favorite pieces or most favorite composers. But I couldn’t choose one piece. Maybe I could choose one opera – Don Giovanni.

Don Giovanni is so unusual that maybe I could say that is my favorite opera. I don’t think my husband would say that. I’m not sure what he would say about that. In terms of the rest of the repertoire – string quartet. I mean, how can you choose a favorite Beethoven quartet? They’re all just too good. And the same is true about Bach. Could you conceive of a world without Bach? It’s not possible. There are some pieces I like better than others, but I don’t have a favorite, and I don’t think he does either.

Is there a specific piece of music that, when your husband is playing, it transports you to another place?

No, and I’ll tell you why. Every time I hear him play, it doesn’t matter what it is, I’m shocked. It’s like a surprise. It’s like, where is that coming from? Who is that guy, anyway? I never get used to the sound. I never get used to it.

That’s so refreshing to hear. You have that sense of wonderment when you listen to him play.

Wonderment. That’s the right word you’re using. I like that word, because that’s what it is. I listen to him warming up as he is going to play a scale or something and I hear that sound. I say to myself, what’s that? You could say that I’m

on the town

Itzhak and Toby Perlman

biased, because I’m married to him. All of that is true, but on the other hand, he’s pretty special.

Many years from now, after all the programs have been finished and all the notes have been played, how do you want to be remembered?

I want to be remembered as someone who really tried. I really make an effort. I really give it my best, which probably isn’t good enough. What you see is what you get. I do the best I can. That’s how I want to be thought of.

How do wish people will remember your husband?

I think that the music speaks for itself. I don’t think that sound or approach gets lost or is forgotten. I can’t imagine the world forgetting about him.

The 15th Perlman Music Program Sarasota Winter Residency Highlights 941.955.4942 perlmanmusicprogramsuncoast.org Super Strings, a Winter Residency favorite, features 52 violin, viola, cello and bass players, ages 9-17, from 15 counties across Florida who auditioned for the opportunity to perform onstage, side-by-side with PMP students, under the baton of Itzhak Perlman. The Super Strings performance takes place on Saturday, December 29, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Performance Tent.

Tickets are $10.

Another favorite is the Chamber Music Works-in-Progress Recital where PMP students perform together in small ensembles. This year’s program will take place at Temple Beth Sholom on Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.

The Celebration Concert, held at the Sarasota Opera House each year, is the culmination of the Winter Residency, featuring the PMP Orchestra, conducted

by Itzhak Perlman and the PMP Chorus, led by Chorus Master Patrick Romano. This year’s Celebration Concert takes place on Saturday, January 5, 2019. Tickets are $40, $60 and $80 and may be purchased through the Sarasota Opera House Box Office.

DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

on the town

Education MATTERS

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: THE SARASOTA YOUTH ORCHESTRAS The Sarasota Youth Orchestras offers an unparalleled learning experience for young musicians ages 8 through 21. Over a 30-week season, the musicians play in one of eight different orchestras, according to skill level more than their grade or age level. They have weekly rehearsals and perform numerous public concerts as they learn to play together with unity, passion, and musical precision.

Who better to explain the power of this exciting musical experience than the young musicians themselves?

Sam Powers, 9th grader at Sarasota High School Sam got involved the way many do—he participated in the summer music camp and liked it enough to audition for the SYO. “I’ve been part of it three years now,” he says, “and I’m still having fun. The directors are passionate about music and really want to help us grow as musicians. They’re able to relate to us and make learning fun.”

Ben Gordon, 10th grader at Pine View School Ben loves the violin and says, “I joined the Sarasota Youth Orchestras because I really wanted to learn how to play in an orchestra.” He notes that “it’s a really fun and supportive atmosphere where everyone encourages each other and has a great time.”

As far as his own favorite SYO moment, it’s the Side by Side concert in 2018. The first half of that annual concert features student winners in the Edward and Ida Wilkof Young Artists Concerto Competition performing with the Sarasota Orchestra. The second half of the concert features the SO professionals and SYO students—like Ben and others—performing together on the same stage and is a thrill for everyone.

One of the best things about being an SYO member, Ben says, is that “it means improving my violin skills every Monday in a fun, accepting, and unique atmosphere.”

Jeremy Conner, homeschooled 10th grader “I joined the Sarasota Youth Orchestras because I plan to become a professional trombonist and I needed an awesome orchestra to play in,” Jeremy says. What he likes most about the experience is that “the teaching

Sam Powers

DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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on the town

Marguerite Andrich you receive is always top notch.” His favorite moment?

“Simply receiving the chance to play with a professional-level orchestra.” When asked what the SYO means to him, he says, “I love having a chance to play with other serious musicians.”

Marguerite Andrich, 11th grader at Pine View School “When I first moved to Florida,” Marguerite explains, “I was looking for a way to continue making music after leaving my arts school. I attended the summer camp as a way to make friends, and I absolutely fell in love, so I joined the SYO.” She says that the most important thing for people to understand is that “the SYO is the most supportive, inspiring organization. The staff and students care about you and want to see you grow.” Her favorite experience happened “during my seating audition, when the very kind proctor told me to be more confident and believe in myself. It just reminded my why I love SYO so much.” She notes that she’s “made lifelong friends, grown as an artist, and learned so much about music and life” as a result of being part of the SYO. Connor Altagen, 12th grader at Harrison School for the Arts “I joined the SYO to get exposure to major orchestral literature,” says Connor, a trombonist. “It’s hard to say there’s one favorite memory,” he admits, “but one I particularly hold close is the first SYO concert I participated in. The repertoire of that concert was an integral part of my development as a musician and an appreciator of the art form.”

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Valerie Van Cleave, 9th grader at Sarasota High School Valerie wasn’t able to participate in SYO this year because her high school marching band obligations coincided with the SYO Monday night practice schedule. But that changes next year when she’ll audition for the SYO. Though she currently plays trombone for the Mighty Sailor Band, she intends to play baritone in SYO not just because most groups need baritones more than trombones, but also because the baritone has such a brilliant, rich sound that she loves equally as much as that of the trombone. (“Don’t get me wrong!” she insists I add. “I still love my trombone!”)

About the chance to play with the SYO, she says, “I’m so excited about the opportunity. I’m looking forward to connecting with so many other young musicians at other schools. The best of the best play with the SYO. I’m already practicing now for my audition to ensure that I’m ready. I can’t wait to become part of all the amazing things that the SYO groups do.”

Valerie has more to say but can’t talk now—it’s time to get back to music practice again. That type of commitment to an art form is something that Connor, Ben, Marguerite, Jeremy, Sam, and all the SYO members have in common, for sure.

F O R M O R E IN F O R M AT IO N

about the Sarasota Youth Orchestras, please visit sarasotaorchestra.org/education/youth-orchestra, or call 941.953.3434.

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arts&culture Larry Hamm’s “The Clown” from Theatre Odyssey’s 10-Minute Play Festival

Artist Series Concerts Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota

ANNA MARIA ISLAND CONCERT CHORUS & ORCHESTRA

The Circus Arts Conservatory

THE CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY

941.795.2370 / amicco.org An Island Christmas December 9 & 16

941.355.9805 / circusarts.org Sailor Circus Academy: Big Top Holidays December 27 – 30

ARTIST SERIES CONCERTS OF SARASOTA

DIVERSITY: THE VOICES OF SARASOTA

PERFORMING ARTS CALENDAR

941.306.1200 / artistseriesconcerts.org

BROUGHT TO YOU IN

Classical Holiday Brass– Seraph Brass Quintet December 15 – 16

888.550.6279 / diversitysarasota.org Holiday Performances December 2 & 9

Best SEATS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ARTS AND CULTURAL ALLIANCE OF SARASOTA COUNTY.

Classical Recital:

Pops: Soundtrack: The Music of our Lives – Will & Anthony Nunziata December 2

ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE 941.351.8000 / AsoloRep.org Meredith Willson’s The Music Man Through December 29

BELLE CANTO 941.400.2152 / bellecanto.org Sounds of the Season December 19

CHORAL ARTISTS OF SARASOTA 941.387.6046 / choralartistssarasota.org Rejoice!!

December 9

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ENSEMBLENEWSRQ ensrq.org Metal, Wind & Wood December 3

FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE 941.366.9000 / floridastudiotheatre.org Mainstage A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder Through December 30 Straight White Men December 12 – March 1 Cabaret Unchained Melodies Through February 3 Guitar Girls Through March 31 Children’s Theatre Deck the Halls: Home for the Holidays Through December 29

arts&culture

The Players Centre for Performing Arts

FST Improv Out of Bounds Saturdays through December 22

GUITAR SARASOTA 941.260.3306 / guitarsarasota.org Mini-Concert & Lecture Series Ben Pila – Classical Guitar December 10

JAZZ CLUB OF SARASOTA 941.366.1552 / jazzclubsarasota.org

Jazz at Two Concert Series Greg Nielsen December 7 Sarasota Jazz Project December 14 Scholarship Winners December 28

KEY CHORALE 941.921.4845 / keychorale.org Christmas in Venice December 8

LEMON BAY PLAYHOUSE 941.475.6756 / lemonbayplayhouse.com Dear Santa Through December 16

The Pops Orchestra

MANATEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

North Port Symphony

941.748.5875 / manateeperformingartscenter.com

Jingle All The Way December 9

Broadway Series Elf the Musical Through December 16

Studio Series A Christmas Carol Through December 16

Community Artistic Collaborations Jack Frost December 21

Powel Crosley Theater Performances A Classic Crosley Christmas December 11 – 23

MUSICA SACRA OF SARASOTA 941.405.7322 / musicasacrasarasota.org Going Baroque at Christmas – AGAIN! December 10

NORTH PORT PERFORMING ARTS ASSOCIATION

PERLMAN MUSIC PROGRAM/SUNCOAST 941.955.4942 / perlmanmusicprogramsuncoast.org Itzhak Perlman – In The Fiddler’s House – A Night of Klezmer December 17 15th Anniversary PMP Sarasota Winter Residency December 20 – January 5 Super Strings December 29

THE PLAYERS CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS 941.365.2494 / theplayers.org Broadway Season All Shook Up December 6 – 23

941.426.8479 / nppaa.net

THE POPS ORCHESTRA

North Port Concert Band

941.926.7677 / thepopsorchestra.org Hi, I’m Rich...

December 9 – 10

Christmas Winds December 16

North Port Chorale A Christmas Tale December 8

RING SARASOTA ringsarasota.org Christmas Concerts December 7 – 9 DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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arts&culture

Larry Hamm’s “The Clown” from Thea Odyssey’s 10-Minute Play Festi

Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company

THE SARASOTA BALLET 941.359.0099 / sarasotaballet.org Victorian Winters (Program 3) December 14 – 15 Inside the Studio Diamonds December 5

SARASOTA CONCERT ASSOCIATION 941.225.6500 / scasarasota.org Music Matinees Aaron Romm, trumpet, and Avis Romm, piano December 10

SARASOTA CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY 941.345.5755 / sarasotacontemporarydance.org Voices: Emerging Choreographers December 6 – 9

SARASOTA FOLK CLUB 941.371.1433 / sarasotafolk.org Sailing Squadron Concert December 17

Artist Series Concerts

SARASOTA OPERA

SUNCOAST CONCERT BAND

941.328.1300 / sarasotaopera.org

941.907.4123 / suncoastconcertband.org

Fall Recital Series

Northminster Presbyterian Church

Operetta Night December 14

Concert Season December 2 & 16 Suncoast Jazz Ambassadors December 9

Community Events The Ditchfield Family Singers 19th Annual Christmas Show December 7 – 8

SARASOTA ORCHESTRA 941.953.3434 / sarasotaorchestra.org

Great Escapes

941.321.1397 / UrbaniteTheatre.com Dike Through December 16

VAN WEZEL PERFORMING ARTS HALL

Discoveries

See website for list of performances.

Hidden Holiday Treasures December 22

STATE COLLEGE OF FLORIDA 941.752.5252 / scf.edu

Neel Performing Arts Center Holiday Concert– The Many Moods of Christmas December 6

Sundays at Neel

SARASOTA MUSIC CLUB 941.925.3602 / sarasotamusicclub.org Sunnyside Singers December 21

The Foreigner December 1 – 2 & 7 – 9

SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

URBANITE THEATRE

‘Tis the Season December 5 – 8

The Nowhere Band December 9

1 00

The Sarasota Ballet

Howard Studio Theatre

941.955.7676 / vanwezel.org

THE VENICE INSTITUTE FOR PERFORMING ARTS 941.218.3779 / veniceperformingartscenter.com The Nutcracker December 8 – 9 An Afternoon of Operetta December 16 The Venice Symphony Holiday Pops December 14 – 15

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941.488.1115 / venicestage.com The Sounds of Christmas starring the Ditchfield Family Singers December 21 – 22

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Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe

Stage II The Santaland Diaries Through December 23 Generations A Christmas Carol December 14 – 20 Special Events The Sounds of Christmas December 21 – 22 The Capitol Steps December 29 – 31

WESTCOAST BLACK THEATRE TROUPE 941.366.1505 / westcoastblacktheatre.org Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul Through January 13 Black Nativity December 12 – 13, 19 – 20

For a full list of this season’s performing arts events, view our annual Arts & Culture Guide.

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arts&culture

“Art allows me to convey my emotions, thoughts and belief in the interconnectedness of life and creativity.”

Meet Artist

GRACE HOWL

An active member of the community, Grace Howl has made her way into the homes and commercial spaces of Sarasota, Casey Key, Naples, Lakewood Ranch, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Chicago, San Francisco, New York and the United Kingdom by way of art collections and installations that serve as conversation starters amongst her many viewers.

Howl says that she sees the world differently. “For me,” she says, “abstraction has replaced the concrete; color has replaced words and boundaries have dissolved. I use art as my language, communicating with imagery, lines, colors, mark making, shape and form.” Her use of movement and texture convey references to ancient and timeless human ideas and experiences viewers find relatable and inspiring.

Regarding Howl’s unique brand of talent, art historian and critic Kevin Costello wrote: Her art displays inexhaustible emotional energy contained by the dimensions of the canvas. She locks in this energy by contrasting volatile line and dramatic figure/ground relationships – thus disguising these narrative visual metaphors as random expressive markings.

Howl has twice created and opened an art installation called Together & Apart: The Love Letters of Georgia O’Keeffe & Alfred Stieglitz, conceptualizing and designing the installation to provide a complete immersive experience based on 25,000 pieces of correspondence sent between the two artists from 1915 to 1946. She is a member of Center for Architecture Sarasota, Interior Design Society, Women Contemporary Artists, Art Center Sarasota, SVAS, Sarasota Architectural Foundation and a local Allied Member of AIA. In addition, she has recently participated in several art programs and events to benefit local nonprofit organizations such as Pines of Sarasota, Southeastern Guide Dogs, ALSO Youth and more.

Grace Howl Contemporary Art Studio is located at 419 & 421 Central Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236. www.gracehowl.com

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arts&culture

Art Center Sarasota

GET Inspired CULTURAL HAPPENINGS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE ARTS AND CULTURAL ALLIANCE OF SARASOTA COUNTY.

Dabbert Gallery

ARTCENTER MANATEE artcentermanatee.org | 941.746.2862 Inspirations Searle & Reid Hodges Galleries December 4 – January 11

ART CENTER SARASOTA artsarasota.com | 941.365.2032 Art Center Instructors: Group Exhibition November 29 – January 4 #Combophotos Stephen McMennamy November 29 – January 4 Fragments, Grids and Other Phenomena, Peter Gaztambide November 29 – January 4 Intermix, Juried Exhibition November 29 – January 4

DABBERT GALLERY dabbertgallery.com | 941.955.1315 “Contemporary Visions” Victoria Mayol December 7 – 28

DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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arts&culture

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The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art

THE JOHN & MABLE RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART ringling.org | 941.357.5900 Deck the Halls at Ca’d’Zan December 13, 20, 27, January 3 250 Years of the Circus in Print Through January 14 Watercolors from the Permanent Collection Through February 3 Coco Fusco: Twilight Through February 17 Woodblock Prints from Postwar Japan Through May 5

Palm Avenue Fine Art

RINGLING COLLEGE GALLERIES ringling.edu/galleries | 941.351.5100 Sheryl Oring: AGITYPE Changing the World One Letter at a Time Lois and David Stulberg Gallery Through December 7 KINDRED Recent Photographs

by Noelle McCleaf Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery Through December 14 Microplastics Willis Smith Gallery Through December 14

PALM AVENUE FINE ART palmavenuefineart.com | 941.388.7526 Florida Landscapes January 4 – 18 International Marine Masters February 1 – 15

Have an upcoming visual art event?

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LITERARY Scene

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

RYAN RECOMMENDS HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS FOR THE BOOK LOVERS IN YOUR LIFE Instead of offering up reviews for three new or forthcoming book titles with a Florida connection like I do every month, I’m going to instead embrace the generous spirit of the holidays and share 9 of the best book and book-related gift ideas that I’ve run across.

Here’s hoping that these put a smile on the faces of those who love the world of words as much as we do.

SHAKER AND SPOON Think Blue Apron for cocktails. Enjoy your favorite book with a great original recipe from world-class bartenders—get three new ones each month. And they send you all the supplies you need to make 12 drinks, though you have to provide the liquor. “You’ll shake, stir, muddle, and more!” promises Shaker and Spoon.

I test drove the Celebrate Mezcal box and wow, it was a hit with my friends. $50 for month-to-month, or get discounts for longer pre-pay options

THE DISASTERS This debut YA book by M.K. England is being billed as The Breakfast Club meets Guardians of the Galaxy! I’d say that it’s a science fiction adventure for those who fondly recall the TV show Firefly. $17.99 hardcover / $8.99 Kindle THE BULLETPROOF BUSINESS PLANNER It’s billed as a stylish, multifunctional, vegan leatherbound planner that can be both “sidekick and coach with you as you propel forward into your best life.”

That’s a big promise, but in the digital age, I don’t mind having a physical calendar like this versus an app. It’s quite sturdy while remaining both functional and attractive.

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A subscription to Epic! gives instant access to 25,000+ of the best books, learning videos, quizzes, and more. Basically, just think Netflix for kids’ books. For those who want Spanish options, there’s quite a selection here that will satisfy you.

(If you’re a librarian or teacher, check out the Epic! for Educators program to help you and the students in your lives.)

Confession: I got a 3-month test account from the nice folks at Epic! and while I asked my two kiddos to test-drive it for me, I find myself on the site perhaps more often than the two of them combined! There’s a lot of quality goodies here, for sure. www.GetEpic.com $45/6 months, $72/12 months, $120/24 months

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arts&culture

LUXURY BATHTUB BOOK CADDY I tried out this item and it’s hard to deny—reading in a pool of bubbles can make any book better. Plus this caddy has a wine glass holder, a cell phone slot, a book/tablet area, and arms that extend to fit nearly any tub. And it’s made from teak and bamboo, so a little splashing won’t hurt it at all.

Yes, it’s just a luxury. But who doesn’t need a bit more book-related luxury in their lives? $27.99 on Amazon (ASIN # B075DNS9S6) Want their desk organizer, too, with its 2 drawers and an expandable/adjustable bookshelf? $39.99 on Amazon (ASIN # B07H275GHW) WAITING AT HAYDEN’S This novel by Riley Costello is what she’s calling “shopfiction,” meaning that readers can shop the characters’ clothes and home décor right from the book. Links in the digital version and web addresses in print take readers to a website where they can view scenes they’ve just read about and then purchase all they see.

For those who care as much about a book’s story as any potential value add-ons, Waiting at Hayden’s is straight-up women’s fiction—a “relatable love story about the complicated nature of timing in modern-day relationships.” Think literary rom-com. With shopping. $16.00 paperback / $9.99 Kindle

HUNT A KILLER It’s the fastest growing thriller subscription in the world—ideal for those who love murder mysteries and true crime books. Hunt a Killer is an immersive murder mystery subscription service that allows tens of thousands of people across the globe to become a detective and hunt a serial killer. “Filled with clues, codes, ciphers, and creepy correspondence from a friend, receive one episode a month for six months until they solve the saga.”

I’ve got two boxes/episodes in my hands now, and it’s a hoot. My gaming group LOVES this—even when we’re not totally enjoying the Celebrate Mezcal goodies at the same time. www.HuntAKiller.com $25/month SCREAMING FOR PLEASURE From the podcast host of “Hellbent for Horror” comes Screaming for Pleasure, THE retrospective guide to the horror industry. Get an in-depth look at 6 of the most impactful horror films by women directors, plus a list of 15+ women directors you should be watching now.

Learn insights from some of the greatest fright directors of all time, such as Guillermo Del Toro, David Cronenberg, and John Carpenter.

This entertaining guide will make cinephiles of all types fall in love with horror again. www.hellbentforhorror.com/book $19.99 paperback / $9.99 Kindle MORE THAN WORDS Perhaps it’s not the books you buy but where you buy them that matters this holiday season. Enter More Than Words, an incredible social enterprise that hires homeless, at-risk youth aged 16-24 and puts them to work selling gently pre-used books online and in their retail location in Boston. The youth learn all aspects of the business, selling 50,000+ books and products made by nonprofits around the country.

This youth-powered nonprofit earns over $500,000 a year, and that money goes right back into supporting this program. www.mtwyouth.webstoreplace.com Use this link to get $10 off $25 at eBay: ebay.us/bkX70H

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DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

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on the town

COOKING CLASSES

Giuliano Hazan, Photo by Andrea Hillebrand

By Rick Dakan I love to cook at home, sometimes even more than I love eating out (only sometimes). In particular, I relish the sense of accomplishment that comes from preparing a new dish or experimenting with a new technique I’ve never tried before and making something for my loved ones that I’ve previously only ever had in restaurants. Most of the time, I’m working from cookbooks, which means there’s no one to ask questions when things go wrong or the instructions are poorly written.

On too many occasions I’ve had to throw whole dishes out (thinking of you, veal quenelles) because even following the instructions to the letter only resulted in inedible guck. It all works so much better when there’s a live and in-person expert to guide your novice hand. Several Sarasota chefs and restaurants offer just such expertise: cooking classes that will expand your culinary horizons and have you preparing meals at home that you might never have dreamed you could make.

EUPHEMIA HAYE euphemiahaye.com 5540 Gulf of Mexico Drive Longboat Key, FL 34228 941.383.3633 Euphemia Haye is a Sarasota institution, operating for almost 40 years now as a charming and indulgent fine dining restaurant housed in a historic former private home on Longboat Key. Chef and proprietor Ray Arpke hosts a regular series of lesson luncheons, which are more like cooking lectures or demonstrations than cooking classes. Think of it as being present for a classic cooking show, where the very talented chef does all 1 10

SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

the hard work and you in the audience get to enjoy the food. The big difference being obvious: Ray’s right there and you can ask him questions, get him to explain the complicated bits, and pick up a ton of useful tips to improve your own home cooking.

Maybe you won’t ever be as good as the master, but it’s a delightful way to spend an afternoon eating a full meal and learning a thing or three you can take home to your kitchen. Classes cost around $65 per person and fill up fast, so check out the restaurant’s website for details on the next class or information about arranging a private class if you and a large group of friends want an extra special education experience.

on the town GIULIANO HAZAN giulianohazan.com 941.363.1258 info@giulianohazan.com

presents

Famed cookbook author and son of equally famous cookbook author Marcella Hazan, Giuliano Hazan’s lifelong calling is teaching others the joys of authentic Italian cuisine. His books include How to Cook Italian, Every Night Italian, and the international bestselling The Classic Pasta Cookbook. We’re very lucky that he calls Sarasota home, and that when he and his wife Lael aren’t hosting wondrous culinary and wine tours of Italy, they’re here teaching classes in classic Italian styles. There are both afternoon ($150) and evening ($175) classes, where you’ll prepare a four course meal with Giuliano and then eat alongside him and your fellow students. The schedule changes from month to month, but January and February he offers multiple classes per week.

Go to giulianohazan.com for more information and to register, and maybe daydream over one of those week-long Northern Italy Cooking School sessions he and Lael host in a 16th century villa near Verona.

MATTISON’S mattisons.com 7275 S Tamiami Tr Sarasota, FL 34231 941.921.3400 The local restaurant empire of Mattison’s doesn’t offer regular classes, but it does have lots of special events for those interested, especially for kids. For example, the Hands-On Gingerbread Workshop in late November offers a chance for the whole family to learn how to make edible decor under the tutelage of Mattison’s Pastry Chef Ray Lajoie. In the summer, there are multiple weeklong summer camps for kids offered through the Sarasota County Parks & Recreation department, with both basic and advanced courses for aspiring chefs ages 10 to 15. What more could you want from a summer camp than training your kids in how to cook you dinner or make a perfect cheesecake?

The est “Little” ShGreatn Earth! ow o

THU DEC 27 – SUN DEC 30

2pm & 7pm daily except 5pm Sun • Tickets: $15-$30 UNDER THE BIG TOP at Nathan Benderson Park ~ Now Air Conditioned!

G E T YO U R T I C K E T S N OW !

941.355.9805 • CircusArts.org DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

111

insider

Laughing MATTERS THE “ARE YOU FUNNIER THAN A CHIHUAHUA?” QUIZ

by Ryan G. Van Cleave | Illustrations by Darcy Kelly-Laviolette

T

he end of the calendar year is nearly upon us, so it’s time to take stock of the truly important things in life. Like your crabgrass-to-centipede grass ratio.

How much cyan ink is left in your printer cartridge?

Finding out exactly what color “cyan” is.

So why not find out—once and for all—whether you’re more amusing than, say, a pair of wet socks?

Good news! This is (purportedly) a humor column, after all, so by reading it, you’re clearly demonstrating some level of acuity about the World of Hah-Hahs. So odds are, you should consider yourself funnier than a Chihuahua. Probably.

As my holiday gift to you, I’ll help you uncover your actual, 100%-accurate, absolutely-for-sure Humor IQ at last. You’re welcome. Simply tug on your googly-eye glasses, slide on some Bozo shoes, and ready that hand buzzer. It’s about to get REAL up in here. As in REAL FUNNY. Directions: Answer each of the following NASA-scientistapproved questions as honestly as possible. (To ensure quality control, the humor research done by the NASA scientists in the making of this quiz was vetted by a team of cryptographers from MIT. And their work was gone over by my buddy, Steve, who once did an entire New York Times 1 12

SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

crossword puzzle by himself in 8 ¾ hours, with only 3 answers coming thanks to covert Googling. Yeah—we’ve got a great team here!)

Note: If you can’t decide on an answer within, say, 9 seconds, then the answer is “C.” Note: If there is no “C” option, then your answer is “Just move the heck on to the next question, Slow Poke!”

Question 1—Funniest thing ever on TV? a—Seinfeld

b—That one with that ridiculous thing (you know the one.) c—The Star Wars “Holiday Special” d—Your own home movies

Question 2—Rank these in order of your amusement level.

4—Go to a vet with a can of tuna and ask: “Can you fix him?”

3—Put up a LOST DOG poster with a picture of a goldfish on it 2—Superglue a quarter to the ground and watch people try to pick it up 1—Buy a donut and complain that there’s a hole in it

insider Question 3—Best unexpected humor moment? —Rude re-posing of a store mannequin —Someone mistakenly using permanent marker on a

whiteboard

—Grammar memes with typos —Quizzes with one answer that doesn’t make sense

Question 4—Funniest color? a—Cyan 3—cyan

+—CYAN

“—CYAN

Answer Key: I subcontracted out the construction of the Answer Key to my buddy Steve, but he’s neck-deep in some Mad Libs. So instead, let’s do this. It’s the humor version of Final Jeopardy.

The answer is: “Make explosion noises when someone presses a button.”

In response, if you offer up the question “What do I do every time I’m on an elevator?” then congratulations, you’re officially a Sarasota Scene Magazine-certified funny person.

If you offered up any other question, congratulations, you’re officially a Sarasota Scene Magazine-certified person.

And honestly, in this day and age, that’s not too bad of a consolation prize.

Just ask Carrot Top.

Question 5—Most annoying thing EVER? a—The SpongeBob theme song

a—People who call “Group hug!” and then enforce it a—Bus/train riders who perform the Unnecessary

Got your own Cosmo-style quiz that will tell me if I’m more Hufflepuff than Slytherin? Want me to go with you to SeaWorld while we carry fishing poles? Thinking about dressing up as Ronald McDonald and then ordering a Whopper at Burger King?

Leg Spread a—Having to choose between eating chips and hearing

the TV

Fire off those zowies to ryan@scenesarasota.com today! That email box is regularly checked . . . every time the Hale-Bopp comet zooms past.

Question 6—Most awesome way to spend a Saturday afternoon?

3.14159—Follow joggers in your car, blasting Eye of the

Tiger for encouragement.

8675309—Wear a shirt that says “Life.” Pass out lemons

on a street corner.

25 or 6 to 4—Put blue Gatorade in a Windex bottle.

Walk around in public while drinking it.

0—Don tinted sunglasses and sit in a parked car, pointing a hair dryer at cars that pass by.

Scoring: For every A answer, give yourself 16 points. Each B? Subtract the square root of 56.43164. C answers earn you nothing. Zippo. Nada. And D? Take a bow for each of those.

Plus 1.25 points. Then divide by zero.

DECEMBER 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE

113

REWIND A LOOK BACK THROUGH SCENE’S ARCHIVES

1993

THE FLORIDA WESTCOAST SYMPHONY (TODAY’S SARASOTA ORCHESTRA) PRESENTED ITS 1993-1994 DEBUTANTES. EIGHT YOUNG LADIES MADE THEIR BOW AT A BLACK-TIE POPS CONCERT FOLLOWED

BY THE TRADITIONAL BALL. THE TRADITION CONTINUES THIS MONTH WITH THE 37TH ANNUAL DEBUTANTE BALL ON DECEMBER 15.

Left: Ilana Brooke Kulman, Amy Laura Thiessen, Jennie Marie Lascelle, Heather Lea Hausberg, Laurie Lynne Morris, Maureen Elizabeth Burnham, Leanne Elizabeth Dolin and Jessica Anne Wallace.

Debutantes and Escorts

Top: Paul Melton, Stacy Carter, Aileen & Dr. Randall Carter Bottom: John Arreola & Judy Arreola, Sandy Fishman & Katie, Julie, Alan, Pam and Jennie Morris 1 14

SARASOTA SCENE | DECEMBER 2018

Jordan Fishman

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